Wallabies, en garde!

Craig I'm not concerned if I mis-spell a couple of worms. This is a sports blog not a grammar lesson. I disagree with your comments about the French. They used to play with flare but the 8 years under Bernard Laporte they played dire, Pom rugby and that doesn't do it for me I'm afraid. Perhaps Lievremont will go back to the traditional French way. So far he seems to be allergic to picking the same team more then once so its hard to see how they can get any combinations going. The reason no one is going on Saturday is a) Rugby is an after thought in Australia b) the stadiums cold, sterile, crap and miles away. c) no one cares about the French d) the past 5 or so years of Rugby has been set peice, field postion, defensive rugby and those Australians who do like Union don't like this style and this has dammaged the brand in Australia. e) What with high intererest rates, high fuel prices, high food prices, negative equity in half of Sydney's property market people are spending less on recreation. Any way 45,000 are going which would be a sellout at every ground in NZ. Forwards may win matches but they don't enspire awe. Not for me anyway. I like rugby more then Australia. I don't really care if we lose. I just like seeing good rugby. Thats why I love watching NZ. We lose 80% of games against them but there always entertaining. The Pommie scribes always talk of the 2005 Twickers defeat of the Wallabies and the 2007 QF as "humilating" defeats of the Wallabies. The Poms only won in 05 at their home ground by 10 points (where only leading by 3 with 5 mins to go) and the QF by 1. So for all the forward dominance they still couldn't shake the Aussies. Why? Becasue they can't use the ball and have no creative abilities, which makes them boring to watch. Contrast that to scores the Wallabies have racked up against them 76-0, 51-14 in '04, two thrashings in 06. Now they where humiliating. Physically superior because they over achieve in almost every sport they play. The fatties are probably Pommie immigrants.

'Flair not grunt puts bums on seats. Australian Rugby players who can only draw their players from private schools in Brisbane and Sydney and a few NZ and PI immigrants and yet have still one the most world cups. Rest of the world hang your heads in shame.' First, great use of the English language Art. '..still WON the most world cups.' Not one. Second, the Sprinboks have WON (please note) two world cups (1995 & 2007); Wallabies have WON two world cups (1991 & 1999). Thus Australia has WON the same amount of world cups as the Springboks, so they have not WON the most world cups. Third, if flair put bums on seats as you state, why then is the ANZ stadium going to be more empty than Matt Dunnings vegetable tray for the game this Saturday night? Australia and (in particular) France are perhaps two of the worlds top teams when it comes to flair. But, alas, no bums on the seats. Point number four, 'Stuff the fat boys.' Art, games are won and lost up front. A backline getting the ball on the backfoot is nullified. People always complained about Gregan tacking a step before getting the ball out to his backline. That step Gregan took was incredibly important as it helped prevent his pass hitting some forward who was falling backwards after getting pushed over by the opposition forwards. No forward pack = no winning. The 2007 RWC quarter finals was a clear example of this. And finally, I really enjoyed this 'We”ll also do them in the Olympic medal count as well as the Brits and Germans proving once again that we are Kings of Sport and physically superior to the rest of the world.' I'm not sure if this should be taken as a bit of a joke or not, but I'm sure I just read this last week that Australian's have (per capita) the highest number of obese people in the world. So physically superior in what way exactly Art?

the same art vandalay that works for Vandalay Industries?... lol well sed m8

Frailty thy name is Baxter. Seriously just watch the scrums on Saturday. This guy is physically not strong enough to hold his feat in ANY engagement. I feel like I've taken crazy pills when I see his name in the team. What does the proclaimed god of coaching Robbie Deans so in this Gallah. No matter how bad someone is they can't be worse then this guy. Lets hope this Alexander guys has got something. How good can he be when he's riding the pine behind Al Crapster. Every time Baxter plays he embaresses himself, his family and his country. The French will decimate our scrum yet again. Hopefully Baxters 1000 selection lives run out and he's dropped from the team and his file stamped "never to be considered for selection EVER again".

Agree Art. Northern teams seem to be pathologically disabled when it comes to finishing opportunities. White line fever must be endemic in the Northern psyche.

I'm not concerned about the Frogs. Like all Northern teams they'll fail to take advantage of their upfront superiority and bomb abount 1000 scoring oppurtunities. The Wallabies will live off scraps but like surgeons clinically take the 2-3 try scoring opportunities they get and win by 10. The pitiful French and there population of 65million will fail again to beat the rugby minnow that is Australia. We''ll also do them in the Olympic medal count as well as the Brits and Germans proving once again that we are Kings of Sport and physically superior to the rest of the world. Baxter and Dunning are useless. No arguments. Who cares? Chicks dig try scoreers. Stuff the fat boys. Flair not grunt puts bums on seats. Australian Rugby players who can only draw their players from private schools in Brisbane and Sydney and a few NZ and PI immigrants and yet have still one the most world cups. Rest of the world hang your heads in shame.

Matt Dunning is out injured so the Fench will be relieved, until they see that the repalcement is the fearsome ... Al Baxter! Be afraid froggy boys!!!!!!

Pie Thrower Plus that amazing atmosphere that your Aussie crowds produce........ not!

What have we got to worry about?? We have the mighty Matt Dunning and Al Baxter there to hold the pack together.....