Cheika's smiling but Deans has problems

McKenzie and the Reds are smiling the most as they have a lot of injured players like Genia, Horwall, Cooper, Lucas, Morahan, Shipperley,that would've been picked if fit. Others such as Adam Wallace-Harris, Holmes, Frisby over-looked. They will be well rested and mostly available for pre-season training. So hopefully they will come out smoking in 2013 Super Rugby.

Agree it is looking good for Aussie super teams . If all wallabies are free from injury that means there 48 current and recent wallabies to pick from. That's 48 out of 75 starting positions for the 5 super franchises. So that means two thirds of all starting players in Australian super teams could be wallabies

Wasn't Andrew Heath from Melbourne too?

Phipps has had a few bad hair days at the office but with the odd glimmer of something special too. As David Says if he can get his basics working better, box kicks and passing in particular, he could be useful. Keep in mind the backrow and inside back defence he was facing. He makes a few blues but he doesn't go missing, I'll give him that. V Argentina it was his break and the cool head he kept before releasing the pass that put us into safe territory. There were headless chooks and harbour bridges v the Blacks but having McCaw and Read bearing down upon you will do that I guess. What I like about this team is that they want it, and it's obvious. Cooper since his NZ meltdown looked bored and/or lazy and it seemed to affect those around him. The halves and the midfield now don't always gel yet but they work as a unit in defence especially, because they have the hunger. I watched it again last night and our whole three quarter line defence was outstanding, Beale and Harris too putting body on the line several times. The really tasty outcomes of that game for me are the promise of Ben Tapuai, who looked dangerous ball in hand and defended stoutly, and the emerging enforcer qualities of Kane Douglas, whose involvements rivalled Read's for ferocity and impact, and without the Higgers niggle.

Interesting that the Tahs kept their strength and conditioning coach from last year though isn't it? It seems that they think that fitness wasn't an issue.

Stannard is back playing after his bad injury run in Japan. Going well.

Plus two.

Devine was from NSW the same state as Whitaker, the SMH's golden boy. Did Devine even get an offer from the Tahs? From memory the Brumbies tabled an offer. Re watch some of Whitaker's games at Leinster he would take an age just to get to the ruck. Compare Gregan's service to Luke Burgess his successor. I watched clips from Gregan's games at Toulon and his services was excellent. Plus he played a behind a pack that was going forward which was a change from the Wallabies. You watch games from the 2007 RWC when the Wallabies were going forward. Every pass from Gregan hit the target and was flat. Burgess was woeful yet Deans persisted with him and to me he only got the shirt because Henjak screwed up his own career. He had no idea where to look for his runners, passed balls over Giteau's head. To me he was an inside centre playing scrumhalf. Burgess had a lot of attributes but passing wasn't one of them. He would have added a lot at 12 in my opinion.

It's actually four Force when you consider that Pocock is yet to play a game for the Brumbies.

We all seem to have forgotten Stannard - sorry, but I'm a fan!

A champion team or a team of champions?? That's the Waratah dilemma!

Bakkies, Greegs was poo in his later years, pausing over the ball, couple of steps before passing and a love affair with feeding the ball to forwards on the blindside. 2002 onwards I'd have taken Whits every time. Gregan at his best was awesome but we had to put up with five years of drivel afterwards. One of the key reasons Australia lost Devine was the persistence with George.

Thankfully the Wallabies weren't stupid enough to partner Larkham with Whitaker. I wouldn't blame Larkham if he chose to walk while putting up with Whitaker's slow service. I don't get the Sydney love in with Whitaker and Growden's pumping for him bordered on slander.

No Gregan wasn't rubbish. His forwards bar George Smith and a couple of others were. Burgess killed the Wallaby backline after Gregan left. We didn't realise how good Gregan was when we had to put with Burgess throwing passes over his team mates heads. Gregan would still be in the Wallabies if he was playing professionally in Australia apart from Genia he is still a massive step above the rest.

Whitaker was crap at Leinster. He approached his stint like he was on a surfing holiday.

So 12 Waratahs get into the squad. I've tried Googling who the Australian selectors are but after endless searching I've come up empty. Can someone please tell me. I assume Deans is one but who else?

Ha ha! All that is missing is a live cross to a couple of the senior players and management intimating that they 'Could take the title this year'. Not that their 'supporters' really give a damn (the moon has more atmosphere than a Tahs home game).

hopefully not

The only explanation for that WBH was the old double bluff.

Doesn't matter where you throw it as long as Its where jumpers know. TPN turns over a lot of ball besides line outs. Bad out ways good, punt him