Wallaby EOYT 2016
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@ACT-Crusader said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
The Wallabies can create turnover ball, but really lack that combination of organisation and instinctiveness to make the most of them. Is it fitness, poor coaching or just lack of awareness?
Bit of everything. The halves are pretty solid for this, but we were packing a three-quarter line on Saturday with about 25 caps between them. Folau's workrate and effectiveness was clear to note with Phipps/Foley in the pivot.
Throw in Kerevi's early injury, bringing another rookie into the play, and a bit of organisational chaos is to be expected.
Plus, the counterattack thing is great if you're not going to get isolated, and we were making a shitload of ground up the guts, so why change?
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Jack Dempsey and Andrew Kellaway (Waratahs) & Izaia Perese and Taniela Tupou (Reds) will travel with the Wallabies squad. They won't play any tests (unless needed due to injury), but the first three players may play against the French Barbarians. Tupou is not eligible yet to play for Australia.
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The Wallabies take on Wales this Sunday morning, 6 November from 1.30am AEDT on BeIn Sports Channel 513, as part of your FOXTEL subscription. -
Wales line-up for the first test v Australia: 1. Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues) (126 Caps), 2. Ken Owens (Scarlets) (42 Caps), 3. Samson Lee (Scarlets) (26 Caps), 4. Bradley Davies (Ospreys) (56 Caps), 5. Luke Charteris (Bath Rugby) (68 Caps), 6. Dan Lydiate (Ospreys) (57 Caps), 7. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (43 Caps), 8. Ross Moriarty (Gloucester) (9 Caps), 9. Rhys Webb (Ospreys) (22 Caps), 10. Dan Biggar (Ospreys) (48 Caps), 11. George North (Northampton Saints) (62 Caps), 12. Jamie Roberts (Harlequins) (83 Caps), 13. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (56 Caps), 14. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues) (42 Caps), 15. Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon) (62 Caps)
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Scott Baldwin (Ospreys) (24 Caps), 17. Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (3 Caps), 18. Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (14 Caps), 19. Cory Hill (Newport Gwent Dragons) (UNCAPPED), 20. James King (Ospreys) (8 Caps), 21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (17 Caps), 22. Sam Davies (Ospreys) (UNCAPPED), 23. Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons) (10 Caps)
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Pretty much as expected then, bar injuries and absence due to bereavement.
That Wales back row will probably answer Cheika's thoughts about how he wants to play. I'll take a stab at a Wallaby team:
1 Sio
2 Moore (skipper)
3 Kepu
4 Arnold
5 Coleman
6 Fardy (in for banned Mumm)
7 Hooper
8 Timani
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Speight
12 Hodge
13 Kuridrani
14 DHP
15 FolauIn other words: no changes. There is talk of Folau to 13, but you look at how much time that Wales back line have had together, and quite frankly he doesn't have the experience.
Also, Wales will bomb us as a change up, so need the best guy at the back.
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Wallabies team to take on Wales:
- Scott Sio
- Stephen Moore (c)
- Sekope Kepu
- Rory Arnold
- Adam Coleman
- David Pocock
- Michael Hooper
- Lopeti Timani
- Nick Phipps
- Bernard Foley
- Henry Speight
- Reece Hodge
- Tevita Kuridrani
- Dane Haylett-Petty
- Israel Folau
Reserves:
16. Tolu Latu*
17. James Slipper
18. Allan Alaalatoa
19. Rob Simmons
20. Scott Fardy
21. Nick Frisby
22. Quade Cooper
23. Sefa Naivalu -
No AWJ nor Warburton for Wales - can't see them breaking their drought against that Wallabies team.
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@antipodean Am sure they could've done with Liam Williams instead of Cuthbert too.
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Ok Aussies, don't pile in all at once, but i reckon that selection is fucking cowardice from Cheika. Again he's avoided making a call on his 7s, resulting in an unbalance backrow. He's brought back a centre who has been shit for 2 years to avoid having to move Folau to 13.
It smacks of "same old same old" despite it not working all fucking year. Be brave, look at change Michael. If you were so secure in your job as "you don't really need it" then you would, but this reeks of "desperate for a win".
I'll still be backing your side this weekend, but come on man, show something.
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never understood the folau to centre calls. he's pretty solid at the back: occasionally brilliant, very good under the high ball. that part's not broke, so changing it to plug a hole somewhere else is probably just going to make things worse. he's not going to get more involved at centre than fullback, and you lose the use of one of his major strengths (in the air).
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@mariner4life said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
Ok Aussies, don't pile in all at once, but i reckon that selection is fucking cowardice from Cheika. Again he's avoided making a call on his 7s, resulting in an unbalance backrow.
Actually, I think he's looked at the Welsh backrow being a bit lighter and faster than if Faletau was there, and decided we need to rape them on the ground.
Gatlandball relies on two things: Big backs with a couple of simple screen runs to set them free. That needs quick ruck ball. If they don't have that, the plan falls apart and they gets nailed.
Which means they kick. Which brings me onto my next point:
He's brought back a centre who has been shit for 2 years to avoid having to move Folau to 13.
That Welsh backline has a fuckload of time together, and recently. Putting a guy with no Test experience playing the position is asking for defensive trouble, particularly with a rookie 12 and shit 11 backing him up. I prefer Kuridrani's experience playing 13, despite his recent shittiness.
On attack, we showed in Auckland that Folau joining the line with a Phipps/Foley combination can work. Also need Folau at the back for the inevitable kicking I have discussed.
It smacks of "same old same old" despite it not working all fucking year. Be brave, look at change Michael. If you were so secure in your job as "you don't really need it" then you would, but this reeks of "desperate for a win".
Yes. And?
Of course we're desperate for a win. But that will take us getting the set piece right, denying Wales any ball, and not giving away stupid penalties inside our territory for Halfpenny to pop over at will.
NOW the important question: if we dish them up and the players mentioned all have blinders, would you like your bag of dicks steamed or baked?
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@NTA cowardice. Have a go ya mug.
And you're in Wales, that bag of dicks will most likely be boiled. If they have blinders is the big fucking question isn't it?
Set piece is now an issue, as you've give a thrower with a ropey year under his belt only 2 targets to hit. You better hope you win a fuck load of ruck turnovers, not penalties.
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@mariner4life said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
And you're in Wales, that bag of dicks will most likely be boiled.
You're in Queensland, so they'll probably be covered in XXXX and done on the baaaaaaaaaaaarbie, in fact.
Not sure how its cowardice to select the same team that put on a decent performance last time out.
As for number of jumpers - could happen at any time in a game. If you can't deal with that, you just have to win the game in other areas. We should be used to that by now.
Look at that team and tell me Pocock's selection is worse than either Mumm or Fardy overall.
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I know there aren't many options at 6 for the Wallabies but reckon they'd be better off with McMahon at 6 and Pocock at 7 - McMahon may not be a 6 but at least he hits hard and can ball run. Neither of which Pocock offers. I think Hooper would be better served playing the Ardie role off the bench.
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@NTA a decent performance and got flogged. I think that gets missed too often. They were flogged.
Unlike many, many others, i don't worship at the alter of Pocock, so i don't think he's a walk-up start. Hooper hasn't done anything to get dropped, Pocock is a shit 8, and not much of a 6 either to be honest. I think picking him unbalances the pack, and yes, Fardy might be a better option. Hell, as just mentioned below, McMahon might actually be a better fit.
You might be right, it all might click, Pocock and Hooper win a fuck load of turnover ball on the deck, the halves fire it out to Folau chiming in from the back, and the Wallabies score 30+ points. And it will be golden. Which will beg the question, why was this game different to every other game this year?
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@mariner4life said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
I think that gets missed too often. They were flogged.
They got flogged three times by the All Blacks this year. The same team whose nearest margin this year was 14 points against Wales when they were warming up, and whose average winning margin in TRC was almost 30 points.
I think that gets missed too often.
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@NTA look, I'm not looking for a shitfight (well, not really), I'm just struggling to see what Cheika's plan is. Do you know? How does he want to play the game?
Tongan Thor one step closer to Wallabies
