Wallaby Watch 2014
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Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Doubt it.
If we won all three Bledisloe games to blot, you'd still bitch, piss, and moan like an old woman that there was a touch finder that went astray early in the second half of the first Test that never would have happened back in the old days.
Genuinely tiresome.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Yes, and then I made the mistake of shouting a round of 4 X Asahis at Jurassic Park (the Woollahra) afterwards for $44!
I'm sure the view made up for it. Upstairs, I hope?
Yeah, like ICAC ever solve anything.
I reckon if the Wallaby squad had been named a week later, Christian Leali'ifano would have probably missed out.
Benn Robinson may well have snuck in ahead of Pek Cowan as well.
Based on what we've seen from Super Rugby, I think the first Bledisloe team might be:
Slipper, TPN, Kepu
Simmons, Carter
Fardy, Hooper, Palu
White, Foley
Horne
To'omua, Kuridrani
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Folau
Charles, Sio, Alexander, Skelton, McCalman, Phipps, Beale, McCabe/Tomane
Benn Robinson may well have snuck in ahead of Pek Cowan as well.
Based on what we've seen from Super Rugby, I think the first Bledisloe team might be:
Slipper, TPN, Kepu
Simmons, Carter
Fardy, Hooper, Palu
White, Foley
Horne
To'omua, Kuridrani
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Folau
Charles, Sio, Alexander, Skelton, McCalman, Phipps, Beale, McCabe/Tomane
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
No Horwill at all - we at the Reds are incensed !!!!!!!!! Braveheart be prepared for some rumblings from the north. !!!!!!
It's a tough one and I'm not convinced he won't be one of the 3 locks chosen but Simmons has one spot locked up and Carter and Skelton were both superb on Saturday night.
Carter's workrate and effectiveness were awesome and Skelton provides a real point of difference off the bench. The try he was instrumental in was something no one else in this country could produce. His combination of size and deft skill is amazing.
Lets see how Skelton's point of difference works against the Crusaders before we stick him in a Bled
BDA
Jim Lenehan (48)
I think Lilo is firmly in the frame for a world cup spot purely as a specialist goal kicker. His kicking form over the last month or so has been shit, but we all know that he is in fact a superb kicker when on form. Larkham was suggesting that the problem is he hasn't had a chance to work on correcting his kicking since returning from injury. I suspect he could do with a break and a proper pre-season to correct his motion. I have faith that he'll be back to his best in 2015 and if he is I think he probably warrants selection. Link appears to have approached selection for this squad with his world cup in mind.
At times I have some sympathy for Horwill, Scrubber, but that's the price he pays for his team's crap performance this year. No need to get too down-hearted for James, he's still in the wider Wallabies squad. If big Willie plays next Saturday like he did the last one he's a monty for the first test bench; Horwill'll get a go some time this spring.
Picking players based on how good they can be or were at some point in the past is frought with danger.
I agree that when he was in form last season, Leali'ifano is probably the most accurate goal kicker in Australia but this season he's probably been the worst regular kicker in the competition. His range has always been something of an issue though. He can't attempt the most challenging kicks that SA, NZ, England kick with regularity.
His play around the field has also been vastly inferior to the player he replaced in the Brumbies side.
T
Train Without a Station
Guest
To further discuss your point BH, I think picking players on how good they have been (i.e. they're potential they have been able to realise) is fair to extent, but it has to be looked at closely.
Lealiifano has essentially have 1 good Super Rugby season and 1 adequate test season.
If he isn't able to get back to this, it has to be considered, is this what Lilo can be expected to consistently achieve, or is this now just a fleeting moment in his career?
Horwill has fairly fallen down the pecking order due to a poor season in 2013. He's fairly still in consideration (as a member of the squad) as his form is improving well from 2013 and he managed to maintain a consistent quality level of performance prior to that over a number of seasons.
No player is at their very best every season but the questions have to be asked now we are 2 years on without him being able to come close to replicating it, was 2012 an anomaly for Lilo?
Lealiifano has essentially have 1 good Super Rugby season and 1 adequate test season.
If he isn't able to get back to this, it has to be considered, is this what Lilo can be expected to consistently achieve, or is this now just a fleeting moment in his career?
Horwill has fairly fallen down the pecking order due to a poor season in 2013. He's fairly still in consideration (as a member of the squad) as his form is improving well from 2013 and he managed to maintain a consistent quality level of performance prior to that over a number of seasons.
No player is at their very best every season but the questions have to be asked now we are 2 years on without him being able to come close to replicating it, was 2012 an anomaly for Lilo?
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
So we can't pick any Brumbies for the Wallabies because the whole team sucked against them?
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Sorry, but that is crap.
If his injury was so serious he couldn't have logged a couple of hundred practice kicks a week with the kicking coach to adjust what is a fucking horrible and obvious hook, then he shouldn't have been kicking the first place.
Doesn't help that Mowen wouldn't take easy points early on to get his confidence up. I thought Mowen was going to be the superior captain, and the early exchanges with Peyper seemed to bear this out, but FFS he did some silly things, thinking we would crack.
If Leali'ifano had problems practicing goal kicking due to his ankle, why the fuck did the Brumbies transfer the job from White (who was doing well) to Leali'ifano when they brought him back into the team?
GaffaCHinO
Peter Sullivan (51)
I think Lilo would have found himself outside the wallabies squad considering Link said if not for injury Godwin would have been there for the tests against France.
Has anyone heard any news on the severity of Speight's injury?
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