Who's to Blame?

[Athilnaur]

Other than disagreeing about what constitutes beautiful rugby, Reason provides the superior underlying analysis imo. Cully rightly identifies the scrum issue, but it seems to me he is focused on the last 5-10 mins. We failed to win the game in the 55-70 min window in my view. Dennis was shagged, his substitution was understandable, similarly Hooper had the potential to score around the fringes.

We needed to mix in grubbers, a couple of cross field chip/bombs to fracture the redoubtable scottish defense, and chip or grubber more often during those periods we were not in their 22, but also while camped on their 5, and we had a ridiculous amt of opportunity to set for field goals. We didn't and the Scots seized their window and rightly earned sweet victory. That said, there was a lot of good rugby by the team, especially in the first 50. Scots dug deep and denied us, good on them.

Ath.

 

[slydare]

As much as I was frustrated with our inability to get the job done last night, I don't think the game plan was the biggest problem. The real issue for me was the inaccuracy in our support play, we got isolated far too many times. This was a game to do the simple things really well and I can't really blame Deans for their failure on that front considering the preparation (JON can take the hit on the scheduling).

Those simple things should be bread and butter for anyone playing at this level. It really frustrates me that the basics of tight, forward play aren't instinctive. Sure a lot of the guys on the park have showed "potential", but fuck me do they have bad habits in and around contact. I think some of the provincial coaching teams can wear the blame for that.

As for Deans, sure this was a difficult situation, but with that many senior players on the field there really is no excuse for such a lack of direction. I can't help but think that somewhere there is a massive breakdown in communication between him and the players. There is no question that the senior guys can get the job done, but they seem to be working individually there's no clarity or sense of purpose. To me that is where Deans has to lift his game - he needs pick who he wants calling the shots on field and work through those 1 or 2 guys, with everyone else to fall in line.

I remain concerned...

 

[ACR]

Didn't get the tactics right 2nd half, compounded by poor leadership and individual decision making.

I absolutely cringed when Higginbotham ran against the wheel of the scrum, seriously?

 

[Penguin]

Heaven forbid we try and dissect and incredibly embarrassing defeat on a Wallabies rugby forum Penguin.

Dissect away Joe Mac if that's what floats your boat, but at least give the opposition some credit. Constructive criticism is good to read (Article from the Roar above a good case in point) It's the whining & a blame laying I take exception to ( I'm not singling you out for this)
Our guys have never, in my memory, played well in such conditions, even the British commentary team reckoned it was some of the worst weather they'd ever seen Rugby played in!
It's also a piss poor way to lose in the last minute via a scrum penalty, deserved or not.
I've moved on & look forward to the weekends game.
Well played Scotland & I hope this marks a turn around in your teams fortunes!

 

[Nelse]

Much like many of the posts, I don't think it came down to an individual having an off game, I thought it was the team just not being able to deal with the conditions and play accordingly. After the first 'clearing kick' in the first half, I would have thought that would be put in the pile of 'not going to work for the next 40 min'. Barnes got some good position early in the first half with a kick stabbed low to the ground, so I thought they had actually started to adapt, but it didnt turn out that way. The defence when the scots had the ball in that initial half was brilliant. they were camped in the wallabies 22 for a while. Unfortunately, the Scots were much, much better at the breakdown. In attack the numbers piled in to secure the ball, barring the few times when pocock made the tackle and won the penalty. In defence they had much more urgancy, coming through the ruck and spoiling the ball for Genia.

Genia had an average game. In the second half when he started to give quick ball to the forwards and having a couple of snipes it made such a difference. But that quick ball was stifled by a massive boot coming through from Gray or one of the other scots coming through the ruck.

Barnes didn't look anywhere near confident of getting the ball out to Harris or beyond. More often than not when there was the opportunity go wide he would step of his outside foot. Became predictable very quickly. He had some deft kicks including the cross field one to Ioane that had me momentarily out of my seat. He was also solid in defence and he hit quite a few rucks when one of the forwards got isolated. I thought it was one of his better games this year... but thats not saying too much.

Obviously it was a battle for the forwards to play out (seriously, who'd wanna be a back in a game like that!?) but I thought scotland were deserved winners. Even in the last few minutes, there was no urgency to the wallabies defence. They didnt try to counter ruck, they didnt rush up to try take the scots behind the ad-line. They looked very complacent.

Hopefully they can play with a bit more urgency against Wales.

 

[Joe Mac]

Dissect away Joe Mac if that's what floats your boat, but at least give the opposition some credit. Constructive criticism is good to read (Article from the Roar above a good case in point) It's the whining & a blame laying I take exception to ( I'm not singling you out for this)
Our guys have never, in my memory, played well in such conditions, even the British commentary team reckoned it was some of the worst weather they'd ever seen Rugby played in!
It's also a piss poor way to lose in the last minute via a scrum penalty, deserved or not.
I've moved on & look forward to the weekends game.
Well played Scotland & I hope this marks a turn around in your teams fortunes!

Where have I criticised the Scots?

The title of post is "who's to blame." I put down why I think it's Deans. If you don't agree please tell me why but don't have a go at me for having a view.

Poor form mate.

 

[Penguin]

Where have I criticised the Scots?

The title of post is "who's to blame." I put down why I think it's Deans. If you don't agree please tell me why but don't have a go at me for having a view.

Poor form mate.

I'm not having a go at you about those things.... they were directed at many having a whine. And for not giving the Scots any credit.

My original comment towards you was your laughable suggestion it was the Qld Reds players fault for not having to play & train in shite weather! Nothing more & nothing less.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Sorry, but that is a bit harsh. First time on the big stage with one day of full prep with his new squad and new coach and new game plan. Are we going to throw him to the lions because he took a few minutes of his short game time to try to adapt to a new experience?

He had to second guess what his team mates were going to do as well as what was going to happen, and his inexperience showed.

He probably ran on full of nerves and pride, but walked off wondering what the hell just happened. Christ, even Eales took a handful of games to get into the groove and understand he deserved to be in the team. We gave Hooper a handful of minutes and expect him to seamlessly transition?

Give the kid a break.

Sorry Mr Hooper, I didn't mean to insinuate anything more than "What you're supposed to do in a scrum is push" and Hooper did not.

Which is frankly the last on the list of stupid decisions on all (australian) levels.

 

[Joe Mac]

I'm not having a go at you about those things.. they were directed at many having a whine. And for not giving the Scots any credit.

My original comment towards you was your laughable suggestion it was the Qld Reds players fault for not having to play & train in shite weather! Nothing more & nothing less.

Don't you think the Scots players seemed more adept in the conditions than the Wallabies? To me it seems a valid point, that players who have experience playing in such conditions would probably be more adept to excel in those conditions... The Brumbies on the field seemed to probably be the pick of the Australians, maybe because Canberra is such a bloody cold and windy place to live and train. Or maybe the reason they were best on the field is the reason they are winning the Aussie comp, that their players are in the best form. Which ever way you think about it, it all leads back to selection choices made by one Robbie Deans which was the basis for my first post.

 

[qwerty51]

Councils for closing grounds when it's raining in Australia so our players are limited in their experiences in those types of conditions.

 

[JJJ]

I agree more droppies should've been attempted given the massive territorial advantage we had in the second half; especially given how hard it was for Scotland to make ground with a kicking game against that wind. Last time we played Scotland we saw how hard it was to score tries even once we'd gotten over their line, so it shouldn't have been any surprise last night.

That blitz defense seems to kill us every time. Needed more grubbers behind the line to turn them around. That could've created more back-on-back match-ups, where we would've made more headway.

 

[louie]

50% Deans 50% JON.

Deans because he's no a good enough coach to get this team to win in tight situations. He doesn't understand playing group and is stubborn about the players he picks.
JON because he's entrusted a coach that no one in Australian Rugby has faith in. I fall to see how a nation with a team that won last years super comp and with a team doing as well as the brumbies are can lose to Scotland. I don't give a shit there playing on ice, they still should be able to be Scotland.

 

[Richo]

What I found odd about the lack of chips and grubbers in the second half was that we easily maintaining field position pressure even when we did cough up the ball. The wind was strong and the Scots really struggled to gain any ground when kicking for touch. Even if 5 grubbers were cleanly taken and then kicked away, we'd almost certainly have got the ball back inside the bloody 22 anyway.

It's like the Wallabies hadn't really realized what the wind had done to them in the first half!

 

[AngrySeahorse]

I blame Scotland, crab people, & the league idiots in my town doing a rain dance thus causing the storm in the first place.

I'd replace Poseidon with Pasha Bulker too.

 

[Richo]

Deans because he's no a good enough coach to get this team to win in tight situations. He doesn't understand playing group and is stubborn about the players he picks.

See, I'm not so sure about these selection complaints. Who would have been a better pick? 15 Gerrard would have been wise and would have helped in the first half. Other than that, I really don't see what other viable options Deans had.

If we want to blame Dingo for anything, it should be his failure -- over 5 fuckin' years -- to develop leadership, communication, and adaptation amongst his senior players. Pocock, Barnes, Genia, Sharpe, Digby -- all those guys should have done better with their on-field leadership. Why didn't they? And why haven't they, time and again?

 

[daz]

I note that as of right now, it is neck and neck between Deans and JON for "Who's to Blame".

Normally that stat would be Dingo's by a freakin' country mile, so I think it fair to say that occasionally a coach can get put into an unwinnable position by his employer and that this Test match was a balls-up from the moment JON signed a contract with the Scottish RU.

The game on Saturday, on the other hand, is all about Deans.

 

[Richo]

I note that as of right now, it is neck and neck between Deans and JON for "Who's to Blame".

Normally that stat would be Dingo's by a freakin' country mile, so I think it fair to say that occasionally a coach can get put into an unwinnable position by his employer and that this Test match was a balls-up from the moment JON signed a contract with the Scottish RU.

The game on Saturday, on the other hand, is all about Deans.

Nah, even if we lose THAT one we'll still be able to blame JON for forcing a split squad with the Tuesday game. Only by Wales #2 do we REALLY get to stick it to Mad Robbie.

 

[BPC]

Sorry Mr Hooper, I didn't mean to insinuate anything more than "What you're supposed to do in a scrum is push" and Hooper did not.

To be fair, Hooper is hardly Robinson Crusoe when it comes to loose forwards watching rather than pushing in the scrums. Even Pocock was meerkatting during some of the scrums.

 

[Athilnaur]

The overall gameplan was sound, and who among us was criticising their first 50? Face it, if Simmons try had been allowed - and it was a try - we'd most all of us be saying gritty win in crap conditions. The Deans haters would deny credit on the basis blind freddy would have known what was required, which was pretty much exactly what was done, and we would all roll on.

There were some things done poorly, but big picture our team did pretty well; failing only to tweak the game in the second half to vary the attack.

And again big credit to Scots for a great defensive game.

Ath.

 

[Bruce Ross]

The game was played in absolutely diabolical conditions and as others have suggested players don't have much experience of coping with these circumstances. So perhaps this is not the occasion for wrist-slashing.

What concerns me, and it has been a general theme, is the lack of clear structure. Pick-and-drive was certainly a major option under such conditions but it needs to be done with virtual military precision particularly if done after a delay. Body height and spinal alignment should be textbook; in most situations there should be a player with his shoulder on the ball carrier's hip before the ball is picked up; and ideally another player locking on as soon as the move starts. With a quick pick-and-drive it is OK to extemporise but there still should be support players trying to lock on. I can't detect any clear pattern in how our pack are doing the move.

The basics of wet weather play haven't changed. Players need to stand closer together and in most cases a phase should consist of one or less often two passes. But the Scottish coach correctly drew attention to the fact that we didn't vary our point of attack sufficiently often to really test them. A pass of four or five metres involves not much greater risk than a one metre pass. And the half back shouldn't have to be waving his forwards to get into position. A pod should automatically form so that pressure can be built up.

A further general point is that in trench warfare conditions there is a premium on having your players more physically powerful than the opposition. I hope that our deficiency here, so obvious in recent seasons, is being addressed.
.