Lealiifano carefully managed through Cup swansong

Sorry, my bad on Banks, I thought he was over there going off some of the other posts & Cheika was just not playing him. Though, I see Petaia is picked for the next game & Kerevi is getting a rest..

Hi Fionn, I stated that I thought CLL was "too fragile & is too big of a risk" not "weak". My reasoning is that he got hammered big in the Fiji game & went missing. He probably was still recovering by the Wales game. And then you hear he's being nursed along by the coaching staff prior to this. The risk is that he succumbs early in a game & we are forced to make subs earlier then planned. And then, what if another back gets injured as well? I just feel that his inclusion is too risky, maybe you would take it if he was a "Johnny Sexton". I would go to To'omua, who is younger, stronger, probably fitter & has a bit of confidence now after the Wales run & is the future..

Agreed although CLL fragile and weak may have been overstating it. JOC and KB can sort of cover 10 but I think that using CLL off the bench in all remaining games to cover 10/12 might be a safer option. A week off for Kerevi could be good, he can work on his passing.

I was suggesting there is little point playing Foley in the last two games. It might help him to play into form (might) but it is at the expense of giving MT and CLL time. Toomua is the 10 standing up right now On reflection I would have gone with White/Toomua in the final two pool games to build some time together. I was thinking it might pay to give O'Connor some time closer in as injury cover but CLL can actually cover 10/12 as well so I would be bringing him off the bench in those two games.

Its not reward Bobbles, its necessity. CLL and Toomua simply cannot carry the workload by themselves, at some stage Foley must start again. Foley is no good off the bench because he does not cover multiple positions. I named him to start against one of the minnows simply to share the workload.

You cant have Foley starting at 10 ever again.He does not deserve any more test caps.That is it for him imo.You cannot reward continued poor performances.It's just wrong.

GC Well QC hasn't been picked at 10 for the Wallabies since 2013 so your comment is null and void.

This story does not say that CLL is done, it just says they have to manage him differently. Fiji managed to bash him a fair bit. Foley looks like he has totally lost his confidence and as such is badly out of form ..... for instance 3 really bad passes against Wales. Toomua did well when he came on and combined ok with White. Going forward from here we have games against Uruguay and Georgia before the QFs. I would start CLL at 10 with JOC at 12 and Kurindrani at 13 against Uruguay and I would start Foley at 10, JOC at 12 and Kurindrani at 13 against Georgia. I would put Toomua on the bench for both games. Kerevi I would rest. Korobiete and AAC must start both games until Petiaia is fit and Hodge has served his suspension.

Petiaia is the only young guy left in the squad and reportedly his hamstring is not yet right. He cannot be replaced in the squad due to injury because he came into the RWC carrying the injury. Banks is not in the squad so forget him. Short Arm you need to look into the whys and wherefors a bit better.

Oh please. A club player could start 2 of those games.

Beale was awful at 10 last year. Remember that pass from the restart in our own dead ball zone that was intercepted for a try by South Africa? No. Please no.

At least you recognise there's only 3 games left for us in this tournament

How has CLL proved himself to be too fragile and weak? I agree he didn’t play particularly well against Fiji, but that isn’t the same thing.

Doctor, I wholeheartedly agree. CLL times are past. Foley looks like player not connected and disengaged. Toomua “bit time player to me”. Great selection & coaching once again!!

I find it absolutely stunning that even after 4 years of truly pedestrian performances from foley that his “fans” are still making excuses for him to start. It was Genia, it was White, it was the forwards, he’s down on confidence etc ad nauseum. He was the worst player on the field in both games this year. Shouldn’t be even in the tournament and yet the foley fanatics are doubling down on a bad bet and hoping he starts? Ffs If the Wales games wasn’t enough, what will it take to open their eyes, oh lord?

A lot of posters are writing CLL off on the basis of this media release which also praises his durability. Just hold your horses...

Beale 10, O'Connor 12, Lealiifano 13. So you know, you won't die wondering about creating chance your arm moments to different degress successively but with 3 kickers also got good options for touchfinders if in the poop or instinct taken over too much.

I think White is actually our key player here. When he starts our 10 has so much less pressure because of his speed, kick and snipe. Wales game was another proof point. Genia is simply too slow after 15 minutes on the field. But he’s a great finisher. I am a Foley fan, but I have to say he has lost his confidence. CLL is similarly out of form. To’omua is playing well so we have to roll the dice and establish his combination with White for the challenges to come. Start White and To’omua for 65 minutes for next 2 games, with Genia coming on at 65. Also at 65, worth practicing what we would do if To’omua were injured in the last 3 games. I don’t think we should carry either CLL or Foley on the bench. It just weakens our bench for an eventuality we hopefully don’t need. My vote would be to bring JOC into 5/8 and Beale (who is normally a finisher) into IC.

Phantom, there are no ‘easy’ games.

Maybe in 2011-15, not any more. Oh please site your reference to justify your statement - "England, Wales and Ireland fear Quade because he can carve those teams open..."?