New-look Wallabies hope to catch All Blacks on the hop

It's a well known fact that the Wallabies get beaten more often than not by Telegraphing their prowess whether it be on blogs like this or just let the God awful so called Rugby Journalists of all the main Newspapers and computerized read ups do it for them! The All Blacks in the main I'm sure can all read and you can guarantee that some of them will be viewing this Blog, all the Newspaper items and anything out there about how so ''vastly improved'' the Wallabies are, and how Pocock will absolutely slaughter the All Black forwards by pinching a few balls of them, and it goes on! All that does is feed fodder to the team in Black to ensure that they run right over the Wallabies as the usually do! One thing you will rarely or ever see, is the All Blacks going around telling everybody how good they are unlike the Aussies, ~ the one eyed All Black followers do that for them, but the All Blacks as individuals don't do it simply because they are not allowed to speak with the Press or write anything in Newspapers or Blogsites such as this one!

Foley could very well play them on his own as he usually is the major points scorer anyway!

They say the game is either won or lost in the Forwards and the All Blacks have by far and away the best tight five playing Test rugby! ~ Just saying! The All Blacks will win the scrum contest easily and with the brilliant Loosies making sure they eventually get the pill to the backs or get under the crossbar themselves, or get it to the Backs who should make hay while the sun shines and score aplenty themselves! To be honest though, the game should be a close one and the difference in the scores for either side, will sadly very likely come down to Red or Yellow Cards issued by Peyper just because he can, or on the recommendation of the TMO of which there are no decent ones and really are there for the prime reason of ruining a game for all and sundry, not least by the players! Those cards are a blight on the game and should be dispensed of as should the TMO! ~ Won't ever happen though, because if it did it would take away all the fun of the above mentioned unnecessary Official game spoilers!

Personally, I think it's a pity Cheika is head coach and controls selections, as It seems to me that while the top 30 Aus players really seem to have upped their games and skillsets the same old selection problems exist. Great player though he is Folau at full back is a worry; putting Hodge at centre against the ABs when he hasn't played there much this year; Foley' line kicking; the unbalanced Pooper; Phipps; captaincy. Cheika's antics during the game and often his press conferences afterwards. There are a few great Head Coaches around. One of those would do wonders for the WBs. It does seem that the future of the WBs looks good but the Head Coach needs to move on... Tom Banks could become a future superstar. And Thor.

The only points of real worry for me are ....... that the Wallabies do not aimlessly kick to much ball away. I would rather see them build pressure and be patient than panic, kick hurridly and aimlessly that the Wallabies while being patient also ensure they protect their ball that the wallabies have learned how to effectively defend a rolling maul without being penalized and yellow carded.

Sorry Harry,but your wishes have not come true..

The Fijibies on the rise ? I hope they don’t start sinking !

Ardie Savea and DMac are going to inject some serious zip when they come on with 20 odd minutes to go.

The Wallabies defence in the Ireland series was a worry. Too many passive and scrambling tackles that allowed opposition to get over the gain line too easily. All Blacks will carve that up very quickly. With the Wallabies so focussed on the breakdown I think the ABs will just focus on getting quick ball to their wings and catch the Wallabies out there. They've been very successful in doing this.

The same referee line was rolled out last year. You even had Wayne Barnes who had reffed the only win over the AB's by Australia since 2011

consider the enormous uplift the team would get from the following selection changes that Cheika seems incapable of making: Gordon or Powell for Phipps as reserve 9 Timu for Hannigan as reserve 6 (please tell me Hannigan is not starting?!!). DHP or Banks to FB with Folau on the wing playing a roving role in attach the way Digby used to. That's a team who's bench is strong with reliable service from 9 and adding a damaging big unit as a ball carrier instead of Hannigan who isn't really super rugby level yet. Hannigan has NRC written all over him. How we miss McMahon! Foley sucks too - but it's going to take ages for Toomua to win the confidence to replace him at 10. Cheika is that stubborn.

Well there are some flying pigs at the Ekka this week so if that can happen the Wallabies are a chance. Particularly since ol Nigel Owens isn't reffing. Lets see the Aussie team. Very much hope Banks is starting and Hooper not.

Agreed this is the run on team he picks. Maybe a bit of uncertainty in TPN due to injury/playing time and Banks/Maddocks for DHP.

I really hope that's wrong

The All Blacks for their part have shown a recent uncharacteristic vulnerability in defence quite unlike their usual fierce style. In the last 12 months, the AB's have leaked an average of 17 pts per game. Behind Eng Ire Wales who average less than 17 Australia 27 pts per game would indicate a slightly larger concern of defensive frailties. With AB's average 37pt and 5.3 tries per game perhaps the straw clutching has gone a bit far in this article. There is plenty to be positive about in this Australian Team, but newness and AB's defence are not the 2 I would have picked.

Nine out of ten are trolls defending their 'sheep' players

I think we all know the problem with Cheika, it`s his continued selection of his favourites and the dropping, non selection or shipping off to Europe of superior players. Two home series losses for the first time in our history the loss to Scotland and the loss to arguably the worst SA of all time. Springboks ended the 2016 year with a success rate of only 33%, winning four out of twelve games and not a single Test away from home but they still beat the Wallabies. At least they beat Ireland 2-1 on home soil, something we cant do.

I think people make the mistake of judging Jordys "poor form" on watching him play centre where hes been for most of the back end of the super season thru necessity with Aso and Procter out. Goosen only came back from injury late too. Imo Jordy isnt a great centre. However at fullback hes been good..certainly the 2nd best fullback in nz. Add in his long range goal kicking and his form from fullback has been up there. Wouldnt be in the AB overall squad otherwise. I dont see the ABs playing him at centre unless in emergency mid match.

Ridiculous... How are they "New Look"? How can they possibly be seen to be "on the rise"? They have had a dreadful three years. Two home series losses, losses in majority of Northern Tour games over that time... losses at home to Scotland, close win against Italy... I mean the only bright spot was a third test victory against the All Blacks, and then IF that was the end of last year, year, you could say things aren't quite so bad, but then we had a shocking Northern Tour again, and lost a series at home to the Irish. NOTHING Cheika has done has shown he can fix this team and make them a consistent force that can match top teams CONSISTENTLY. There are very few fresh faces in form in the squad that give me optimism... the lauded, previously lacking trial game was a bit of a farce, because the two teams were scratch teams... it might have made more sense to actually play a team WITH combinations, instead of playing a pickup team with no combinations and thus no ability to test your own abilities... There is a LONG way to go with the Wallabies team...