Wallabies vs England, Sydney

[Moses]

Polota-Nau aggravated an ankle injury after coming on as tighthead prop for the Australian Barbarians in Tuesday's 15-9 loss to the tourists and will miss the second test, local media reported on Wednesday.

Australia beat England 27-17 in Perth last weekend but an inexperienced Wallabies front row were battered in the scrum by a dominant English pack.

Australian selectors have few alternatives available with first-choice props Ben Alexander and Benn Robinson out and hooker Stephen Moore also still injured.

Props Salesi Ma'afu and Ben Daley could once again start alongside hooker Saia Fainga'a in Sydney at the weekend.

Forwards coach Jim Williams admitted the home side must be more physical to match the English pack.

"It's just got to be ramped up again this week. The physicality of the England team, especially in their tight play was enormous," Williams told AAP.

"The physicality that these guys play in the English Premiership and the Six Nations is just relentless and we need to make sure that we meet that battle head on."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTOE65F03720100616


Fuck.

 

[daz]

Fuck.

+1

 

[Groucho]

+1

+ another 1.

 

[Reddy!]

I'm quickly becoming immune to all of this - I just expect the worst.

Oh, and funny signature daz!

 

[DPK]

Any heard from Biffo lately?

 

[gone]

Having had a quick glance over the Shute Shield teams for the weekend - Al Baxter will not be playing for the Wallabies against England, neither will Pek Cowan, Damien Fitzpatrick or Kane Douglas.

Looking like all signs pointing to the same front row as last week with possibly Mark Chisholm coming into the 2nd row. Only change I can see in the front row at this stage is Slipper starting, I don't expect Weekes due to his workload for the Barbarians.

 

[#1 Tah]

Having had a quick glance over the Shute Shield teams for the weekend - Al Baxter will not be playing for the Wallabies against England, neither will Pek Cowan, Damien Fitzpatrick or Kane Douglas.

Looking like all signs pointing to the same front row as last week with possibly Mark Chisholm coming into the 2nd row. Only change I can see in the front row at this stage is Slipper starting, I don't expect Weekes due to his workload for the Barbarians.

Pat McCutcheon is a strange omission from university- as is Turner from Eastwood....

BTW Easts V Uni is going to be a cracker of a game....

 

[Langthorne]

Holmes and Palmer are not included in the poll - both might offer something (if only hope)

 

[gone]

Pat McCutcheon is a strange omission from university

6. Dennis
7. Waugh
8. Davidson

2nd grade perhaps??

 

[Hawko]

Holmes would offer something but Palmer is just too green (and I'm a Palmer fan for the future, see old Waratah posts).

The problem with the TPN disaster is that it was completely avoidable. Had Deans put TPN in cotton wool till Saturday he would have got 60 good minutes with Saia coming off the bench. Deans must have seen what Hickey did to Robinson and still learnt nothing! I have always been a Deans fan, but the decisions he is making this year are just rubbish. Last night was dire and part of this was due to poor tactical instructions from the coach. He's just broken our best front rower still standing, he won't select the best THP in Australia due to a pig-headed youth policy, won't select Holmes who has good test experience at LHP either for the same reason, keeps extolling Barnes virtues when he won't pass or run, only kick.

Time for JO'N to have a quiet word with Deans about his responsibility for the reputation of the game here and if he doesn't listen show him the door.

 

[gone]

Holmes didn't get much game time this year and Daley was continually picked ahead of him by MacKenzie. Calling for him to be picked is clutching at straws IMO.

The only logical person to bring in to the squad would be Baxter but this still doesn't fix the major problems at 1 and to a lesser degree 2. I doubt there would have been much difference on Saturday if Baxter had been there.

Beyond Robinson and Alexander there are just no viable alternatives at loosehead (maybe Nic Henderson???). Daley shows the best promise of all the options and that is why he will probably start.

 

[#1 Tah]

6. Dennis
7. Waugh
8. Davidson

2nd grade perhaps??

If I were coaching uni, i'd have McCutcheon at 6, dennis at lock.

 

[Lee Grant]

The problem with the TPN disaster is that it was completely avoidable.

Also completely foreseeable.

 

[#1 Tah]

Also completely foreseeable.

I would give him a slap when i saw him next, but even when he is on crutches, he scares me.

 

[Ash]

My votes were desperate too. A tight head who could hold his side would help whatever rookie LH is chosen, and I voted Baxter for that. Really though, we don't have anyone unless Baxter somehow manages to keep his bind up in test matches - something he has really struggled with in the past.

Thought Kafer's video segment was telling as well. I definitely wouldn't be starting Ma'afu at this point.

 

[chief]

Why isn't this game being played at the SFS? The crowd will be less then 45k surely?

 

[cyclopath]

Why isn't this game being played at the SFS? The crowd will be less then 45k surely?

Many would ask the same question...and have. With the money guaranteed by the owners of the stadium, it becomes a simple business decision. Unfortunately this is the way rugby is these days.
I went out to see England in their last tour - about 40K, was like watching in a frozen mausoleum. Terrible place.

 

[topo]

Why isn't this game being played at the SFS? The crowd will be less then 45k surely?

I think it's a contractual thing the Wallabies have with ANZ Stadium. If they play tests in Sydney they play there. The only time they play at the SFS is non test matches eg NZ Maori or Baa Baas games.
On the Uni back row thing, I think McCutcheon and McCalman are both fresh reserves. The 2 locks that are there have been doing the job and it would be hard to drop either of them.

 

[topo]

I'm not voting if Holmes is not a LHP option.

 

[Reddy!]

Coaches can piss some people off can't they? There is a big contrast in the way Robbie Deans and Pim Verbeek do their work, but they achieve the same result in dividing the supporters of Australia's national sporting teams.

Robbie Deans is criticized for being too radical, making unpredictable selections and having blind faith in unproven players; ultimately the Wallabies have lost important games under his coaching.

Pim Verbeek is criticized for being too conservative, easing our best players back from injury, and the game plan aims not to lose games rather than try to win them; ultimately the Socceroos have lost important games under his coaching.

There are many, many ways to coach a team, but as long as the team is not winning, or winning with conviction, the coach will continue to look like a fool and be criticized.