Let’s Talk Rugby: year end review (part 1)

Gents, this panel discussion should happen more frequently. It definitely follows the podcast model and may I respectfully submit that a panel discussion event before a big test in Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne/Canberra would be great (i.e. a lunch/breakfast). The thing which I like about this forum was that it involved people who have been part of the club rugby scene in Australia and provide a fan's perspective. Great panel - more please Gents.

I don't know about that completely... I'd be pretty happy to have a guy like Greg Inglis playing in the centres or a jarred hayne....

Sheek Very timely post for "Day in Infamy" today. Difference was Genda was up against a soft, lazy, Hawiian-based bunch & mounted a sneak attack Can't see same scenario working for Test level rugby S T

I'm certain that Horwill's calf/hammy has been a major influence on our scrum in the last year. No doubt that is why Simmons was moved across - so pleased the young man is developing as I always hoped he would. Interesting thoughts on the current balance in the backrow, the unit really came together on the end of year tour. Can't wait for next season to see some new comers and the return of the injured guys.

Thorn was a massive stretcher as well. Is key to professional athletes reducing injuries. Cannot be understated

Genia, Toomua and Ashley-Cooper are the calming influences in the back line. They allow Cooper, Kuridrani, Tomane, Folau.... etc. to play freely. It isn't just an islander thing. The Wallabies last showed this freedom in attack with a quite different back line in 2010 using. 9. Genia 10. Cooper 11. Ioane 12. Barnes/Giteau 13. Ashley-Cooper 14. O'Connor 15. Beale

Eddy, I don't see an issue between saying the booze culture in club rugby cannot be entertained in professional footy. One of the best days on a rugby pitch I ever had was against Randwick playing two matches for the fourth and third grade Colts. I was so pissed the night before I couldn't make my own way to the ground, arrived thirty seconds before kickoff (having put my boots on in the car) and playing openside got man of the match in 4s before being called on to play lock in 3s and collected the MoM again. That was lower grade Colts club footy. Such a far cry from professional/representative rugby it is barely the same sport. Take collapsing a scrum, this is something that weak professional sides have been doing for donkey's years but is anathema to the amateur game. There are different standards at play. Even if there weren't different standards at play the story I told about the matches against The Galloping Greens above was a one off. Playing 26 years of rugby across a 28 year period I turned up hung-over/sub par to a handful of matches. I can't be definite but am thinking in the order of three or four times. Post game was a different story (and still is, as I coach today). BUT I never made first grade. I would have been gutted by top grade players at club level not turning up in the best condition they could. I was disappointed in team mates if they let our side down plenty of times. I have zero tolerance for our representative players not being in the best possible shape - and that means them staying off the beers. Link is on record saying he is okay with them tying it on post match, they are allowed a couple of drinks on a Tuesday while on tour. That is massively permissive for professional athletes and it is appropriate that we hold our rep players to a higher standard. Hopefully Mowen's self imposed season long drinking ban rubs off on a few others. I used to give up the grog for the last two weeks, plus finals of every season my team was competitive. I certainly expect more from our rep players. You say nothing magically changes when they pull on the green and gold, I hope that correct decisions have been made much earlier so that there doesn't have to be anything magical about it.

Hi Scott, as to suggestions on video v audio - the video is great and works well and is a great accompaniment to the discussion, but please consider releasing just the discussion as a podcast to make the London tube journey more bearable!

Cant wait to see Izzy at 13 next year. Hope Moore continues he is absolutely awesome. Is he captain material. I hope Foley goes off next year for the tahs which I think he will. All the best for Pocock and Higgers with their comebacks. The mighty All Blacks are there for the taking. Bring on 2014

Re Kurtley Beale what alien culture do you speak of. Are you Australian? Beale has been with these guys forever. Is Israel Folau and the rest of the islanders also alien culture. Intelligence fails you.

Thanks a lot Scott, Brett, Alisha and Uncle Argyle. Really enjoyed this episode. Re: talk about left and right flankers, I've felt for a while that our backrow is now functioning much more as a unit rather than as three individuals. What I mean is that currently, we have guys who are all 'six and a halfs (or seven and a halfs) rather than the traditional 6, 7 and 8 in Australian rugby. We have a '7' in Hooper who is more of a ball carrier that is good in the breakdown without being a complete David Wilson/Phil Waugh jackal-type player. Fardy is a '6' who is a good, without being great, ballrunner, extremely hard at the ball in the breakdown. Mowen is good in the loose, a reasonable without being devastating ballcarrier and great lineout caller and jumper and again, solid at the breakdown. Together, they seem to be doing a great job of working together to contest breakdowns, make runs and generally get around the field. It'll be interesting to see how the team would function with different players in these positions - eg Pocock (and similarly Gill) possibly coming back into 7, with much greater emphasis and skill at the breakdown but less ballcarrying ability compared to Hooper. Higginbotham is similar to Elsom (in his prime) in some ways in his strength being a third lineout jumper but also as an 'edge' runner and link with the backline, but less hard at the breakdown than Fardy. Palu at number 8 gives more ballcarrying ability than Mowen, but probably less field coverage, and not the same in the lineout. It seems to me that this current unit have struck a good balance of splitting duties between them but it has helped that their talents and skills are complementary, rather than redundant. I'm interested to see how the selection process plays out in 2014 with some of those other players available and who ends up playing these three positions and roles. PS I'm curious on your thoughts about Simmons packing at tighthead lock for several of the games on the EOYT, and whether you think that's a result of Horwill still getting up to speed with his calf? Do you think it had as much impact on our scrum as Fardy packing behind the tighthead consistently? Thanks guys, looking forward to next week, and especially excited about the 'Great Summer Breakdown Project' by Scott as I think it'll reveal how much work goes on that generally goes unnoticed.

Firstly Scott thank you and a very merry xmas to you and to those you love and hold dear and to all the roarers who have in one way or another added to my knowledge of the game we all love and want to see prosper. I have been watching the second test. Anyone who doubts the importance of team culture should watch the interview with Darren Lehman broadcast today. Not once but twice, while I was watching. Boff spoke about giving them confidence and belief and making them believe now should be the best time of their careers. They were a rabble not long ago and now they have won the first test and made over 500 runs in the second and have their mortal enemy on the ropes.

NO! No more league boys. ARU needs to develop a player production line and stop poaching from other sytems. Its pathetic.

Really enjoyable guys. Thanks. Felt a bit like eavesdropping on a pub chat (though, not on tour after midnight).

Scott, I'm going to give you a new nickname - 'Genda.' As in Minoru Genda, the Japanese mastermind planner of the Pearl Harbour attack against the US Pacific Fleet at Hawaii in 1941. It's a compliment. Genda was a self-styled hermit who would enclose himself in his cabin for hours, even days on end, finalising every minute detail to the attack, & making sure there were no holes in the strategy & plenty of contingency plans for any foreseen, or even, unforeseen reversals. Not unlike yourself & the countless hours you spend watching videos, splicing, cutting & editing them with analysis for our benefit. Admiral Yamamoto had given the bones of the daring plan to Genda for him to add the fleshy detail & return for final approval. Genda also got approval from Yamamoto for his navy classmate Mitsuo Fuchida to lead the attack. So very well done, 'Genda' Allen!

It was a lot of fun to do, and hope I am not speaking out of turn, but we commented after how enjoyable it was 'just to talk rugby', like any other 4 blokes would do be it over a steak beer or both. Easy conversation really.

Wonderful effort guys. Thank you.