Wallaby 31 players for 2015 RWC

[Highlander35]

Stuart Hogg regularly uses the Torp.

Sometimes it goes wrong, and it's too long, or in touch on the full.

Otherwise it's beautiful.

 

[Benaud]

They're the only kicks that get a run in forcings back!

Love watching them, particularly when you have time, it's been a surprise to see it go from the main option worldwide to non-existent. I figured the balls must have changed to make them more difficult to execute effectively.

 

[Dumbledore]

While those are good points. I think there's still a place for the torpedo kick (for players who can develop it).

It's harder to catch which can actually be an advantage. In AFL you're aiming to hit your team mates downfield with an accurate, easily catchable kick.

But the offside rule in rugby changes that dynamic. A torpedo, particularly if there is some wind, can be a nightmare to field for the opposition's last line.

Okay, when kicking for touch you'd want the more accurate percentage kick. But if you want it a long way up in the field of play, and perhaps getting it to bounce, a torp is useful.

Sure, but defensive line speed is so great today that even that half second to set the pill makes it a risk.

There's still a time and place for it. When the game degenerates into kick-to-kick is pretty much it though.

There's absolutely nothing better than a barrel, but until Foley/Quade/To'omua/Folau/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Beale/Giteau/Kicker of Choice can kick a drop punt more than 30 metres with some regularity I don't think we need to make life any harder for them than it already is.

 

[kiap]

There's absolutely nothing better than a barrel, but until Foley/Quade/To'omua/Folau/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Beale/Giteau/Kicker of Choice can kick a drop punt more than 30 metres with some regularity I don't think we need to make life any harder for them than it already is.

An athlete like Folau had two years of doing nothing else and couldn't master a drop punt.

As far as Aussie rugby goes, to borrow a phrase from good ol' Robbie, maybe it's not in their DNA.

 

[BDA]

I still think there's a good chance we'll see Douglas off the bench against the All Blacks at Eden Park, provided he's fit. Cheika seems pretty keen on using him and he'll want to give him game time before the US game.

I think one problem we have, as other have pointed out, is that we lack a genuine alternative to Skelton. We need at least 1 starting lock that has a physical edge to their game. Whilst I'm a big fan of Horwill on the bench, I seriously question his ability to make a physical impact early in the game if he starts. At this stage you'd have to say Mumm is firming more as an alternative to Fardy at 6, rather than a lock. Arnold is clearly not an option at this point.

Douglas is probably the best option to replace Skelton. He's our only other 125kg + lock that can pull off big hits and has the experience and workrate to start. Again, I think Horwill is a great bench option but from my observations this season his effectiveness takes nose dive after about 30 minutes on the field.

I'd be looking at the following for the RWC:-

Lock: Simo, Skelton, Horwill, Douglas
no.6: Fardy, Mumm
no.8: McCalman, Palu

 

[Tomikin]

Sure, but defensive line speed is so great today that even that half second to set the pill makes it a risk.

There's still a time and place for it. When the game degenerates into kick-to-kick is pretty much it though.

There's absolutely nothing better than a barrel, but until Foley/Quade/To'omua/Folau/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Beale/Giteau/Kicker of Choice can kick a drop punt more than 30 metres with some regularity I don't think we need to make life any harder for them than it already is.

We do have a half back with a massive boot, who also can kick goals better then most... his just unliked..

 

[Lindommer]

Time to play our usual interwebby thingy game and start putting together a list of candidates. Here's mine, in some sort of ranking:

LHP: Sio, Slipper, Smith, Faulkner
Hooker: Moore, TPN, Hanson
THP: Kepu, Holmes, Faulkner
Super Rugby: Simmons/Skelton in no particular order, Horwill, Mumm, Arnold, Dennis, Fardy, Carter/Douglas (?)
BSF: Fardy, Dennis/Mumm/Higgers/McMahon/McCalman/Pocock/Hooper inpo
OSF: Hooper/Pocock, Gill, McMahon
8: McCalman, Palu, Higginbotham, Pocock
1/2: Phipps, White, Genia, NOT GITEAU!
5/8: Foley/Cooper, Leali'ifano, To'omua, Giteau, Beale
IC: To'omua, Leali'ifano, Giteau, Beale, Kerevi, Foley
OC: Kuridrani, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Horne, Hunt
W: Horne/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Tomane/Speight, Mitchell, Cummins, JOC (James O'Connor), Naiyaravoro, Folau. Top four spilt into trundlers and speedsters.
FB: Folau, Beale, JOC (James O'Connor)/Mitchell/Foley/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Hunt

Those highlighted in italics would seem to be montes for the RWC squad, there're 24 of 'em. That leaves another seven players: a hooker, a coupla second-rowers, one back rower (maybe two if he's a 4/5/6), a scrummy, a winger and possibly another outside back. What happens if a prop goes down injured?

Select away.

Added: goal kickers in red.

 

[Aussie D]

I'd go for a 17/14 split.
Props: Slipper, Kepu, Sio, Holmes and Smith (possibly Faulkner - depends on whether you rate Slipper as a THP)
Hooker: Moore, TPN, Hanson
Locks: Simmons, Skelton, Horwill
L/F: Mumm
6/8: Fardy, McCalman, Higgers (think Palu is better but wouldn't be a balanced fit in the squad in the event of injury)
O/S: Pocock, Hooper
1/2: Phipps, White, Genia (if injured need to decide between blooding Frisby / Stirzaker or gambling on Gitts as emergency cover for one of the top two candidates going down)
FH/2nd 5: Cooper, Foley, To'omua (if fit), Lilo.
Centre: Kuridrani, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Wing: Horne, Speight, Tomane
FB: Folau, Beale.

 

[Braveheart81]

Those highlighted in italics would seem to be montes for the RWC squad, there're 24 of 'em. That leaves another seven players: a hooker, a coupla second-rowers, one back rower (maybe two if he's a 4/5/6), a scrummy, a winger and possibly another outside back. What happens if a prop goes down injured?

Select away.

There will definitely be 5 props selected. I imagine some squads will have 6.

The only players I think you've locked in that I don't think are quite on the plane yet are Palu and Leali'ifano.

Palu needs to prove his fitness and he will hopefully return against the All Blacks in the next couple of weeks. If he shows decent form he will almost certainly make the final squad.

Leali'ifano is still on the cusp I think. So far it seems that Cheika has Giteau ahead of him. His chances of making may come down to a) whether he gets a shot and can push ahead of Giteau; b) To'omua is crocked from his head knocks; or c) Cheika opts to take Giteau as his emergency 3rd halfback and frees up a spot for an extra back in another position.

 

[Groucho]

I'd go for a 17/14 split.
Props: Slipper, Kepu, Sio, Holmes and Smith (possibly Faulkner - depends on whether you rate Slipper as a THP)
Hooker: Moore, TPN, Hanson
Locks: Simmons, Skelton, Horwill
L/F: Mumm
6/8: Fardy, McCalman, Higgers (think Palu is better but wouldn't be a balanced fit in the squad in the event of injury)
O/S: Pocock, Hooper
1/2: Phipps, White, Genia (if injured need to decide between blooding Frisby / Stirzaker or gambling on Gitts as emergency cover for one of the top two candidates going down)
FH/2nd 5: Cooper, Foley, To'omua (if fit), Lilo.
Centre: Kuridrani, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Wing: Horne, Speight, Tomane
FB: Folau, Beale.

It seems quite risky to leave our best 8 out of the entire squad for reasons of balance, when 8 is possibly our weakest position. Especially after he's been deliberately rested.

 

[Lindommer]

If teams pick five props, as Bh suggested, and I think they should, wouldn't it make sense for the fifth prop be ambidextrous? His side could be declared when the team sheet's submitted so's to remove the farce which occurred in Jo'burg last weekend.

 

[TOCC]

If teams pick five props, as Bh suggested, and I think they should, wouldn't it make sense for the fifth prop be ambidextrous? His side could be declared when the team sheet's submitted so's to remove the farce which occurred in Jo'burg last weekend.

That farce remains bewildering though, it's not in the laws that a team must nominate which position players can play. It's up to the team as to whether a player is suitably trained for that position, there's no rules preventing a reserve hooker coming on as a prop, or a reserve prop as a hooker, they can substitute any position just as long as they are deemed suitably trained and prepared by the team management.

So who sent the message to the referee? An assistant referee or South African team management?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Strewthcobber]

If teams pick five props, as Bh suggested, and I think they should, wouldn't it make sense for the fifth prop be ambidextrous? His side could be declared when the team sheet's submitted so's to remove the farce which occurred in Jo'burg last weekend.

Putting my Game theory hat on (and taking my rugby purists one off)

We'd be crazy to over nominate our props, because theres every chance we'd get an advantage out of a move to uncontested scrums

 

[Brumby Runner]

If teams pick five props, as Bh suggested, and I think they should, wouldn't it make sense for the fifth prop be ambidextrous? His side could be declared when the team sheet's submitted so's to remove the farce which occurred in Jo'burg last weekend.

Still doesn't work @Lindommer. I presume the team would still only have two props on the bench and that doesn't obviate the situation faced by the Saffas where both THs finished up being injured.

Even if there were three props on the bench with the third being nominated as either a LH or TH before the game, then the two props on the other side could still get injured during the game and conceivably could end up with uncontested scrums with two props still sitting on the bench - that is if the ruling in the SA/NZ game remains current.

 

[Lindommer]

BR, my point is the fifth prop's there as cover in the squad it'd save them the two-day wait to replace an injured player. IF one of the selected props goes down the reserve reserve prop could be added to the next match's team sheet and declared to be a LHP or THP as needed. So, it'd be advantageous if the fifth prop could play both sides.

 

[KOB1987]

I'm not sure where this goes but Albert Anae is back on a 1+1 with the Brumbies, does that make him immediately eligible under the new rules?

 

[kiap]

does that make him immediately eligible under the new rules?

I believe so

 

[Brumbieman]

It seems quite risky to leave our best 8 out of the entire squad for reasons of balance, when 8 is possibly our weakest position. Especially after he's been deliberately rested.

I agree, Vaea would have been working on hit fitness over the last month, no sense him not making it.

 

[Brumby Runner]

BR, my point is the fifth prop's there as cover in the squad, it'd save them the two-day wait to replace an injured player. IF one of the selected props goes down the reserve reserve prop could be added to the next match's team sheet and declared to be a LHP or THP as needed. So, it'd be advantageous if the fifth prop could play both sides.

Yep, I can see that now, but only if the fifth prop is one of the better practitioners on one side of the scrum. ATM the next best prop for the 5th spot would probably be Toby Smith. If he can't adequately cover TH as well as LH, is it better to bring Ben Alexander in, in his place? Maybe better to take 6 props.

I posted many times leading to last year's EOYT that it was a mistake (in my opinion) that only 5 props had been taken on tour. I forecast at the time that one of Slipper or Kepu would be on the field in every test match for large amounts of time. There was no ability to let one of them have a rest from playing over the duration of the tour. Same could well happen in the RWC if there are only two players covering one of the sides of the scrum.

 

[Groucho]

I agree, Vaea would have been working on hit fitness over the last month, no sense him not making it.

And that's before we get to best prop (Sio), best hooker (Moore), best lock (Carter), best six (Fardy), and best seven (Pocock).

Then there's best 10 (Lilo), best 12 (To'omua), best 13 (Kuridrani), both best wings (Tomane and Speight).

Damn fine team you have there Brumbieman.

The funny thing is that I actually agree with most of them.