Wallabies V Samoa - Test 2011

[MrTimms]

Wonder how bad it is, just this game or a couple of weeks?

Interesting:

In the absence of O’Connor, Brumbies flyhalf Matt Giteau will assume the goal-kicking responsibilities.

He kicked well in Super Rugby, hope his form continues.

 

[Slim 293]

Wonder how bad it is, just this game or a couple of weeks?

Interesting:



He kicked well in Super Rugby, hope his form continues.

Giteau's Super Rugby goal kicking has always been excellent... unfortunately for us his test kicking has had some notable hiccups in the past couple of years...

 

[Lee Grant]

It's good to see Davies get a start. The Wobs haven't had a real flyer for a while and you get a bit of serendipity sometimes with playing a fellow that may not have got a chance for some time otherwise.

I'll be looking for involvements from him and wishing him good luck if he opposes 117kgs Alesana Tuilagi. My advice? Let him run around you Rod and come from behind and jump on his back.

 

[MrTimms]

My advice? Let him run around you Rod and come from behind and jump on his back.

Advice born from experience is always the best. Only question is the experience on or off the field?

 

[Set piece magic]

Davies starting will be interesting. Should run rings around their winger if he weighs 117kg.

 

[qwerty51]

Davies starting will be interesting. Should run rings around their winger if he weighs 117kg.

Or get run over by their winger.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

Looking forward to seeing Hodgeson at 7. He seemed to be out-turnovering Pocock towards the end of the season.

 

[Groucho]

Quite a few exciting players and positions in this spare parts team. Davies on debut, McCabe at 12, Phipps, Hodgson at 7, Timani on debut... looking forward to it!

 

[Swarley]

James O'Connor hamstring injury

http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1516/ArticleID/3843/Default.aspx

Queensland Reds winger Rod Davies has become the second player brought into the Qantas Wallabies side for tomorrow’s Castrol Edge Rugby Test against Samoa due to injury.

The 22-year-old speedster will make his Test debut replacing James O’Connor who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained during a running drill yesterday.

Davies is one of three players in the Qantas Wallabies starting line-up who will play his first Test tomorrow, alongside the Melbourne Rebels halfback Nick Phipps and the NSW Waratahs second rower Sitaleki Timani.

A further two players: the Queensland Reds pair of flanker Beau Robinson and hooker James Hanson, will gain their first taste of Test rugby if required from the bench.

The full extent of the injury to O’Connor is still to be determined with the team medical staff to continue assessment over the next few days before a decision is made as to when O’Connor will be fit to rejoin the playing roster.

He has no previous history of hamstring injuries.

Hope it isn't serious, our back-line looks a lot weaker without him on top of Mitchell's absence.

9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Ioane
12. Giteau
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Turner
15. Beale


I know Turner hasn't done much this season, but he's fast and can kick, and he's never let the team down before. Personally I'd like to see Horne move to #13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) slide out, but that depends on Horne's fitness.

 

[RedsHappy]

Quite a few exciting players and positions in this spare parts team. Davies on debut, McCabe at 12, Phipps, Hodgson at 7, Timani on debut... looking forward to it!

Agree Groucho. In fact, the Reds' GF win could well be a blessing in disguise as the required 'resting' permits what you so touchingly call 'the spare parts' team (though their mothers wouldn't like that title), which might reveal a turbocharger part or two we didn't quite know we had.

 

[Athilnaur]

Here's hoping it was just a twinge and mngt are showing abundant caution.

Injuries are a part of sport, but is it just me or have we copped a shelacking this year?

 

[RedsHappy]

Giteau's Super Rugby goal kicking has always been excellent... unfortunately for us his test kicking has had some notable hiccups in the past couple of years...

I think 'notable hiccups' is putting it mildly. If JOC (James O'Connor) is out for longer periods, and with no BB, we start to have serious match-losing exposure in the kicking department. KB (Kurtley Beale) has been variable in the S15, Cooper worse (easy pressure kicks especially, like Gits), and as stated Gits' recent record kicking in Tests is poor, especially when it's for the match (eg, v England, Sydney, 2010). JOC (James O'Connor) was looking our best, good consistency and sound technique.

And there is no doubt whatsoever that consistent kicking excellence is critical in a RWC, even more so in the NZ early spring where there will be all of strong gusts and rain, quite regularly.

 

[Reddy!]

Davies > Turner

 

[Reddy!]

What's the weather in old sydney town going to be like? I hope it's a fairly dry track because then you will really see more involvement from Davies. A wet track means players like McCabe will probably shine.

 

[tranquility]

Maybe another upside is that if Davies plays well for a couple of weeks, Robbie may want to keep him and there throw JOC (James O'Connor) at 12 allowing Giteau to become the squads third halfback where he is most comfortable.

 

[RuckinGoodStats]

Wonder how bad it is, just this game or a couple of weeks?

Interesting:



He kicked well in Super Rugby, hope his form continues.

Just doing Giteau and Beale's kicking difficulty. Yup I relented and should be to Gaggar this week.

Giteau in Super15 conversions were 20 from 31 (65%) penalties 36 from 40 (90%). I'm thinking there might not be too many conversions for tomorrows game's and the conversions will be largely out in front where he was very successful this season.

 

[RuckinGoodStats]

I think 'notable hiccups' is putting it mildly. If JOC (James O'Connor) is out for longer periods, and with no BB, we start to have serious match-losing exposure in the kicking department. KB (Kurtley Beale) has been variable in the S15, Cooper worse (easy pressure kicks especially, like Gits), and as stated Gits' recent record kicking in Tests is poor, especially when it's for the match (eg, v England, Sydney, 2010). JOC (James O'Connor) was looking our best, good consistency and sound technique.

And there is no doubt whatsoever that consistent kicking excellence is critical in a RWC, even more so in the NZ early spring where there will be all of strong gusts and rain, quite regularly.

I'm thinking that conversions are going to be the ones that will be interesting as the form isn't that great and have located the same dead zone in 3 of the likely 4 kickers. JO'C hasn't had many conversions (read data points) this season to form an opinion.

 

[tragic]

The loss of O'Conner will not impact the team as much as Robinson. He is an exceptional player but it seems in Deans eyes he is still a winger. At least we have depth on the wing. A team with Ioanne/Mitchell (or davies if mitchells recovery is derailed) is not that much weaker. If he establishes himself as a world class 12 then it would be a different story..

 

[qwerty51]

The loss of O'Conner will not impact the team as much as Robinson

No way!

I'm glad Davies got a go, better now than in an important game.

 

[RedsHappy]

What's the weather in old sydney town going to be like? I hope it's a fairly dry track because then you will really see more involvement from Davies. A wet track means players like McCabe will probably shine.

IMO, amongst other improvements Drew M made 2009-11 (Tests and S14/15) in his game, he gradually become so much more the 'proactive, always-on, all-of-field' winger in that he'd go looking for work all over the place and his instinct for where it'd be in any evolving game situation got better and better, and thus so would his productive take-up and try assists and scoring rates.

Rod D is less like that, but getting better, much better. He's tended to be more a 'needs to be right place, right time' following winger and thus has not chased and/or manufactured the 'I'll get to the right place whilst it's happening' opportunities (and resultant shocks to the opposition) that Drew has become so good at in his later years.