Wallabies vs England, Perth

[OZGOD]

NVM found out rugbyzone.com is telecasting it 14-0 at halftime

 

[OZGOD]

So after 10 years Sharpe is still vying for world's tallest (and slowest) winger?? He's fucked up a couple of nice backline moves by getting in the way!

 

[OZGOD]

I haven't seen much of this year's S14 here in the US but I take it this isn't our first string or even second forward pack? If it is we got serious problems in the scrum!! ><

 

[OZGOD]

After what seemed like 20 scrum penalties including a penalty try from a collapsed scrum the ref has run out of patience and binned Ma'afu. Geez this is one of the worst scrum performances I've seen from the Wallabies and that includes the horror years of 2002-2005!

 

[OZGOD]

2nd penalty try given to England for another collapsed scrum.

 

[OZGOD]

Word is the Pom scrum is not exactly a world beater. I hope that doesn't give us a false sense of security for 3N. Its not just the green front row. Mumm (undersized) & Sharpe (giant pussy) don't give us much grunt in the engine room either.

Well I think there's absolutely no doubt of us having a false sense of security about our scrum.

 

[OZGOD]

Full time 27-17. Positives were that England couldn't cross the line at all. Negatives were that they didn't have to with 2 penalty tries. Our backs looked good like they usually do, great game from Cooper. We need to fix our front row problem for next match.

 

[GC]

Scrum got smashed. Every other aspect of the game we were far superior to the poms. Loosies were great as were all the backs. Cooper was fucking Larkam-like (however you spell that). Will be the difference between us winning and losing many future games I reckon.

 

[mark_s]

Ozgod, there is live blogs on the front page these days for most games if you want in game banter

 

[liquor box]

The scrum was spanked big time but I have to ask what support our props were getting. Now obviously things change over time but many years ago when I was a prop it always helped to have your 6 and 7 with their shoulders firmly up your arse. Tonight it seemed that our flankers were more interested in watching what was happening with their heads and shoulders above the props backs rather than digging in and pushing. I realise that this slows their "breaking away" from the scrum to make a tackle but the first priority needs to be supporting a young front row.

I guess a win is a win, and I will gladly take any win over a loss.

 

[Burke's Boot]

It beggars belief that an experienced prop that can do two sides like Baxter or Dunning isn't on the bench to clean up any potential mess. Lets hope Noriega has already picked up some technique problems with Daley and fixed them.

Hate to say i was right. Pretty poor decision there by Deans as Jim Williams sounded keen to have an experience prop there and MJ is a moron who obviously didn't learn from Twickers last year when the Pomgolians didn't bother to play any footy till the 60th minute and this time they weren't interested in the first half either.

 

[OZGOD]

Ozgod, there is live blogs on the front page these days for most games if you want in game banter

Oh OK lol I'm still used to the old style match threads. ><

 

[GC]

The most important thing of the game to me was that we smashed the pons in the ruck. The scrum is purely a technical issue. All the press will be negative but I think considering the depleted nature of our thight 5 stocks, is was a superb performance.

 

[mark_s]

We got beaten tactically and physically by the poms on both sides of the scrum, result is our scrum has gone to pieces and it almost seemed like every man for himself. Owens let them get away with heaps, but why wouldnt he - they had earned some lattitude. Maafu was probably the worst offender but Daley was struggling as well. Will be interesting to see how both teams react for next week, but it will be very messy on a slippery Stadium Aus surface. Not sure there are any easy answers here given the injuries, tempting to bring baxter back but I honestly don't know if that will improve things.

Our defence was terrific though and our work around the ruck and (occaisional maul) was also excellent though as was ball in hand.

 

[Reddy!]

Cooper was fucking Larkam-like (however you spell that).

I believe the correct terminology is Larkhamesque.

 

[naza]

We got beaten tactically and physically by the poms on both sides of the scrum, result is our scrum has gone to pieces and it almost seemed like every man for himself. Owens let them get away with heaps, but why wouldnt he - they had earned some lattitude. Maafu was probably the worst offender but Daley was struggling as well. Will be interesting to see how both teams react for next week, but it will be very messy on a slippery Stadium Aus surface. Not sure there are any easy answers here given the injuries, tempting to bring baxter back but I honestly don't know if that will improve things.

Our defence was terrific though and our work around the ruck and (occaisional maul) was also excellent though as was ball in hand.

I thought it was pretty clear that Daley was getting absolutely destroyed at loose head. It doesn't help that Fainga'a's scrummaging is weak and he's 6-7 kilos short of being a test hooker. That meant that Ma'afu simply had to absorb way too much pressure and the Poms ground him down. As he tired, his technique deteriorated. Its a tighthead's nightmare.

Our attack looked decent. Despite not making many yards in tight, we created plenty of breaks and the offloading and link play is really coming along.

I feel for Rob Horne. Barnes kicked pill and Horne barely touched the ball. In the Larkham-Mortlock era, our backline play was heavily based around the outside centre. Very different today but I suspect that makes us less predictable.

 

[Sully]

I would have been tempted to go with a set combo from one of the provinces for the front row, but there were more probs than just up front. I can't believe I am saying this but I believe right now Baxter may be our best option. When does Rodzilla become available? Dare I mention my belief that old man Van would stiffen us up a bit too.

 

[cyclopath]

The old Wallaby cancer of a poorly scrumming second and back row reared its head again. Sure, the front row were poor, but as mentioned by others, we had the backrow being meerkats with their heads up not pushing, which can't help. Brown would pop out, then try to hold it all together with his arms alone, not bound at all. Cannot be biomechanically sound - Bruce????

 

[Sandpit Fan]

I thought it was pretty clear that Daley was getting absolutely destroyed at loose head. It doesn't help that Fainga'a's scrummaging is weak and he's 6-7 kilos short of being a test hooker. That meant that Ma'afu simply had to absorb way too much pressure and the Poms ground him down. As he tired, his technique deteriorated. Its a tighthead's nightmare.

Don't know enough about the mechanics of it, but is it all Daleys fault or is it the pommie TH pulling him down? Any way you look at it we got reamed, there has to be a better option on the go. Gameplan for any opposition at the moment after watching that disaster is pretty simple, get us on our own line and get a scrum, 7 points guaranteed every time.

Otherwise looked ok, but for the amount of ball dropped cold with the line in sight. Shades of last week, and pretty basic stuff to get right.

 

[daz]

Just got back from the game. I have never felt so sick to my stomach watching my team win before, and so angry at RD for putting those boys through that......and you all know why. No need to flog that horse again.

As an aside, just how bad were England? Opposition forwards destroyed, a man up in the second half and they never looked like going over, even on the few occasions they set up temporary camp near the line. (2 x penalty tries excepted). No Jonny to save the day today; not even he can ping the ball over the cross bars from deep inside his own 22. Backs had no idea at all.

MJ is going to get a bit of a pasting tomorrow from Fleet st, naturally, but are England as dire as all the talk suggest?