Wallabies v. Springboks, 18th July 2015, Suncorp, Brisbane

[Tex]

In all I thought it was a good way two blow the cobwebs. Better timing and accuracy at the ruck will help and will come.

That said, neither of those teams and the style will cut it in muddy England at RWC.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

 

[Dan54]

Ok next morning and was just sitting here thinking we have seen a couple of bloody entertaining tests this weekend. I think the result and how it was achieved (an extra time try) is real good for the game here in Aus, it really needed a boost like that. A hell of a lot of part time supporters will only see the result etc and will think all is rosey again, no probs with that as like I say it gets people talking and watching game more. I don't think Saffas will be cutting wrists, we have all talked about travel factor all year in S15, and how teams fade. I know they won't use as an excuse, and not saying it is, but helps make losses a little less painful. I think they have found a pretty useful looking midfield combo, and don't care what anyone says Schalk Burgher is still one of my favourite non All Black players, the man doesn't know how to throw in the towel.
For the Wallabies on the Genia /Phipps/Cooper/Gits/To'omua discussion, although I not a Genia fan, I wouldn't rule too much in anyone's favour as To'omua and Phipps both came on as Bok forwards in particular tired, or became less effective. Looking forward to next weeks tests!!

 

[fatprop]

bang on. Phipps left the ball exposed way to long and richie/all blacks will be All over that pill.

Phipps was bloody good and bloody quick at moving the ball away and into the next phase.

So quick that at times he lacked an option ready to receive it

The ball being left exposed? That was one of the many pieces of detail lacking in the Wobs last night, the forwards ball presentation needs a lot of work, as does their clean out etc

 

[Quick Hands]

Great come from behind win - showed plenty of character and composure.

My thoughts on the backline was that it went better when Phipps and Toumua came on. Phipps' service is much quicker than Genia as he rarely uses the skip step, whereas Genia puts in one or two every pass. I don't think Cooper played badly, but he didn't do any better than Foley did last year. I've always been a big To'omua fan and that hasn't changed. I don't believe that Cooper and Giteau can play 10 and 12 together; apart from the size issue, they both tend to move laterally looking for runners. I thought Giteau went well, bu if he's at 12 then I'd be picking Phipps and To'omua at 9 and 10.

Well done Wallabies.

 

[Dan54]

I meant to add, please please Cheika, play Skelton against the All Blacks!

 

[Quick Hands]

I don't know what game you watched last night Beefcake, but your observations on Genia and Phipps are in complete opposition to what actually happened....

Phipps and To'omua were the two key improvements to our backline last night.

And they should be the starting 9/10 moving forward.

 

[Quick Hands]

I meant to add, please please Cheika, play Skelton against the All Blacks!

He was found out last night. He has to improve to play at test level.

 

[MungoMan]

Damn right, shanky. You should post more.

Jesus man, enough of that kind of talk!

Shanky will almost certainly do the opposite just for contraryness' sake.

 

[The Red Baron]

I have to say, Nigel Owens ran the game really well last night. He must have, because I'm yet to see anyone bitch about a call he made! We're usually pretty quick to sink the boot in when the ref has a shocker, so it's only fair to acknowledge when they have a good game.

 

[Train Without a Station]

All have our bias - me not a Cooper fan - and yes poor game but I recall more poor games than good games at test level for him.

For gits I recall more good games than bad - and if pass over sideline made his mark good chance Horne would have scored - game of inches - had awareness that pass was on

Jolly swagman I don't need an uppercut as just not the Cooper fan you and other queen slanders are - when he can string some quality consistent games together I will happily back him but been waiting for years for that to happen and hence my view of him has not changed as the most over rated player

And how many errors did Quade make actually? Even the stupid flick pass hit the target, it was just a dumb option because the receiver didn't expect it because it was such a deceptive move.

Matt Giteau isn't rusty, etc. he's been playing year round. He just went out and showed us what we already knew. He wasn't big enough to play 12 at international level. The fact he lost the ball twice when he tried to straighten showed that. It's wasn't poor runs by him, it was just a small man on a bigger man and that's life.

Quade didn't influence the game enough. It was also his 6th game of the year after 4 injury affected seasons in a row. Despite that he was pretty much error free. I'd say he was a bit rusty. But I'd also like to see him with quick service (Phipps) and an option outside him that can straighten (To'omua) which may enable him to take the line on a little because last night the Boks inside defenders were able to drift on to him and his own man didn't need to be on two minds about 12 crashing through.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Question on the scrum. Was it our reserve props who were just that bit better or was it the reserve Bok props that were just that bit worse, or maybe a bit of both.

On the plus side of the scrums, even though the Boks looked like they had the edge I was happy at least with the low amount of collapses. The Benns would have fell apart. Maybe we are 5-10% weaker as a pack but the props do a good job not to collapse half the time.

Not sure if others have replied but my take was that Slipper was troubled by ankle problems and that could well explain why his side went backwards in the early scrums. But ask any SA fan - Malherbe is regarded as one of the strongest TH props going around. Sio last night dominated him. Sio's strength is quite remarkable.

 

[Brumby Runner]

The execution in attach was poor for about 50 mins save for an isolated few good passes from Cooper (see AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'s try).

Genia is injured, Phipps starts. No problem there. Probably would have happened anyway, To'omua was excellent, absolutely excellent. He is the foil that Cooper needs, not Giteau,

Cooper and To'omua are the best combo out of any possible permutation of 10/12. Absolutely 100% and completely. Gits is an option off the bench and for mine he MUST without a doubt prove that he is superior to Lealiifano in order to claim that spot. Otherwise Christian should be there.

I am a longstanding Quade fan, and have been reminding all and sundry of the best 10/12 combination (Quade/To'omua) the Wallabies have had in donkeys ages. But, last night Quade was way too deep and never threatened the defensive line himself. It was a way below par performance and probably indicative of his lack of form since returning from a series of injuries. On that showing he shouldn't make the starting side for any more RC matches and only if he can show his best form off the bench should he be considered for the RWC.

Matt To'omua is the the best No 10 and by far the best No 12 going around in Aus rugby. Pity he can't play both spots at the same time.

Matt Giteau is not as good as Christian Lealiifano at 12, and if any body cares to remember before he went o/s he was no good ever at 10.

 

[MungoMan]

I have to say, Nigel Owens ran the game really well last night. He must have, because I'm yet to see anyone bitch about a call he made! We're usually pretty quick to sink the boot in when the ref has a shocker, so it's only fair to acknowledge when they have a good game.

An odd thing, this - it wasn't until I read a few posts this morning complimenting the reffing that I realised last night was the first game I'd attended this year when I didn't have a big girly whinge about at least one whistleblower's decsion. In other words I didn't even notice the fella!

More of this, please.

 

[Brumby Runner]

To SBW's point

I thought Fardy nailed it in the lineouts. Totally nailed it.

Probably means Higgers isn't as vital as everyone expects.

Was certainly the go-to man in the lineouts. Maybe Rob was wary of Matfield marking up on him?

 

[the sabanator]

I don't understand why Heyneke Meyer seems to like playing Adrian Strauss over du Plessis. Bismarck proved last night why he's a top 5 player in the world, just killed it. If he'd stayed on it might have been a different result.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Jesus, 93 Tests says your wrong, he maybe on his last legs but for a while there he was up with the best 12's in the game..

For the period he had Bernie on his inside and Mortlock outside, yes.

But without them, he was never the goods. Do you not remember his last stint at the Brumbies, and his form for the Wallabies in that period? Only thing Deans did that improved the Wallabies was to omit him.

 

[fatprop]

Matt To'omua is the the best No 10 and by far the best No 12 going around in Aus rugby. Pity he can't play both spots at the same time.

Best? not sure, he did show the benefits of playing flat and square.

Cooper was playing too deep in his time and things were being done way too far behind the advantage line too often; and Gits ended up too sideways for a while

 

[Dave Beat]

Quade didn't influence the game enough. It was also his 6th game of the year after 4 injury affected seasons in a row. Despite that he was pretty much error free. I'd say he was a bit rusty. But I'd also like to see him with quick service (Phipps) and an option outside him that can straighten (To'omua) which may enable him to take the line on a little because last night the Boks inside defenders were able to drift on to him and his own man didn't need to be on two minds about 12 crashing through.

yes

 

[Brumby Runner]

Since your so pedantic, ensure you pull up all others who dont spell those polynesian and ethnic alphabet names otherwise Im reluctant to consider those credentials authentic.

@Beefcake. The issue is not how you spell Nick Phipps' name but that there is another Aus halfback with the name of Patrick Phibbs (though now seems to be recently retired). I think the people who are correcting you just want to see the correct player being referenced.

BTW, I mostly agree with your analysis of Phipps' play last night, but on balance he had better impact for the Wallabies than Will Genia had.

 

[Ruggo]

I think it's fair to say Higginbotham failed. He already had a rep of not performing at Test level and with McCalman's form you can't possibly play him over Ben again.

Fair comment but the other part is that McCalman has a rep for not taking his good super form to test level. He is an outstanding workhorse at both levels but doesn't take his physical impact to test level.

Higgers should go. Both he and Hooper in the same back row create an imbalance and it showed in our breakdown work last night.

8 is an issue for us and the two options I would like to see, one is in the squad and one was left out. Dennis and Tamani can both play 8. Dennis has the form in tight and Tamani has the beef to have an impact (which he did for the Rebels). Option three is Pocock at 8, which gives Hooper more of a roaming commission.