1. TPN’s throwing was 100% perfect – I kept notes. When Moore came on the lineouts struggled.

2. I thought Alexander got a good lesson but Benn Robbo was perfectly solid on his side. Alexander only really started at tight head this year and until that game has done remarkably well for a rookie, who didn’t even play tight head in S14. Alexander is a tough nut too – he, Robbo and TPN have the potential to become world dominators – the best front row we’ve ever had. Don’t despair after one ordinary performance in his rookie year in the position against a very good player. He will come back strong – you watch.

3. Bringing Baxter back has to be a step backwards. Kepu is the obvious one to come back subject to his scrummaging being OK. And we should find out a fair bit this weekend – is Kepu playing 1 or 3? He is a tough nut, but then so is Pek Cowan. Cowan might not quite be there yet, but he has a lot of potential. He is tough around the field, and reminds me of Benn Robbo 2 years back.

4. I am still yet to be convinced about Pocock. The obvious person the forward pack lacked was Phil Waugh, who tends to better against NZ (and specifically McCaw) than Smith.

5. I’m with Bob Dwyer – how can anyone call Richie Brown a better test no.8 than Wycliffe Palu?

6. You can’t simply drop the whole forward pack. Some of them really deserve to be there, esp TPN and Benn Robbo

7. Smith was playing no.8. He isn’t a no.8 – it’s been tried before. Palu is our only test quality one, really. Rocky runs too high and is too easy a target to play no.8.

No he didn’t. I doubt Dean has coached a scrum in his life. Michael Foley improved the scrum.

‘blooded some youngsters’

And Jones and Connolly didn’t?

Well written. Agree with most of what you say, can’t really add much anymore.

Sure Deans has made mistakes, no doubt about it. But the problems of the Wallabies & Australian rugby as a whole, go way beyond Robbie Deans.

Let the dirt trackers play against Scotland because on form, Ireland will win and England will be a struggle.

I like the thread and the various points of view but the fact remains (1) the players were out-played by their opposition (2) the coaches made fundamental errors in judgement by not utilizing their bench. If the ‘cattle’ is the best we’ve got at the time, then the likes of Jim Williams (former Wallaby and Assistant Coach) should be able to tell the players like it is … “belt the sheep #^&*, put your bodies on the line, and bash em” (a good old fashion aussie rev up) … you think the All Blacks were sitting in their dressing room discussing how they’d play this pattern then that? They were saying “Belt those sheep #&%&, put your bodies on the line, and bash em”!

We’ve lost the Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations and only have the wooden spoon to show for it, therefore, using Tokyo as a guage against one of the best teams in the world. My squad/team would be:

1. Robinson
2. Polota-Nau
3. Baxter
4. Horwill
5. Mumm
6. Hodgson
7. Waugh
8. Brown
9. Burgess
10. Barnes
11. Mitchell
12. Giteau
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Hynes
15. Beale
Reserves:
16.Moore
17. Cowan
18. Elsom
19. Pocock
20. Genia
21. Cooper
22. Cross

I know a lot of you will complain about ‘tries and true’ but (1) Baxter is our best THP (unless refereed by cheating SA referees); (2) Phil Waugh needs to be given a start to prove he wants that Wallaby jersey; (3) try a Burgess-Barnes combination (it will give Chris Hickey an insight into next season); (4) KB at FB – let him be either the deer in the headlights or the masters apprentice; (5) Cooper and Cross deserve a place on the bench – hopefully they’d be given some time too!

If you rev them up just enough, some of these guys would relish the chance to get a head start on the others for the European tour and, you never know, it might just bring about a turn-around in fortune!

FOS, I just hope Cam Shepherd times his run right and he should be there come 2011, or at least on the wing. Meanwhile we need to do better in the TN next year…

From the general to the specific:

1. Deans squad lacked balance, being too heavy on opensides and quasi-opensides (Smith, Waugh, Pocock, Brown and Hodgman early on) and lacking genuine 6s with lineout ability and grunt to back up Mumm (ie Mowen, Higginbotham).

2. This led to a poorly balanced backrow, which really only worked once all 3N season.

3. JOC is not a test class 15 at this point in time.

4. Deans use of the bench was poor in this match – JOC deserved an early rest, and its not certain that Smith did. The Wallabies did not really lose the match until the 70 minute mark: by that time a number of substitutions should have been made to get some fresh legs out there.

5. The Wallabies put very little pressure on the AB’s lineout, very often not contesting. This is sheer stupidity, especially as it is area where the Wallabies had a chance to dominate.

6. The forwards did not show up at ruck time (although I will argue that the control of the breakdown was poor – but even so, the forwards did not adapt to how the ruck was controlled by the referee). This has been a problem since at least QF 2007.

7. Poor kick chase by the backs, poor support of the runner in kick return.

8. No direction from Giteau at 10 and Barnes not stepping up into that role either.

The positives

The scrum was OK – and Alexander likely did better than Baxter. Having Pek Cowan as the backup prop though was strange.

Genia looks like a good prospect. AAC was OK, and perhaps should have been at 15. TPN pulled off a great tackle.