Wallabies vs Wales - Docklands Stadium June 16

[Bowside]

So the people predicting disaster because of an unchanged side. Are you guys gonna eat your words if we win on Saturday?

I will eat my words when we win the bled. I'll eat every single one of them.

 

[Athilnaur]

I'd be very surprised if the players 'banked' so much credit it was the same team by then Bowside

 

[p.Tah]

p.Tah I hope that was at least partly tongue in check.

Yes TSR it was.. But there is a lot of anti Waratah sentiment on here... Ironically most if it comes from NSW residents

 

[Gagger]

Overall we are talking about pretty much these two front rows, aren't we? Unless the Tahs beat the Brumbies at the scrum, then I can't see much justification for picking the players from a team in the bottom half over a team from near the top of the comp.

No, you said

I think Alexander deserves to start over Robinson.

I'm yet to see Alexander, or any other Australian LHP scrummage better than fatcat this year, nor can I remember any THP directly giving Robbo significant problems.

As per your second line of attack - as a unit the NSW front row has had far fewer problems than most other provinces. If there has been a problem it's been when TPN has been out and or when Kepu has gone to LHP.

Still doesn't push out Robinson

 

[DPK]

For the record I think he did bomb the try, badly. I don't like 13's who think they need to do it all themselves: a lot of their time should be spent making their outsides look good (and I don't mean focussing on their hairstyles).

I'm with Groucho on this one. Horne looked solid without setting the world alight, and should be persevered with as the more time an unchanged backline has together the better it will perform.

 

[FiveStarStu]

You get a better atmosphere with the roof closed also.

Geez I wish the MRS was 40,000 capacity. Sick of this Stadium for any footy code. Not to mention lack of any pubs nearby (quality).

Platform 23 is quality, but no pints. Also, they have an inconsistent team colours rule - they don't allow them unless it's a sellout, pretty much.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Hey Cardiffblue, your Optisim Gnome is a powerful little bugger, even when we have locked him up in an Immigration Centre, he can wield his magic to mess with the gwald mind.

Any different pre game routine from the gwalders for Saturday?

With injuries to key players, I reckon a miserable "we're doomed" approach might be what the Gnome needs to give you any chance. This approach seemed to satisfy our Optimism Bunyip for our build up to the Lang Park encounter.

I'm getting excited for a cracker of a game. The Boyo's have their backs to the wall, and the Men in Gold have a point to prove that one of the games last week was a fluke, and the other wasn't.

We also need to get some serious confidence in our own skills and combinations to encounter the inevitable arrival of the Tide of Darkness that is building up on the other side of the Tasman.

Just back from Canberra. was bloody freezing but am feeling a warm glow inside!

Well Huw, the optimism gnome did us again! Saw him halftime and he was pissing himself laughing after the first 40 minutes in Brisbane. Looking at the postings here I have a funny feeling he's about to do to you what he did to us. I haven't heard of any 'key injuries' so maybe the gnome has been leading you on. Last I heard even Lord Cementhead of Hamilton might show up. the whole of wales is wondering how his little toes are healing

 

[Hugh Jarse]

key injuries to your 8 (Felatau) and 12 (North), or are they better?

 

[Cardiffblue]

key injuries to your 8 (Felatau) and 12 (North), or are they better?

Toby has gone home but to be honest I don't think he would have played Saturday. Had a poor first half. Needs a break methinks.

As for Gogzilla North, I can only go on what I read Howley said on walesOnline but they reckon he and Scott Williams'll be right. Question for the next game is will Scott Williams manage to avoid knocking himself sensless for a third time.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Was difficult to judge wales tonight -especially as the game descended into farce with all the sustitutes for wales. Thought tipuric as great and AWJ - and pardon the pun but Shingler would be on my list for the bench -if fit. Hook had his moments in first half but if he does another chipkick on Saturday somebody deck him!

 

[Lindommer]

He couldn't have passed much earlier - the defence would have drifted onto AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper). He needed to have the ball ready to actually pass when he spilt it, as the defence was drawn then. That was the mistake.

Watched it again this arvo, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) was at least two steps behind Robbie, up against the sideline and not flat tack. If Horne had've passed the ball the cover would've had plenty of time to round up AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper). I think we should cut Horne a bit of slack here and acknowledge an outstanding tackle by Cuthbert. Sort of tackle we'd like to see an Aussie make in a similar situation.

Humorous to hear Horan call for Horne to pass the pill to Ioane here. Time to get your eyes tested, Timmy.

 

[Paradox]

The defense of Horne is unbelievable. He stuffed a certain try and hasn't played well enough to be a Wallaby throughout the course of Super rugby. Give me A Finger over him any day. TPNs selection over Moore is another bizarre decision.

 

[Paradox]

nor can I remember any THP directly giving Robbo significant problems

What about the Welsh THP who smashed him?

 

[Cardiffblue]

think I've got the answer to Pocock

We can play:

4 Breadman
5 Ryan
6 Shingler
7 Tips
8 L'idiot

Won t do to well in set pieces but bloody hell we'd certainly keep up with play!

 

[Cardiffblue]

Missed them when I came in from ACT! tickets for sydney have finally arrived!! God bless Ticketeck- I am deeply sorry for the email I sent you today! Now there's just the grand slam dvd to worry about. Wonder if I send the WRU a similar missive that too will magically arrive.

 

[emuarse]

So the people predicting disaster because of an unchanged side. Are you guys gonna eat your words if we win on Saturday?

Of course I want us to win, but I still would'nt credit Deans for making a couple of adjustments to try to get it absolutely right.
A coach who is not prepared to experiment until a loss is a marginal coach.
I'm starting to see why the AB's stuck with Henry in spite of the AB's not winning the World Cup in France when they were supposedly the best side in the world - they thought Deans was'nt up to scratch.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Had a thought. Maybe the great gats was operating some deep psychology last night. Wanted to show that we too could come out the blocks at a million miles per hour, score three clinical tries and the switch off second half

 

[RedsHappy]

You make that sound like a doddle any competent coach could achieve rather than being king of the mountain RH, nicely done.

No JOC (James O'Connor), Quade, Beale, or Horwill and we managed to beat the best Wales team since their days as a world power in rugby. Somebody has been doing something right in the past few years.........

Re 'the (BC and 3N) sound like a doddle' as you state it. I did not say winning a BC and/or full-strength 3N/4N was easy, absolutely nowhere nor did I infer that. What I said: these comps are my defined goals for genuine Wallaby achievement over a sustained period. And why on earth should they not be, for all of us frankly?

They are our main, annual playing comps at a national level, they are the goals of our competitors clearly. JO'N/ARU absolutely stated in 2008 and 2009 that these comp wins were the explicit goals they had set for RD upon his appointment (the subtle shift to an RWC win as the dominant goal came in late 2009). Late last year JO'N stated that winning the BC in 2012 was a major Wallaby/ARU goal, almost an imperative. Australian elite sport is distinguished by having justifiably high aspirations and often achieving them; cautious little baby step aims and top quality excuse making have never gotten us to the many sporting mountain tops we have attained nationally.

Winning vs Wales 1 was good, no question. But the trend of confidence-consolidating, consistent wins leading to 4N and/or BC wins is what I expect from our national rugby team, and what the ARU has stated that it expects. We have had our national coach for into 5 years now. In this context - and just to ensure a balanced perspective over 1 win v Wales so far in 2012: in 2008, RD's very first year with the Walls and with an 'inherited' Wallaby team, we beat Ireland 1 from 1, France 3 from 3, Eng 1 from 1 away, and had wins v SA and the ABs at home. In total, 9 2008 wins from 14 played that year, a 64% w-l ratio.

 

[Scotty]

RH,

In the context of building a 'championship' team, we would surely expect a few more players to be exposed to the tests vs Wales, provided we are not reducing the quality of our team to do so. Eg Shipperley, Douglas, Pyle and the likes of Alexander, Moore and Dennis in the starting lineup.

 

[liquor box]

The correct attitude is to hope he has a blinder and proves the critics wrong.

Some people have to have something to hate on.

While is frustrating to some degree to see hate towards a player, I do think that it is possible to hope he does not let us down and gets dropped for a better winger. I think there are better options availiable to the Wallabies so I want him to do just enough for us to win, but enough to get my prefered player into the team.