Foley: Wallabies' attack based on strong defence

G'day WB, spot on with your comment, and quite true that both B.Foley and Q.Cooper are both very ordinary defenders. Quade tackles around the chest either trying to stop the offload, strip the ball or become a limpet and slow the player down for other larger tacklers. It usually works but holds the risk of getting brushed off by behemoths or going high and getting pinged. This is easy ammunition for Quade-haters. But I like many other rugby fans love Cooper when he is on song, he is an out-n-out creator. Foley tackles low around legs, again he is usually effective but can be stomped through by large players or sidestepped by slippery fast runners (see two misses in 1st half at Salta). Bernie's tackle style has also landed him in la-la land at times and needing time off to recover from concussion. Foley also will never win over everyone, though more his playing style is of the quiet general who gets the job done aka no charisma. When he runs straight he is a danger and his passes usually hit the mark but a realist will agree that Foley's pop-gun line kicks and poor field kicks costs his team field position. I guess coach Cheika felt the heat before Salta and reverted back to the system that he knows, Foley at #10 and Beale at #12, rather than test the bleeding obvious of M.Toomua at #10. To be sure that would stiffen up the defence but affect the goal kicking (though Toomua is a pretty fair gk in his own right). I felt before the SB game in SA that Toomua should be at #10 and Beale or Hodge at #12. I cannot abide having two weak defenders Foley and Beale leaving a huge inviting channel for the big boys to charge at. Musical chairs isn't the answer, tackling school is.

Yeah, I've given up on this, but Toomua is completely adept at 10, as he proved playing for Leicester during the 6N this year when Ford was away playing for England.

Toomua played basically all his rugby with the Brumbies at 10, and was very good there. He had never played 12 in his life until McKenzie threw him there for the Wallabies in 2013, and continued to play 10 for the Brumbies while playing 12 for the Wallabies until about the time of the world cup. He has a good long pass, straight running, and the best defence and clearance kicking of Australian flyhalf options. That it turns out he is a handy goal kicker too (he had never been first or even second string kicker in Super Rugby for whatever reason) is another reason to not cling to Foley when his form does not warrant it.

And, yes, KCOL, ad hominem criticisms of others as 't w ats' is not generally an effective way or arguing your point. Nor is the irony of casting the first stone with the first personal insult by referring to others as 't w ats'.

Definitely not a former professional – only a fan with very limited playing abilities :D

Riddler, You are losing the fight when you resort to ad hominem attacks like this- “It’s like you guys never actually played to any level at all” Or “self-righteous” (look up ‘irony’) Or “those who comment the most i promise were those in the stands the most..” You ‘promise’ do ya Riddler? As some kind of ‘evidence’ against those who differ with your opinion you declare them ‘self righteous’ watchers, hardly players, of the game. Even if that were true, it is irrelevant to any discussion of the relative merits of a player. Posters such as Neutral VFS, who have never played the game make worthy contributions to this site. For all you know I, or Fionn, or Enough are exWallabies. (I am not). Still it is irrelevant. It is boring now to give a lesson here in sound logic and argument to an adult. I very much wish the Roar Admin would moderate this sort of illogical rubbish off the site. But they don’t. I have a mate who was a rep player and had a very long first grade career playing at 10 for 2 Sydney clubs. He also does not rate Cooper. Disagreeing about a selection based on evidence and sound reasoning is one thing. Your regular ‘off the ball’ plays, as this one just now, are another. Get back ten.

No Fionn, there is no way Riddler knows Cooper. Those that have had anything to do with him at the club scene know how much he puts back into the game, unheralded. So many of the uninformed criticisms of Cooper are so unfair and unreasonable. It makes you wonder how people can look at themselves in the mirror, and how they can get off denigrating and vilifying someone they know nothing about. Its pathetic really.

Riddler, no offence, mate, I know you like Foley a lot, but for you to accuse anyone else of blinkers when it comes to evaluating Foley's performance is pretty rich. I don't think I've ever even seen you admit he has had an average match, let alone a poor one. Yet at the same time you're quite happy to accuse everyone else of bias when it comes to him.

Not really, Riddler, he has been in sublime form (admittedly at a lower level). I was pleased to see two different GAGR match reviewers gave him man of the match in his last two matches - that matched up with my own opinion also. He has managed games, guided his team on attack and defended well, as well as kicking his goals. As per usual, I imagine you're ignoring Foley's atrocious first half performance and in particular the two one on one tackles he missed to concede the Wallabies' first half tries, as well as he did play in the second half. Quade could have the best match in the world, and you wouldn't credit him for it. I know I don't rate Foley as a 10, but I have no problems with him as a person, and your comments denigrating Quade have often not been about hue rugby but about his character and morals. I do wonder whether you know him personally as I fail to see how you could loathe him so much based purely on his public actions and comments.

it was foley vs argie for a try both times.. no cover defense? from a front line missed tackle.. exaggeration and blinkers are sold out on the roar..

no mate.. i am qlder through and through.. but i have never seen foley cop a yellow for a high tackle.. let alone a red.. the guy doesn't lack ticker.. he might a miss few.. but so do many others and they get no grief.. as said before.. perspective.. he nailed 7 from 7.. he kicked 2 plus 50m kicks.. which i havent seen for donkeys from any oz ten.. he made the first try with his backing up.. he nailed a cross field kick for a try.. but yet... he is useless on the roar.. really? but i am foley's dad??? amazing..

sublime? have seen a few moments that have been exaggerated and a few that have been brushed over.. context seems to be missing as per usual when it comes to cooper.. how was that restart that went 2 metres? if foley had of done that you and many others would have been non stop.. cooper did a tackle in the last game that looked like me at25 years ago at a school dance with the fattie redhead.. bit of bare minimum hug hello and then i try to move on without anyone noticing.. if u need real evidence. check the youtube highlights of the game.. it is there clear and simple.. then i can also give clear and simple facts of foley tackling the argie forwards and bringing them down.. much more value than a nsw game of bare minimum first graders.. perspective and context always seems to go missing here on the roar. it is like none of u guys actually played to any level at all.. but were sitting in the stands at 3.15... some great people sit in the stands at 3.15.. but the t w ats go over board on their self righteous way of how it should be done.. jordan p is where we should be focusing... when kervei was injured the qld backline suddenly started to be free and score.. i am fine with kervei going to the rebels or brumbies or wherever he wants to go.. remember jason ended up in nsw, because of herbie, for those of recent rugby history amongst us.. a 10, 12, 13 of stewart, duncan and jordan next year has me excited as a old school maroon fan.. a lynagh/horan/little(herbie) type of backline.. rugby is a simple game.. but people like to make it out it isn't, to justify their position or in this case on the roar, their opinion... those who comment the most i promise were those in the stands the most..

No he's not.

I'd be happy for Rocky road to return ????

Perhaps Cheikas role could be as a specialist motivational coach (under a head coach). His sole job to appear in the change rooms during the break and scream and berate poorly performing players?

Reading this article is a bit like sleeping through the comedy hour on the ABC, accept it is more like a tragedy. Whichever way Foley or Cheika would like to play with words and pump their plums the test was not one to remember and left fans with more questions and answers. If Sanchez had not departed during a critical stage of the match, the Puma performance, may have withheld some of the second half pressure. The end result may have saved jobs but does not elevate the fact the Wallaby 80 minute display of all the required rugby disciplines was generally pitiful. Is more than a short term fix and requires new life injected into the coaching staff. It could be a RA fireside chat, a director of rugby, a change in some coaching staff or special coaching for some. If certain senior players believe they are on track and all problems are inconsequential, I suggest they change to beach volleyball.

Toomua is a better 10 and overall player than Foley.

Vanilla? Rocky Road? WBs need to eat their greens.

Vanilla is consistently pretty good though, even if it is consistent.

Enough and Abdul, I’m pretty certain that Foley was would be aware of his misses in defence. He is a smart guy who gives his all and regularly punches above his weight. We don’t need to run the guy down. He isn’t selecting himself. And I imagine he would’ve been pretty down at half time before bouncing back to play his part in the second stanza. However the debate about the Wallaby 10(s) rages on contrary to the silly statement at the end of this article. Opportunity to try a ‘defensive’ 10 was lost in this game. In hindsight a first half of Toomua’s tackling would’ve been a nice comparison to a last 20-30 of Bernard running and linking. As much as I try I cannot let Riddler down. There is a better attacking ten in Australia, itching to play behind a disciplined pack (which is still the key issue, just ahead of ‘who is the gold 10?)