"We're close"

[disco]

Don't you just love this from the Aussies? The wallabies have been saying this for the last 6 years I really long for the day when they say we should have won but we are easily the most stupid bunch of rugby players on the planet.

The All Blacks offered nothing last night but still won on the back of our stupid mistakes, not once did I feel nervous that the All Blacks were just about to blow us away.

We earn our 13 points blow another 7 & then gift them 10 points straight back. Sorry for all you Burgess fans out there but he should have been dragged around the 50 minute mark.

If TPN isn't given game time for his throwing then the same goes for Burgess as his passing & kicking game kept us pinged inside our half for about 10 minutes in which the AB's scored a try off his wayward kicking.

We are never going to win a Bledisloe or Tri-Nations again while the current bunch of players think close enough is good enough, we should have won last night no excuses about the ref our boys have a mental problem.

 

[cyclopath]

Good post Disco.
The platitudes about "There were some positives", and "We'll take something away from that" (Yeah, 1 farkin' bonus point in the 3N) get a bit tired.
We had a good preparation, an AB side that had some potential weak points to exploit and some rusty stars coming back, a good start. In short it was there on a platter.
This is not to denigrate the AB performance; they applied themselves to a simple but effective game plan well. But as Disco said, they really did nothing out of the box, just kept hoofing it up, attacking the breakdowns and waiting for the inevitable errors and brian farts to give them the points they needed.
The 5-2 bench was a mistake when TPN, Waugh and Mumm were essentially unused, and Genia got trivial game time when Burgess got more and more kak.
We really need some of our bigger forwards to show more grunt at breakdowns, and a bit less show-boating out wide trying to carry it. Some of them are showing average ball carrying skills anyway. We got out-done last year in this respect, and I cannot see the improvement so far.
OK, Palu was coming back, Elsom would help but if you have Smith and Pocock out there together, 1 has to play a bit tighter and put some muscle into the breakdown. Pocock is looking over-awed at internationals so far, and I wonder whether some Waugh mongrel late in the game might have helped.

 

[disco]

The 5-2 bench was a mistake when TPN, Waugh and Mumm were essentially unused, and Genia got trivial game time when Burgess got more and more kak.
We really need some of our bigger forwards to show more grunt at breakdowns, and a bit less show-boating out wide trying to carry it. Some of them are showing average ball carrying skills anyway. We got out-done last year in this respect, and I cannot see the improvement so far.

Spot on Deans made the same mistake as last year he picked a bench he had no faith in & didn't use when we needed some spark.

For all this depth we've talked about Deans still didn't back them to get us home.

 

[formeropenside]

Real lack of ticker from Mitchell shown as well, I think.

 

[Aussie D]

We've been close since the days of EJ (Eddie Jones). Since then our forwards have taken some steps forward and our backs can't pass. The 'Get rid of Sharpe' bandwagon is still going around if anyone wants to hop aboard....

 

[naza]

Real lack of ticker from Mitchell shown as well, I think.

They sure targeted his wing didn't they ? But he also probably broke more tackles than any other Wallaby.

 

[OZGOD]

Question Naza - would Lote have made a difference?

 

[Pfitzy]

Real lack of ticker from Mitchell shown as well, I think.

Its the rain - my insiders say he forgot to take the right hair gel for wet conditions.

 

[louie]

while i agree with the mental problem i do think that we are close.
if a few things had gone our way and a few people had made better decisions then we would all be saying how much of a turn around they've made.
they did better then last year and the year before that. It's not over yet. i keep my faith.

 

[formeropenside]

while i agree with the mental problem i do think that we are close.
if a few things had gone our way and a few people had made better decisions then we would all be saying how much of a turn around they've made.
they did better then last year and the year before that. It's not over yet. i keep my faith.

they had closer losses last year and the year before that

not in NZ admittedly, but also not against a team lacking Carter

 

[louie]

02-08-2008 7:35pm All Blacks - 39 v Qantas Wallabies - 10 Eden Park, Auckland
30-08-2008 3:05pm Springboks - 53 v Qantas Wallabies - 8 Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg

is not closer.

 

[formeropenside]

02-08-2008 7:35pm All Blacks - 39 v Qantas Wallabies - 10 Eden Park, Auckland
30-08-2008 3:05pm Springboks - 53 v Qantas Wallabies - 8 Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg

is not closer.

you obviously failed to read my post in any detail

anyway, losers "are close"

 

[fatprop]

I just hope we begin to learn to pick horses for courses.

If Deans wants a 9 who has a precise box kick for wet and windy nights, pick one who has it, and if we don't have a player talented enough, pick another tactic.

The same goes with the back 3 who can catch the high ball and the tight five. The ABs were always going to attack the breakdown and make it a slug fest in those conditions, pick some guys who will work tight attempt to counter that. It is no use partially winning a turnover only to be smashed off the ball.

 

[ACT Crusader]

It was a tight game IMO. I certainly agree with the post game interview that there really isn't much between these two teams.

OZ might be deflated because they "were close", but they have a couple of weeks to get over it.

Is Jim Williams teaching the Wallaby forwards to pour into the breakdown in the last 15mins like men possessed, because if he is not then he should be.

 

[RugbyReg]

if its any consolation we weren't beating the All Blacks in 1989 or 1997.

However, it can't all be about the World Cup. I would love to have that bloody big Bledisloe Cup back over this side of the puddle.

 

[cyclopath]

It was a tight game IMO. I certainly agree with the post game interview that there really isn't much between these two teams.

OZ might be deflated because they "were close", but they have a couple of weeks to get over it.

Is Jim Williams teaching the Wallaby forwards to pour into the breakdown in the last 15mins like men possessed, because if he is not then he should be.

And more to the point can we blame Thomo and his lot if so? I mean after all, apparently they taught him all he knows. :fishing
But that aside, you're right. The "under-contesting" at the breakdown in recent years has been a real Achilles heel, and it surprises me that we keep failing to turn up. When the pack played it tight in SA last year, it paid off (well, once) but the tendency to drift back to a minimalist approach to players getting stuck in keeps rearing its ugly head.

 

[Lindommer]

The skill levels of their back row play and their commitment at the breakdown, especially rucks, define New Zealand rugby. And so it proved on Saturday night. The occasions to get one up on the ABs are bloody rare and Barnes' stuff up (four stuff ups in one action!) was a priceless missed opportunity. Allied with Burgess' poor options, the back row's decision to have a night off and the tight five's lack of commitment at the breakdown we were condemned to another defeat in EnZed. What is it about Australians' passing in close traffic? Why can't we catch the pill under pressure?

Deans, Jimbo and Graham will have to go back to the drawing board to craft a team to take on the Bokke; this team won't. I'll bet they're lighting candles for Rocky's recovery. Cross comes into the picture, as does Shepherd if he's injury-free.

The positives, and there are some:

1. We played poorly in the wet in NZ, and lost by only 6 points.
2. Palu got through most of a match.
3. Genia looked good in the time he was on the pitch.
4. We have three weeks off.
5. I can't think of any more.

 

[ACT Crusader]

It was a shame that Genia was out for the early tests as a bit of time under his belt probably would have meant Deans would have had more confidence in bringing him on earlier in the piece. Other than 'that' tackle, he showed in the S14 that he has a better allround game than Valentine, Phibbs or any other contender.

Burgess has some good parts to his game but he is still raw, and Deans obviously sees him as a chance to mould him into an Intl HB.