Fresh from the garden and onto the plate we’ve got the Welsh naming George North at 13, Sean McMahon in line to make his test debut and send the hype train off the rails, Wellington 7s showing some signs of weakness and a fantastic analysis of South Africa’s evolving attack from our friend Murray Kinsella.
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George North to be Shifted to Centre for Wallaby Test
With a pair of injuries robbing the Welsh side of starting 13 Jonathan Davies as well as his backup Scott Williams, Warren Gatland has named George North to start in the 13 jersey against the Wallabies in Cardiff. While Wales have yet to beat Australia since 2008, Gatland is confident it will be another close match,
“The last few outings against Australia have been extremely tight. We are expecting the same this weekend and it’s going to be another huge battle, one we are really looking forward to”.
With Tevita Kuridrani in such dazzling form recently, one has to wonder if George North will be up to the task of covering the Wallaby center who may potentially have Israel Folau on his inside and Henry Speight on his outside. North is also not known for his distribution, leaving more questions than answers when it comes to the balance of a Roberts/North pairing and how much ball we can expect the Welsh outside backs to see. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
Sean McMahon Staring Down Potential Test Debut
After a spectacular debut against the Barbarians, 20 year old Sean McMahon may be in line for a test debut against Wales after a hamstring injury to Scott Higginbotham. Following a performance in which McMahon was breaking tackles and hitting rucks as if he was a man twice his size coach Michael Cheika had nothing but positive things to say,
“He got on the field and took his opportunity with both hands. There’s an opening in the back-row now for the Test next week. He’s definitely put himself right up there”.
Some have questioned whether or not he’s ready for a real test or if his dimensions match that of a traditional test blindside flanker. Regardless, there is unlikely a fan of Australian rugby that is not excited by the prospect of McMahon debuting after such a strong performance against a very competitive Barbarians side. The hype train is approaching terminal velocity.[/one_half] [one_half last=”no”]
Wellington 7s Takes a Knock
With ticket sales on the decline and a recent canceling by headline act KC and the Sunshine band, things aren’t looking so sunny for the Wellington 7s tournament. Not that sunlight exists in Wellington anyway. Tickets will now be discounted due to the poor sales so far. After the resignation of general manager Marty Donoghue last month local concert promoter Phil Sprey had this much to say in regards to the tournament,
“In our business, and it’s a bums on seats business – it’s entertainment, if you have to resort to discounting, it literally means all your promotion, your marketing, your advertising – all of those aspects have actually failed to deliver”. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
The Secrets to South Africa’s Evolving Attack
In an excellent bit of analysis by Murray Kinsella, the young Irishman takes the time to break down the elements of the Springbok attack which have begun to rapidly evolve over the past season or two.
Facing a string of injuries in the front row and a bit of a situation at 13 as well, the Irish will be facing a South African side that is as strong as ever. In the article, Murray cites a greater width in attack on early phases, increasing lethality on counter attack and following the turnover, the magic of Willie le Roux, and the well-rounded game of Handre Pollard as major factors in the resurgence of the Bok attack.
While the Boks are still expected to employ their power game and send plenty of channel one runners towards the Irish defense, this evolution of the other side of their attack has made them a much more difficult team to plan for than they were in the past. [/one_half]
