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Uneasy sits the crown. Yet Ireland remains, having shouldered a lawful and relentless assault by the world’s most brutal team, top of the crop.…
Week two went next level in the drama and force of the north-south conflict. Despite the win-loss count, the south made some ground back.…
The second week of autumn Tests brings new pressures and resets expectations. Last week the south notched two wins out of two against the…
Antoine Dupont is a scrumhalf and the best player in the game. But where do the rest of the No.9 pack rank?
Japan's win over South Africa in Brighton remains the gold standard of Test rugby upsets. But for a few minutes at the National Stadium…
The spring-autumn Test clashes kick off in Tokyo and Edinburgh this weekend. Four top ten teams clash. Who is under the most pressure from…
As the tours of the north begin and the World Cup looms a year hence, what is the balance of power amongst Test rugby…
The four chief antagonists of the south journey north this autumn with seasons in the balance. Their head men are a fascinating spectrum of…
A tour beckons. A full accounting of Australian Test rugby awaits. The Wallabies have lost every revenge match in 2022. After the joy of…
'Hard cases make bad law.' So said the American Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He meant if we react to ‘some accident of…
What happened in the Rugby Championship? Two won four and two won two. A bonus-point loomed large. Seventy-six tries scored, and the leading scorer…
The tournament with the name that evokes no place or time has finished. The Rugby Championship has a champion, the traditional one. New Zealand…
New Zealand have won The Rugby Championship after their resounding win over the Wallabies left South Africa with too much ground to make up…
Last week, before Round Five, I named Bernard Foley and Andrew Kellaway as being under pressure, as well as Hoskins Sotutu and Damian Willemse,…
The Springboks stayed in the hunt for an elusive Rugby Championship title by scoring five tries against two-try Argentina in Buenos Aires, surviving a…
Nobody shrugs like the French. It is not just the mouth; poised as if to inhale a slug or oyster. Not just the sardonic…
Which two players from every team face the most scrutiny in game five?
I spent Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2022 Rugby Championship in two very different Australian cities, with the median, Melbourne, in the middle.…
After two rounds, our running team of the Rugby Championship had an all-Springbok front row, quite a few Pumas, including 'Go Slow’ Emiliano Boffelli…
Hamilton and Sydney do not join in many sentences outside rugby. One occupies a stunning harbour and boasts a dozen celebrity chefs in the…
I tend to think Welsh fans as fairly canny?
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
I like the idea of CG as a utility back.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
The timing + position + decision + flat pass at 10 create so many ball-and-all tackles or target rucks for Samu.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Yes, a highlight reel tackle by a 15 is pretty far down the list of attributes for a Test fullback. No. 1 is to take every high ball, be there for raking diagonal kicks, structure the backline w his vision, and know when to go and when to just kick + chase or exit. Getting the opponent to the floor or into touch: doesn’t have to look pretty. Keenan does the job, at Jock size, and is pretty good!
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
I can see CG as a BBBBB type if he matures the same way Beaudy did.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
The French approach: all three game managers (9-10-15) can kick for poles (and locks like Skelton/Meafou lift flanks like Ollivon/Wright).
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Tells you a lot. Fullback GPS after matches is unbelievable. Damian W is also that level — Boks don’t release times/Bronco. I bet Marcus Smith ain’t bad at Bronco
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
True. Gotta get the best 50 in camp, pick the best 33 from anywhere, and that WB 23 will be a lot stronger in the end. Can handle inevitable injuries better.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Best “defence” by a fullback is a big boot off both feet.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Thanks for the work!
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Full on attack mode!
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Kells does rise to occasions. Remember Bledisloe moments. But I wonder if he can do anyway from the wing, and if OZ just needs a proper 15 for a change.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Cheers cs
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Such a good point. If we all agree on the 4-5 best fullbacks at Test level, none of them are flanker or 13-caliber tacklers one-on-one. But they get themselves in roadblock position early, communicate to their wings well, and are not caught out. Jock is very good at positioning, as is Kells. Wright is the strongest stopper, but if you need your 15 to dominate a tackle, you are losing.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Good post, I think.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Tom Banks has been quite good.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Jeznez: Yesssssss. The way a rock solid 15 makes the other 14 feel, especially a 10 having a bit of a mare, is such a gift to a team. Don’t want to wear out the Irish thing but since at the moment OZ has one of the architects of Ireland’s rise to top 2, it’s instructive to look at Kearney-Keenan and wonder: would they be seen as too boring or small for WBs by a lot of fans?
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Strong post.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Squad depth. If you bring in the best 10 OS players, who are paid for a reason, who have played in big matches in Europe against the best NH players in Test-like settings, they are the “average” of your 23. Better.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
The best fullback in the last few years has been precisely sized like Jock.
The others in the top five are a mixed bag: Beaudy’s long and lean, Damian’s thick in the legs and got massive paws. Ramos is shaped like a soccer midfielder who’s had too many croissants on the off season. Kinghorn is 6 foot 5 (sort of Jordie B size). Le Roux is 6 foot 1 and 95 kg.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Even if the kicking contest (tee/hand) tends to swing close Tests?
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Sort of succinctly summed up my article! Hired!
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Carter Gordon at 15 is not a crazy idea. He has a big boot and it’s not as important to be 100% precise from the fullback.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
I have thought about Carter for 2 years as a possible Damian Willemse guy (15-12-23-in a pinch a 10).
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes
Tate-Carter at 9-10 is a slow delivery system (see RWC 23) to 12-13 and wings will have to be fed by kick or blindside runs.
Kells, Wright, Donno, Jock or Kurtley? What Joe Schmidt's past tells us about the Wallaby fullback sweepstakes