Wallabies v Springboks - Suncorp, Brisbane, 10th September 2016

[Strewthcobber]

Scrums were an absolute highlight. When have we ever looked that good against a South African side?

Lineout much better but still needs work. Put Genia under huge pressure a couple of times and need to work out another tactic rather than the stand-off maul. Why on earth did they try that 4 times? And TPN's first throw

Exits were a big improvement.

Foley was defending in the line if I'm not mistaken and did his job well. Kerevi needs to get stuck in more.

Sprinboks didn't offer much of anything after the first 5 minutes. Their supporters are crucifying them on some of the other forums.

 

[Spruce Moose]

Good win for the green and gold. Think just the mental hurdle of being without a win for the whole year is a good one to get over.

Regarding the quality of the game thought our skills were far better than the last two matches, however could just be that there wasn't the same speed in defence by the boks compared to the kiwis.

Think the two low points for me were the general game management by the wallabies, kicking when we should be running especially when it was 15 vs 14 was extremely frustrating (alot of swearing at the TV during those stages) was probably the best/worst example. The other low point was Mitchell, nothing against the man but just think a 32 year old foreign based player who hasn't played footy for 6 months should not be playing tests.

However looking forward to next week and hope the speed of improvement is maintained.

 

[Pfitzy]

1. Playing the Boks was a breath of fresh air. Our attack, line speed and even set piece looked revitalized and I think the boys were relieved to be playing against jerseys that were not black.

Mostly, the fact that we had a little more space than the All Blacks give people. Good for the confidence.

The tactic of not contesting a maul is not in the spirit of the game. Rugby is about physically confronting your opponent. Not committing to a maul seems like a smart ass tactic and very un-Wallaby.

Actually, being smarter than everyone else is what set the Eales-era Wallabies apart from teams that were bigger or stronger at set piece.

The Laws are the Laws. If you want to form a shit maul, and play illegally, then I'm going to make damn sure I take advantage of that.

Go read Sun Tzu and tell me whether you should attack an enemy's strengths or weaknesses.

 

[Pfitzy]

Scrums were an absolute highlight. When have we ever looked that good against a South African side?

I like seeing that. Part of me still looks at the political shit they've hamstrung themselves with, but it is irrelevant; you can only play what is in front of you.

And it helps with the perception, which is the most important thing.

 

[cyclopath]

Whens the GAGR MoM thread gonna be up?

Now!

 

[The torpedo]

Damn that feels good to win.

Kicking was much better than last time

Foley was better (apart from the early shockers)

Reece 'Boomstick' Hodge

Quade was his usual self

Hooper excellent

Izzy should have been carded

Kerevi better

DHP better

Poey quiet

 

[The torpedo]

Indeed. Like his directness, great boot. Good attitude.
On another note, DHP had a much better game too.
In fact most of the "newer" players were pretty good - Coleman, Kerevi, Ala'alatoa also had good games, I thought.

Is Coleman the 1st Tasmanian t play for the wallabies?
Surely that was the 1st Tasmania bloke to score a test try

 

[cyclopath]

Is Coleman the 1st Tasmanian t play for the wallabies?
Surely that was the 1st Tasmania bloke to score a test try

No, maybe yes to the second question.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Is Coleman the 1st Tasmanian t play for the wallabies?
Surely that was the 1st Tasmania bloke to score a test try

Gordon Bray on Ten said he wasn't the first, but the first for a very long time, but no idea who it would be

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Indeed. Like his directness, great boot. Good attitude.
On another note, DHP had a much better game too.
In fact most of the "newer" players were pretty good - Coleman, Kerevi, Ala'alatoa also had good games, I thought.

For all the pissing and moaning we've done about selection this season, Cheika has unearthed some potential rippers in this new group. The blokes you've mentioned above are examples, but most of the new guys have looked the part and will only get better for mine.

 

[Brumby Runner]

QC (Quade Cooper) was pretty good- excellent in that playmaking role, combined with Folau well on a number of occasions

And with Kerevi, including a magic behind the back pass that put Kerevi into huge space.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Had one more thought. Think that must have been the best defensive game I've ever seen Quade play. Made some great tackles, and don't remember too many misses

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Really. Because you can't ever seem to wait to jump on here and tell us all how shit you think Australian rugby is. On a site where a fair mountains of negativity gets lumped, your posts are just about the most obnoxious. Judging by numerous other posters, I am not the only one who thinks so.

Of course, it is your right to have an opinion, post it in here and, I expect, not give a shit what we think of it.

But, and I am quite genuine in wondering this, if you find Australian rugby so shit, as you evidently do, why don't you just go find something else to do?

Yep, agree with every word. There is a cohort of posters here who revel in this perverse miserablism and frankly I can't be bothered with it.

I'm really glad the boys won tonight and started to show the sort of footy we know they are capable of.

 

[Micheal]

I really like the look of Hodge. A real no-nonsense straight up footballer. I predict a long career in gold if he continues his current development. I'd like to see him move into the centres at some stage too.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: he'll be a goodie (if we don't fuck up his development with monstrous expectations and the ever-watching Eye of Sauron that is the Australian media - sorry JOC (James O'Connor)).

The thing that I really like about him and Kerevi is something you can't train: assertiveness. For debutants (or there abouts) they talk a huge amount. They're constantly telling players inside and outside of them where to be. They're asking for feedback from older players, constantly checking if theyre where theyre supposed to be.

The forwards win a scrum penalty and where are they? Screaming in to congratulate them and pat them on the back.

These are kids in the Pocock / McMahon / Hooper vein. The natural competitor. They don't want to be passengers. They want to win. They have a huge desire to actually stake their claim, show some initiative and be important members of the team.

I think too often our debutants and young players are so scared of fucking up and that they go into their shell and don't play the footy that got them selected. Hodge and Kerevi seem to know that going into their shell actually constitutes fucking up. They play with maturity far beyond their years, and that, in my opinion, is the sign of a good player.

 

[Gnostic]

My immediate thoughts:-
* Mumm continues to baffle me. Drifts in and out of games, a real pest at the maul and really shored up the Wallaby lineout with only 2 lost from memory and the rest pretty OK ball. No real pressure on the SA ball though.
* Tight 5 did well.
* Pocock is not an 8, end of. Pick one of Hooper or Pocock to start and the other to the bench. IMO Pocock doesn't offer anything away that different or dominant from the breakdown and hand in the ruck/breakdown is far less important in most games these days. In fact I'd probably have McMahon on the bench as well because Pocock is gone next year.
*Cooper's penchant for running backwards, sideways and all over the place looking for a gap will get him and the receiver smashed against a better organised side. Against the ABs it would result in a turnover as well. That said he played a good game at 10 mostly.
* Foley, didn't miss touch this week, because he wasn't kicking them after about 15min (Finally) but instead through two intercepts to the opposition hooker under identical circumstances.
* Kerevi ran very well and defended far better apart from one very bad read.

* Skills execution for me was much better in terms of passing and support play. It is hard to critically judge the actual improvement because the Boks looked pretty disjointed. One aspect that did not improve was kicking from hand in general play. They didn't find touch or open space excepting one kick. Genia did well kicking from the ruck on exits and got reasonable distance. This was obviously the pre-planned tactic and it worked well, but I am left wonder why Hodge and DHP aren't in position to use their massive boots to good effect. The Wallabies got a bit lucky that the Boks were so asleep that no other exit set up was used.

Finally a win is a win and they could only play the game and opposition they had, so its certainly a pass mark, but there remains a hell of a lot to work on and not a lot to get overly excited about.

 

[Joe Blow]

Kerevi defensively and at the breakdown has some issues. He held back a couple of times when TK would have gone in and secured possession or a turnover. Also not switching the ball to his outside arm to score the try was a basic mistake. Hopefully he will get better but he is where all opposition will focus attack for now.
Quade had some good touches and Genia was class again. The biggest plus for me was our intent in defense. Our line speed was excellent and we repeatedly caught the Boks behind the gainline and then forced them back further in the following phases.
Both Coleman and Arnold showed they are here to stay and it was another no-nonsense workhorse display from Douglas.
Mumm helped in the lineout but may not have enough grunt if we persist with the Pooper.
Hooper was excellent and if the Pooper is not continued he may start at 7.
Moore had his best test of the year. Scrum good.

Unfortunately we didn't see anything from hodge in attack except for a no look pass that went to ground. I'm not criticizing the bloke as he put on a very solid display but he may not be ready for the centres just yet.
We are lacking speed and finishing power out wide.
Jeez it feels good to win. I know that the whole squad and the coaches are very happy tonight.
Well done lads

 

[Teh Other Dave]

I keep watching the opposition's clearing kicking and wonder 'why can't we kick like that?'

That said, that checkside kick to put SA on the back foot in the last play of the game was superb, and our subsequent chasing and pressure was also excellent.

Our timing in attack was still off. A few times our centres could have taken advantage of an overlap, advantageous matchup, or blindside break but had either overrun or were playing catchup. Not always easy though, and a couple of times were let down with passes that were never on (e.g. Poey's blindside break to Foley, who was probably expecting Pocock to go into contact).

Addit.: As has also been pointed out elsewhere, opposition teams are using lazy runners (not illegal) in broken play to isolate a ball carrier making a break. Possibly need to tighten our support lines to be behind the ball carrier's shoulder to provide a link through traffic.

Also, can someone tell the refs that a player in front of the last feet at the breakdown is offside, even if they're on the attacking side? It's to protect the acting half, and it should be penalised.

Our opposition tonight was not a Bok team for the ages, but a win against the Boks is still a win against the Boks.

 

[A mutterer]

Our opposition tonight was not a Bok team for the ages, but a win against the Boks is still a win against the Boks.

and with a scrum that had the measure of theirs - that was a big plus for me.

the thing i liked the most about the win was actually michael hooper's motm interview on f2a. completely composed, fairly direct and honest assessment of their performance - it was pretty refreshing.

 

[Joe Blow]

Quade was good and did not overplay his hand again. He always looks better with a big runner outside of him. Either of the TwoKs would work or maybe Hodge. He and Kerevi will do well at the Reds. I would like to see Quade with both Ks and Folau giving him lots of options to put in holes.
Having said that Foley did some good things as well but I doubt that 12 is his long term position.
Ultimately I think we will see Quade with Beale at 12.

 

[kiap]

Is Coleman the 1st Tasmanian t play for the wallabies?
Surely that was the 1st Tasmania bloke to score a test try

The first, probably, in 80-odd years anyway.

Ford brothers in the 20s/30s, Jack and Eric.