Roar Rookie
Joined July 2013
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Go you good thing!
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I live in London, so you can imagine the amount of in-your-facing I copped while wearing my Wallabies jersey on Saturday after the Lions…
Thanks, Geoff.
Strategy for the future – that’s a whole new article!
In the Lions series, I think Deans went for a halfway house between the Brumbies and Reds: field position (Brumbies), width (Reds) and a bit of agro at the breakdown (both). But he only did a bit of each so the overall implementation was poor.
If you look at the stats from the last game (on GAGR), the Wallabies carried more metres than the Lions (425 to 330) and both teams made and missed the same number of tackles (around 120 and 18). The big differences were
– Wallabies’ lack of conversion of superior amount of time spent in 22 (8 min v 3 min)
– conceding 11 penalties in kicking range to the Lions’ 4
– and only winning 3/6 scrums to the Lions’ 10/10
The scrums were the major difference, together with ill discipline (or not listening to what Poite was telling them) and lack of penetration in the 22.
So, the strategy for the future should be: solidifying the scrum so we have parity, trying to create more from first phase possession in the red zone (like the ABs), and field position and discipline (getting out of penalty goal range).
I think we have the players to improve conversion in the 22 – we just didn’t have a fly half. (I can only imagine what sort of scores the ABs would have put on this Lions team…). For field position, I think Toomua is excellent, but McKenzie might go with Cooper. In that case, we will rely on Mogg’s massive punt to get us downfield (and he showed a couple of times on the weekend that he kicks to the space, not the player – unlike Barnes and JOC). The scrum is a tough one. We have improved a little over the past couple of years, but very visibly not enough. But Link was a good scrummager, so hopefully he can sort it out!
I also suspect McKenzie will throw in a bit of counterattacking flair and unpredictability. He might not, as it’s test rugby, but he’s probably been told by the ARU that that’s what the nation wants to see.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Yeah, I got 13 on Aus – ranked 6th. Kiwis first at just under 2.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Mania, I don’t agree about taking it game by game. Have you read Richie McCaw’s biography? Excellent book. He takes about how the planning began after the QF loss to France and it was a four year process. Admittedly, Australia only have two years to prepare…
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Thanks, Riccardo. England are a decent young side and playing some entertaining footy. But when have England ever taken that style into a World Cup? Remember 2003, when England beat us (I think in Melbourne) before the World Cup playing a beautiful running game? Then they reverted to type. They will be tough to beat, no doubt. But I got excellent odds for the Aussies, who have been written off after the Lions tour.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
BBA, luckily for Australia, Wales won’t be playing us in Cardiff. They will have to play at Twickenham, where they are just as unwelcome as the Wallabies.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Loyal Tah Fan, I don’t see it as arrogant, just that with the calibre of players we had, if we had had a coach who properly prepared the team, who selected a flyhalf to manage the game, fixed the scrum after 5 years – don’t forget he had years to prepare for this series – then we would have been 10 points clear in the first two tests. I watch these British and Irish players all year round, and few of them match the skill and fitness levels of Aus, NZ and SA. This was not a particularly strong Lions team, which makes the loss all the more galling.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
You could be right, SandBox. But, remember, we won both World Cups which were exclusively in Britain (i.e. forget about 2007).
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Silver_Sovereign, I think AAC is a grafter who rarely lets the team down. We need more players with his attitude.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Sandbox, you’re right! He’s been out for so long, he just slipped my mind. Of course, if fit, he should be one of the first picked.
Why I'm betting on Australia to win the next World Cup
Yeah, I second that.
And I completely agree with the comment about a generation here growing up expecting to lose. I’m an Aussie living in London. The tough thing for me is that I grew up in an era when we were unbeatable in cricket, won two rugby world cups, and hadn’t lost a league international since 1978. But imagine growing up in an era when you got trounced by Aussies every time you played. That’s why I found the English to be such bad winners after the 03 rugby World Cup and then again in the 05 Ashes – it was a cathartic moment. They’re much better now, I’m happy to say. Almost Australian in their expectation of winning!
Geoff Lemon's Ashes Diary: England's blue, unclouded weather