Wallabies player ratings vs All Blacks Bledisloe Cup Game 2

"Hooper would excel in an All Blacks team" Hooper wouldn't make an All Blacks team, where would you play him?

Well... the question was "how are you feeling" so hard to see how even the most conniving journalist could be blamed for Hooper taking that tack

"Welcome Mr Barrett and Mr MacKenzie, your tryline awaits, We have reserved your usual place between the 2 white posts.. Please come back soon." Ok this cracked me up

I spotted the Hoops shooter too. Commentators blamed the rest of the team for being out of alignment with him....... He mays as well have put on a Bell hop uniform and said: Welcome Mr Barrett and Mr MacKenzie, your tryline awaits, We have reserved your usual place between the 2 white posts.. Please come back soon.

All legitimate and admirable selection options Baz. There are actually some similarities to the suggestions in my original comment above. But I just don’t see them making that great an impact. Tui’s our 6, it’s his best position and he’s doing a damn good job of it at the moment. I’ve rated both Higginbotham and Timani in the past but both have proven themselves to be hit and miss at test level. I’m certainly keen to progress past the ‘Pooper’ back row but we did reach a World Cup final on the back of it. Despite being far from ‘the answer’, it has been a solid combination in the past and given our lack of options- I certainly don’t begrudge Cheika for rolling with it for the time being. McMahon’s return and/or Naisarini’s eligibility will provide a step in the right direction for the back row. Beyond this, I’m all for; bringing Arnold in, dropping Foley (I’d have Toomua at 10), starting Toomua, Folau to the wing (I’d have Beale at 15) and racing one of our big Fijian boys into the midfield as soon as they’re fit. But I’m not kidding myself to think these are changes that are starring any coach right in the face. As I’ve suggested, there’s just not that many Australian players setting the rugby world on fire at the moment. We’ve got a solid pool of test players playing between a 6 and 8 out of 10 (apparently 5 and below when we’re playing the AB’s) at the moment. This includes the guys that are there and the names being thrown around. Of our 2 opponents so far in 2018, Ireland have a similar sized pool playing at between an 8 and 10 out of 10 and NZ have a couple of squads worth playing at 11+

@Rob9 There are lists of squads littering each active thread at the moment so I wont bother with 23. But Hooper should not start. Pocock should play at 7. Use Timani, Tui or Higgenbotham as 8. Put the right players in the right positions. If the loosies are sorted out then that is a good start. Folua should be on the wing. Banks should be fullback. We are too light and under sized from 10 though, 12 and 13. We need Kurandrani or Toomua at 13 to add some defensive sting to what I consider a puff cake back line. In fact I would play Kurandrani at 13 toomua at 12 and Beale at 10. Put Foley on the bench. Rodda to the bench and Arnold to start with Coleman. Get rid of Phipps, Simmons and Robertson. Sorovi is the backup 9, any one from down the park to replace Robertson. You are correct about the fitness.

I agree he should be captain and at number 7..its a pity we didn't have Adam Ashley cooper,higgenbotham who gives a good lineout option ,morahan,mcmahon and fardy maybe at 5 ,the missed tackle count would have been half.

Yes higgenbotham hasn't performed as well as we expected on test level,but all wallaby fans knows his potential and if there is a player we need too persevere with its him,remember he has not played 6 since the reds won super rugby when he played for the wallabies he played 8.

Yes big bits 6 higgenbotham and 8 McMahon.

Nah it was a big improvement. All sides do that and get away with it

Hooper should not be captain or even in run on side. He is poor and that's annoying because the bloke is on 1.2 million. Robertson's selection is bizarre. Rory A should replace Rodda. Can Rodda be reinvented as an 8? We need 2 big bits at 6 and 8 and Poey at 7. Get rid of some of your favourites Ckek !

Please Please Please stop picking 2014 Waratahs !!!

Hooper gave up as well and and Foley never tries to tackle.

FFS. Has every one eyed Foley fan forgot that he can’t takle caterogically ? He also cant kick easy goals or pass or kick in general play ? and for all the Waratah supporters, Hooper is a proven failure at test level.

Even when the Wallaby forwards do well, Foley is still insignificant and superfluous to requirements. Case in point. Bled 1 Sydney 2015, Bled 3 Brisbane 2017.

D.Pocock miss ZERO from 18 tackles (and 4kn people say his rating is too high???????) Such a beast and should be captain.

The 6 million dollar man. FFS !!

But what are the blaring omissions here? The selection issue (dream) for a team like the AB’s is they have at least 3 guys in every position that could step in and do as good a job as anyone else, not just in NZ but practically the world. The selection issue Chieka has is that there are next to no blokes claiming the jersey as their own. In the current crop, you really only have Pocock as a player who simply must be selected. The next best back row we have has clearly been Hooper so there’s a case to select Pocock out of position to fit them both in. As mentioned above, I don’t think this is the way forward anymore but it’s hardly an illogical rationale. Beyond Pocock, Tui has stepped it up and proven himself at this level now to hold onto the 6 jersey for 2018 (and hopefully beyond). Genia picks himself (despite not being at his best since his return from injury) due to having the historical runs on the board and an absence of anyone else snapping at his heels. He’s had a quiet couple of games this Bledisloe but Coleman’s also a lock in (pardon the pun) and you probably have to pick Folau and Beale somewhere. Beyond those players, everything else is really up for grabs and going off previous test performances of recent years or 2018 Super Rugby form, I really don’t see any available players outside the 23 or the squad that command a start. Not saying there aren’t guys that aren’t worth a look but I dead set can’t see anyone who is head and shoulders above any incumbent. The most immediate impact that could be achieved to improve the Wallabies output is related to fitness. It’s not by chance that we’re in the game for 40 minutes against the AB’s before being blown away in the second half. It often feels like there are 25 blokes in black shirts on the field at any one time and it’s because they have the stamina to put themselves in the right position to have an impact when opportunity presents itself. Forget selections, I would be trawling the world for the 5 best conditioning coaches right now and drop one off at each Super club and one with the Wallabies.

Good effort terrence, your ratings are much more accurate than the crowd ratings, although I think you should bite the bullet and choose whole numbers for Genia, Koroibete and Beale. I'd also like to see you rate the bench. As a NZer, I'm constantly bemused by the hate Aussies put on the Wallabies. It's ridiculous to see the most common value for Phipps as 1 in every player rating survey. There are obviously those who are determined to put in a 1 whatever he plays like - are you not capable of rating on performance? It makes the ratings a joke. Reality check, you need a lot of skill and luck to beat the All Blacks, because they're exceptional. But that doesn't mean the Wallabies are worthless and put in a worthless performance every time. I think one year all the NZ super rugby sides should visit Australia, in turn, to play the Wallabies. Once the Wallabies smash them all, especially the beloved Crusaders, people might start to appreciate the Wallabies more. It's a half-serious idea; I think it would serve as a morale booster and would pay for itself because I believe Wallabies supporters would flock to see their team win. "Bring your kids, see the Aussie best give those arrogant NZers a taste of their own medicine"! And as for the NZ teams, who would not want to try their hand against the Wallabies?

Finally, the world's worst 7 and captain gets the proper recognition he's so richly deserved over the years.. 3.96 - a completely accurate assessment of a "storied" career.