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Wallabies world cup squad selection

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Scotty

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Lindommer said:
I must confess I wasn't completely aware of Salesi Ma'afu's physical condition so he probably should've been included in my list of wounded warriors.

Of this group of 11 (ie, including Elsom and Ma'afu) all have made the cut apart from Robinson, who pulled the pin after realising his knee was never going to be up to it. 10 out of 30 who haven't played enough rugby the past few months. I remain deeply worried.
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It could also turn out to be a positive. Most of the guys that have been injured, not including Barnes and Horne (who have been playing for a bit now) would certainly not be right to play 80, but since we don't want to chop and change the starting lineup too much anyway, I'd suggest all the injured players will be coming off the bench, or if starting will have a straight swap player on the bench (eg Samo for Palu).

For mine, only Palu, Barnes and Horne have real shots at the starting lineup. As mentioned above, Palu would have a backup on the bench in place and Barnes and Horne you would expect would be right to gofor 80. Alexander has been good enough to suggest that Slipper will not unseat him (although I'd like James to have a good run next weekend). We can not include Elsom in the list, as he will have played 5 test matches by the start of the RWC, and I expect he will just get better and better.

The positive, is that a lot of the players in the squad will be 'fresh'.
 
Scotty

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Tireless Backrower said:
Jamie Pandaram reports:
"STAR halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper say James Horwill's greater understanding of their style will benefit the Wallabies attack.
Horwill captains the pair at the Queensland Reds, and this year they defied the odds to win the Super Rugby title. Genia and Cooper believe they will have similar freedom to make decisions - and mistakes - now Horwill has taken over from Rocky Elsom as the Wallabies skipper."
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...abies-spark-20110818-1j07k.html#ixzz1VPwqx6a4

When I posted my incisive analysis of the psychological impact of this very late change in captaincy I had not counted on the QC (Quade Cooper) factor - it appears to have taken him less than 24 hours to let the Genie I was worried about out of the bottle.
Is the RWC 2011 an occasion which should be approached with such a nonchalant attitude to making mistakes? Frankly, if Cooper thought that Elsom's captaincy caused him to be more conservative maybe that was reason enough to keep him - since even when he's conservative he is given to bizarre cross field kicks in his own 22, forward passes to players running backwards (Auckland - QC (Quade Cooper) to JOC (James O'Connor)) etc etc.
I have a feeling of trepidation.
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Pandaram is the one that said 'mistakes'. None of the quotes from Genia or Cooper say this.
 
RedsHappy

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
...and this is the journo that said SBW might be about to be signed to the Tahs, then, next day, wrote up that such a scenario was simply an impossibility.
 
Viking

Viking

Mark Ella (57)
Everyone is forgetting that Ioane MUST BE IN THE TEAM in order to defend to 10 channel. I do agree Mitchell was in better form before he got injured, but his defence is not as good as Ioanes and I highly doubt he would have the same success in the 10 channel Ioane has, in fact he even expressed in G&GR's podcast that he did not agree with the Idea.

If Mitchell is to be in the starting squad it will mean ANOTHER shift in positions. JOC (James O'Connor) to 12 maybe, or possibly Ioane to 13. But I highly doubt there will be a change this late. Unfortunately Deans will probably put Mitchell on the bench.
 
Richo

Richo

John Thornett (49)
Given his lack of match fitness, coming off the bench for 20 minutes is probably the best option anyway.
 
Ruggo

Ruggo

Mark Ella (57)
Give the returning players time from the bench to stake their claim but at the moment none have a fair claim to walk in and unseat a starting player. Some fantastic players comming back but lets see how they go getting their mojo back before we let our man love for our favorate players get in the way. Just because player x was setting the world on fire before being injured doesn't mean he will automatically carry that form upon return.
 
cyclopath

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Seb V said:
Everyone is forgetting that Ioane MUST BE IN THE TEAM in order to defend to 10 channel. I do agree Mitchell was in better form before he got injured, but his defence is not as good as Ioanes and I highly doubt he would have the same success in the 10 channel Ioane has, in fact he even expressed in G&GR's podcast that he did not agree with the Idea.

If Mitchell is to be in the starting squad it will mean ANOTHER shift in positions. JOC (James O'Connor) to 12 maybe, or possibly Ioane to 13. But I highly doubt there will be a change this late. Unfortunately Deans will probably put Mitchell on the bench.
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This issue, to me, underlines the retarded nature of allowing a member of the backline to shirk defending duties. IF, and it remains a big if, Mitchell is fit and firing, how stupid would it be to keep him on the bench so that Quade can be accommodated?
I know I'll be told how well it worked for the Reds, but the inherent weakness of this strategy will keep worrying me. It does no-one any favours for a player to be indulged this way.
 
L

Linus

Guest
Cyclo I'd agree, but I think that you might find if Mitchell comes through you'd change at least one of the centres. And it is the same as changing one of your centres that will cause the the same amount of disruption.
 
Ruggo

Ruggo

Mark Ella (57)
cyclopath said:
This issue, to me, underlines the retarded nature of allowing a member of the backline to shirk defending duties. IF, and it remains a big if, Mitchell is fit and firing, how stupid would it be to keep him on the bench so that Quade can be accommodated?
I know I'll be told how well it worked for the Reds, but the inherent weakness of this strategy will keep worrying me. It does no-one any favours for a player to be indulged this way.
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I agree and I think the Reds and Wallabies are like comparing apples with oranges. At the Reds the tactic was genuine as the x factor at the back was required to facilitate the other players strengths. O'Connor and Beale can do that at the Wallabies with the x factor so Quade should be in the line holding his ground. The requirement needed is far different between the two.
 
Scotty

Scotty

David Codey (61)
cyclopath said:
This issue, to me, underlines the retarded nature of allowing a member of the backline to shirk defending duties. IF, and it remains a big if, Mitchell is fit and firing, how stupid would it be to keep him on the bench so that Quade can be accommodated?
I know I'll be told how well it worked for the Reds, but the inherent weakness of this strategy will keep worrying me. It does no-one any favours for a player to be indulged this way.
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Do you really think the strategy is just about letting one player shirk is defensive duties?
 
cyclopath

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Scotty said:
Do you really think the strategy is just about letting one player shirk is defensive duties?
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No, and quite plainly that is not what I said. But he is allowed to avoid his "normal" defensive duties, that just about any other international 10 would have to fulfill. This forms part of the overall strategy. If that mitigates who might be selected on the wing, because the winger has to defend the 10 channel, then I think it represents a weakness in the strategy.
 
Ash

Ash

Michael Lynagh (62)
We also see Carter at the back a lot in defence, and he certainly has no problems defending. Admittedly, not off the set pieces, but in phase play you often see Carter dropping back for the kick.

So, the answer would probably be not quite so much, but certainly Cooper would still be dropping back a lot without his front on defensive problems.
 
A

antipodean

Guest
Ash said:
We also see Carter at the back a lot in defence, and he certainly has no problems defending. Admittedly, not off the set pieces, but in phase play you often see Carter dropping back for the kick.
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That would be how he managed to be equal second for tackles in the All Blacks for Bledisloe 1?
 
Bullrush

Bullrush

Geoff Shaw (53)
Ash said:
We also see Carter at the back a lot in defence, and he certainly has no problems defending. Admittedly, not off the set pieces, but in phase play you often see Carter dropping back for the kick.

So, the answer would probably be not quite so much, but certainly Cooper would still be dropping back a lot without his front on defensive problems.
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You don't see Sivivatu or Gear or Jane or Mils coming in from the wing or FB to defend the 10 channel as a deliberate, planned strategy.

Let's put it like this.....is the Wallaby defensive strategy designed first and formost to give QC (Quade Cooper) a platform to launch his counter-attacking or to cover his defense?

I reckon the whole counter-attack from the back strategy was discovered almost completely by accident....
 
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