Roar Rookie
Joined August 2014
4.7k
Views
3
Published
41
Comments
Life long Waratah diehard and Wallaby nut. \'Be good to your wife and hopefully she won\'t mind your rugby expenses\'
Published
Comments
I have read a lot of articles over the past month in relation to the opinions of coaches and players, and the scandals they…
Long live the Wallabies, I say. I have read a lot of banter from South Africa and New Zealand supporters suggesting the two nations…
For the past six years, I have booked a flight across the Tasman. I walked through New Zealand customs proudly wearing my Wallabies jersey.…
I agree. I’m a made Tahs fan but I agree. Phipps gives quick ball but against the Irish it was not very accurate. Most were too high and this is suicide for the receiver. But, he played well and his solo try was as good as it gets.
Wallabies on the way up
Nathan, you have a good point in discussing the way that a Rugby Union game is slowed by a pedantic ref trying to pack down the perfect scrum. In the NH, it is a bigger part of the game (culturally) than in the SH but the game as a whole needs the scrum. Quick scrums, rolling mauls and set peices are all exciting avenues to watch from a scrum so long as they are allowed to be played. Constant stoppages by the refs and then the blind leading the blind as to the interpretation as to how a scrum is infringed can make a game of rugby very boring. But, last weekend for instance the Ireland v Australia was the most interesting aspect of the game – the forwards really took it to each other all over the park and I thought that Ireland were going to monster us in the scrum. So, it is vital to the game.
As far as league is concerned, this is a game that has changed so much over the past 3 x decades that I just can’t watch it anymore. 4 x tackles then kick. 4 x tackles then kick. 4 x tackles then kick until someone makes a mistake and a gap opens up. Don’t get me wrong, a great bunch of athletes but a very linear and super boring game to watch. What happened to contested scrums in league (they should introduce the line out) and what happened to contesting the ball at the ‘play the ball’.
Rugby union need to incorporate league scrums
Whats rugby league anyway? Never heard of it.
Rugby union need to incorporate league scrums
Hi DC,
Interesting article but in the end I really don’t care what side is fielded by the AB’s so long as we have the power to beat that team on the day. World Cup is always an interesting time and AB’s are truely deserving of their #1 spot in the world ranks. Wallabies are swimming at the moment and have been in dissarray for most of 2014. I guess it is the year we all would like to forget. But the good news is that there is only one way for us to go! Good luck next year and don’t get too comfortable on top. 🙂
An embarrassment of riches: Hansen's World Cup All Black jigsaw puzzle
pm – People are entitled to opinions and modern day forums such as the roar allows for a lot of crap to be written but every now and again a very good piece is written (such as the one above), without the taint of a journalist belonging to a particular organisation that might just have an agenda. The sort of banter we see in the roar, rugby heaven etc,. is simply people putting it out there and instead of it being in the pub or around a bbq, it is now a wider spread audience. Its the same crap and dribble, but just on a big forum. What I like about it is the interaction between the fans and the journos. You say ‘you people on these forums’, but you must be including yourself in that phrase so I am confused by your notion. Of course the criticism of players and coaches is now widely available thanks to the web but times are different and as they say, if you can’t handle the heat…..if you represent this wonderful country and you get paid $500k-1M to do it, then expect to be put under a microscope. Look at what every PM has to endure.
Woeful vs Wales, Failure vs France: Wallaby fans, lay down your pitchforks
Ireland are the gun Euro side at the moment and how fantastic for them to reach #3 in world rankings. They will be very tough to beat and frankly, I am not expecting the Wallabies to win. I haven’t seen the odds but Ireland should be the favourites. 3am kick off….what a drag but I will probably get up to watch….
Beale coming in from the cold off the bench against Ireland
They weren’t robbed in Perth. They were beaten by a very determined Rob Horne who either used his sublime skill to get around 2 x big defenders from the 22 or simply ran around 2 x soft defenders. Outplayed as they were last weekend by a better team but are they contenders for next years world cup. You bet!
SPIRO: The rolling maul: The Boks need a new coach
You are 100% right. Irish are 6 x nations champions and the real dark horse for World Cup. They have a great side at the moment.
Springbok fans need to take into account perspective
Great article from an intelligent Bok supporter. It is nice to read a string for a change without all the damming and ridicule. I am a Wallaby tragic and the wobblies as we sometimes prefer to call them, have had our fair share of moments ‘down nightmare lane’ – this year being particularly one to forget.
I loved the 49-0 victory (BTY) and one of the great things to come out of SA is biltong – its delicious. I don’t enjoy the Wallabies being beaten by the AB’s, Boks or any other team that manages to beat us. Unfortunately it happens a little too often for my liking but what might be around the corner, might just put a smile on my face. 🙂 Good luck to all the southern hemisphere teams this weekend.
Springbok fans need to take into account perspective
Agree Kevin, the booing of Quade Cooper was disgusting to say the least. I will at least give him plenty of praise for turning up with a bunch of moaning booers. The only thing that has ever disappointed me in a NZ crowd and genuinely surprised by it. Problem is that it worked just like the lasers did with Foley missing some easy conversions. Pity, even my NZ mates weren’t happy with the morons booing.
Match winners, not grinders needed to lift the 2015 Rugby World Cup
Hey Ruckin’Oaf, Yes I agree that Foley did make the mistake of kicking it out on the full against the Boks. But it was mid game and he played extremely well for the rest of the game. I have also seen Steve Larkham play very poorly at times. But, to kick it out on the full in a world cup semi final and in Auckland of all places. That one kick sank every Wallaby supporter in the ground and the whole atmosphere changed and from that moment on, I knew we had lost that game. Cooper wasnt the cause for the loss, the whole team was the reason.
I would love to see Quade really step up and play the way he played during last years spring tour but I doubt that will happen. He was ordinary against the Baa Baa’s but it was his first game back. Interesting to see how he goes against Wales at the weekend. Ultimately, he is not my choice or 2nd choice at 10.
Match winners, not grinders needed to lift the 2015 Rugby World Cup
Good insight Will but I have grave doubts about Cooper. He has one of the best flat, long bullet passes in the modern game but the rest of his game is not mecurial (as described by many) but flakey at best. The only time I have ever seen him play out of his skin for the Wallabies was this time last year. He was great. He has played well on and off for the Reds. I had the unfortunate displeasure of being in Auckland in 2011 when Quade kicked off (in the semi v. AB’s) and kicked it out on the full. He then went on to have a very ordinary game. That is Quade. Great one minute and crap the next.
The waratahs carved up the Highlanders, Sharks, Brumbies and Chiefs backlines with skill and accuracy in the Super 15 comp this year, with Foley at the helm. He would be my chioce as he is a thinker and is definitely not ‘mecurial’. Genia played well against the Baa Baa’s and he will only improve but I would call stumps on Cooper.
Match winners, not grinders needed to lift the 2015 Rugby World Cup
Can’t stop laughing and smiling. Brilliant piece of writing Allanthus. Thank you. I am having a terrible week at work and depsite all the stress and pressure, you lifted it all away. Definitely want a sequel please. Depressingly close to the truth.
Wallabies truth session - Exclusive coverage
To my brumby faithful, your article kept me reading but I disagree with some of your sentiments. Chieka was left high and dry with a bag of dirty laundry. So much so, that Steve Larkham politely declined to take the dirty laundry to the laundromat. It was only Chieka that was prepared to do this. Sometimes it takes a while to clean dirty laundry so please give the man a break.
Yes, we lost against France, Ireland and England. But the boks also got beaten by Wales and thrashed by Ireland. the AB’s slinked into Europe and played 2 x ordinary games after having beaten the USA and then disappeared again with a noted air of arrogance. They had a very poor showing against Scotland and all this tells me that we are in for a World Cup treat because it is wide open.
Nic White was aweful in the early part of the Wallaby season and didn’t deserve to play but we had no choice. Genia and Cooper are both coming back from injury so they were very flat in the gametime I saw them playing. Foley and Phipps were erratic at times but they work well together and deserved the spots. Both these players were scoring tries from nowhere in the last 2 x tests so your ciriticism is harsh. In the Super rugby semi, they both made mince meat of White and Toomua so why would you not play them at test level.
The only stupid decisoin was made by McKenzie to install Beale at 10 and drop Foley alltogether for the first test against the ABS.
Yes, Beale was ordinary in Europe but so was Genia and Cooper. So you have lost me a bit.
I absolutely agree wtih you regarding Pocock. He is such a good 7 and I can’t wait to see him wearing it and playing at his peak once again. Fingers crossed he will avoid injury and come way back into form during the 2015 Super campaign.
Hooper is good, but not as good as Pocock once was. Just hope a coal truck didn’t run over his foot.! I would love to see them both playing concurrently in the same team? Now that would be an experiment.
Cheika's bias costing Wallabies success