It has been a sad few weeks for The Roar. The Wallabies let us down again on the end of year tour, and didn’t we know about it!

I guess it was not entirely unexpected and is just a continuation of the narrative of the last decade or so with senior players all expressing hope for more improvement and a better performance in the next game.

Speaking of the best, we lost a good man.

With the exit of Scott Allen left stage all of us, each and every one, is diminished.

On the plus side the repartee and the comments continue as good as ever. Good luck to whoever sorts out which ones to include from the many I have submitted. This time I have tried to include some of the exchanges as well as one off comments.

wardad said – December 5th 2014 @ 5:19pm
I see yer problem, not quite enough Kiwis in there.

Selector said – December 5th 2014 @ 10:30am
To be honest I feared for Pocock’s safety when I read this article.
Have you seen the size of his legs… Bloody tree trunks. I was worried they would be taken to with a chainsaw when a Forrest worker mistook them for 200 year old oaks!

Simoc said – December 7th 2014 @ 6:28pm
Thats the problem with people saying ‘To be honest’. Obviously they normally tell lies or they wouldn’t feel the need to say it.

Simon Duprier said – December 4th 2014 @ 7:49am
I don’t often quote Family Guy but the current state of rugby against the All Blacks is summed up quite nicely by the character Cleveland explaining Black Monopoly – “You don’t win. You just do a little better each time.”

AussiKiwi said – December 4th 2014 @ 8:02am
“A miracle. That is all that stands between the All Blacks and their inevitable third Rugby World Cup title. ”

Armand, I know you have multiple manifestations (which I don’t quite understand), so are you also Peter Fitzimons in disguise?

In case you are not Fitzy, and do not know of him, he is an ex WB now author/journalist whose sporting predictions are notoriously inaccurate. He can put the hex on any team. His predictions for the 2011 world cup included that ABs were past it, over the hill, and particularly that McCaw was too old and too slow and would be a liability.

Canetragic said – December 4th 2014 @ 2:10pm
Ah – I thought it might have been Cape Town slang for a lady of negotiable affections

biltongbek said – December 5th 2014 @ 10:28pm
It does beg the question whether people in the middle ages lisped a lot

Harry Jones said – December 5th 2014 @ 4:57am
I respect David Pocock as a rugby player and a man.
I was honoured to meet him and his partner in Auckland in 2011.
I don’t share his views on extraction of the earth’s resources; but I like it very much that he actually cares about something beyond himself.

biltongbek said – December 6th 2014 @ 8:47pm
Springboks struggling to hang onto number 2

That’s funny.

Graeme said – December 8th 2014 @ 5:21am
42 caps already. Bloody hell, he could make the 100 caps before he gets to puberty at this rate!

jeznez said – December 6th 2014 @ 12:47pm
Ps. Everyone on these threads is a diehard rugby person. We are actually all on the same side.

Can’t we put these petty State based allegiances aside and get back to the true fight? Forwards vs Backs?

Diggercane said – December 6th 2014 @ 1:20pm
I agree Jez.
Backs are evil

niwdEyaJ said – December 6th 2014 @ 2:00pm
And as far as forwards v backs are concerned, the piggies win… they are far more important to the success of a team than the show-ponies in jersey’s 9-15…

Current wallabies have a great backline but very ordinary pack and our recent results reflect that… contrast with the Tahs who had an OK (but not great) backline but a strong forward pack and they (the backs) were able to punch well above their weight thanks to the strong platform provided by the forwards. That, and the fact they had an 8th back running around with them

abdul said – December 6th 2014 @ 8:30am
Wow. If I’d missed that we wouldn’t be discussing this. Very difficult to have a discussion with someone who has poor comprehension. I think I’ll go and teach a pig to sing. Much better use of my time.

tinman said – December 6th 2014 @ 8:39am
Scott Allen for the love of Mary, Joseph pls come back!!

Common Sense said – December 7th 2014 @ 5:31pm
I love this. It’s just like talk back radio!

handles said – December 6th 2014 @ 6:09pm
Here is a stat for you. Out of the last 80 times Wales have lost at home, the Welsh commentary team has given the MOTM award to the opposition kicker on 64 occasions.

Jerry said – December 7th 2014 @ 2:29pm
Of course it’s not true – the reality is that of the 80 times the Welsh have lost at home, the Welsh commentary team has given the MOTM to a Welsh player on 64 occasions.

Quentin Derrick said – December 6th 2014 @ 5:14pm
It is now wonder that Scott has left. Time to put the provincial rivalries away and look towards the RWC. If you can’t catch a ball at this level, I don’t care what team you are from, there is a problem. Everyone has written this same comment for so long now and yet nothing has been done to improve our kick chase, catching the up-and-under, receiving kick-offs etc.

If we all can see these issues, why aren’t they getting fixed? The Irish showed us how to do it well. There is something terribly wrong if our national players can’t do simple things right. The comment about Guss Hiddink is perfect. Our forwards have been average for so long and our scrum is a shocker. Can’t we all agree to just try some new personnel?

Jones, Higgers, Hodgson, Scott Sio, Laurie Weeks, Shatz, McMahon, Cadeyrn Neville. Noone expects us to do well next year so why not give some young guys a chance to experience the RWC and show the older guys that they have to earn the right to wear the Green and Gold jersey. I hate to say this but I am looking forward to O’Connor coming back. Folau to wing or centres and JOC to fullback. It would be so refreshing just to see some change, some heart, and some response to the current Wallabies failings.

grapeseed said – December 6th 2014 @ 9:59am
Anyway mate, I think even SMH are blushing at your audacity today, so full marks for that.

ABOOS. said – December 6th 2014 @ 5:22pm
So Cheika made Hooper captain?
Here’s me thinking that McKenzie did.

H.E. Pennypacker said – December 8th 2014 @ 10:24pm
It’s a ‘Sydney thing’. In Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and West Australia is does not matter if you are the son of the dustman or a doctor you grow up playing football (Australian football) in the winter and cricket in the summer.

As an outsider I go up to Sydney from time to time and I have never seen a class divide like the joint anywhere except in England.

The best thing that can happen to NSW and Sydney is AFL and soccer come in there and really give that bee’s nest a really good whack with a three iron to shake things up.

Allanthus said – December 8th 2014 @ 7:32am
Hi Digger, you could probably have gone with Vermeulen for every team and they’d all be happy.
Plus he’s fit enough and hard enough to play every game – for both sides…

grapeseed said – December 8th 2014 @ 9:41am
For the Reds: I would choose Wolverine for his healing properties (although accept a fair degree of risk under the high ball). For the Tahs I choose Stephen Hawking.

swifty said – December 8th 2014 @ 3:36pm
optimus prime at number 8
astro boy at scrum half

carnivean said – December 8th 2014 @ 3:40pm
Optimus Prime, literally trucking it up the middle.
The Flash has to be on the wing for one of these teams.

grapeseed said – December 8th 2014 @ 4:22pm
*The Hulk and the Thing at prop with Ram Man from Masters of the Universe at hooker
*Mr Fantastic (the rubber guy) with John Eales in the second row
*Sonic the Hedgehog at open side, Voltron in at number 8 (fully assembled), Inspector Gadget blind side
*The backs made up of any combination from the DC universe.
*Wonder Woman team manager and workplace diversity coordinator
*Scott Allen coach, Quade Cooper on the bench, but brought on with 35 to go.

Diggercane said – December 8th 2014 @ 4:33pm
Very good.
Surely have to find a place for juggernaut on the blindside with gadget at HB.

Celtic334 said – December 8th 2014 @ 11:09pm
Batman at 10. Would be guaranteed to be the best tactician in the game.
Robin at 9
Superman at 15.
Flash at 11 with green lantern at 14
Martian man hunter at 12
Cyborg at 13
Brian USA said | December 9th 2014 @ 1:53am | Report comment
9. Green Arrow for his deadly accuracy
10. Batman–what better tactician is there?
11. Cyborg — the hulking blindside wing who could fill the Digby role
12. Superman–who will try to tackle steel moving faster than a speeding bullet?
13. Aquaman–a hulk of a man who is great in support
14. Flash — any arguments?
15. Nightwing– Second playmaker who is also a genius tactician (taught by the best)

grapeseed said – December 9th 2014 @ 1:16pm
Not being parochial, I just don’t know if Aquaman at 13 is the right fit for a terrestrial team. While he had a good season for the Atlantic Whales, it’s hard to see him cutting it at the next level.
But it may be some of my own bias, being a bipedal land based mammal myself.

carnivean said – December 9th 2014 @ 1:29pm
Plus, you know, Aquaman sucks.

Sam said – December 8th 2014 @ 2:08pm
I would add one thing to the above list.
All Wallabies camps next year should be conducted in Tasmania, to simulate and even provide worse conditions than what they will see in an England Autumn.
Practicing scrums or backline moves on anything other than a damp pitch underfoot will be a wasted time.

Sportym said – December 9th 2014 @ 5:14am
I think it’s a great advertisement for why you should not blog/drive drunk…

handles said | December 8th 2014 @ 10:16am
Just goes to show. IF you put a keyboard in front of the wrong person, bad things happen.

Mick said | December 8th 2014 @ 8:06pm
Just keep checking your non fading curtains mate, 1 hour and twenty years behind the rest of us and getting bigger chips on your shoulders every day. Seriously, you Reds fans need to get a life. McKenzie coached the Tahs before the Reds, so even your loyalty to the former Wallabies coach is misplaced.

Not Bothered said – December 8th 2014 @ 8:31pm
Mate, if somebody starts blaming Cheika and a bunch of Tahs, some of which were amongst Australias best on the tour its obvious whats going on.

Just calling it for what it is.

All that was missing was a jibe at Phipps.

Westie said | December 9th 2014 @ 1:52am
Phipps was crap, there you go.

anopinion said | December 8th 2014 @ 5:09pm
Nicole Arse (is that French?),

I like your last line about players needing inspiration. Perhaps this is the Wallabies problem? Grown
men, highly paid professionals, representing their country and unable to be inspired. “I cannot play tonight, the coach has lost me, I need a new coach, I need inspiration”.

This sinking ship is a Contiki Tour of adolescents.

Buzzard said – December 8th 2014 @ 11:32am
Bring back Alan Jones!

grapeseed said – December 8th 2014 @ 11:54am
It would certainly buy rugby a lot of free publicity.

AlsBoyce said | December 8th 2014 @ 12:15pm
He’d probably want to bag someone up and feed them to the sharks. It could open a whole new thread to handle the speculation…

Wardad said – December 10th 2014 @ 11:54pm
I had 5 wallabies in my driveway last night, furry little blighters had been missing all year apparently…

Zero Gain said – December 11th 2014 @ 8:25am
Any team can beat any team if they can control the breakdown. That is the main problem for the Wallabies, we never control the breakdown.

grapeseed said – December 10th 2014 @ 3:09pm
That’s what I thought too, but I’ve been in moderation lock down so couldn’t respond to Tip appropriately. I don’t know who’s been targeting me with “report comment’ but the whole thing’s one big messa, it’s bennalong time between writing some posts and having them go live.

Not Bothered said – December 10th 2014 @ 9:55pm
Well Hooper was the captain so the outrage isn’t justified.

Why would he drop the captain for Hodgson?

Westie said – December 11th 2014 @ 1:25am
Cause he’s better

SandBox said – December 10th 2014 @ 7:24pm
‘Binary opposition’ hadn’t heard that, nice term. I have heard of the similar terms: false dichotomy, or black and white thinking. Suppose all three are interchangeable

richard said – December 10th 2014 @ 12:07pm
Kirwan = great player + muppet coach and selector.

HiKa said – December 10th 2014 @ 7:37pm
I believe that the most important person for the Tahs 2015 season isn’t Cheika, nor any of the NSW-based Wallabies. It is Jacques Potgieter. His on-field example is what really ignited their forwards’ performance in 2014 and that was the key difference between 2014 and the insipid displays NSW fans had to endure in previous seasons. If Potgieter goes down, the Tahs season will crumble. If he plays good minutes in most matches, they will go well.

Selector said – December 11th 2014 @ 12:35pm
Agreed! That would be a dream.

Clearing Pocock out of the ruck is like trying to move Clive Palmer from the front of the buffet. Too rough??

jutsie said – December 11th 2014 @ 1:58pm
If Fairfax are cheerleaders for RL then what does that make the Daily Tele and Courier Mail

hog said – December 11th 2014 @ 2:00pm
Agreed, the Daily Telegraph makes the SMH look like an ARU newsletter.

Jerry said – December 12th 2014 @ 10:56am
I’d bet the house on Brodie Retallick, seeing as it was announced a few weeks ago that he’d won.

grapeseed said – December 12th 2014 @ 12:23pm
I pick Campo for ’91 player of the tournament.

Jerry said – December 12th 2014 @ 2:24pm
I’m expecting big things from young Lomu in the 95 RWC.

Oscar Redding said – December 5th 2014 @ 8:43am
Completely agree! What the hell is David Pocock doing!!! Whatever happened to the good old days when professional footy players would go to a mates place with a couple of girls and engage in some lazy sexual assault? Why couldn’t he just be like the guys who like humiliating support staff with pornographic pictures? What the hell is he doing thinking about issues outside his field of expertise? Outside of himself??? Thinking about others???? What would have happened if Stephen Milne had thought about someone else all those years ago? I’ll tell you what, nothing!! It’s lucky there are still leaders like Michael Hooper around ready to back up their mates no matter what they’ve done and make sure we all understand that we won’t be losing those traditional values any time soon. There’s no place in rugby for David Pocock!!!!!

Chivas said – December 7th 2014 @ 12:43pm
Yeah he’s not an animal, he is just misunderstood. And he likes birds. What a gentle soul he is. I wish I could introduce him to my sister and family.

Charl said – December 5th 2014 @ 7:31pm
Or Charles Perkins!

wardad said – December 6th 2014 @ 1:21pm
Where did he play? Was he any good at turning over the ball this Mandela bloke?

Thunderguts said – December 5th 2014 @ 6:50pm
TWAS , a multi pack of chill pills is in an express pack on its way to you but may not reach you until Monday. Therefore here is my grannies recipe for everything that ails you, including verbal diarrhea, constipation and jock itch. Take the testicles of 2 cane toads and combine them with the blood of 14 knats, a jigger of vodka and a tablespoon of Vegemite, shake well and serve overnight and drink before you go to bed. Have a great weekend whist you dig the fluff out of your belly button in preparation for a visit from DP [aka the big guy with big kahoonas]

William Tell said – December 3rd 2014 @ 10:39pm
Just what is it about “four more years” that appeals to you? You must be under 30. Some of us don’t have all that much time to toss away!

Louie said – December 3rd 2014 @ 9:29am
Dr tells a patient he has 5mins to live, patient asks what can I do? Dr replies boil an egg.

grapeseed said – December 3rd 2014 @ 12:45pm
Firstly you pick the 23 most genuinely, qualitatively in form guys at the end of SR. Not pay lip service, and not look at their names or whether they have ARU contracts. Guys who are seeing the football like a beach ball, are at peak fitness and are seeing the plays in slow motion. This may leave you with an 18 year old debutant and a 36 year old journeyman in the team, but who cares?

Then you execute the more intellectually difficult challenge of providing them with primary and alternate game plans that actually exploit the strengths they have rather than strengths you would like them to have, and minimise the weaknesses that everyone speaks frankly about without deference to ego.

Then you test it in the RC games, openly and candidly treating them like the trial games they are.

Then you pray for some luck.

And then, hopefully you write your name into history next to the winged keel (and Bradbury for that matter) by hoisting Mr Ellis.

But playing to a preconceived game plan that doesn’t properly consider the reality of your resources is not the way to go.

Warwick Todd said – December 4th 2014 @ 5:28pm
Rowntrees not too bad either, one look at his ears and you realise the man’s serious about scrums.

Magic Sponge said – December 3rd 2014 @ 8:41pm
Matt Dunning can coach the scrum and kicking duties. Could kick a mean field goal.

jeznez said – December 3rd 2014 @ 10:49am
Haha – love it. Not quite the élan of the French but the same devil may care, throw caution to the wind and make the audacious play attitude! If we can just couple it with plenty of mongrel and fix technical issues then she’ll be right!

Jenny Tahlia said – December 3rd 2014 @ 4:28pm
Pulver now needs to stand up and make whatever needs to happen, happen. All the provinces have to work as one, to get this scrum fiasco fixed; all we want is parity in the scrum, so we can at least get a good stable attacking platform from our own loose head; all it is now is an attacking platform for the opposition and an easy target for the referees. C’mon Bill, stand up and do something.

Mooni Mutra said – December 3rd 2014 @ 7:22pm
Agree.

Other nations seem to have very ugly gnarled looking tight five forwards. Maybe we should recruit some fugly forwards.

colvin said – December 3rd 2014 @ 9:26pm
Have the WB’s thought of wearing an all black kit and doing a Haka before each game.

They say the Haka is worth 10 points and that referees can’t see what players wearing all black kits are up to.
Maybe that could be all that’s needed…

Ruck_Me_Ragged said – December 5th 2014 @ 6:00pm
“Parity” is a disgraceful word when it comes to forward play. Sometimes the Wallabies can manage it in the forwards. More often than not, not. There is only 1 word that is acceptable: “domination.”