What will lose the RWC for the Wallabies?

[bazzamacca]

(A) beale dropping bombs left, right, centre.

(B) quade turnstiling.

(C) the scrum (ie: if too many light, soft Reds FRers somehow get selected).

(D) Deans inability to select horses for courses and adapt/vary game plans.

These is issues we as Australians must stand up and face down. Immediately.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Failure to deliver on most or all of these things...

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/fo...s-for-RWC-2011?p=228402&viewfull=1#post228402

 

[Viking]

Scrum will be fine with Robinson Kepu/Slipper TPN/Moore. All good scrummagers apart from maybe slipper but he's improving. Might give away a penalty or two but Im sure he can hold his own for most of the RWC. Beales also improving under the high ball.

Id say 1. Physicality 2. Defence in general (but especially Coopers), physicality in the breakdown and physicality in the tackle is a big one for me, Beside TPN and Pocock i cant see too many wallabies putting on big hits these days, in fact cant mention anyone in the back-line who puts on a good hit more then often.

But what is going to win it? 1. Attack in general (but especially Coopers play-making) 2. Quick recycle ball as seen in the last reds game. If we get this we will score many tries Im sure. But we need to be very competitive at the breakdown.

So the key to winning... keep up the good work on attack, improve on the defence, take a note out of the way the Reds are playing. Mentally and physically. If they are confident mentally then the errors will be less.

 

[Rob42]

Standing up face down? Isn't that planking?

 

[Tangawizi]

(E) None of the Above

We're going to win it!

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I've put my money where my mouth is.

 

[Swarley]

a) This is the only concern I have about Beale and the only reason I ever consider moving AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) back to fullback. Hopefully he can improve this weak link in his game because otherwise he's one hell of a player.

b) Quade has improved his tackling (I really noticed an effort in defence against the Blues last Friday) but this is probably the biggest issue in the Wallabies backline at the moment. People seem to think having wunderkind tackler Berrick Barnes at 12 will solve this dilemma, but I think the attack loses some of it's edge. If he continues to improve (and that's a big 'if') then this shouldn't be too much of a drama.

c) I think Sekope Kepu's solidity in the Tahs scrum this year has been a Godsend for the Wallabies. His combination with TPN and Fatcat will also be very useful come scrum time this year. I have real worries if Moore and TPN aren't fit come October, as Fainga'a's scrummaging is horrendous. I'm also worried by the prospect of playing two LHP's (Robinson/ Alexander) as it has cost the Wallabies countless penalties and even a few matches! Never a good sign.

d) I don't know what to say about this one. We'll just have to pray Deans uses his head and prepares the team for as many different scenarios as possible.

 

[Swarley]

But what is going to win it? 1. Attack in general (but especially Coopers play-making) 2. Quick recycle ball as seen in the last reds game. If we get this we will score many tries Im sure. But we need to be very competitive at the breakdown.

So the key to winning... keep up the good work on attack, improve on the defence, take a note out of the way the Reds are playing. Mentally and physically. If they are confident mentally then the errors will be less.

That's why I'm in favour of having Higginbotham and Pocock as starting breakaway's, with Beau Robinson there as Pocock's back-up. His work for the Reds this year has been extraordinary.

 

[bazzamacca]

I drop to my knees every night and pray Sekope Kepu will be picked as THP for the Wallabies. He is significantly stronger than the 21 year old Slipper - whose day in the sun will come extremely soon, but not quite yet.

Fainga'a is an affront to the front rowers union. What a lightweight, what a woman. I rate his performance against England last years as x10 more painful than the Shepherson/Dunning "effort in 2007 at Marseille (live viewing, felt like I was being punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson every scrum).

 

[Godfrey]

I don't think there's any chance of them winning when the selectors continue to ignore players that are so obviously playing for the team I like. No doubt they will just pick the completely hopeless players from the team I dislike who's strengths I'll ignore.

It should also be completely obvious to everyone that the sky is going to fall before the World Cup anyway.

 

[Brumbies Guy]

Fainga'a is an affront to the front rowers union. What a lightweight, what a woman. I rate his performance against England last years as x10 more painful than the Shepherson/Dunning "effort in 2007 at Marseille (live viewing, felt like I was being punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson every scrum).

It was his first starting test, packing with Ma'afu in his 2nd test, and Daley in his 1st test, with another debutant prop on the bench... in a forward pack which was being pushed off the scrum in the previous, and then subsequent, games. Easy scapegoat under the circumstances in this game, I think most knew that the result at scrum time was inevitable before they even took the field.

1 year on and this are looking a hell of a lot better, Kepu needs to be in the mix, as with Moore on recent form.

 

[Skippy]

1. Inability to produce dominant tackles in defence
2. Inability to play a tight forwards based game if required
3. Inability to counter ruck
4. Lack of experience winning in NZ for the last 100 years etc for very rare occassion
5. Deans possibly taking Brown, S Fainga'a, A Fainga'a and Dean Mumm in his squad - all players proven in the past to be out of the depth, a step to far or not yet ready for Test match rugby

But on the plus side -
1. No 1 scrum half in the world
2. When fit, 2 of the best of hookers in the world
3. We only need to put in top class performances in 2 games - semi and final to be winners... so form etc is irrelevant. The WC comes down to performing in just two games mostly
4. We may only have a plan a and no plan b - but plan a, when it fires into gear is a style of attacking rugby through Genia, Cooper etc that other teams including NZ struggle against
5. Best open sider in he world in David Pocock
6. Gits - althought not much love over the last few years, the man is an exceptional footballer and is finding form again and I beleive he will be back to one of the top 3 centres in the world by WC time
7. Beale is a world class runner... and plays 100% better with his Wallaby team mates than at the Tahs. His performance last year marked him as the best fullback in the world at the time and he will prove that again later this year
8. We are bucking the trend - we have a young side, with a few hard older heads (Sharpe, Moore, Elsom) whilst most of the world such as NZ, SA are much older. I beleive rugby is becomng more and more a young mans game.
9. Our scrum has improved enough to be competitive hopefully

 

[DPK]

Getting beaten by a better side on the day?

 

[Blue]

The All Blacks.

 

[RedsHappy]

1. Deans not immediately upgrading his forwards and scrum support coach(es)

2. Deans not securing a top-flight kicking coach full-time in Australia/NZ from June to October

3. Selections not being made rigorously on form and recently demonstrated skills, and solid, proven physical fitness

4. No mental skills/sports psychologist assisting the whole campaign

5. If RE is to play, he should not Captain. Horwill should Captain as (a) he possesses likely selection and (b) proven incumbent captaincy of a team that has recently ground out consistent wins against the best S15 teams and (c) he has superb rapport with the likely RWC 9 and 10.

 

[qwerty51]

Beside TPN and Pocock i cant see too many wallabies putting on big hits these days, in fact cant mention anyone in the back-line who puts on a good hit more then often.

Um... Wycliff Palu?

Yes I'm very worried about our backline's ability to perform a dominant tackle. Very underrated quality imo.

 

[DPK]

RH, just say Deans man.

 

[Victorian Reds Fan]

The All Blacks.

They will defeat themselves.

 

[Dmac]

I would have thought other than being outplayed on the day that injuries to one or two key players would be the biggest risk. Front row, 9 and 10 would be the obvious places I would have thought.

 

[RedsHappy]

RH, just say Deans man.

I am resigned to The Master Coach. But I do passionately want him to make adjustments, and learn from aspects of the 2008-10 period that IMO have been far from optimal in the Wallaby system.