Never has a game of rugby been more of a dress rehearsal for higher representative honours that this one. On both sides of the ledger there are players who have reason to go at the game with all the fury that only the motivation of being left out in the cold can bring.
The Baa-Baa’s warmed up last week by dispatching a second string England and, despite traveling to the other side of the globe within a week, are certainly talking the talk of a team that wants to disgrace their second nation within seven days.
What strikes you most about this Barbarians team is the amount of players who are at the top of their games and looking to make their way back into the fold of their respective nations’ teams.
The nostalgia surrounding the Baa-Baas suggests their mantra is to run the ball and try the sexy stuff that might not win games, but give supporters plenty to oh-and-ah about. All that changed late last year when the Bokkie laden Baa-Baa’s challenged an under-maned Wallabies team physically, and demanded a response from them that was more akin to a test match than a festival.
This Baa-Baa team has much the same look about it. The back-row itself is one that most nations would gladly swap for their own, and when you add to this the brutal backline combo of Josh Lewsey, Seilala Mapasua, and Sonny Bro’ – well you get the idea.
That’s not to say that the Baa-Baa’s vintage 2009 will be one trick ponies. The likes of Whits, Luke McAlister and Geordan Murphy will provide plenty of creativity and nous that will get the visitors into positions where they can launch their uncompromising outside men and do plenty of damage.
For the Wallabies, this game will be about establishing a standard that will launch them into the rest of the domestic tests and on to the Tri-nations. Clearly the Wallabies are not fucking around with this game and have named a team that is based on form and not too far off full-strength.
With Deans putting the cleaners through some established names, and giving others a chance to shine against quality opponents, there will be no lack of motivation from the home side.
To think that a Phil Waugh captained side would be anything but up for the contest would be folly and the Wallabies must meet this challenge and show they are not made of custard when it comes to the hard stuff.
The Wallabies will look to the likes of Dick Brown, Matt Hodgson and Big Kev to repel the threat posed by the Baa-Baa’s pack and it will be interesting to see if George Smith can put his chip-kick-flick-passing-ways of the Super 14 behind him and concentrate purely on winning the ruck contest.
The Wallabies should win this game quite comfortably, given the dormant nature of early season Wallaby games, this cannot be guaranteed.
Cote says – Wallabies by 12
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3359 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=3359">24 Comments
gold – gay spring in his step!
The wallabies will wallop them cos they are training hard and pushing for selection.
The bahs bahs are getting interviews and putting a bad prop as captain.
Bobas 15 other expectations:
1.Mortlock to be concussed.
2.Turner to not warrent selection.
3.AAC to put up high balls from fullback all game.
4.Mitchell to score the first try.
5.TPN to come on and miss his first throw.
6. Baxter to give away penalties.
7. Sharpe to spend his time in the backline.
8. George Smith to lay on a try.
9. Elsom to get man of the match regaurdless of what happens.
10. Barnes, SBW or both to get injured.
11. Burgess to pass crap but then make some clever runs.
12. Giteau to be the main difference between why Austalia smashes them.
13. Pocock will come off the bench for hodgeson and be a tackler possessed effectivly making waugh cry as he will be on the feild and know that he is now relegated to the bench bench.
14. Robbie Deans to be more smug in his interview than Kevin Rudd speaking mandarin.
15. Brown to effectivly play 6 and hodgson play 8. (ie brown will be the third lineout option) and hodgeson wont get any.
Bobble hat – excellent.
In addition Barnes will have a solid but unremarkable game and the media will wang on like he shat gold bars all night.
What about QC?
Everyone’s too scared to mention him K-Sulk!
I’m not sure Cooper’s worth mentioning, judging by his recent form with the Reds (and also club rugby by the sounds of it)? Certainly not a patch on Giteau or Barnes at five eighth/inside centre. I think Tyrone Smith offers more than Cooper as well, especially defensively. It’s also a shame Staniforth went….I always thought he was a success in that position…I suppose injuries got the better of him and he was too similar to Mortlock in playing style. Shades of Nathan Grey…who I see has some support amongst the readership.
Ten predictions…
1. First try to come from a Gits cross kick to Mitchell.
2. Fat Cat will also score, with Moore and Horwill hanging off him.
3. Gits wont miss a kick all night.
4. Tuqiri will be back in starting lineup after Turner fails to turn up in the big games.
5. O’Connor will come on and we will put five tries on them in twenty minutes with the smarts of Barnes, Gits and O’Connor keeping them guessing.
6. Phil Waugh will have blood pouring from his head within ten minutes of kick off.
7. Barnes will kick a drop goal.
8. Mortlock will kill six Barbarians on his first charge at the line.
I think full strength team is Tuquiri at 11, Mitchell/O’Connor at 15/bench, Digby at 14, Rocky at 6, Palu at 8, so I think even this team is sill far from our best..
I don’t think I need to watch the game now.
I don’t think even Mortlock could kill SBW, he’s a big boy. But I think Mortlock could suprise him with how hard a heterosexual Australian can hit…
I reckon Turner will do allright but an inside back will get a hat-trick, probably Barnes unless JOC gets on sooner (it is all about who is closest to Gits!).
But most of all I desperately hope that Bobas’ no 3 doesn’t come true.
re #3 – is it to late to get a message to Deans and or AAC about this?
I’m thinking wrapped around brick through a window or horses head in bed to give it the proper emphasis.
Surely something has been said to AAc about the Kicking!
What I’d have said is “You are dropped, Goodbye”
From this point on aac’s tactic of the midfield high ball will be known as the Bobas 3.
I just hope our backline gets a proper go, after watching the tahs you don’t take anything for granted. My prediction, SBW gets sinbinned for a shoulder charge, morty gets cussed but still hits the mic after the game.
got tickets to the game so hopefully a)the wallabies are less shit than their recent first match hitouts, and b) the barbarians stick to their traditional philosophy
Yeah, I’m excited about this one, even with the tradition of the Wallabies being shit in their first tests of the season.
No reason why the Aussie backline shouldn’t kick arse – they’ve all played together enough now. Even the rookies are no longer rookies.
HOWEVER, where it would all go wrong is if the pack don’t turn up:
– Hodgson/Brown get pwned
– The Seaguller plays to type
– Horwill brings his S14 form
– Alexander gets found out at THP
And then there’s the AAC bomb….
Please stop talking about it already, I just want to pretend it was never there and talking about it only makes me nervous.
The Baa Baas team on Saturday have never really played together. There are a few combinations within the team,but basically they are new to each other. For that reason alone, the Wallabies should win, but maybe not by much.
They’ve also been on the piss and had an international flight in between.
Because of that we should definitely get there by the end through fitness etc. – like the pommy 2nd XV almost did.
Question is, will we dominate in the first half? That’s what I want to see
Did anyone else see what Smith was saying about playing Waugh?
“You know what you’re going to get when Phil and I are up against each other,” Smith said. “We’ll be playing hard at the ball, like to link up with the backs, and maybe throw a grubber in there now and again.”
nice…
Just got tickets.
Starting to get excited now.
The SFS is the best place in NSW to watch rugby, well pretty much any code of football.
Apparently if Elsom doesn’t pass his fitness test, David Lyons is gonna take his place. Anyone seen him play in Europe?
Fleetingly. His form was about the same it was before he left NSW
Fleetingly……..Elsom has gone to a new level of self belief, like David Codey,Toutai Kefu,Mark Loane,David Wilson,and Tony Shaw, at their peak they have an aura that dominates physically and mentally.
The man got 11 or 12 man of the match awards from about 14 matches in Ireland. Hardly the same form that he had with the Flowers.
K-Sulk
I was talking about Lyons
Gagger’s last blog post..Wallabies vs BaaBaas Live Score
well that makes a bit more sense I was really worried about you.