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Wallabies V Samoa - Test 2011

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Athilnaur

Arch Winning (36)
Whatever else can be deduced from this utterly mediocre display by our national team, there surely can be no debate about the following:

- the 2011 Wallabies coaches have had many, many months to meticulously research and plan for Samoa's likely capability and obvious physicality at the breakdown and how this Samoan team would likely handle the breakdown;

- the Wallabies coaches have had many undisturbed weeks to work with the non-Reds likely Wallabies to conduct preparatory technical and tactical sessions regarding enhanced breakdown performance (if 'scrum camps' were able to be held, so could 'forwards' breakdown camps'), and then there was over a week of intensive training of all Wallabies squad members to further perfect this work;

- throughout the majority of the S15, all of the Tahs, Reds and Force showed they possessed generally high-quality forwards packs capable of excellence in ruck and counter ruck work vs the best S15 oppositions

Inescapable Conclusion: at the very least, the Wallabies' forwards coaching capability is manifestly incompetent, poorly prepared, ill-focussed, and generally far beneath the required Test, 3N and BC standards.

Recommended Action: facing a RWC, 3N and BC, Jim Williams should tomorrow be summarily dismissed and Foley and/or one of Links' relevant specialist support coaches be immediately retained to take over all Wallaby squad forwards-related coaching
- Agree utterly mediocre.
- Pretty sure the Samoa game was relatively recent plan. No excuse for underestimating their professional skillset tho.
- There are school kids who probably know more about forwards dark arts than me, but my concern wasn't skillsets, it was the forward's commitment as a group. At least half of them were intimidated out of the game. As you later point out these guys are from teams who have shown good forward skills, well, outside of scrummaging at least, and here scrums were actually, to my poor eye at least, an area of opportunity for them.

I am a rocky fan but admit to concern he didn't take the boys aside and give em a chopper pep talk of hardentehfcukup.

Re coaching. Robbie is a fan of "play what's in front of you.". Well today it was 15 big Samoans who mixed a bit of luck, with a lot of professional skill, pride and commitment. Their halfs were good, and Williams excellent. Tuilagi too. I don't know what Robbie said at halftime, but to be honest I doubt it mattered. The role giteau should have played wasn't, and it took Genia to fix it. By then it was wet, the Samoans were doing every delay tactic they knew, and they won a great game.

For myself I'll wait till November to judge the coaching, but anything to stiffen the guys up some would be timely I reckon. If that's Foley, great. Personally I opt for all of them having to endure 10 mins of cold stares to the eyes from Sharpe and Elsom.

Except McCabe. He stood up today, and it was noticed, and not just here, mark my words.
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Giteau was not that bad, come off it. That game was lost up front, plain and simple. No breakdown heart, out-enthused. Giteau ran pretty directly, kicked OK. I know it's "Cool" to hate Gits, but FFS, he shouldn't be the scapegoat. I don't want any of the players cast aside for 1 game, what sort of way is that to run a squad? Guys that did poorly need to be shown why, and given a chance to pull their fingers out.

I wouldn't cast aside but rather sideways. To inside centre. He is clearly not a flyhalf that has been proven over any number of games.

Passing 15m behind the ad line and to a player rather than in front of them killed momentum many times.

Having dummy runners and deeper options running overs lines but generally taking the wrong option (see gerrard getting smashed where as if he had gone to Davies it was a try)

Apparent poor communication. Cant blame a lack of combination when the two centers played with him all year.

I feel the one big mistake with deans selection was not having Cooper on the bench. He should have played the last 30 with gits at 12 andeither McCabe or AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at 13. We could have seen a different combination and built on the likely starting combo for next week.
 

Spewn

Alex Ross (28)
For the forwards, it proved again that some of those are soft. And that includes Sharpe (sacrilegious I know to many here to say it). I don't know how many times over the years I have seen him wilt when the going gets really tough. Vickerman was so much better when he came on although I confess Sharpe carries the ball better over the gain line. But I don't see that as a second rower's job. Mccalman doesn't have it. Neither does Hodgson. Beau doesnt really have the skills. I'd never thought I'd be saying it but Phil Waugh offers more as a tough uncompromising 7 second fiddle to Pocock. Not sure about the front row. Held up in scrum I think but not really hard at the breakdown in terms of cleaning out. Timani can't catch. Not much use if he can't. For Gods sake get rid of Giteau.
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
The difference between Gerrard and Beale, and Phipps and Genia reinforces how much we are relying on minimum injuries to our top XV to have a chance at the 3N, let alone the world cup.

The only fringe players that improved their chances of getting in the RWC squad yesterday were Vickerman and Higginbotham. Two blokes that didn't start.

McCabe may have done ok, but I would like to have seen his impact outside of Cooper, who seems to always create that extra half metre of space for his outside men.
 

chequebalance

Bill Watson (15)
I don't like the term B team. I know we could have fielded a few other players but wow that is still a decent team on paper. There is quite a few players, if not all in there that a lot of people (including myself) thought deserved a crack and got one but just didn't take it regardless of excuses (combination etc.) I also think, as has been commented that Samoa had the right game plan, executed it well, and were just hungrier. Stop with the B team talk, as a few injuries and that could become our only team.
 

Slim 293

Stirling Mortlock (74)
Did any of the Wallabies that started the match not think that putting a few kicks in behind the Samoan giants was a good idea rather than trying to crash straight through them?

Higgers was pretty successful with that tactic once he got out there.

Giteau.

Several good kicks in fact.
 

Swarley

Bob Loudon (25)
I don't like the term B team. I know we could have fielded a few other players but wow that is still a decent team on paper. There is quite a few players, if not all in there that a lot of people (including myself) thought deserved a crack and got one but just didn't take it regardless of excuses (combination etc.) I also think, as has been commented that Samoa had the right game plan, executed it well, and were just hungrier. Stop with the B team talk, as a few injuries and that could become our only team.

On paper it is a decent team, but it is basically as second string XV. A side that's missing Slipper, Robinson, TPN, Horwill, Pocock, Palu, Cooper, Mitchell and O'Connor with Genia and Beale only playing 30 minutes isn't a premier XV.
 

Sir Arthur Higgins

Dick Tooth (41)
I was kinda watching to see...did Pat McCabe even pass the ball? I don't recall one

I don't recall it! just running straight at the defence and not breaking the gain line....at least he ran straight though!
I thought phipps looked very panicked at moments. obviously does not have the experience yet for test rugby.

Genia made a world of difference when he came on. but what in the world was that behind the back pass?? about 5 feet forward.

I thought rod davies as atrocious everytime the ball came near him. i'll be amazed if he plays again. Yes he is as fast as they come but he offers nothing else. I never really understood the hype on him. rave reviews for intercept tries and getting the ball in the clear and sprinting straight home. a small winger not only needs gas, but a work ethic to rival the best flanks in the business. shane williams is a little smurf who can play with the best of them. he's got he skills, the defence and the work ethic to compete with the best wingers in the world. davies does not. keep him in super rugby, get him on the sevens circuit to work on his skills and in a couple years consider a recall. absolutely destroyed by tuilagi.
anyone who doubts the quality of the islanders or heineken cup rugby needs to rethink their position.
some sore bodies coming out of pool d!

Hodgson was no good. I think we could scan the super rugby ranks and find a few flankers with a bit more work ethic than him to back up pocock.

that beind said, samoa were fantastic! looking forward to the world cup even more now.
 

Sir Arthur Higgins

Dick Tooth (41)

many more useful ones that aside?
i'll admit i only turned around the 23 minute mark so i would have missed the pass you mention. but i didn't see many from him from 23 mins onward.
that being said, he was reliable to at least take the ball to contact and catch the ball. better than most!
 

Iluvmyfooty

Phil Hardcastle (33)
Poor selections by Deans imo - we were playing a hard hitting Samoan team. So you think players like Samo, A. Fainga'a, Higginbotham would have been good options. McCalman has as much penetration as a jelly through steel.

Where was this comment last week? 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing. Didn'y se too much criticism last week and plenty of comments that it ws a good idea to rest players and give others a chance
 

Slim 293

Stirling Mortlock (74)
If the SupeRugby final had not of been last week then I'm sure Deans would've fielded a full strength XV...

However, players need rest and it seemed like a good opportunity for fringe players...

What I have a problem with is their tactics, particularly as our forwards reverted back to ghosts...
 
D

daz

Guest
The Force showed fantastic spirit all year, losing many games to much more fancied opposition at the last gasp. The Rebels also showed a lot of grit and did extremely well to win as many games as they did in their first year of Super rugby. The only team that bottled it was the Brumbies. I think you might have koala coloured glasses on.

Not at all. Note I said players from non-finals teams, which implies that both Reds and Tahs test players may be in a different mind-set/cohesiveness/ability than non-finals test players at the moment. Probably because they have more recent experience in high intensity games under their belt.

Not every post from a Reds fan is biased, so please stop trying to make it seem that is the case.
 

disco

Chilla Wilson (44)
I'm not to concerned by the loss the team was in camp for one week & I know Deans had them train the house down, sure this is a game we should have won but we'll now probably start to see more inbound test defeats over the coming years due to the extended super 15 & limited preparation.

Again we lost in the area coached by Jim Williams & it's not the 1st time we've been monstered at the breakdown so he needs to address the problem or maybe Deans needs to make a decision on his position.

I feel sorry for Nick Phipps who was really let down by his forwards & in particular his backrow they were powder puff yesterday & they actually left Phipps to cleanout on his own a numerous occasions. On one occasion I watched Samoa counter ruck whilst McCalman & Hodgson stood back waiting for the next hit up surely they know that securing possesion is thier 1st priority.
 

Reido

Sydney Middleton (9)
The difference between Gerrard and Beale, and Phipps and Genia reinforces how much we are relying on minimum injuries to our top XV to have a chance at the 3N, let alone the world cup..

The good news about that is the bad guys are in the same boat when it comes to Carter. I know it's only one guy and it's a lot more for us, but that whole Orl Blicks game revolves around Carter.
 

terry j

Ron Walden (29)
the difference in speed getting the ball out was the most obvious difference when genia replaced phipps. It was immediate.

And I have to admit, if McCabe did throw a great pass, I missed it. Who knows, rolling a ciggie at the time? He made a great hard tackle tho, that I DO remember!
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
Thought this was a great article by John Eales, apologies if has already been posted:

Eight lessons for class of 2011

On the eve of the Wallabies' first Test of the season yesterday we had our 20-year 1991 World Cup reunion. To say the evening was a more joyous occasion for us than for the Wallabies the next day is an understatement.

As one of the youngest in the team at the time along with Tim Horan and Jason Little, I was a sponge – not the type you typically associate with the amateur rugby days, but a sponge for experience and for knowledge.

Yesterday, as the class of 2011 embarked on their campaign with a rusty, imprecise and historic loss to a combative Samoan team, it's interesting to reflect on some of the relevant lessons from the '91 victory.

From my perspective here are eight key lessons from 20 years ago that remain relevant today:

One: Respect every opposition. In the opening minutes yesterday, when the Wallabies kicked to touch rather than taking the three points on offer for a penalty goal, they played into Samoa's hands.

Subconsciously they sent the message that this was a game they expected to win. So when they didn't leave with points it was a huge fillip for the Samoans. Similarly, in attack they too often moved sideways rather than forward to confront their bustling opposition. There are no short cuts to victory, and there is no victory if at first you do not respect the basics .

Two: Age, experience and reputation don't matter as much as form. It's nice to have a mix of youth and experience and big names can be comforting, but it's more important to have players in form.

Ewen McKenzie, current Reds coach and tight-head prop from the class of '91, followed this policy through to the Super Rugby title and it has always been a mantra of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans. With most of the in-form Reds rested after their campaign, the Wallabies were left fielding players who had limited success this season.

Three: Good players will be left in Australia. In the vein of John West's philosophy, a squad's strength is measured as much by the players who miss out on selection as by those who travel with the team. In 1991 the unlucky two were Paul Carozza and Sam Scott-Young. On form both could have been selected but the squad's strength kept them at home. Both starred the following year in the Wallabies' victories over the All Blacks and South Africa.

Four: Injuries happen. Just as Benn Robinson has been ruled out with an untimely injury, so too was our number eight, Tim Gavin. Gav was among the most important players in our team and it was hard to see how we would excel without him. Three players played in his position during the tournament and in the final his shoes were more than capably filled by Troy Coker.

Five: Someone will seize their moment. Rob Egerton, Marty Roebuck and I debuted in the first 1991 Test against Wales in Brisbane.Yesterday Rod Davies, Nick Phipps, Sitaleki Timani and Beau Robinson did so. Egerton played all but one of the Tests that year, culminating in the final at Twickenham. He never played another game for Australia. Opportunity knocks but once; this team will never have another chance to win a World Cup together.

Six: A harmonious and mature squad overcomes the odd internal spat. Expect all high-achieving teams to have their share of prickly and strong-willed characters, with their own opinions and expectations.
The most successful ones encourage a diversity of opinion but never tolerate a diversity of direction. Our coach, Bob Dwyer, understood this as he and captain Nick Farr-Jones harnessed the team's potential, rather than hampered it.

Seven: Luck will play its part but great teams minimise the role of the lady. Only the All Blacks in 1987 didn't have a close shave. Every other champion has. In 1991 it was our last-gasp victory over the Irish when they scored against the run of play to take a three-point lead with only four minutes to play. In the absence of Farr-Jones, the composure of our vice-captain, Michael Lynagh, to assess the situation and collate our focus was critical. "We're going to kick the ball deep, force a lineout in their half, and aim to score a try."
And that's about how it happened, even to the extent that Lynagh scored the try himself for a one-point reprieve. Yesterday against the Samoans our team was more scattered than composed. When Lynagh-like insight was required, they at times displayed insanity.

Eight: It has to be fun. The words my father Jack would leave me with before I played any game, be it the under 8s or a World Cup final, were: "John, remember it's only a game. Go out there and enjoy yourself."
Now a World Cup final is more than "just a game" but if you enjoy yourself you will inevitably perform better. Years after Jack died I dedicated a book I wrote with the words: "To my father Jack, who taught me the seriousness of sport and then taught me to not take it too seriously." Find the fun in what you do and you will inevitably perform better.

With some oil run over the joints in the season opener, and with the impending addition of a few key personnel, the Wallabies of 2011 must now step up if they are to enjoy a similarly memorable season.
 
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