Roar Forum: What changes should the Wallabies make for the Springboks?

Understandably most comment are about which Wallably players to replaced, based on perceptions of their poor form. I'd be interested to hear what Wallaby fans think are the strengths and weaknesses of the Bok team, and which team they'd pick specifically for this match.

I think people need to realise that the All Black pack has been hardened by the very elite from the Northern Hemisphere. For my money as a Saffa, the reason we won the Tri-Nations in 2009 was because of the British and Irish Lions. We suffered later in the year when we lost some in the Autumn Internationals. I believe the All Blacks are evening out their workload in anticipation of that capitulation - given as many of their teams as possibly allowed reached the playoffs too and all the SR sides played the Lions - some with Test players included. I think the All Blacks were priming themselves for the last four games in this stretch rather than the first two. Yet, the pack is what is keeping them afloat.

Smith stepped inside Hooper when he rushed up and Squire moved ahead of Smith and held McMahon back from tackling Smith. The Kiwi commentators noticed it and tried to make out nothing happened. McMahon should have been appealing loudly to the ref about the obstruction.

Advrider , moniano bring it in tight. Listen carefully to Uncle Ken. A playmaker is required to 'make plays'. Foley doesnt Cooper does.

The Boks will definitely target the Wallabies scrum . Wallabies will look through Genia , Foley and Beale to exploit Boks tackling issues .

Fardy is gone. Be nice if he had been given this last test season though. He won't be the best 6 come world cup time but one last season would have nice and he could have been used to show Hanigan what we need from Hanigan. McCalmon keeps cracking his scapula (shoulder) apparently. He'd be a good 6 if given an extended run but his body may not be up to it for much longer. Taniella Tupou and Nasirani don't qualify until next year (apparently). Naivalu is injured.

You guys will remember Hooper scooting from a midfield maul in June but not having any support and getting caught. Looks a bit like him scooting through Read and making it to the tryline. I am not married to Hooper but how many bad games has he had in his career? Maybe none. His output is pretty consistent. So they are going to pick Hooper even if McMahon could do the job we require more. Cheika loves Hanigan and is not going to drop him. McMahon is too small for 8 - certainly for starting 8. In the presence of Hanigan and the absence of a better option the starting backrow should be McMahon at 6, Timani at 8 and Hooper 7. If Timani runs out of gas you can shift McMahon to 8 and bring on Hanigan/Dempsey to play 6. Surely Dempsey (and Hanigan) is too young to have a hard enough body yet. They shouldn't have the muscle until at least 25 years old. TPN needs to start with ideally an apprentice as the backup. Won't happen. It'll be Moore so okay. Let's not start with Moore. Looks like Kepu is playing well. There is not much between him and Alan A but Kepu looks in better scrummaging form so I don't mind him starting and Alan A subbing on later. I need a better look but would presume that the scrum problem weren't helped by Sio's side but that is because I think Sio is a mechancial scrummager not an instinctive one. The more experienced he gets (ie the more worked over) the better he'll get. I don't get Robertson but he is pretty good for his age. If they can't get another talented prop in there (eg a Faulkner or Ainsley but both are currently tightheads) then bring back Cowan. He'll add to the second phase and make some good tackles. Cowan wasn't a great scrummager but neither is Robertson. Cowan will add more starch and is still young enough. Or see if Ainsley can be groomed for tighthead and Alan A go back to loosehead. I presume that it has been decided that Ainsely is not consistent enough yet. Ultimately I like Tupou for a back up loosehead role (even though he is currently a tighthead) because of his ball running. And because the tighthead side needs to be reserved for scrummagers. Foley is okay and scored a decent try. Pity he has not put any distance on his field kicking and his goal kicking is not top class. A top class kicker makes life better and the opposition are afraid of conceding penalties so it puts more pressure on them. Cooper is never coming back under Cheika so I have put that out of my mind. The backline actually worked well with KB showing some determination. He looked like a guy playing through his lack of toughness in the tackle because he wanted to contribute for the team. Good on him. But for the backs we pick TK at 13. He keeps things nice and straight and strong and then work it out from there. I prefer KB to go back to full back full time and have Kerevi at 12 with Hunt fighting for a starting spot at 12 (with Kerevi) but basically Hunt being a pretty sold bench utility. Folau stays on a wing. he is a dangerous attacker. He is not a good defender but his defensive output is enough. DHP is not quite settled. I think he is a test class fullback you can fake it on the wing. But he makes more mistakes than I'd like. He is a better ball player than some give him credit for. He is not a 10 but he can come in form his wing/full back and keep things moving. But DHP and Hodge are fighting for the same spot and Hodge has a lot going for him. If Kerevi takes 12 then KB and Folau take wing and fullback leaving one spot available. Do you give it to Hodge/DHP or do you give it to a pure finisher like Speight, Naivalu even Rona. I think Naivalu is better than Speight but Speight is doing okay. He and TK were flat last year but have looked good this year. Naivalu I think is just better. He had a good end of year trip. Rona is a good strike winger. I think he has pace although someone else doesn't. I think he has a good offload too. But Rona, Speight, Naivalu, Korobeiti etc are fighting for one wing spot. At least Rona can cover 13 but you don't want Kerevi and Rona in the centres because at the Force, Rona has Meakes doing the defensive organising for him. I haven't mentioned Higginbotham because he is not coming back to a Cheika team just like Cooper isn't. So give me McMahon, Timani and Hooper. Next year though it'll be the Pooper again with Pocock going back to 8 and I expect Hanigan at 6 (Cheika for you) but maybe a Dempsey at 6. I actually think McMahon is good enough to play 6 at test level but I prefer the 8 to be heavier.

And Lomax in the forwards.

Noodles pick and stick is fine, as long as you're picking and sticking with the right players. Moore and Hanigan must go. It's that simple. I am sick of being right with my selections and Cheika wrong. I sincerely wish it was the other way around. Also agree with Fionn that Hodge and DHP need to swap.

I agree with that team with Genia as captain.

marto - 2001 3rd lions test team would be the last great wallaby team had Matt Burke Nathan Grey Rod Moore in the starting xv Brendon Cannon David Lyons Chris Whitaker on the bench all from NSW

where the players criticised by and large still had all the flaws that still contributed to the loss ie Moore, Hanigan, Foley, DHP The same flaws by the same players Moore - can't scrum, too old and past it, too slow in defence and attack and has lost stamina and impact Hanigan - tries hard but no impact in contact in tackles, ball carrying or clearing rucks Foley - cannot create tries, does not use the backs outside him, kicks poorly in general play and for the line, can't pass long (only area he was better than usual was defence) DHP -poor form, poor in the air all year (terrible at restarts), notice he botched the ones kicked his way. His defence improved but his attack still no threat, no defenders beaten no clean breaks none. I did Genia and McMahon redeemed themselves ie did not exhibit all the same flaws and were not part of this comment. It was not a comment that the TEAM had the same flaws ie handling was better, less errors overall, and defensive pattern was better. They did not adapt to where the AB's were doing well. Last week Folau won a lot of restarts. The AB's knew where it was being kicked so they lifted whitelock very high. Foley did not then start kicking away from whitelock. The ab's used the A Smith inside ball to ioane off lineouts multiple times, not once did they read it or adapt. The AB's restarts had players charging through and jumping into players , why didn't they put blockers in the way like other teams do I did not see one case where the wallabies adapted to what the ab's were doing in that game during the game (as opposed to prematch planning).

miniano Higgers is 1 year younger than Read ..Try GOOGLE ..It helps brainiac..

Foley gives up ..Why not you mate

The Waratahs bring a losing culture the WALLABIES..The last great Wallaby team only had one TAH..Burke

Impressed with a thrilling loss??

It did change the way the AB's set their line though, and that is enough. You need the full bag of tricks available and you mix them up to keep the opposition guessing, forcing them to set a conservative defensive line. Execution was nasty at best, we were lucky to get away with some of it.

The actions of a Passionate rugby Fan. I have seen many a Mate jump off the couch and Yell at the Telly like this. Not a good look for an allegedly respected coach. Look at Hanson throughout the game. He looked very uncomfortable but remained composed.

MacMahon is a solid secondary receiver but not the guaranteed hands of Simmonds, Arnold, Hanigan, Coleman or Fardy

Yeah, I think I agree with all of those changes, mate. Cheers.