I like PDV i think he is a very good coach but one of his weaknesses is that he shows alot of favouritism to certain players!!
In the currie cup the best front row was that of the cheetahs!! Adriaan strauss, wp nel and wian du preez dominated most of the scrums!! Instead PDV did not select one of these players to be in the sqaud and went with Heinke van der Merwe because PDV had coached him before and believed he had talent. Heinke van der Merwe last played rugby on the 18th of april due to injury!! It is absurd that he was selected. Other selections like chilliboy,maku, earl rose ( who played well but there are better players than him), Alistair Hargreaves, Odwa Ndungane, Heini Adams, Davon Raubenheimer all are players who should not be in this team as there are better players than them who have not been selected!! The one strenght PDV has as a coach is that he learns quickly from his mistakes, jake white was very stubborn!! PDV has called strauss and wian du preez to join the sqaud aswell. Look the main aim of the club side games was to develope the future boks, it was just very shocking to see how they got manhandled by a second string tigers!! To be honest i think the saracens game is going to be very tough and it could go either way. i think boks will have a tough game against france, cream italy and outclass ireland!!

Maybe Link talking about them hiring players by marketability wasn’t bs.

And PdV is going to have to follow the NZ selectors and bring a foreign-based player into the squad. CJ van der Linde currently with Leinster has been called up.

Now that would be ironic if he turned up on the pitch at Croke Park, against some of his current team-mates. Cyncis might say they might get a chance to see him actually play, since he’s managed to play about 2.56 matches since he joined the Lions 18 months ago. He stubbed his toe three weeks after he started at the club and has been a continual sicknote ever since.

If Rocky Elsom gets a roar of approval from the Croke Park crowd next Saturday for one of their favourite foreign sons, something tells me that CJ won’t be getting any bouquets thrown his way if he togs out in a Bok shirt the following week.

The bit about kicking is Martin Johnsons words, not mine

They might also have more kicks with less distance because whilst Australia were generally kicking deep and/or for corners the English team were putting up quite a few high, short distance kicks (kick and chase).

It’s hard to measure what will come out of this period until we play NZ. My hope is that the main injured core will be improved with some of the current players who are being given an opportunity. It’s a negative that some players have looked out of place, but also a positive as now the management will have a better idea of the bigger picture. I wonder whether Johnson will give the same players another opportunity or make a few changes this Tuesday?

Haskell was the big number 8 who came on and he did very well. I understood the reason for not starting with him though, as he’s played most of his rugby at 6 and Crane knows (or at least should do) Croft and Moodys’ games very well.

Onto Bell, and I think he did what was expected of him. However, I don’t believe that penalty against him should have been given, as opposing Loose head wasn’t binding properly, so I don’t think that was entirely his fault. Lawes also helped the scrum out I believe, with his bulk.

Wilkinson and Moody were excellent but I wonder if they will be there in the RWC. All in all I have watched worse England teams than that one run around particularly in Australia.

Thank Christ that one is behind us!

I wasn’t saying it was the ‘proper’ SA team – I realise that. But I think test teams should stil be aiming to win all their matches on tour, including against club sides who have been similarly denuded of their best frontline players. So in my book, that’s a tick in the L box for SA.

Anyway, let’s see how next week goes. Going by your prediction, the Tigers may be the only victory for the NH teams this November.

Oh boy – wait’ll Spiro cuts loose on that one. He’ll have a field day.

Come now we all know that wasnt the proper SA team, the players dont get capped for that game… To be honest though that was very worrying watching how dismall the future boks played against a second string tigers side!!

Nice one, OME.

I love the notion of you not liking ‘people being a bit up front with you’. In future, I’m gonna just come right out and, by God, I’m gonna half-tell you what I think of you. OK?

Yours in croonieship

Pothale

I know that song.

Maybe Kiwis don’t laugh at Mitch’s jokes because hes a tool?
Watch some Flight of the Conchords if you want to watch Kiwi self deprecating humour, now thats funny. Jokes from ex-kiwi mercenaries with the personailty of a tree stump don’t really bring the house down.
Britt and Germaine deliver jokes with a flat affect to take the puss out of some of our lifeless kiwi comrades, Mitchell is one of those lifeless Kiwi comrades.

More generalistions please.

GAME STATS
England V Australia
0
TRIES
2
Will Genia 21m
Adam Ashley-Cooper 72m
0
CONVERSIONS
1
Matt Giteau 73m
2/3
Jonny Wilkinson 10m
Jonny Wilkinson 27m PENALTY GOALS
Scorers 2/2
Matt Giteau 46m
Matt Giteau 60m
1/2
Jonny Wilkinson 3m DROP GOALS
0/0
SIN BINS
89 RUCKS/MAULS 81
1 LINE BREAKS 4
3 OFFLOADS 14
2
2
0 SCRUM WINS
With Feed
Against Feed 6
6
0
16
13
3 LINE OUTS WON
On Throw
Against Throw 15
12
3
92
447m RUNS
Metres Gained 84
409m
36
930m KICKS
Kick Metres 29
942m
89
110
0
30 TACKLES MADE
Attempted
Ineffective
Missed 80
97
0
9
15 TURNOVERS 16
6 PENALTIES CONCEDED 11
49% POSSESSION 51%

All in all I agree with the review though. One thing that hasn’t been said (probably because he was good in attack) is how poor Cooper was in defense. He did tackle his opposite pretty well (all 83kg of him) but was mowed over in open field late in the game by an English forward, did not support Giteau at the breakdown when he (incorrectly) took on the line and did not clear out at all except to run in and lean on someone. He needs to stop playing the showboat and do some work!

Digby was awesome and really validated those of us who have been shouting for him at 13. Some of us have said numerous times we prefer him there even if Mortlock was fit. Really encouraging. Genia great. Elsom excellnt (minus the pass), Palu had one of his good days. Smith poor. Horwill excellent around the field but useless at lineout time. Alexander and Robinson good. AAC excellent as was Hynes. Mitchell’s contribution wasn’t apparent. Gits average.

That is all.

Do you know of any decent websites?

I’d play Haskell ahead of Crane at 8, Hodgson at 9, Geraghty at 12 (there are no other options), and drop Banahan for Foden. I’m not a huge fan of Hipkiss at test level, but there aren’t really any other options given that Tait has had a mediocre season:

1. Payne, 2. Thompson, 3. Wilson, 4. Lawes, 5. Borthwick, 6. Croft, 7. Moody, 8. Haskell,
9. Hodgson, 10. Wilkinson, 11. Monye, 12. Geraghty, 13. Hipkiss, 14. Cueto, 15. Foden.