Wallabies v Wales: Name Your Best XV

[qwerty51]

have a Hodgson or Dennis at six.

Yeah Dennis or Mowen at 6. Palu 8.

Higginbotham bench.

 

[FiveStarStu]

1. Benn Robinson (Waratahs)
2. Stephen Moore (Brumbies)
3. James Slipper (Reds)
4. Hugh Pyle (Rebels)
5. James Horwill (Reds)
6. Ben Mowen (Brumbies)
7. David Pocock (c) (Force)
8. Wycliff Palu (Waratahs)
9. Will Genia (Reds)
10. James O’Connor (Rebels)
11. Digby Ioane (Reds)
12. Christian Lealifaano (Brumbies)
13. Pat McCabe (Brumbies)
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Waratahs)
15. Kurtley Beale (Rebels)

Replacements: James Hanson (Reds), Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs), Jarrod Saffy (Rebels), Nathan Sharpe (Force), Ben Lucas (Reds)/Richard Kingi (Rebels), Berrick Barnes (Waratahs), Ben Tapuai (Reds)/Pat McCabe (Brumbies)

MUST SELECT SAFFY.

 

[Newter]

I do not understand why everyone still rates Palu so highly. He is well past career form and with the amount of injuries he picks up, the chances of him returning to his twilight years are pretty slim. I think Higginbotham is the first choice number eight to take on the Welsh this year, the Lions next year and the world in 2015. He has the speed, size and skill set of a good number eight and his workload in tight is picking up.

Higginbotham is definitely not the right choice. He's the Adam Thomson of Aus rugby. Great in Super 15, useless in Test rugby.

We're not a side that needs forward runners out wide, our strengths are quick-footed backs. Each member of the pack should be selected on the basis of excellent ruck support so that we can play continuous attacking rugby for long periods - Higginbotham is well short of that mark.

 

[Newter]

I would be picking the Waratahs frontrow wholesale, and Dennis and Palu too for good measure. They are far and away the best scrummaging unit in the country, which is your first criteria. Then too they serve the real strengths of the Wallaby talent pool: Digby, O'Connor, Quade and Beale. Run the ball behind that Waratah pack and we might do quite well in 2012.

Unless Robbie's scrotum shrivels again and we only kick and chase.

 

[Schadenfreude]

How about we make this a little less biased?

Try picking a team that doesn't just have anyone from you provincial side in it.

 

[qwerty51]

1. Cowan
2. Freier
3. Palmer
4. Pyle
5. Humphries
6. Mowen
7. Robinson
8. McCaffrey
9. Sheehan
10. Stannard
11. Mafi
12. McCabe
13. Sidey
14. Shepherd
15. Beale

 

[Slim 293]

I would be picking the Waratahs frontrow wholesale, and Dennis and Palu too for good measure. They are far and away the best scrummaging unit in the country, which is your first criteria. Then too they serve the real strengths of the Wallaby talent pool: Digby, O'Connor, Quade and Beale. Run the ball behind that Waratah pack and we might do quite well in 2012.

Unless Robbie's scrotum shrivels again and we only kick and chase.

Except that Moore is Australia's best hooker, and there's quite a gap in quality between him and the next guy...

 

[vidiot]

TPN is essential to giving the rest of the the side a chance to catch their breath. Moore is ordinary at lying around on the playing surface and looking concussed but miraculously getting up and playing on.

 

[abrixon]

Genia, O'Connor, Ioane and Beale are the only backline certainties.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'s versatility is invaluable i think he is better utilised off the bench
McCabe needs to play on the Wing because his inability to pass to his outside men is his only downfall. Love his direct, no concern for his body running. If he could pass himself and horne would be the most devasating centre pairing in World Rugby
Horne is at the stage where he needs to have a bit more consistency and a bit more of a vocal prescence for the Waratahs and he could be the long term Wallabies 13. Tahs need to utilise his attacking game more
Barnes - the incumbant 12 and very reliable - better test player than super rugby player
Tapuai - This guy is of the O'Connor/Beale mould a natural player and a few solid performances could see him ahead of Barnes as the Wallabies first choice 12 (Tapuai and Horne were the Aus schoolboys 12/13 combo and combined well)
Fainga - I can see him and Saia move to Japan or France. Not long term solutions
Mitchell/Turner - Natural speed is the greatest asset for a rugby back. Not worth considering until Spring Tour. Let them fully get over their injuries
Mike Harris/Christian Lealifiano/Tom Kingston - I would be happy to give them a shot on the Spring Tour
Lucas - A versatile halfback is rare to find.
Cooper - Let him fully recover and play club games - might give him a reality check before the Spring Tour. A player that will win a world cup for you but will give you a few headaches on the way.

Backline for the Wales Tests:

9 Genia
10 O'Connor
11 Ioane
12 Barnes/Tapuai
13 Horne
14 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/McCabe
15 Beale

20 Lucas
21 Barnes/Tapuai
22 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/McCabe

 

[Slim 293]

McCabe needs to play on the Wing because his inability to pass to his outside men is his only downfall. Love his direct, no concern for his body running. If he could pass himself and horne would be the most devasating centre pairing in World Rugby

Not true...

Anyone who has watched McCabe play this year will have noticed that he's supplying plenty of ball to his outside backs...

 

[Proud Pig]

1. B. Robinson (Tahs)
2. S. Moore (Brumbies)
3. J. Slipper (Reds)
4. H. Pyle (Rebels)
5. J. Horwill (Reds)
6. B. Mowen (Brumbies)
7. D. Pocock (Force)
8. W. Palu (Tahs)
9. W. Genia (Reds)
10. B. Barnes (Tahs)
11. D. Ioane (Reds)
12. J. O'Connor (Rebels)
13. T. Carter (Tahs)
14. A. Ashley-Cooper (Tahs)
15. K. Beale (Rebels)

Replacements: S. Kepu (Tahs), T. Polota-Nau (Tahs), J. Saffy (Rebels), Nathan Sharpe (Force), C. Lealifaano (Brumbies), R. Kingi (Rebels), B. Tapuai (Reds)

 

[AlexH]

Horne is at the stage where he needs to have a bit more consistency and a bit more of a vocal prescence for the Waratahs and he could be the long term Wallabies 13. Tahs need to utilise his attacking game more

The only thing I think Horne has offered prior to this season was solid defense but at the moment he is leading the missed tackle count in Super Rugby so with no running game to speak of he basically brings nothing to the table. He has shown a semi-decent running game on the rare occasion but that's about it.

 

[tigerland12]

Okay one thing on Ben Mowen, he has not been playing as good as everyone makes out he is. I really don't think he has done anything htat warrants being a contender for the 6/8 spots, especially when you have Palu and Higginbotham playing the house down. Yes he should be in the squad, but you still have Dennis, McCalman and Brown (who will be considered due to previous squad involvement), Hodgson and possibly Jarrad Saffy. Long way to go before he is even considered for a spot.

 

[tigerland12]

Not true...

Anyone who has watched McCabe play this year will have noticed that he's supplying plenty of ball to his outside backs...

I wouldn't mind seeing him at 13 this year. Gives O'Connor and Barnes a straight running options in a wider channel, instead of the predictable straight running from last year. Whilst I think Tapuai has been playing better this year, McCabe is needed to add some defensive staunch in the midfield.

 

[Slim 293]

I completely agree.

McCabe has all the qualities of a good 13.

Unfortunately it might be tough now to shift him across with To'omua gone, although Coleman could now slot into 12?

I would like to see a Lilo/McCabe centre partnership for the Brumbies at some stage...

 

[Newter]

Okay one thing on Ben Mowen, he has not been playing as good as everyone makes out he is. I really don't think he has done anything htat warrants being a contender for the 6/8 spots, especially when you have Palu and Higginbotham playing the house down. Yes he should be in the squad, but you still have Dennis, McCalman and Brown (who will be considered due to previous squad involvement), Hodgson and possibly Jarrad Saffy. Long way to go before he is even considered for a spot.

Well, I don't expect him to be an automatic selection with so much rugby still to be played and Dennis and Palu getting better each week, but let's not kid ourselves. Mowen is the form No 8 in the country by about a furlong.

In case you hadn't noticed, he has been one of the main reasons Nic White and Ian Prior have looked so good. Quick to the ruck, often, in good body position, and with the core strength required to actually shift bodies out of the way. That's one asset. The other is his stiff defence next to the ruck. He doesn't meekly give up the gainline without a fight.

I imagine you only notice big linebreaks and tries scored. It's true Higginbotham has been getting those. But at Wallaby level we have backs for that, and they do it much better than the long haired gaul.

 

[Newter]

Except that Moore is Australia's best hooker, and there's quite a gap in quality between him and the next guy...

Not on recent form.

 

[Slim 293]

Not on recent form.

Yes, on recent form...

And TPN has been in poor form this year...

Moore is currently uncontested as the Wallabies #1 hooker...

 

[Slim 293]

In fact, I would say that if fit the following players are already guaranteed selection:


1. Robinson
2. Moore
3.
4.
5. Horwill
6.
7. Pocock
8. Palu
9. Genia
10.
11. Ioane
12.
13.
14.
15. Beale

Deans will find a spot for JOC (James O'Connor) and then the rest are still up in the air...

 

[Newter]

Yes, on recent form...

And TPN has been in poor form this year...

Moore is currently uncontested as the Wallabies #1 hooker...

Currently uncontested? Please. He's been doing well, getting a lot of carries and so forth, but it's mostly been pretty laboursome stuff. Clearly he's not at full fitness yet and must have enjoyed his holidays.

And sure, you could say the same of TPN who does a lot of lazy jogging these days. But while TPN doesn't have the same high level of involvement, the work he does do is all quality. Look at this footage of the Chiefs game, specifically 35:45 onwards. He busts the tackle and makes 20 meters to set up a tryline assault; at 36:25 his low body height and power drives a maul 5 meters to the cusp of the tryline. I also love the punishment he deals out to the Chiefs prop getting in the way at 11:40. Moore just doesn't have the same strength to do this.

TPN was part of the frontrow that kept drilling the top NZ team's scrum on their own ground. That buys him an early ticket to gold if you ask me.