JSRF10
Dick Tooth (41)
Simple answer, yes. If Cheika doesn't trust Beale to defend his channel he shouldn't be in the team, his form doesn't warrant special treatment.
Waratahs vs Force - Super Rugby R2 Sunday 23 February 2014
- Thread starter Braveheart81
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Simple answer, yes. If Cheika doesn't trust Beale to defend his channel he shouldn't be in the team, his form doesn't warrant special treatment.
ChargerWA
Mark Loane (55)
As you fucking should be. 13 Wallabies in the starting 15 and another 3 on the bench.
13 in the starting team. Alofa and Skelton aren't Wallabies.
3 Wallabies and a Springbok on the bench if Hoiles plays instead of McCutcheon.
ChargerWA
Mark Loane (55)
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Lance hurt his ribs in the warm-up on Friday night and did not play; this could have been a factor.
It thought that Beale would start somewhere in the back-line but I hope that he doesn't try too hard as he did against the Clan and pass miracle balls in the tackle.
However he combined well with Foley when they played 10 and 12 (for a quarter, I think) against the Blues.
McKenzie will be watching Beale's efforts at 12 as both a defender and a facilitator—and be looking for any hint of over-doing the outside break, Giteau style.
It's tough for Rob Horne who played well last year, as I remember, partnering AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) in the midfield—but with one injury somewhere, or someone losing form, or a need to tweak to see what happens, he will get a shot.
He did a few solid tackles in the trials but was unremarkable, literally: I can't recall mentioning him at all in my blogs.
Some people are worried about the defence of the Tahs'backline. There was not a lot of evidence of bad defence in the two trials I saw.
The Blues scored two tries from kick-throughs and the Clan scored one try when Aaron Smith picked up the ball from the Tahs side of the breakdown as everybody was lined up on attack, and the guy he passed to had nothing in front of him but grass.
The major problem on defence I noticed, was too much space around the rucks, especially against the Blues.
But let's see.
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M
Moono75
Guest
Foley could only do so much with what he had to work with in NSW! He's moved on to a better place.
Lot of expectation on the Tahs this year witht the talent. Lets hope they can handle the pressure.
brokendown
Bill McLean (32)
if the tahs lose,it will still be foley's fault,no doubt
M
Moono75
Guest
if the tahs lose,it will still be foley's fault,no doubt
Apparently Foley was also the gunman on the grassy knoll and was seen lurking in the vicinity of the Titanic. That's taken straight from the NSW school curriculum.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
Really?
I didn't know that job was a clusterfuck.
I can't wait to see his tactics,after all no one can get the Tahs beaten like he can.
brokendown
Bill McLean (32)
so,what excuses have you for tahs defeats in the many years Foley DIDN'T coach?
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
In the years before Foley, we won a whole lot more than we lost!
On another subject, I wonder whether Foley is going to continue his childish practice of not announcing the team till after Fantasy teams deadlines have passed. Given that this weekend the game is on Sunday, will he wait till Friday or Saturday before putting up the team?
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
I'm glad you like him coaching your side.
But give it time.
My advice is to not watch too many games on your own,and have a safe word.
brokendown
Bill McLean (32)
WTF?
M
Moono75
Guest
I think coach and players can sometimes be a product of their environments. Sometimes you end up in a bad situation not condusive to your talents. Foley may not be liked at the Tahs, you may like to blame him for all those previous years of misadventure but perhaps at the Force he has now found an organisation and team more supportive and with less of the behind the scene political distractions to contend with. There are plenty of examples in sport of coaches bombing at one club only to go on and be considered a genius at another.
At the end of the day it's up to the players to go out there and execute.
At the end of the day it's up to the players to go out there and execute.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Nice banter guys but back to the game.
We all remember that last year Foley kept his best available side fresh and played some scrubbers against the B&I Lions mid-week—then, the Tahs, with many of their own scrubbers, beat the best available Force team the following weekend.
And it served him right said we back east.
What we may have forgotten is that the Force went damn close to beating the Tahs in Sydney earlier in the season. The teams scored one try each and the Tahs won because of McKibbin's goal-kicking—and he won't be 'running-on' come Sunday.
The Force backrow was superb in the Sydney game last year—they nearly always are, whichever players have the 6, 7 and 8 jerseys.
If the Tahs play like millionaires as they did in the trial against the Highlanders, and throw away their precious opportunities (and they had a few) the Force are just the kind of tenacious team that will embarrass them again in front of their own crowd, as they did in 2012.
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We all remember that last year Foley kept his best available side fresh and played some scrubbers against the B&I Lions mid-week—then, the Tahs, with many of their own scrubbers, beat the best available Force team the following weekend.
And it served him right said we back east.
What we may have forgotten is that the Force went damn close to beating the Tahs in Sydney earlier in the season. The teams scored one try each and the Tahs won because of McKibbin's goal-kicking—and he won't be 'running-on' come Sunday.
The Force backrow was superb in the Sydney game last year—they nearly always are, whichever players have the 6, 7 and 8 jerseys.
If the Tahs play like millionaires as they did in the trial against the Highlanders, and throw away their precious opportunities (and they had a few) the Force are just the kind of tenacious team that will embarrass them again in front of their own crowd, as they did in 2012.
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Woodenspoon
Herbert Moran (7)
I think it will be an insteresting game for both sides.
I've read Beale has been training as a centre for most of the pre-season (is it true?) but I wonder if he's up to it right now and if his selection is a technical choice or simply due to Horne's injury or lack of form. If I recall correctly, last year he didn't spend a good time facing Godwin (and trying to hold him back) in Melbourne, and generally speaking his defensive skills weren't outstanding, but maybe that was another Beale. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing him at first centre, even if I don't really believe in the "double-playmaker strategy" that many Australian coaches embrace now, I want to see how he copes.
On the other side, the Force have an almost new backline, with new players in some key positions, I guess they want to prove they can do something better than simply lying on the bottom of the Australian conference.
I've read Beale has been training as a centre for most of the pre-season (is it true?) but I wonder if he's up to it right now and if his selection is a technical choice or simply due to Horne's injury or lack of form. If I recall correctly, last year he didn't spend a good time facing Godwin (and trying to hold him back) in Melbourne, and generally speaking his defensive skills weren't outstanding, but maybe that was another Beale. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing him at first centre, even if I don't really believe in the "double-playmaker strategy" that many Australian coaches embrace now, I want to see how he copes.
On the other side, the Force have an almost new backline, with new players in some key positions, I guess they want to prove they can do something better than simply lying on the bottom of the Australian conference.
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