Ashley-Cooper blames himself for loss

ACC is a good player, but has anyone actually seen him pass the ball? This is a prerequisit for being a centre.

Warren - I think your thoughts are pure but I cant help that think we are being hoodwinked. We have a coach who had a great Super record but if we look at the here an now what do we really have. There is no doubt there is a lot of spin - its gets lost in translation from the "deans speak" but we think we understand, but we are not sure. Rather than feel like we are dummies we nod and pretend we understand the utterances because they seem so - so intelligent. PDV makes comments about things we also dont understand but we are happy for him to be branded a clown - I have not seen anyone defend him on this site ever. In a resulkts orientated business we should be looking at the results, the actions, not the words. I dont agree that we have this "marvellous talent pool". I think we have a large talent pool that equates with having four squads and as a result of a sustained period of choosing younger players which is strategic but not visionary. Its a philosophy that has cost us games. If you think long and hard about the players he has used then name the ones that have not already been identified by provincial programs and were already playing Super rugby - in other words other people have identified their potential. There are four players that spring to mind that have been outside the normal pathway to the Wallabies and look at where they are 9 months later. McCalman making his run on debut, Dave Dennis at Syd Uni and not required, Luke Morahan not required and Richard Kingio not required at all. Yes they have become Wallabies but for what net result - only one is close to test rugby.at this point. I am not sure that mass cappings is "marvelous" or has cheapened the whole business - happy to hear others thoughts

Unfortunately for AAC that was the SECOND TIME that has happened. I will never forget the open line at Marsailles in the 2007 RWC Quarter Final when two man overlap and certain try was squandered when an Englkish winger on AAC's blind side hit him hard enough to make the ball spill out. We would have won the game and been into the semis but for that. I was horrified to see the same thing happen again last Sunday. Again we lost the match. Perhaps AAC's ball carrying technique needs some revision. If that is improved he would become one of the most attacking players in the world.

Has the pope upset you by the delay in Sainthood? Or should it be that positivity should be overtaken by negativity. It is all well and good trying to find the meaning of life however in sport it is about cycles and if you truly understand professional sport, or have been lucky enough to have played it you would understand that the success upward swing is not far away, a pivotal game won can make all the difference. Spectron in my line of work drugs are not really kosher but can appreaciate blind loyalty or extreme positivity can be mistaken for a happier take on the Wallaby rugby scene but I guess it is just a game isn't it?

Motivation!?!? Send him over this way and I'll give him a close up look at what happens in the real world to a tradesman who won't do his job properly. Lousy work = lower profit (look at the drop in TV rugby viewers mentioned elsewhere today in The Roar) = no compelling reason to keep him on. He's been at it now for a couple of years, not performing, but what did they do last year? Gave him more money to go to the ACT. It defies logic. I'm feeling uber-motivated right now 'cos: * yesterday, Sharpe, "I'm gutted". Here's your pay packet, son. It's been half gutted too, for this week's effort. * today, Two-Fathers, "I blame myself" - what's he fishing for? A tilt headed "It's not your fault, dear"? * tomorrow, Cooper, "I'm filthy". "Why?" "Because that's what it says on this piece of paper they gave me to read out, they spelded filfffy rong but." * Friday, O'Connor, "I want my mummy" * Saturday, Beale, "Gees I enjoyed those couple of breaks I made last weekend, and I didn't even lose the ball at the end. That's a whole seven in the last 6 months, good eh? Umm, remind me, what was that "tackling" thing about again?" I blame John Eales. He used say after every loss "We've taken something out of that" and Greg Growden would race off to type it up and print the profoundity of it all. What do I do? Love can be blind for only so long. I turned my back on League after they kicked my beloved Souths out. And the game got way too complicated while I was away. Now every player does exactly the same thing for 2 minutes as the other team's players did for the previous 2 minutes, 20 times each. It's a bit like "I score, you score", which lost its limited allure when Andrew Gaze retired. Soccer? A scintillating nil all draw? I can only burn the lounge room grandstand down, out of boredom, so many times. Not looking forward to a good, good man like Michael Voss being made to walk the plank, so AFL provides no refuge for me. Cricket hasn't started yet, and I'll be distracted all the while anyway, checking movements in the odds for the number of times we'll hear "Bowled Warnie", so I can get a good divvie. Motivation!?!? Aaaaargh!!!

I agree with MOC's comment about swan-diving to score. Didn't someone (maybe Burke or Mortlock) once dislocate a shoulder like that? I also hate players putting the ball down with one hand when it is not necessary - dropping the ball is the easiest way to bomb a certain try. Unless under pressure, Larkham always used to just slide to the ground wih the ball, and I'm surprised all coaches don't insist on that. If you look carefully at Jeff Wilson in "that tackle" you can see that the reason he dropped it was that he was trying to hold it in his right hand for a one-handed put-down. If he had just tucked it under his right arm he would probably have scored.

"start stepping up to the level that you are more than capable of" but your coach cannot get it out of you,;give us strength.

SPECTRON,yes very valid points wasted on some who only see what suits their own hypothesis

Warrenexpatinnz You really must be getting into some serious drugs if you believe "Dean’s is setting up a player pool that will be unheradled in Wallaby history and the likes of Faiaanga doing it tough now will put him in good stead" 1. The Wallabies are absolutely woeful at present. 2. Losing does not and will never make you a better player, sorry this is a horrible misconception in life. Improving faster and better than your peers does, losing is simply losing. An example is the current AB's did not come from a 51% win ratio to there current brilliance. Federra did not lose the Australian open all the time and then become brilliant. 3. If point 2 is not to everyones liking, how long do you have to lose for to make yourself good? My personal opinion is if you had not got it in 3 years, it is probably not going to happen and you need to completely rethink your approach. 4. If there is going to be a great Wallabies team in the near future, it is certainly not going to contain either of the Fiangaa twins. Neither of them are close to good enough, large enough or fast enough for international rugby. I do truely see a bright future for the Wallabies, but it is a long way off. My guess is 2015, when most of the current good young players have had a few season under there belt. That is a long time between drinks and very hard for a supporter to bare. Just a note on two-dads comments, I would be fine if the Wallabies were just losing to the two best teams in the world. Not thrilled but fine. What makes me truly dispondent is the losses to Scotland last year and England at home this year. That shows were they truely sit on a world stage right now.

Sorry Cliff but the last part confused me a bit, "But this Wallaby outfit-is not trying to win?" I may have lost your point in translation but I go back to my original view point. The Wallaby's are being roasted by Dean's and not because he is "trying to throw games away", it is because he is trying to make hardened players, hardened team out of a large group of inexperienced (at international level) players. Dean's is setting up a player pool that will be unheradled in Wallaby history and the likes of Faiaanga doing it tough now will put him in good stead as surely you must realize that playing an 80 minute game against one of the worlds best sides will only but either break him or make him, there is no better lesson than to be shown your weaknesses and at 23? for a hooker he is but a pup. Deans has not changed his stance on this throughout all tests, unless injury or obvious repeated penalties cause him to drag someone. The game plan from him is simple, you play 80 minutes, you sink or swim but if you show me enough to give you another crack I will but mate remember to look over your shoulder as those top guys coming back and the guys on the bench when given that one chance may take your spot and it may be for good. Painfull at times yes, but taking it now will make the next few years very enjoyable.

hear hear.

Just said this in a different post but yes Giteau needs to find his motivation again as he is ket to the Wallabies turning things around.

Agree AAC for fullback permanently

Warren - what did you have for breakfast this morning - "a few green leaves" - that were not tea - dreamland I will stick with Dwyer's comments - Deans was brain dead. If you do not use your bench when you are in trouble - then you are a brain dead Coach. And as much as Deans is (or was) a good Coach his decisions are mind boggling. When you are in trouble - you make changes - Saaia had to be pulled - he was knackered. Moore was needed and I am not a great fan of Moore. Barnes was needed. This Wallaby side does not have a Captian on the field - not one player is talking and taking it by the scruff of the neck. The last 15 mins was a rable of non-thinking Wallabies. Problem - Captian, Coach and Rugby Brains And in all honesty - I could not care less about the RWC. Yes when we win it I like putting it up my NZ mates. But professional rugby is not about winning every 4 years - it is about winning (or in our case) trying to win the games. But this Wallaby outfit - is not trying to win - or they are - and they nearly did - but the players and to a degree the Coach through that game away.

He did have the ball in the wrong arm, silly basic error, but nothing compared to Gits' knock on or the holes that Spies and whatsisname? ran through. Anybody else pick on the refs interpretation of what is a 'tackler'. When he pinged Saia for the steal no part of his body had touched the ground so he was well within his rights to reef the ball off Steenkamp. Hopefully someone will give him a heads up.

Well said AJ - finally a balanced view!

To be fair to two-dads, sometimes a good tackle is just that - remember Gregan's tackle on Jeff Wilson? - No-one blamed Jeff WIlson for dropping the ball, they simply congratulated Gregan. Having said that, if I never see him (or Giteau) do another post-try swan dive it will be too soon - can't wait for the inevitable dropped ball or fractured sternum while performing this cringe-worthy over-acting.

Well said Warren.I enjoyed the game,Genia and Cooper look to be gaining form.Both teams could have played better and some defence was weak.... but it is only a game.Our blokes had a go and came off second best.Some young players,some elevated by injuries, made mistakes.Ashley Cooper is our most consistent finisher and just got caught out by a perfectly timed desperate tackle.Instead of getting into cooper ,take your hat off to Francois, he had a great great game.The boks have weapons that are hard to counter eg those beautiful lineout moves they have scored from in both tests,60m goal kicker etc.Again give credit for that.Everyone dislikes losing but the general recriminations against the wallabies seem to be getting abit over the top.

Poor Deans, he can't do anything right. Over the ditch, Henry places Jane on the wing and it's a master stroke...

Roulette - Are you kidding? How many players do you see doing those big swan dives? So many it's a little rediculous. And what about some of that rubbish that was popping up after tries during the Super 14? I can understand why AAC blames himself but his performances for the Wallabies have been more appreciable than any other member of the team I would dare say. But for the love of Pete, can we leave him at Fullback!