Wallaby Locks

[kiap]

Good to read Big Will is doing the hard yards as it's going to be vital to his career. Strength is not a problem but he needs endurance out there and more flexibility to be able to get into good position to apply his weight in the scrums.

I agree BH, but if I'm not mistaken Pocock is bigger than McMahon and probably , and certainly plays bigger when fit and in form.

I'd say sizewise it's, McMahon, Hodgson, Pocock, Hooper. Not that size is the deciding factor (and the published stats lie anyway).

 

[Chris McCracken]

I'd say sizewise it's, McMahon, Hodgson, Pocock, Hooper. Not that size is the deciding factor (and the published stats lie anyway).

The published stats have all of those guys within 1cm and 3kg of each other. So no, size isn't really a determining factor anyway.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

The published stats have all of those guys within 1cm and 3kg of each other. So no, size isn't really a determining factor anyway.

All that means is that they have told roughly the same lies about their size

 

[lpd]

For the future (post rwc 15) guys like staniforth and coleman look promising

 

[Gillys_ghost]

I don't care what Pocock weighs or how tall he is, but he is (maybe was) a fucking machine, and even though he only weighs 104kgs, hes one of the largest humans i have ever seen on a rugby field in terms of muscle.

for mine on the locks, i would move fardy to the second row unless we actually have a better alternative, and his partner would be whoever was the better lock out of Horwill, Carter, Simmons, and Jones and Skelton. If 2 locks actually have great super seasons, then fardy can go back to 6.

Fardy, Pocock, Higganbotham

or if Poey isnt back in form

Fardy, Hooper, Palu

 

[Pfitzy]

Two pieces of bullshit peeps should remove from the dialogue:

FARDY AS LOCK
A lot of people are advocates of not screwing with the backline and picking players in their best position, but seem quite happy to take our best blindside from #6.

SCRUM PARITY
Thinking that parity is enough is a fucking farce.
The same kind of thinking that wants scrums out of the game.
The same kind of thinking that gives massive contracts to our backs to stop them going to league, and stunts T5 development here.

FUCK parity. I want dominance.

"Oh glorious and Godlike Pfitzy, we can NEVER achieve more than parity! We don't have the cattle!"

Well, random internet person, to you I say: fuck off. You're lucky I don't strike you down where you stand with my mighty powers.

Dominance is fucking difficult, but anything worth doing generally is (except my rugby knowledge - that was pretty easy actually).

Yes, the shittily small schoolboy development pathways we have mean a half-decent fat kid will generally dominate at scrum time because the fucking blouses are the main game in this country (see my remarks about league), but that doesn't mean we can't forge these lard-arsed pie disposal units into weapons.

You just need to want it enough.

To get guys like Axel Foley welding the right 8-12 guys into a unit that values the set piece more than beer and steak.

To get the fans excited about our 8 pounding the other 8 into submission, whether the bastards are wearing black, white, green, red, blue, or any other colour.

Remember when we fucking SMASHED the Poms at Twickenham? Benn Robinson standing over Matt White and giving him a fucking earful? THAT'S what I want to see.

So stop putting your bullshit on here about size, or weight, or power, because hard work and sheer fucking DESIRE is what's going to make it happen. Anyone can be taught good technique. Brad Thorn was a fucking league player who barely topped 195cm, but he's a World Cup winning All Black with huge ticker who worked his arse off (go youtube some of his workouts) to stay where he was into his 30s.

You throw together a scrum from what we had on tour, plus the players we were missing, and watch the rest of the world shit bricks.

Because the only way we're NOT going to get penalised off the park this year is if we dominate, and SHOW that we can dominate.

 

[Bullrush]

^^great post

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Well said Pfitzy. For us to win the big one up north this year our tight forward play is going to have to improve. I'd love to see Foley in the mix, because if there is one thing he excels at above all else it's taking honest toilers and making them into good forward packs. He's done it with the Force and I'd like to see him back in there at Wallaby level doing the same. You can't tell me that he wouldn't have a positive impact.

 

[Brendan Hume]

I think Simmons improved significantly across 2014. It's very unlikely that there will be any great change to the group of locks the Wallabies take to the RWC from the players who went on the EOYT.

Lock has been an issue since the mid 2000's - Vickerman was really our last really dominant lock. Sharpie coasted through until he was pressured to make a difference (which he did in fairness). There doesn't seem to be anyone on the horizon in the Eales, Giffen, Vickerman, Harrison mold - big, hard men with big motors - and we're playing countries who do have these types - O'Connell, Retallick, Whitelock, Etzebeth, Matfield...

 

[Pfitzy]

In terms of Simmons - much as it pains me to say - he's the first choice lock if only for his scrummaging right now. The difference in our scrum with him off the park was significant.

Just to prove I am an even-handed god, this belief that he is a "lineout general" aura surrounding him is bullshit though. You can argue all you like, but my point is this:

When a bloke calls himself 75% of the time, then does it again inside the opposition 22 while double-marked, he doesn't seem to be the smartest bikkie in the tin.

 

[Wilson]

He's not been great with his calling this past year, but there's not a lot of alternative lineout callers going around atm. It'll be interesting to see who the brumbies give the reins to with mowen gone.

 

[Braveheart81]

In the absence of someone really breaking onto the scene and dominating or Horwill having a huge resurgence, we just need to give the new guys more time.

Simmons is easily our first choice lock now but it has taken him a significant period time and test match rugby to reach that position. Hopefully Carter and Skelton take significant steps forward in 2015 because we can't afford for them to be at around 40-50 tests played before they really start hitting their straps.

 

[Brendan Hume]

Carter certainly improved as well through the course of the test season. I'm not quite sure why Pyle, Neville and Wykes haven't had more of an opportunity at the next level. It's not like the incumbents have made the spot their own.

 

[Pfitzy]

Neville needs to get stuck in this year. Has the ability to shift bodies and run the ball, but needs to work harder.

 

[Braveheart81]

Carter certainly improved as well through the course of the test season. I'm not quite sure why Pyle, Neville and Wykes haven't had more of an opportunity at the next level. It's not like the incumbents have made the spot their own.

Pyle had one excellent Super Rugby season in 2013 but is now gone.

Neville has been pretty inconsistent. I think he got better in 2014 but he has the tendency to go missing for large parts of games. His form in the last couple of years has seen him drop in and out of the starting side for the Rebels. Hopefully he can be consistently good in 2015 because he has the motor and the size and is strong at set piece.

I think Wykes is quite solid at Super Rugby level but I really can't see him stepping up to the next level. I think you'd find plenty of Western Force fans who are hoping someone can go past him there to take his spot in the starting XV.

 

[Pfitzy]

Plus, Wykes has a stupid hairdo. We can't have that in our Tight 5.

 

[Merrow]

Plus, Wykes has a stupid hairdo. We can't have that in our Tight 5.

Yeah, leave it to the back row.

 

[Brumby Runner]

He's not been great with his calling this past year, but there's not a lot of alternative lineout callers going around atm. It'll be interesting to see who the brumbies give the reins to with mowen gone.

Apparently, Fardy and Carter are being groomed to take over the calling.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Early disengagement should result in immediate hook from the field.

Problem would be solved immediately

 

[Brendan Hume]

Neville has been pretty inconsistent. I think he got better in 2014 but he has the tendency to go missing for large parts of games. His form in the last couple of years has seen him drop in and out of the starting side for the Rebels. Hopefully he can be consistently good in 2015 because he has the motor and the size and is strong at set piece.

This is probably the area Aussie rugby could improve the most - getting this type of bloke over the line, probably through some sort of tight 5 academy where players with that potential are mentored over a few years to get to the next level.

Typically those tight 5 players were older before playing at the highest level, but that's no longer the norm. Simmons is a fifty cap Wallaby at 25. The physical maturity to play at that level should only come when you're about 25.
Neville was picked in the Wallaby squad (along with Pyle IIRC) in 2012 when he was 22/23 - some blokes can get a bit jaded with that sort of experience, and that's where some strong tutelage can help. Fardy is another good example. Pyle may have made a good decision to build his game in France, no doubt on a good wicket, and look to return for RWC19?