Joe Mac
Arch Winning (36)
Bruce (and G&GR) can we have a weekly column on the website with a tag line along the lines of Weekly Musings from Bruce Ross?
I would be an avid reader
Waratahs 2012
- Thread starter Lee Grant
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Bruce (and G&GR) can we have a weekly column on the website with a tag line along the lines of Weekly Musings from Bruce Ross?
I would be an avid reader
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
I'd like to get Bruce on twitter. Can we all chip in and buy him a smartphone?
Bruce Ross
Ken Catchpole (46)
Twitter is actually a challenge. Trying to get an idea into 140 characters calls for a very different approach to operating without word limits. When I write a longer post here I try to work at least 5 or 6 cutting or absurd ideas into it. Usually I don't bother posting if I can only think of one or two. Sometimes a one liner is great but usually you have to have some sort of affinity with the people reading it. That's why G&GR is relatively easy to write for.
There are lots of opportunities I pass up on because I practice self-censorship with respect to players for example. And you don't want to be unnecessarily cruel to people.
By the way I have a Twitter account: @MyoQuip but I haven't really got the hang of it yet. Facebook is a lot easier to work with. I find LinkedIn uninteresting and rather purposeless. The vast majority of entries are of the form: "John O'Neill is now connected to ..." Tell someone who gives a shit, particularly about John.
There are lots of opportunities I pass up on because I practice self-censorship with respect to players for example. And you don't want to be unnecessarily cruel to people.
By the way I have a Twitter account: @MyoQuip but I haven't really got the hang of it yet. Facebook is a lot easier to work with. I find LinkedIn uninteresting and rather purposeless. The vast majority of entries are of the form: "John O'Neill is now connected to ..." Tell someone who gives a shit, particularly about John.
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
Excellent. I shall follow you in anticipation of an increased output. I can only suggest after a short while you will develop a list of followers who you will have an affinity with so one liners are perfectly acceptable. There are other options as well, such as twit longer (allowing a few more characters) or linking to your impending blog, or at worst this site.
But please, view the 140 character limit as a challenge. Hemmingway's self proclaimed best ever short story, "for sale: baby's shoes, never worn" is only 29 characters
But please, view the 140 character limit as a challenge. Hemmingway's self proclaimed best ever short story, "for sale: baby's shoes, never worn" is only 29 characters
Bowside
Peter Johnson (47)
Shit Bruce Ross Says.
It will become an instant twitter sensation, along the lines of this: http://twitter.com/#!/shitmydadsays
It will become an instant twitter sensation, along the lines of this: http://twitter.com/#!/shitmydadsays
Bruce Ross
Ken Catchpole (46)
I'm in your debt, Bowside. This bloke's one liners are pure poetry. I'm not just a follower: I'm a believer.
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Nusadan
Chilla Wilson (44)
Opened this link from that twitter above, and read this, one can say the same about the 'Tahs!
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7654198/the-writer-sh*t-my-dad-says-why-your-team-give-damn-you
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7654198/the-writer-sh*t-my-dad-says-why-your-team-give-damn-you
Cat_A
Arch Winning (36)
I like the qualification "unnecessarily" cruel, as it implies that some people just deserve it. (They do)
Agree with your twitter comments Bruce - I also find it much easier to poke fun via a blog or forum post because it allows you to develop a thought more completely.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
I find Twitter is rapidly mutating from its origin as a place of (sort of) amusing tiny little compressed tales of life's banalities or feelings, to a kind of 24/7 mass personal marketing channel, like micro-TV with only text, but where everyone has their baby micro-station essentially doing little but advertising themselves with self-serving material and a contrived brevity that rarely does much for any from of useful communication.
The early thrill has gone. Now it's the anarchic digital highway of the me generation in overdrive, with company stuff on top just congesting everything else. Of course, for any form of self-styled 'celebrity' it's a dream come true as mass propagated vanity and instant fan-love back. For now.
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
Twitter is for celebrity twits. Real people have conversations with more than 140 words. Now to return to the Waratahs.....
I am very concerned about the Pakalani no-show. He was supposedly injured last year and is recovering from shoulder surgery, or so the scant information has it. There was a vibe around that he would be back in a couple of rounds from the season opener. We are now up to round 8 and there is no sign he'll be available any time soon. So that means that our THREE best wingers are all out for who knows how long. (In JON's famous 30 man squad you've probably only got three wingers.) Right now we are using a young converted 13, Kingston, who has been having blinders week after week despite still being half grown; AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), a converted 13/15 who is starting to run into a bit of form and BKH as back-up, although he has not been all that impressive - which is understandable as he's a 13 without the skills to play wing.
The problems have not been at wing, you say? I agree, the most glaring backline problems are Barnes' lack of form and Horne's bad attack and terrible defensive patterns. (Why, oh why did we gift Muggleton to the Rebels? I know they needed him and he's working his magic down there but he would fix Horne's problems in a week and a lot of other Tah problems as well).
Pakalani would give us room to experiment. If we had him on deck we could bring AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to fullback, Foley to flyhalf, Barnes to 12 and Carter to 13, where he played very well last year in a couple of appearances. That allows Horne to be benched until he gets his mojo back. With no Pakalani, we'd have to go with Betham or Trist, which I'd do because the Waratah backline has varied between just OK and poor all year - though the idiots at the ARU would probably stop you on the grounds that BKH has played wing before (badly) and so he should be promoted before EPS and outside squad players.
Right now I think I would go with Betham/Trist on one wing, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 13, Horne to the bench and pray to the Rugby Gods that Barnes can pick his game up. The Force aren't the greatest backline in the comp and we could at least have a look at some options.
I thought this year that with a good draw, at last a backs coach who understands Waratah rugby, and a very impressive forward pack we had a big chance to make the final again. But on what we've seen so far we are light years away from there. The Stormers are miles in front of everyone, the Bulls are close behind, most Kiwi teams are on the second rung and we look to be on the third rung with the Cheetahs, Reds and Brumbies. If we don't turn it around completely in the next three weeks, I think we can spend the rest of the season developing for next year.
I am very concerned about the Pakalani no-show. He was supposedly injured last year and is recovering from shoulder surgery, or so the scant information has it. There was a vibe around that he would be back in a couple of rounds from the season opener. We are now up to round 8 and there is no sign he'll be available any time soon. So that means that our THREE best wingers are all out for who knows how long. (In JON's famous 30 man squad you've probably only got three wingers.) Right now we are using a young converted 13, Kingston, who has been having blinders week after week despite still being half grown; AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), a converted 13/15 who is starting to run into a bit of form and BKH as back-up, although he has not been all that impressive - which is understandable as he's a 13 without the skills to play wing.
The problems have not been at wing, you say? I agree, the most glaring backline problems are Barnes' lack of form and Horne's bad attack and terrible defensive patterns. (Why, oh why did we gift Muggleton to the Rebels? I know they needed him and he's working his magic down there but he would fix Horne's problems in a week and a lot of other Tah problems as well).
Pakalani would give us room to experiment. If we had him on deck we could bring AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to fullback, Foley to flyhalf, Barnes to 12 and Carter to 13, where he played very well last year in a couple of appearances. That allows Horne to be benched until he gets his mojo back. With no Pakalani, we'd have to go with Betham or Trist, which I'd do because the Waratah backline has varied between just OK and poor all year - though the idiots at the ARU would probably stop you on the grounds that BKH has played wing before (badly) and so he should be promoted before EPS and outside squad players.
Right now I think I would go with Betham/Trist on one wing, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 13, Horne to the bench and pray to the Rugby Gods that Barnes can pick his game up. The Force aren't the greatest backline in the comp and we could at least have a look at some options.
I thought this year that with a good draw, at last a backs coach who understands Waratah rugby, and a very impressive forward pack we had a big chance to make the final again. But on what we've seen so far we are light years away from there. The Stormers are miles in front of everyone, the Bulls are close behind, most Kiwi teams are on the second rung and we look to be on the third rung with the Cheetahs, Reds and Brumbies. If we don't turn it around completely in the next three weeks, I think we can spend the rest of the season developing for next year.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
How is it that Horne has got everybody so convinced?
This is his longest playing streak as an adult at this (or for that matter any) level.
Before this his only track record was one achieved in schoolboy rugby: if I had a dollar for every vaunted schoolboy (or even Australian Schoolboy) who didn't go on to excel at club, s.15 or test level I would be a very rich man.
i have seen nothing in Horne's extended 2012 season to suggest that he is other than a great schoolboy footballer who does not have what it takes at the next level: he may once have been fast enough relative to his opponents to cover what seem to me to be absolutely fundamental deficiencies in his approach to defending.
This is a long way of saying that Muggleton would probably make no difference to him.
PS: didn't Muggleton leave because he was not given the head coaching job?
T
tranquility
Guest
Horne has showed on many occasions, signs of greatness. Smashing blokes in contact from a very early age, running intelligent lines and throwing a deft pass.
He is now probably in the worst form of his career, and I can't work out why. If you have not watched enough Waratahs games to see his potential, thats fine and normal. However, this schoolboy rugby bitterness is too much. He hasn't been at school for 5 years, does anyone really think his performances at that level would carry him to a World Cup and whatever else? I really hope not.
I just hope he is in a bad run of form, running in a disjointed backline as opposed to his injured body slowing him down which would be a great shame.
He is now probably in the worst form of his career, and I can't work out why. If you have not watched enough Waratahs games to see his potential, thats fine and normal. However, this schoolboy rugby bitterness is too much. He hasn't been at school for 5 years, does anyone really think his performances at that level would carry him to a World Cup and whatever else? I really hope not.
I just hope he is in a bad run of form, running in a disjointed backline as opposed to his injured body slowing him down which would be a great shame.
MrMouse
Bob Loudon (25)
I think it's mostly in his head (ie form) rather than his body. I also agree with the other stuff you've said but I can't see that playing him with his confidence at 0 is doing all that much good for him or the team. He's still bloody young, and he has all the tools, he just needs to get confidence back in both his body and his abilities.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Perhaps I've watched too many.
Given his previous inability to stay on the park it surely must be acknowledged that he was picked at test level, including for RWC2011, on potential - in fact, until now, I've never heard it suggested otherwise.
Bruce Ross
Ken Catchpole (46)
I really feel for Rob Horne. I see him as the victim of a mythology built up about him which has become an albatross around his neck.
When I first saw him play, like most other people I realised that the kid had something special. He had an ability to accelerate into and through the tackle which enabled him to make line breaks or bend the defensive line. He was also a very aggressive tackler.
Both these qualities are the sort of flashy things that are readily observable. In particular they were observable and endlessly complimented on by the Fox Sports commentators who clearly spend no time or effort in trying to comprehend the intricacies of rugby but see their role as celebrity comedians. Their celebrity is fading and they have no aptitude for comedy.
Unfortunately their babble inevitably influences viewers’ perceptions. So if ex-international players are raving and chortling about yet another Rob Horne big hit their conclusion – and by extension that of their viewers - is inescapable. Namely, that the young bloke is a great defender. No he’s not and in fact he never was. He’s a big hit tackler without the body mass to sustain it.
Rob played Australian Schools in 2007 and was then elevated into Super Rugby without being given any time to learn his craft in the normal development environment of Colts or Grade Club Rugby. In his debut season he played the equivalent of just 7.2 full games and missed 30.5% of his tackle attempts. Who would have known? He had already achieved the status of “great defender”.
A similar pattern can be discerned in following seasons. In 2009 he played 7.5 equivalent full games (EFGs) and missed 26.4% of his tackle attempts. The next year he played 6.5 EFGs but he had reduced his missed tackle attempts to 12.5%. It would seem he was starting to learn how to defend in a professional environment but then he missed a massive number of games through injuries.
In 2011 he played only 2.4 EFGs but missed 27.6% of his tackle attempts. This season he has played all 6 games with his tackle misses at 19.5%. This is significantly less than his average in prior seasons of 24.3% yet for the first time there has been considerable focus on his poor defence. My perception is that because he has lost confidence he is being frequently caught out of position and often not close enough to attempt the tackle.
So here we have a prodigiously talented player who is only 22 but whose career appears to have topped out. Yet we continue to read nonsense advocating his selection for the Wallabies in the June Tests. It’s time those who employ him faced facts. At 90kg and 186cm he is too light framed to play 13. According to the Waratahs’ website he is the same bodyweight as Halangahu, Kingston and Foley (the player not the coach). The smart thing to do is to forget about the midyear Tests and the end-of-season Tour and use the time to repair his body and add at least 5kg of lean muscle to it.
And most importantly tell him to forget about the Kamikaze tackles and just learn the elements of brick wall defence. Even the big boofers like TPN and Palu who like to launch themselves as human missiles spend a disproportionate amount of time on the sidelines as a result.
.
When I first saw him play, like most other people I realised that the kid had something special. He had an ability to accelerate into and through the tackle which enabled him to make line breaks or bend the defensive line. He was also a very aggressive tackler.
Both these qualities are the sort of flashy things that are readily observable. In particular they were observable and endlessly complimented on by the Fox Sports commentators who clearly spend no time or effort in trying to comprehend the intricacies of rugby but see their role as celebrity comedians. Their celebrity is fading and they have no aptitude for comedy.
Unfortunately their babble inevitably influences viewers’ perceptions. So if ex-international players are raving and chortling about yet another Rob Horne big hit their conclusion – and by extension that of their viewers - is inescapable. Namely, that the young bloke is a great defender. No he’s not and in fact he never was. He’s a big hit tackler without the body mass to sustain it.
Rob played Australian Schools in 2007 and was then elevated into Super Rugby without being given any time to learn his craft in the normal development environment of Colts or Grade Club Rugby. In his debut season he played the equivalent of just 7.2 full games and missed 30.5% of his tackle attempts. Who would have known? He had already achieved the status of “great defender”.
A similar pattern can be discerned in following seasons. In 2009 he played 7.5 equivalent full games (EFGs) and missed 26.4% of his tackle attempts. The next year he played 6.5 EFGs but he had reduced his missed tackle attempts to 12.5%. It would seem he was starting to learn how to defend in a professional environment but then he missed a massive number of games through injuries.
In 2011 he played only 2.4 EFGs but missed 27.6% of his tackle attempts. This season he has played all 6 games with his tackle misses at 19.5%. This is significantly less than his average in prior seasons of 24.3% yet for the first time there has been considerable focus on his poor defence. My perception is that because he has lost confidence he is being frequently caught out of position and often not close enough to attempt the tackle.
So here we have a prodigiously talented player who is only 22 but whose career appears to have topped out. Yet we continue to read nonsense advocating his selection for the Wallabies in the June Tests. It’s time those who employ him faced facts. At 90kg and 186cm he is too light framed to play 13. According to the Waratahs’ website he is the same bodyweight as Halangahu, Kingston and Foley (the player not the coach). The smart thing to do is to forget about the midyear Tests and the end-of-season Tour and use the time to repair his body and add at least 5kg of lean muscle to it.
And most importantly tell him to forget about the Kamikaze tackles and just learn the elements of brick wall defence. Even the big boofers like TPN and Palu who like to launch themselves as human missiles spend a disproportionate amount of time on the sidelines as a result.
.
T
tranquility
Guest
In a season opener a few years ago, I think it might have been 2009 The Tahs played the Canes at the Caketin. Conrad Smith didn't play that match but they threw to him after the game for his thoughts. Rob Horne, having just played a blinder was the topic of discussion.
The jist of what he said is that, he saw alot of himself in Rob and he always took note of players that relied on guile rather than brawn.
While I can admit he has been injured an unfortunate amount, he has demonstrated all the skills required at times to be very good. Conrad knows a thing or two about playing 13.
The jist of what he said is that, he saw alot of himself in Rob and he always took note of players that relied on guile rather than brawn.
While I can admit he has been injured an unfortunate amount, he has demonstrated all the skills required at times to be very good. Conrad knows a thing or two about playing 13.
T
tranquility
Guest
The opposite of lean muscles mass, is to put it crudely fat muscle mass. It just means that he is lean, while still maintaining his athletic and stoic frame. A player like Morgan Tirinui did not play too many games with a lean muscles mass.
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