Wallabies v Italy, Florence, Sun 13th Nov 12am AEDT

[stillmissit]

big a brain

??????????

 

[LeCheese]

??????????

this big *of* a brain snap

 

[stillmissit]

Yeah I hope Lolesio gets dropped. The bloke has had 16 games in Gold. He's not the answer unfortunately, we've invested in the wrong guy. Time to move on. He had 75 minutes against the worst tier 1 team, outside him was the Wallabies best backline barring maybe Kellaway. Time's up.

One of the key things a Wallaby coach needs to do is to be able to ID talent who could stand up from the dross. I suspect Rennie has relied on McKellar to ID talent for him.

 

[stillmissit]

this big *of* a brain snap

I have been supporting Swain as he was provoked by the pommie bastard, but as you say he is proving to be very dumb and stupid and that's a bad look for players in the row!

 

[LeCheese]

I have been supporting Swain as he was provoked by the pommie bastard, but as you say he is proving to be very dumb and stupid and that's a bad look for players in the row!

It isn't pretty reading. In his last 7 matches:

England 1: red card for headbutt
Argentina 1: should've been yellow carded for a shoulder on a chaser
Bledisloe 1: yellow card (but met red card threshold) for dangerous clear out
Italy: should've been yellow carded for a shoulder on a chaser

 

[Overtime]

Sorry guys, forgot Marika and Samu were in the beer queue at the game.

As I said, they were our best backs outside Lolesio barring Kellaway. This will be our backline next week against Ireland:
11. Kellaway 12. Paisami 13. Ikitau 14. Wright 15. Campbell

point remains, Lolesio has had 16 games in Gold, 75 minutes with our best backs available to put away Italy and did fuck all. Time to accept we backed the wrong horse. I'm almost certain Rennie has realised this, I'll wager someone that Lolesio won't even make the RWC squad.

Actually want Lolesio to do well as it is good for Australian rugby. Been saying that we should of been developing other young fly halves along with Lolesio for a while. Some of the blame for the lack of development of 10's needs to be go back to Gibson and Penney's continual persistance at the Tahs with Harrison at fly half and not giving Donaldson a crack earlier. I have always thought Donaldson was the better fly half in terms of getting the back row moving and testing the opposition defence. He also has the ability to spot a gap and split the defence open, has a big boot on him, bigger than both Lolesio's and Foley's and a good pasing game. His biggest problem at the moment is goal kicking. Although a resonable goal kicker, he is not as reliable as Lolesio and Foley. Probably the most reliable goal kicker in Australian rugby at present is Harrison. In saying all this Donaldson's goal kicking can and will improve with practice and the right coaches.

 

[PhilClinton]

Actually want Lolesio to do well as it is good for Australian rugby. Been saying that we should of been developing other young fly halves as along with Lolesio for a while. Some of the blame for the lack of development of 10's needs to be go back to Gibson and Penney's continual persistance with Harrison at fly half and not giving Donaldson a crack earlier.

I'm not across the Harrison v Donaldson comparison to give a proper insight, but the notion of state level coaches and their accountability I think needs to be explored more in 2023.

Are we far enough in a decline now that RA needs to be a bit of big brothering at state level? I've posted on here before that I wouldn't be opposed to having the Head Coaches being employees and appointments of the franchises, but there should be a collective coaching panel who work closely with or are employees of RA and are offered as assistants to the franchises. It better aligns the national team with what the states are trying to do from a selection and game plan perspective.

Afterall, the Wallabies are the glue that holds rugby together in this country. Fans aren't filling stadiums to go and watch the Reds v Tahs anymore.

 

[Sword of Justice]

It isn't pretty reading. In his last 7 matches:

England 1: red card for headbutt
Argentina 1: should've been yellow carded for a shoulder on a chaser
Bledisloe 1: yellow card (but met red card threshold) for dangerous clear out
Italy: should've been yellow carded for a shoulder on a chaser

And why would he learn to be more in control when his coach picks him every chance and downplays the severity of his actions in the press when he could instead dead bat the question or even better just state his actions weren't acceptable.

His natural ability is very, very good and his ceiling is probably higher than most if not all of our current Aus based locks but he's not helped by having his own bar set so low.

 

[Dctarget]

Here's the decade of Aussie flyhalves for the u20s. Not like we've missed any gems.

2019: Will Harrison, Isaac Lucas, Lolesio (played centre)
2018: Lucas, Lawson Creighton
2017: Hamish Stewart, Jack McGregor
2016: Nick Jooste, Mack Mason, Jordan Jackson-Hope
2015: James Dalgleish, Paia'aua
2014: Jake McIntyre
2013: McIntyre
2012: whoever played flyhalf here I don't recognise. Maybe it was Godwin or Lucas.
2011: Ben Volavola
2010: To'omua - last time we had a proper test player

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Shit that's depressing.

From 2011 to 2017 there is nobody there that has been a consistent Super level 10/12.

Hope we don't stuff around with the current group coming through which seem to have some promise at least.

 

[Wilson]

Here's the decade of Aussie flyhalves for the u20s. Not like we've missed any gems.

2019: Will Harrison, Isaac Lucas, Lolesio (played centre)
2018: Lucas, Lawson Creighton
2017: Hamish Stewart, Jack McGregor
2016: Nick Jooste, Mack Mason, Jordan Jackson-Hope
2015: James Dalgleish, Paia'aua
2014: Jake McIntyre
2013: McIntyre
2012: whoever played flyhalf here I don't recognise. Maybe it was Godwin or Lucas.
2011: Ben Volavola
2010: To'omua - last time we had a proper test player

Sam Greene and Luke Burton were both there and there abouts around 2013 as well, Greene is probably the biggest "what if" from them, but I'm definitely not going to argue he would've been the saviour.

Australian development structures have hardly been stellar over this period though, so I'm not sure the question is "Who did we miss?", it's probably more "Who didn't fulfil their potential?", and I'd argue it's about 90% of that list.

 

[emuarse]

The phising was so good yesterday.
I managed to catch quite a few of the 'Brumby Fans' breed.
They can really react to the right sort of bait.
Give it a go, you'll be surprised at your catch.

 

[Slim 293]

The phising was so good yesterday.
I managed to catch quite a few of the 'Brumby Fans' breed.
They can really react to the right sort of bait.
Give it a go, you'll be surprised at your catch.

Great phising...

 

[RugbyReg]

Sam Greene and Luke Burton were both there and there abouts around 2013 as well, Greene is probably the biggest "what if" from them, but I'm definitely not going to argue he would've been the saviour.

Australian development structures have hardly been stellar over this period though, so I'm not sure the question is "Who did we miss?", it's probably more "Who didn't fulfil their potential?", and I'd argue it's about 90% of that list.

I would like to know if any DIDN'T come the private school scholarship environment where their game time (at least in QLD) is limited to about 10 school games and no club games. What a way to learn how to control a game.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I would like to know if any DIDN'T come the private school scholarship environment where their game time (at least in QLD) is limited to about 10 school games and no club games. What a way to learn how to control a game.

I'll take the bait. Plenty of the great playmakers/Halfbacks have come out of the Private system as well....

The boys can only play who is put in front of them. What I would say is that they absolutely do not play enough and during the time that most of those listed players above were coming through it was a short season. A lot of the boys would have come out of school showing a lot of promise and then been put into so called 'academies' and 'pathways' that really just put them in cotton wool until a coach decided it's time to put them into a Super Rugby game and then wonder why they couldn't handle it.

There seems to be at the moment at least a lot more of the 18-21 year olds playing in their states Club competition which will make a lot of difference. This in conjunction with the U16 & U19s national comp will help the process of being able to learn how to control a game.

 

[Drew]

I would like to know if any DIDN'T come the private school scholarship environment where their game time (at least in QLD) is limited to about 10 school games and no club games. What a way to learn how to control a game.

Then someone like Mack Mason or David Horowitz, who weren't dominant at club level were left to watch Foley from the Tahs bench for years. I’m not saying they would or wouldn’t have been anything, but the Super Rugby set up is designed to push players who aren’t starters overseas.

 

[Tomikin]

Why? Isn't he a decent prospect? I haven't seen a great deal from him so would like some insight.

Prospect, maybe but he wasn't brilliant before he left, and left for Japan, we have alot of young 5/8s here playing, then trying to bring home Lacus and putting him in the wallabies..

 

[Tomikin]

The phising was so good yesterday.
I managed to catch quite a few of the 'Brumby Fans' breed.
They can really react to the right sort of bait.
Give it a go, you'll be surprised at your catch.

Ahhh so you're so smart..

 

[eastman]

Viking, I think Carter Gordon will have a good Super Rugby next year and will be one of the group to rebuild our 10 stocks. I also think we have done far less with our 2019 U20's players than the Nth Hemi has.
Just read Rennie's statement and apart from 'it ain't good enough' it is all about players hurting etc etc. F**K them hurting, get them out on the paddock and work their ar**ses off. If you can't put discipline into these guys move aside and let someone who can take over, this is not a time for parenting it is a time to learn what it takes to win test matches.

What’s he saying behind closed doors SMI?

 

[PhilClinton]

Here's the decade of Aussie flyhalves for the u20s. Not like we've missed any gems.

2011: Ben Volavola

Did Volavola jump ship a bit early? He's had a long career in France and played nearly 50 test for Fiji. Picked by the Crusaders back in 2016 which isn't a bad resume.

I wonder if he'd stuck it out in Super Rugby whether he'd developed differently or did he declare for Fiji early on and that made him sticking around difficult?