rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
So there are already rumbles of player discontent at the Force, and Axel Foley has been talking up "widespread Changes" to this weeks team. Should be a cracker!
Waratahs V Force - Superugby Rd 4
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Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Foley doesn't have a lot of players left to make changes from. I doubt in Sitaleki T will be used so soon though you never know. There could be positional changes though. I would love to see Kingston get a run at outside centre and to see Lopeti T. start at 8. Will ask about Pakalani today or tomorrow.
A decision on Alcock will be made after training today.
A decision on Palu will be made later in the week.
A decision on Alcock will be made after training today.
A decision on Palu will be made later in the week.
Have Elsom or Mitchell started running yet?
GaffaCHinO
Peter Sullivan (51)
Intresting what have you heard??
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
the best way to get this info is to check out the Western Force thread, where it is talked about over the last 4-5 pages - also I think the "Honest assessment of RG coaching ability" thread mentions some rumurs
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
Reports that Drew is out of the moonboot, but I'm not sure about running yet. Hopefully LG can find out more tomorrow
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
- Benn Robinson pulled up with a sore knee today at training - he could get a rest. Hope it's not a recurrence.
- Needs to be dropped? Nonsense. He could be rested, who knows but "dropped" implies that his form isn't any good. That isn't so. I saw Sitaleki training today; he is very rusty but he trained with the 22; so is probably on the bench. Incidentally brother Lopeti is still in NZ. Despite his being an Oz resident there is a bit of a kerfuffle about him between Oz, NZ and Tonga - not a rugby thing, a visa/passport thing.
- Cliffy will be assessed later in the week. He didn't train today except to do some boxing training. The mail is that he won't play. Metuseila, who went off looking the worst for wear in Dunedin looks OK.
In other training news:
- Didn't see Kepu at training and forgot to ask why.
- Training from outside the 35 were Betham, Stanford, Jenkins and Roberson.
- apparently Alcock will play
- Rocky running a lot now though laboured; "we will know more in 2 weeks", was the word.
- Mitchell walking only; no moon boot.
- Pakalani "started contact work two weeks ago."
W
Waylon
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You can expect a stink
ChargerWA
Mark Loane (55)
The way I see it, the Force can do 3 things.
I can handle the Force going down, just so long as they are swinging.
- Come out, keep it tight and try to use our decent forward pack to make metres up the ground. Problem is the Tahs are one of the teams in the comp who can definately do it better than us. But depending on their injuries and the team who runs out on the night it might be an area we could exploit with Palu and Rocky not being fit.
- Come out and run the ball. Throw it around and see what happens. But i don't think we have the backs to pull it off. Only chance would be loading all our best backs in and just make them fit. Sheehan, Stannard, Cummins, Nalaga, Shepard, Mafi and Dellitt.
- A combination of the both. Punch it up when appropriate and then swing it wide. But we have yet to see a Force team capable of making these right decisions while RG has been at the helm.
I can handle the Force going down, just so long as they are swinging.
Jon
Chris McKivat (8)
the force need to make widespread changes.
this away run will be the biggest test of graham's coaching career. i think if we dont see something a bit more developed(for lack of a better word). the force are in serious trouble for the remainder of the season. and we might be in the market for a new coach... but i hope not. because above all other things the force need some bloody continuity. not more change.
M
Moono75
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Will have to see how the signing of Harvey goes. I still think RG should have kept Mafi at fullback where he was showing some promise and brought Shep back into the team on the wing. Instead he rejgged the side yet again....no continuity there. At some point he needs to work out which players are the best at which position and then let them play together. An injection of self belief by stringing some wins together would do the Force a power of good.
1 Benn Robinson (vc)
2 Tatafu Polota-Nau
3 Sekope Kepu
4 Dean Mumm
5 Kane Douglas
6 Dave Dennis
7 Jono Jenkins
8 Tevita Metuisela
9 Sarel Pretorius
10 Daniel Halangahu (c)
11 Adam Ashley-Cooper
12 Berrick Barnes
13 Robert Horne
14 Tom Kingston
15 Bernard Foley
REPLACEMENTS:
16 John Ulugia
17 Paddy Ryan
18 Sitaleki Timani
19 Lopeti Timani
20 Chris Alcock
21 Brendan McKibbin
22 Tom Carter
The challenge for Mick Foley this week is to work out how to play Carter for more than 7 minutes.
He should play at least a half although with only two back reserves it makes it riskier to bring him on earlier in case there is an injury.
He should play at least a half although with only two back reserves it makes it riskier to bring him on earlier in case there is an injury.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
They have to play an up tempo game and use their superior forward mobility to get to the breakdowns faster. The opposite of what they tried vs the Reds where they seemed to want to slow the game down.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
His real challenge is get the lineouts right - not something one saw at training yesterday, though I will be interested if one particular move works. Once that is fixed the Tahs have to work out how to get more line breaks: the Clan got 6 last week and the Tahs 0.
Possession by itself doesn't mean victory but only 33% against the Clan was a key stat and not least because the Tahs were penalised more trying to do something about it. More possession and keeping it is therefore another challenge
The Tahs and every other professional or national rugby team would do well to examine the games of the Highlanders this year. Their aggressive attack flooding those Tah rucks which could be countered is as old as the hills, but what was remarkable was the ability of the Clan Borg to decide which ones to participate in and then to do so as of one mind. The Borg is like that. I suspect the tardiness of the Tahs to get to rucks was a signal to counter. The Force would have taken more than a passing notice of their success.
But I digress. The Tahs have to get more to the breakdown, quicker to prevent flooding.
All those things are more important IMO than the names of players playing, or how many minutes they get.
As for Carter: he played some at 13 last year, but is really a specialist 12 in my book. Put aside for a moment, whether Carter should be in the XV instead of Halangahu, and Barnes moved, or not, a specialist 12 who can play 13 is not usually a prime choice for a 5/2 bench. That he is on it is because he is the only contracted back who is not injured apart from KBH. The versatility of AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and B.Foley is also useful though one wouldn't want either of them crocked on game day with Carter the only back on the bench apart from the back up scrummie, though Pretorius could play on the wing if needs be.
Bruce Ross
Ken Catchpole (46)
For once, LG, I am totally mystified by your reasoning. What I understand you to be saying is that if the Waratahs had another contracted back available Carter would not or should not have been given a place on the bench.
Since he first played for the team at the beginning of the 2008 season the Waratahs have played 63 games. In all but one of them he has been in the run-on side (51 times) or on the reserves bench (11 times). The only time he has not been in the squad of 22 was when he was out injured for one game last year.
With regard to him being only able to cover 12 or 13, Halangahu, Ashley Cooper, Barnes and Foley are all experienced utility players who could be moved around if necessary should Carter have to come on.
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