Wallabies v Italy

[wamberal]

Ben Te'o for example. I shudder to think of what he would do to Foley.

 

[KOB1987]

I agree with you dru and I think you’ve got those Brumby Runner goggles on BR. To'omua straightened the attack well and threw some good passes but offered zero creativity and his general kicking was average at best. The kicking ‘tactics’ that TSR alludes to above I suspect were largely poorly executed or misguided kicks giving crucial possession and territory away. He’s well known for it and I clearly remember him costing us a victory against the saffers a few years ago with it.

I thought Foley was fair playing out of position aside from that pass. Overall I’d give the experiment a low pass but I wouldn’t be repeating it next weekend. As I’ve said I’d like them swapped around next weekend.

 

[dru]

Sorry Dru. I know it's too late but I'll delete it and send him a dm.

Hey Sully. It was irksome, but in the long run didn't actually spoil as much as I thought it had.

Cheers

 

[Quick Hands]

@theblitzdefence: Controversy in Italy as Gauzere disallows an Italian try for offside. https://t.co/w7zy3l2R9Q

Tweet has video of the disallowed try.

The half is beyond the 15m before the lineout is over and doesn't return inside so it's the correct call.

One of those laws routinely ignored by refs.

Not really

Firstly, that wasn't what the referee blew penalty was for.

Secondly, it's far from clear at the point that the lineout ends whether he is inside the 15, on the 15 or beyond it. The lineout ends in this case when the jumper touches the ball because he fails to make a clean catch, not when it's knocked back on the second touch or when the half catches it.

There's no doubt that he is well behind the line of touch when the lineout ends. It was a poor call from a normally reasonably good referee who made quite a few strange calls in the game. Not one of his better games.

 

[TSR]

I agree with you dru and I think you’ve got those Brumby Runner goggles on BR. To'omua straightened the attack well and threw some good passes but offered zero creativity and his general kicking was average at best. The kicking ‘tactics’ that TSR alludes to above I suspect were largely poorly executed or misguided kicks giving crucial possession and territory away. He’s well known for it and I clearly remember him costing us a victory against the saffers a few years ago with it.

But it’s a tactic we’ve employed consistently KOB, against various opposition.

In that sense, I can understand To'omua doing it - presumably he was following the game plan.

But, gee, I know I am but a mere hack, but if I’d just pinched three line outs in a row I’d be pretty willing to kick long and into touch.

I assume that the other problem is that we do the contested kick badly. Every other team seems to do it better than us - so if the winger is marking the touch line we need a clear shot at the line or we are just turning over possession anyway. Really just reinforces the impact that a lack of effective kicking & kick/chase has on our overall level of competitiveness.

 

[Quick Hands]

I agree with you dru and I think you’ve got those Brumby Runner goggles on BR. To'omua straightened the attack well and threw some good passes but offered zero creativity and his general kicking was average at best. The kicking ‘tactics’ that TSR alludes to above I suspect were largely poorly executed or misguided kicks giving crucial possession and territory away. He’s well known for it and I clearly remember him costing us a victory against the saffers a few years ago with it.

I thought Foley was fair playing out of position aside from that pass. Overall I’d give the experiment a low pass but I wouldn’t be repeating it next weekend. As I’ve said I’d like them swapped around next weekend.

As opposed to the creativity in the Wales game when we didn't look like scoring?

With respect KOB, you're the one with the goggles on.

 

[Quick Hands]

But it’s a tactic we’ve employed consistently KOB, against various opposition.

In that sense, I can understand To'omua doing it - presumably he was following the game plan.

But, gee, I know I am but a mere hack, but if I’d just pinched three line outs in a row I’d be pretty willing to kick long and into touch.

I assume that the other problem is that we do the contested kick badly. Every other team seems to do it better than us - so if the winger is marking the touch line we need a clear shot at the line or we are just turning over possession anyway. Really just reinforces the impact that a lack of effective kicking & kick/chase has on our overall level of competitiveness.

Agree. I've watched 4 test matches this morning and we do tactical kicking worse that any team.

 

[TSR]

And there is no excuse Quick Hands. I know we bemoan the lack of a long kicking game by our backs - but we also can’t execute a shallow contestable kick effectively either.

 

[Brumby Runner]

KOB, we obviously see things differently. I thought the backline had more structure and game nous in it with To'omua running it than I've seen in a very long time with Bernard running things. And on the defense side, it was a hell of a lot more effective not having to cover for a poor tackling No 10.

I'm pretty sure that Folau and the wingers would have problems agreeing with your summation that Foley's only poor play was the pass that directly led to the Italian try btw. They were constantly being hemmed in by Foley's sideways running, so reminiscent of KB (Kurtley Beale) it wasn't funny.

But, I can accept that we see it all differently. I might have To'omua goggles (is that a suggestion of provincial bias?) but for sure you have the largest pair of Foley goggles on the site. I would be surprised if many posters here thought otherwise than that Foley was the poorest performer on the field.

 

[Brumby Runner]

And there is no excuse Quick Hands. I know we bemoan the lack of a long kicking game by our backs - but we also can’t execute a shallow contestable kick effectively either.

Late in the game To'omua put in a perfectly executed short chip over the Azzuri backline which but for a poor bounce (no fault of the kicker) would have been retained by Kerevi in space and play would have gone many metres towards the tryline, maybe even over it. Was heartening to see that after so many years we now have a player with the ability to execute such a tactic.

 

[dru]

KOB, we obviously see things differently. I thought the backline had more structure and game nous in it with To'omua running it than I've seen in a very long time with Bernard running things. And on the defense side, it was a hell of a lot more effective not having to cover for a poor tackling No 10.

I'm pretty sure that Folau and the wingers would have problems agreeing with your summation that Foley's only poor play was the pass that directly led to the Italian try btw. They were constantly being hemmed in by Foley's sideways running, so reminiscent of KB (Kurtley Beale) it wasn't funny.

But, I can accept that we see it all differently. I might have To'omua goggles (is that a suggestion of provincial bias?) but for sure you have the largest pair of Foley goggles on the site. I would be surprised if many posters here thought otherwise than that Foley was the poorest performer on the field.

I am not many just one. But I don't think Foley was the poorest bloke on the field. Not by a long shot.

I do think that To'omua was better and that it was a worthwhile experiment.

 

[Quick Hands]

Late in the game To'omua put in a perfectly executed short chip over the Azzuri backline which but for a poor bounce (no fault of the kicker) would have been retained by Kerevi in space and play would have gone many metres towards the tryline, maybe even over it. Was heartening to see that after so many years we now have a player with the ability to execute such a tactic.

As opposed to a Foley clearing kick which bobbled straight down the middle of the field in the first half.

 

[Slim 293]

I thought that was one of the worst games I've seen Foley play in gold..........

He looked completely uncomfortable at 12, too often crabbing across and suffocating the players outside of him, shuffling the ball to players in a poor position to receive it.

 

[Quick Hands]

I am not many just one. But I don't think Foley was the poorest bloke on the field. Not by a long shot.

I do think that To'omua was better and that it was a worthwhile experiment.

Foley just shouldn't play 12. If he's in the side it's at 10 and at 10 only.

 

[KOB1987]

As opposed to the creativity in the Wales game when we didn't look like scoring?

With respect KOB, you're the one with the goggles on.

Wales was a poor game all around except for our defense. There didn’t appear to be any tactics at all with regards to the kicking and in that game it was mostly Beale taking matters into his own hands. He is clearly out of form and should be / has been benched.
I can’t see us using such poor kicking tactics next week.

To be clear, I thought To'omua was more good than bad, and Foley 5/10, I was just saying I felt that BR was overstating the respective performances of each.

 

[southsider]

I am not many just one. But I don't think Foley was the poorest bloke on the field. Not by a long shot.

I do think that To'omua was better and that it was a worthwhile experiment.

Just out of curiosity who did you think was the poorest performer for the wallabies? I too thought it was clearly Foley

I thought sio had a mixed bag but was getting lots of touches and obviously trying to make an impact

I thought Kerevi and Koro tried to run over people too often instead of going around them or passing but still think they played decent

And Folau made a few poor choices on when to hold and when to pass but again still played decent

 

[KOB1987]

No suggestion of provincial bias BR, if Brumby wasn’t in your moniker it wouldn’t have even been mentioned

 

[Up the Guts]

I thought Kerevi and Koro tried to run over people too often instead of going around them or passing but still think they played decent

And Folau made a few poor choices on when to hold and when to pass but again still played decent

Can't agree with you on Kerevi, I think he is just so strong that when nothing is on chances are he will it into a half break making it look like he's taken contact too early. Koroibete does have a tendency to try and run over his opposition but I thought today he made the right call a couple of times when he was getting jammed for space and it would have been easy for him to get bundled into touch.

 

[Brumby Runner]

"It was initially thought Pocock exited the game for a HIA but Cheika said post-match the no. 8 had copped a hit to the neck.

Wallabies officials were positive about his condition in the hours after the game but Cheika said he would be monitored closely during the next week.

“He's obviously got a pretty nasty stinger on his neck,” Cheika said post-match." - Rugby.com.au.

If Poey didn't go off for a HIA, then how did Dempsey get back on the field after he'd been replaced? Surely, there is no suggestion Dempsey went of for a HIA. He left the field unassisted, shaking his head as though he couldn't understand the decision to replace him.

 

[southsider]

Can't agree with you on Kerevi, I think he is just so strong that when nothing is on chances are he will it into a half break making it look like he's taken contact too early. Koroibete does have a tendency to try and run over his opposition but I thought today he made the right call a couple of times when he was getting jammed for space and it would have been easy for him to get bundled into touch.

I’m talking about open space with numbers on the outside. I’m not against either of the two I enjoy their style of play, just think as a pair there were a few too many times they tried to bash their way over