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Not good enough

Will Genia of Australia and teammates celebrate a try during The Rugby Championship match between Argentina and Australia at Malvinas Argentinas Stadium on October 07, 2017 in Mendoza, Argentina. (Photo by Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images)
Roar Rookie
2nd July, 2018
11

Can anyone offer me an explanation for the present state of rugby in Australia, as I know naught about our current problems and practices?

I simply just enjoy the game.

To start with the last of the Irish Tests: Australia was able to field a side that competed fiercely but did not get the result. While the loss of Will Genia was a critical factor, the blunt truth is that Ireland were without five of their first choice team because of injuries.

Their captain did not even make the tour. Furthermore, a tour at the end of a long hard season was hardly conducive to a good performance. It might well be that the Wallabies have a way to go before Japan 2019.

I find it hard to share the unbridled enthusiasm of so many. While the current All Blacks may not be quite the team of recent times, we may well need to find further improvement – something not beyond possibility. Er, did I forget to mention the Springboks, Ireland and England?

That brings us to the two games Friday night. The Reds provided a comedy of errors that would be unacceptable in a poor club side – the less said, the better. While the Tahs/Rebels game was enjoyable and interesting enough because of its competitive nature combined with some good passages of play, there were far too many shoddy moments.

Just to start with – how can a mature team throw two intercept passes within two or three minutes of one another? Immaturity? Too much of the passing was dreadful – ones along the ground or at the head and so on were not at all uncommon.

Do we really lack players of the required innate aptitudes, or do we have some sort of structural problems in our conduct of the game, or is there another explanation?

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That faults cannot be identified and corrected during the entire careers of players is something that has to be addressed. For example, when does a half start the regular taking of a step (or more) before passing?

The more ingrained habits become, then the more difficult they are to break.

I cannot accept that our coaches in the game are all a lot of dills and that so much of the lack of our skills and thought can be attributed to them.

I have not even begun to touch upon the poor thought you see – a personal peeve – kicking the ball away when you have a man in the bin. Golly, you would need a good reason to do that.

I would like to see the views of those familiar with the modern circumstances of the game. I would like to understand why I saw what I saw Friday night.

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