By David Beniuk
November 24th 2009 @ 3:21am
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Kevin,Meath said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:50am | Report comment
How will it look if Australia are beaten by Cardiff on Tuesday? Wales have released two players ,Cooper and Warburton, from the National squad. will look forward to game will have to watch in Welsh as its S4C doing the TV coverage. Don’t know if its on the net elsewhere.
Matt0931 said | November 24th 2009 @ 4:17am | Report comment
Kevin, you can try justin.tv if you have a fast enough broadband speed.
It pains me to say it but I can’t see any other result except Wales wooping the Wallabies this weekend. Wales have now played a few matches and were looking pretty good last weekend.
With all the injuries now in the Wallabies side the defence will be as leaky as a sieve.
Blinky Bill from Bellingen said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:47am | Report comment
With my internet on the blink for 2 days, I’ve not been able to follow what’s been happening. Maybe that’s a good thing.
Seems, judging by what I’m quickly reading, that Rugby folk are alarmed and are demanding change. I see that as a good thing. In fact a very good thing. Too often we simply cop a loss, shite play or what ever and drift off to follow another sport leaving Rugby to sort itself out.
For me anyways, that sorting out needs to have input from the fans. WE need to get the ARU decision makers off their butts and making the best decisions possible for Australian Rugby. Now whether they already are or not……I’m unsure.
One thing I will not do is put the boot into the team. Privately I’m pretty pissed off but I fail to see how ripping them to shreds will help anything. The Wallabies are my team and I will support them to the death.
My problem at the moment is finding too much that’s positive to say about how the Wallabies are sailing. Is it Robbie? The buck must stop with the head coach. If the players are going against his instructions, then he needs to act. If the assistant coaches (do we even have a backs coach?) aren’t getting the results, then he needs to act.
Several things stand out for me that seem easy to fix:-
1. This ‘playing what’s in front of you’ doctrine for what ever reason is not yet working on our blokes. Maybe we are dumb, maybe we lack the skills, maybe Robbie just isn’t communicating effectively. So maybe he needs to step back and issue clearer instructions such as “don’t kick the ball unless in your 22″. Sounds easy to understand to me. Ball in hand. Ball in hand.
2. Let’s stop this Giteau at 10 idea. Blind Freddy can see that Gits is best at 12. So get him there asap.
3. Use the bench much better. If they’re good enough to be on the bench then make the bench one our weapons.
4. Lineouts – Stop the stupid ‘headless chook’ running about on our throw. The only team that we are confusing is ourselves. AND…….contest the lineouts 99% of the time.
I want to see what Robbie, the assistant coaches & the boys can come up with in Cardiff that will help restore pride and confidence in Australian Rugby.
Come on boys!!!!!!
Go the Wallabies!!!!!!!!!!
Jameswm said | November 24th 2009 @ 7:41am | Report comment
Matt
The Aussies don’t lose by much often – they are renowned for their defence.
Bay35Pablo said | November 24th 2009 @ 7:52am | Report comment
“it was time to stop chopping and changing positions of players, in particular five-eighth Matt Giteau.
“The whole make-up of the Wallabies squad at the moment and who plays where is so up in the air that it’s almost like a lottery,” he said.”
Um, from what I can see Giteau has been playing 5/8 in a NZ style 1st and 2nd 5/8 set up with Cooper. How is that chopping and changing.
The general consensus appears to be Giteau isn’t cutting it at 5/8, and is a better inside centre.
To repeat the same actions and expect a different result is the definition of idiocy.
I think we’ll get beaten by Wales, but I expect the team to be hurt, even more hurt than after Ireland, now. But switching Giteau to 12 and Cooper to 10 may as well start now.
And I agree on the backs coach, what has he been doing. Wisemantel got a hiding for the Tahs back line woes this year, why aren’t the same questions being asked of the Neville backs coach the Wallabies have? Or Jim Williams for the line out woes?
Who Needs Melon said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
You don’t agree that we should concentrate on specialising players a bit more rather than letting them interchange positions on the field and slotting wings into OC, OCs into FBs, etc.?
I’m obviously not saying that a player that starts out in one position early in their career should be barred from playing anywhere else. But did we ever consider playing Farr-Jones at 12? Horan at 10? Or even on the wing or fullback? If Carter was injured, would NZ play Nonu at 10? Or Aaron Mauger?
The only really successul transition I’ve seen into the 10 role is Larkham. At the time everyone considered that a big gamble. I feel after having that ‘win’ with Larkham, we are now compulsive gamblers when it comes to selection.
I also feel that by continuing to pursue the 10 role, Giteau is shooting himself and Australian rugby in the foot. If Barnes plays 10 with the Waratahs next season and plays anywhere near reasonably (and stays fit) then he will nab the 10 spot for the Wallabies. And Giteau could then be in contention with others like his old Force partner for the 12 spot. Or find himself on the bench as a utility player.
NickF said | November 24th 2009 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Blinky, I agree with you, but you could probably add the midfield kicking syndrome they are suffering from. I don’t understand this tactic, especially as they don’t kick very far, seem reluctantant to catch the ball, and thus giving the ball to the opposition in good territory.
Bay35Pablo, one of the McQueen period hallmarks was his consistacy of positional selection. McQueen pretty muchpicked his team and stuck with it, with minor changes mainly through injury.
Hooker, flanker, flyhalf, centre and fullback keep changing.
Will Genia’s cxonsistancy has been a good thing, but with his injury we now have the same old problem of Burgess and Giteau combination, which does not work. Burgess’s passing to Giteau is dreadfull, but I sometimes wonder if Giteau’s instructions to Burgess are also wrong. I would imagine that on the field Giteau would call the shots and if Burgess keeps passing the ball to a flat footed Giteau, he must make some sort of comment back to Burgess. Either way it does not bode well for the next game.
Blinky Bill from Bellingen said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:26pm | Report comment
NickF – I’ve got a mate over visiting from the UK for a few weeks and I was kind of hoping to get him interested in Rugby while he was here. He’s a good bloke and went with me to the pub to see the replay of the Ireland debacle followed the following week by a 4.30am get outta bed for the Scotland effort. And we’re still friends…….just!
Straight off the bat and through bloodshot eyes he wondered about the absolutely dreadful midfield kicking. He even asked me “what’s that all about then”? I just looked at him and shrugged.
Needless to say I won’t be asking him to go through it all again with the Wales match, as this could really get ugly. I’ll take him camping instead. Why ruin his holiday with what Wales might dish out?