By Darren Walton
June 28th 2009 @ 4:18am
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Giteau and Smith guide Wallabies to victory over France
Superstar five-eighth Matt Giteau scored all the points as the Wallabies issued a warning to their Tri Nations rivals with a 22-6 triumph over in-form France at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
Giteau bagged Australia’s only try and nailed a conversion and five penalties in another flawless display of goalkicking as the Wallabies completed their June [...]
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and I’m on the Roosters bandwagon a 12 point win to the chooks.
jools-usa said | June 28th 2009 @ 5:54am | Report comment
I guess the opposition affects the play so don’t think Ws ever hit top gear & were brought down to the so-so level of France who lacked any fizz.
After 1st couple of muffed tries it looked a bit ho-hum.
Bright spark was back 3 and Smith………..plays like a 19 year-old.
Jools-USA
Who Needs Melon said | June 28th 2009 @ 6:28am | Report comment
Yes it seems Smith has got his “bad” games out of his system. He has them every 25 tests or so. So expect his next “bad” game at about the 125 test mark. Then 150, 175, etc.
Seriously, how many tests is this guy going to play? I thought Pocock played very well when he came on and will surely be the main source of pressure on Smith in years to come but, as Deans said, Smith is a special – as well as being a great 7, he does things ‘normal’ 7s don’t. And like pizza and sex, even when he’s “bad” he’s still pretty good.
matt said | June 28th 2009 @ 6:59am | Report comment
Smith..a freak. How many crucial pills does he steal?
Once again, I am stll concerned about the amount of forwards missing from the rucks…I reckon the backs cleaned out as many as as some of the forwards did. What’s the point queuing in midfield for a run if you lose the ball? We are very open to counter rucking..and I am sure the AB’s won’t have missed this point.
Good to see a bit more defensive jumping in the lineouts as well, although many still uncontested.
Some thoughts:
*AAC super safe under the high ball, he’s getting better every test.
*Back three all solid.
*Barnes has to work on his grubbers. He often (not just last night) kicks them into the legs of players. He had a good night defensively.
Gits needs to speed up his clearance kick technique, he is a charge down worry. He is becoming more influencial (and stepping out of Larkham and Mortlock’s shadow), every game.
Mumm’s the word….did anyone know he was playing last night?
Alexander still has a lot of work to go at tighthead.
TPN is not a good thrower..can blame the lifters this week.
Horwill was very quiet (mental scarring?), Pocock played well when he came on..punches above his weight. (and looked like he wouldn’t back down from a punch on).
Wallabies benfitted from some very poor ref decisions.
More straight hard runners needed.
Overall a 7/10, but more work needed before NZ
Nird99 said | June 28th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
One of the positives for me last night was the way the wallabies defended the rolling maul, and were also willing ona couple of occasions to have a crack at their own rolling maul. For me I think robinson was the standout forward last night. there were a couple of rucks were i thought Smith had pinched another ball and it was in fact robinson in the middle.
Pocock was good. He seems to carry a little bit more weight than our other 7’s and this may increase as he gets older and bulks up a bit. Saying this on Smiths form he wont be making any in-roads into the starting team any time soon and as we know smith has amazing strength and power.
You are right Matt about the opportunity for opposition to counter ruck. the french did it a couple of times early last night and it was effective, even if they did not get the ball they ensured that the wallabies did not have any clean, quick ball. This could be a real problem when you are playing a good defensive backline team like the Boks who move up quickly. Our backs can be great when they are getting on the front foot and they need quick ball clearance from the ruck.
I would agree with the 7/10 for what they were facing. they built and maintained pressure when they needed and seemed to have cut out the throw the pass at any cost mentality that can creep into their game.
Jack Petro said | June 28th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Yes, I’m sorry but George played a good game at 7 – but he wasn’t the best forward on the field. Back rowers, like No.10s, are viewed by those that choose “man-of-the-match” as the one’s that win/loose the games – what about the little bloke running around last night in the number 1 jersey? How many times (at crucial periods) did Robinson pilfer the ball? Or how about last year’s “outcast” – Sharpe had an outstanding game, with both ball carries and front on defence. Can’t wait till the next “outcast” is brought back into contention, because although the back three were good, the Wallabies miss the enigma of Lote!
The Link said | June 28th 2009 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Only 43k to this game – is it time for all non Tri Nations intrnational games to be played at the SFS?
Justin said | June 28th 2009 @ 11:09am | Report comment
Another workmanlike performance, in a good way. Defence good, would like to see them keep the ball in hand more from halfway. There were a few scrums where they just kicked it to Traille who thumped it back. With 5 metres now at scrum time its a great opportunity to get on the front foot.
Liked the aggression at the rolling maul of the French, driving them back quickly on a couple of occasions. Smith brilliant as was Robinson. Burgess kept running and getting smashed, too much and too predictable for mine but not a bad game. Shapre again the busiest of 4,5 or 6. Not sure whats up with Horwill at the moment but doesnt seem 100%. Mumm took some simple uncontested ball in the lineout and was Casper the rest of the time. Feel that will be it for him for the year, it bloody should be.
Pocock was excellent when he came on.
Back 3 solid and getting back in support is good to see. Thought O’Connor should have gone to 12 when Barnes came off. He is good enough and strong enough to play there.
The big conundrum for me at the moment is the makeup of the back 5. Sharpe and Smith definite, Horwill just at the moment. Mumm out of the squad. Bring Kimlin back in. Brown needs more time but not sure he is big enough for a Test 8 could perhaps play 6. Need Rocky back for some aggressive running.
Would like to see a trial of Brown, Smith and Rocky at 8 with Kimlin on the bench as back 5 cover with Pocock.
mattamkII said | June 28th 2009 @ 11:10am | Report comment
Well done wallabies…ButI reckon the french could feel a little muffed with the Ref.
Peter K said | June 28th 2009 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Disgaree re Horwill. He did a LOT of tight work, he was first to clearing rucks and hard hits in channel 1. Yes Sharpe ran the ball more but was wider in defence. Horwill did his job as a tight forward.
Mumm did not do much, he should be dropped either for Elsom or Kimlin. Sharpe best game for years.
On the lineout throwing Moore threw a shocker as his first one right over heads. No comment on this one. TPN also threw one too low. His others were fine.
The forwards really stepped up this game except still leave the ruck undefended too much and suscpectible to counter rucking.
Dexter William said | June 28th 2009 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Peter K,
Come on, we need to hear you say that Sharpe is good last night.
The truth is that I have not been very impressed with Sharpe for a long time, but whatever Robbie has been telling him is obviously working. Yes. He did bomb a try by not passing wide – but that was the only major negative last night.
Instead of Sharpe doing “seagulling” last night, Mum was. What a shame that a young man given the opportunity did nothing to help his cause. He was the only player that is not improving under Robbie. Can’t wait to see Elsom at 6.
I also thoght that Brown did alright last night. Did you guys notice his biceps? He must be working on bulking up and strengthening work. He is not a big 8, but I like his attitude a lot. He may be in the making of our Rodney Soiallo.
Agree with the few other comments above that Benn R played fantastically well at the scrum and also in general play. If props do mature slowly, Benn R being in his early twenties would be in “the hall of fame” in his early thirties. Unfortunately our tight head stock isn’t as good as we see Ben A struggling when he came on.
onside said | June 28th 2009 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
What odds are available on the Wallabies loosing all tri nations games.
Nird99 said | June 28th 2009 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
I was one to give ben alexander a big rap after the S14 season but the games he has played for the wallabies this year have been very up and down. his general play around the field has been reasonable but his scrummaging has been poor. I still dont rate baxter, but he is the best we have at the moment. I still believe we need someone more like rodzilla at tighthead. An anchor for the entire scrum. if we look at world rugby, teams that generally srummage well have a very strong tighthead.
Even looser said | June 28th 2009 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
Credit where credit is due. The French played better & for longer than I expected. Nathan Sharpe, always a concern for me, played very well. Probably as good as I’ve seen from him. My Man of the Match.
The Wallabies seemed to struggle with the increase in intensity of the French forwards. At one point I was wondering if they were human or Octupus. They seemed to have arms & legs all over the place. So it was a decent workout for the forwards.
Our backs will need to kick better & run better lines if we’re to beat the AB’s & the Boks. So many of our kicks were charged down. That could have been ugly. We were fortunate with several crucial refereeing decisions. Can’t for the life of me figure how the French got pinged when Gits recovered his charged down ball right in front of our posts.
We play the AB’s in 3 weeks. How the hell will Robbie crank up the intensity & have us ready? Are the boys back to club rugby?
retired rucker said | June 28th 2009 @ 2:09pm | Report comment
A solid win, the boys should be proud.
Peter K, your comments re Sharpe in previous posts made me change the way I watched that game, from a more detached and anyltical position than normal. I thought he played brilliantly in this game and after smith deserved MOM. I hope he keeeps improving and I noted he did’nt get dragged but Horwil did. I assume this is because he is a leader in the pack. I also reckon he made the most tackles of any forward.
Room for Improvement:
My other observations where:
Mumm needs to be given a wakeup in club rugby, was he on the field?
TH is still an issue although I thought the ref was a bit harsh, how many of the scrumswhere actually contested 3?, as an ex 5 this is extremely disapointing as it ruins the spectacle and cobativiness of the game. I think trestles rep will never change and as a result he will always be a liability wrt too the ref.
Half Back is another issue, in the second half Burgess made his only pass that was crisp and flat without taking a step. His running and passing are well read/telegraphed to the oppo. I’m not sure why he waits for the opp defence to form up 80% of the time he passes, he is frighteningly Greganesque. They must train this because the excuse of disruption is not available after this game. The AB’s and BOK will have his game well sussed by TN’s.
Would’ve been great to see Stirlo hold onto that ball, he would be pissed with himself.
Anyway I reckon the Wallas are going to be very competitive, time to start getting some odds off my Kiwi buddies!
mattamkII said | June 28th 2009 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
anyone notice the work rate of the French loose head? he was farking everywhere.
Peter K said | June 28th 2009 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
Dexter – I said that Sharpe had his best game in years. He played very well. Only 2 real mistakes, one where he did not pass the ball with an overlap and another where he dropped the ball with a try on outside him.
His line out was very good. He is the obvious general. He actually made hard runs, made the advantage line several times. He did not do the hard work in defense in tight and was a bit wide for my liking but that may be under Deans directions so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
I would drop Mumm for Kimlin.
bennalong said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
Building beautifully, is what I’d say. Contrary to some criticisms above, I was at the game and I thought speed to the breakdown and the numbers, were both up. Impressively.
The enthusiasm of the team is noticeable and criticising individuals becomes pointless unless they make glaring errors. Robbie Deans’ rotations will sort out anyone who isn’t on form, but this was a creditable TEAM performance and ‘Mumm was there’!
I love to agree with so many above that Nathan Sharpe needs a big rap. The big lumbering foreward was replaced by an enthusiastically coordinated player that suggested he needed to be swabbed.
He wanted that ball!
Never thought I’d see it!
Ben Robinson was great and Brown lived up to his promise and put in a huge effort.
Burgess owns his position and puts doubt into the opposition like no other. He covers a huge amount of ground defensively and reads the game like a wizard. His box-kicking has improved, and his long pass is also getting there, literally.To the knockers, compare how things happen before and after Valentine comes on [who is in your critical accountants minds better at the basics.] The tenor and urgency of the attack diminishes
The slow ball comes when Burgess CAN’T get the ball out quickly. He reimposes HIS will on the opposition.
Get behind a team that is ,so far, aiming higher and achieving higher under Robbie Deans.
Bugger the World Cup. Watch the enthusiasm now and enjoy it!
Worlds Biggest said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:02pm | Report comment
Agree with all that it was a solid win against good opposition. Sharpe once again delivered a big game which will disappoint his many knockers out there. Smith had his usual superb game, Mumm was MIA again and I don’t think is up to it at this level. Brown has a good work rate and is a solid player, not a game breaker but certainly puts in. Great hit on French piggie who stayed down for a few minutes. Overall the Pack went pretty well and will get better when Elsom returns. It wasn’t a game for the backs to shine really. Back three all solid again, AAC is becoming a very good fullback but needs to work on kicking game. Mortlock quiet, Barnes busy but the star was Giteau last night. Burgess still mucks around at the base a bit but better game from him. I enjoyed the game but disappointed with the crowd. JON should be lambasted for the poor crowd, will the ARU ever promote any of there events ??.
Jameswm said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:06pm | Report comment
No one else has mentioned it…
How good is Burgess’s defence? His passing was better, his snipes were closely watched, but he is incredible under the high ball and in defence. Don’t forget this when analysing him.
Funny how people notice the one bad throw TPN did but gloss over Moore’s ones.
Agree Sharpe was better than usual – I’d still like to see them bringing a younger one along though.
Peter K said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:15pm | Report comment
Bennalong – I agree. I was at the game as well. Burgess covers an enormous amount of ground and the attack fell off when Valentine came on. Most of the time that the ball was slow was because it was trapped OR Mortlock has called a piggy run and the little piggies take more time to be ready and braced for a smashing.
Bugess had 1 poor pass that was his fault. The others were because his arm was hit by the French. He did run sideways a few times but on most of them he straightened up and run for a gap keeping them in 2 minds. Far better than Gregan.
Jameswm – Thats not fair I noted above how Moores first throw was way too high and TPN got caned for just 1 mistake.
Burgess defense was comparable to a loosies.
Worlds Biggest – Sharpe having a good game is great, yes I am a knocker but I have nothing personal against him and I am happy for him to be in the team if he is delivering which he is now. I hope he is not like Mark Waugh and does enough when his spot is under jeopordy but keeps performing.
Working Class Rugger said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
There’s always criticism toward Burgess over the speed of his delivery. But more often than not he has to fight for the ball in the ruck. But what I noticed last night that he also gives the team another option than a sniping half back. He also can and did act as another attacking ball runner hitting the line in general.
Working Class Rugger said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:43pm | Report comment
Yeah and Burgess’s defence is first rate. The hit against SBW in the Baa Baas game and then the beaut he put on the French Prop last dislodging the ball. How embarassing for that boy. As a Prop there is nothing sweeter than smashing a Half Back and nothing more humilating than being smashed by one. Thankl god it never happened to me.
retired rucker said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:44pm | Report comment
Happy to concede on Burgess, as Peter K mentioned none of my observations are personal either.
I do think that it is much better to be at the game to judge positional play as it is not possible from tv coverage. I’ve always wondered if they can put an overhaed shot in the corner of the screen so rugby nuts can observe the whole spectacle.
What I’d like to know from fellow Roarers is do they think TH is solid at the moment, I think there is plenty room for improvement here and I think Baxter legacy causes isuues with the ref.
Working Class Rugger said | June 28th 2009 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
I get the feeling ref’s particularly NH refs see him as a bit of a game player in the scrum. Which goes to show that those who ref the game never played in the front row. The whole idea is to gain the advantage over your opposite. In a professional era physically there shouldn’t be a big strength difference regardless of body shape. So technique and ‘nous’ ( cunning) come into play. But Baxter big problem stems from his years of mediocrity in the scrummage under Eddie Jones. He has improved greatly over the past 3 years and has become a solid international tighthead not great and there are several better but solid. To be truthful our dominant scrum has all to do with the short little fat fella in loosehead. So he’s good. And I think TH is solid at the moment.
I firmly believe that the TH position will become a much stronger position for Australia in the future too. There is clearly future planning in place this season with Alexander and Cowan been given a run at tighthead. Neither are there yet but they need the experience to get there. Plus we also have Sekope Kepu who didn’t play alot of S14 this year but will feature next season. He be all the better for working with Michael Foley at the Tahs and if or when Rodney Blake returns from his scrummaging lessons in France we should be pretty deep in the position.
Even looser said | June 28th 2009 @ 6:13pm | Report comment
Agree that refs may be guilty of fronting up to the game with preconceived ideas about Big Al.
Maybe he needs a big tick & stamp on his forehead saying ‘qualified at the Foley School of Scrum’.
Jameswm said | June 28th 2009 @ 7:44pm | Report comment
Yes PK you noticed the throwing but no one else did!
OldManEmu said | June 28th 2009 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
Well done Sharpey. I hope all his baggers on the Roar are tucking into a great big slice of pie right now.
tarpo said | June 28th 2009 @ 9:47pm | Report comment
Best game I have ever seen from Sharpie, he ran to the line with purpose & looked to offload with nearly every ball!!!
He has clearly been reading the posts on the Roar! If he keeps improving at this rate I am more than happy for him to be in the team long term.
Terry Kidd said | June 29th 2009 @ 4:41am | Report comment
I have knocked Sharpe’s performances a lot but he did have a good game. Burgess went well guys, get off his back. In the backs I thought Mortlock performed the worst and in the forwards Mumm was the worst. Benn Robinson is a freak at 1 and Smith is a freak at 7 …. imho smith is now better than McCaw.
Bailey said | June 29th 2009 @ 6:35am | Report comment
I actually enjoyed watching this game more then the atrocious AB’s! I have to admit im afraid of whats to come with the Wallabies they’re looking oh so good at the moment. Their defence was superb and against a strong side like France its def something they should be proud of! I’ve stated in the past how much i wanted Robbie to coach the AB’s, now im wishing for it more so now then ever before! The same players from last year look mighty good, and when one gets injured another mofo pops up, i just can’t help but wonder what deans’ philosophy would have been like if he placed the same ethos with the AB’s. Oh to dream!!
Knives Out said | June 29th 2009 @ 6:43am | Report comment
How many caps will George Smith collect? I don’t think it would an outrageous suggestion to offer that potentially he could garner close to 150.
Terry Kidd said | June 29th 2009 @ 6:54am | Report comment
If he stays relatively injury free then my guess, based on 10 – 11 tests per year, plus the RWC, would be bewteen 150 – 170 ….. quite an extraordinary achievement.
bulldog said | June 29th 2009 @ 2:57pm | Report comment
I am very happy to see all the humble pie being eaten on this site with respect to Sharpe. Pocock also very good when he was on. Smith is a freak. Is this the end for Phil Waugh?
Bay35Pablo said | June 30th 2009 @ 8:45am | Report comment
What was the crowd? I have not seen one article that said what it was (at least in Fairfax). I took this as being it must have been OK, given they usually don’t need much excuse to whinge about those things. it looked about 50K to me.
I didn’t go because I expected it to be a 2nd rate French side, kicked myself when they knocked off the ABs and it looked like it would be a good test, had to knock back free tickets on the Friday through work as I had something on Saturday, and then was satisfied I didn’t go because the game turned out to be insipid. And I’d say that was a common tale, resulting it whatever the crowd was.
The ARU takes the fans for granted. This is what happens. it’s not rocket science.
I notice everyone talked up origin 2 as having a great crowd of 80K. it wasn’t a sell out, for league’s biggest game but was considered a success. if rugby had 80K for the bledisloe we’d be wondering why it didn’t sell out. Different perspectives.
True Tah said | June 30th 2009 @ 8:48am | Report comment
Pablo
the crowd was 43K.
The ARU should really be scheduling these games for SFS in future, it would have been a sellout there.
Better still, have the game on a sunday afternoon…why does the ARU insist on having every test match at night time…after watching the boks v lions, surely there is plenty of merit in playing games in the day time?
Bay35Pablo said | June 30th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
Thats TT.
Agree on the SFS, but the ARU has probably stitched itself up with a deal with Homebush for years and stuffed their options.
Similarly with day tests, the TV deal probably requires this as the ratings will be better at night. Crowds might also drop with blokes playing club rugby, but I seem to recall rounds being delayed sometimes when day tests were on. Ah the good ole days ….
True Tah said | June 30th 2009 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Pablo
you could play games on sunday afternoons.
Look at South Africa, they rarely have night tests. Going to a game in SA is so much differant, its like going to a college football game in the US, with people having braais and beers before and after the game in the carpark, dissecting what happened, kids kicking and passing rugby balls around. Argentina is the same as South Africa. Maybe Australians are differant, as you dont find that sort of atmosphere at NRL or HAL games either (maybe AFL in Melbourne/Adelaide/Perth you might find it).
Terry Kidd said | June 30th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Tis interesting that the rugby league is finding a upwards swing in popularity for Sunday afternoon games …. but differing markets I suppose being that is happening at suburban grounds. Also the afternoon games makes for better handling and a more open game.
Mike said | June 30th 2009 @ 10:45am | Report comment
I agree this was a solid performance by Wallabies. That is partly a credit to the French, who truly are a world-class side, despite their very different style.
The French were aggressive in the first half, but grew more patchy as the game went on. Its not just the hard season, they also have a hoodoo about the Wallabies. Their best chance to beat Australia was at Stade Francais last year, so winning here was always going to be difficult.
Good to see the French giving the Australians a lesson in counter-rucking – hopefully Wallabies will learn from it.
Sharpe had his best game in years, but mustn’t forget he is always workmanlike. Not brilliant, but plays at the same intensity for the full 80 minutes.
Agree with plaudits for Robinson – an excellent game, and the forwards are underrated when it comes to man-of-the-match. Alexander has a lot of work to do – I wonder if Guy Shepherdson should be given another run?
Once again, the Ref’s scrum-setting was mediocre at best. Al Baxter IS a different player after Deans and Foley. Refs performance so far this season has been poor and they are the ones who need to lift their game.
Our tactical kicking was all over the place. If this is a one-off weakness, then we can live with it, but if not…
I too don’t understand the criticism of Burgess. He has his own style, almost a league style, and it is now clear why Deans has persisted with him for so long. RWC: spot on re Burgess’ hit on the French prop – this man has no respect for size.