I agree, a lot of people bagging both the Brumbies and the Landers after that game. But the pace of the game was unreal, both teams played well given it was non stop for the first 70 mins before it slowed down.

I must be strange though, I enjoyed the Force Moana game last night as well. Wasn’t the highest skill game ever but was good to watch as a neutral.

This comment aged well.

Mate, Fisher has been on the Wallabies coaching staff for a total of 9 games ever. All of those were in a 3 month period at the end of 2022, he was appointed as an interim after Matt Taylor left. I’m not sure how that counts as on and off the roundabout?

I know you don’t like him, he’s from Canberra and you’re pretty clear on here about your love of anything or anyone who’s been near the Brumbies. The Wallabies didn’t go backwards in those 9 games, most would see that beating SA, Scotland and Wales and losing to France, Ireland, and NZ by less than 5 points each while they were all ranked above the Wallabies wasn’t a bad run. The other 3 matches were a loss to Italy, one where we used our 3/4th string players (still should have won) and solid losses to SA and NZ

The Wallabies did however rapidly decline in the 10 matches after he left, and they weren’t looking like getting close to those results before he joined.

It’s not your opinion Vs others opinion on this one, it’s your opinion Vs facts.

Fair, I always thought the rule, like basically every other rule in Rugby involving a line was that if the player was on/over the line when he touched the ball then the line came into effect, like step on the line and you’re out.

Except a try, for obvious reasons.

We really do follow an over complicated sport hey.

yeah, agree that obstruction call was nonsense. the forward pass in the same play should have stopped the try, not the imaginary obstruction.

To be honest, the ref was poor, the Force were poor and the Brumbies were poor. Neither team really deserved to win that game. But someone had to.

I can add more decisions if you like, the Lineout to Lonergan, back to Pollard and an almost certain try to Brumbies was thrown far enough, if Lonergan is standing on the line when he receives the ball (which he was) it’s made the distance.

I’m sure there were plenty of examples the other way, but those 3 decisions likely made a 14 point difference to the game in favour of the Force.

Nah, Toole was fine with that hit. nowhere near the head, Potters head hit Sapsford’s knee. The one that should have been a card was Tizzano’s professional foul on Wright when he hip checked him from offside and put him on the deck while chasing a kick.
Or Potter holding onto Lonergan off the ball causing him to drop it, directly leading to the first force try.
Force had the rub of the green all game, but Brumbies played really poorly.

Of everything that Kearns threw out in this, I agree with one part.

we are coaching the wrong things.

The talent isnt spread too thin in the players. Anyone think the Rebels don’t have a strong competitive roster this year? Honestly? And this isn’t a stab at Foote, he’s a solid coach who should have had a few years as an assistant under a quality head coach to prep him for running an SRP team. He was failed by the system.

Where our talent is spread too thin is Coaches. We don’t develop coaches, we don’t have career pathways for coaches. The best paid coach in Australia after SRP (from what I’ve heard from a pretty decent source however could be incorrect) is the Tuggeranong Vikings 1st grade coach in John I Dent cup, and that’s not a gig that pays the bills so he also works full time.

How do we develop world class players without developing world class coaches? Look at the Tahs doing their best to kill off another coach. Do they really see firing the guy who they hired to replace the last guy they set up to fail is a way to help the team?

If we don’t fix our coaching pathways there no point fixing anything else.

I don’t read much into the inexperienced coaches working with Jones because I get the feeling nobody with experience wants to be on his team. He gets anyone who is willing to work with him and those choices appear limited.

Good luck to Victor.

True, but in the context of him not actually having started the role, meeting the guys face to face instead of on zoom at a time where he had no obligation to do anything and going out of his way to do that shows a level of respect that I as a fan appreciate and I reckon the players would as well.

I’d guess it had to do with Scmidt finishing some things off with NZ rugby and RA happy to save some dollars by waiting a little longer.

Interesting, I’d say Potter is a winger with fullback potential, but Tiatia is the standout option.
Donaldson wouldn’t make my Force 23, I’d say he’s their 3rd best 15 and 5th best 10.

Chase Tiatia should be first choice fullback still.

The Brumbies don’t take “better players”

What the Brumbies do that the other Australian sides don’t is identify the players that suit their game plan.

Reds and Waratahs change gameplans to try and suit big name superstar players without looking at how that affects the rest of the squad.

Sorry Ferret. I’ll try my best but can’t promise anything.

Ah yes, QLD, ACT, WA, NT, SA, Tas and from all accounts VIC and RUPA won’t do what’s in the best interest of NSW. Oh wait, that’s the rest of Australia united, working together for the betterment of Australian Rugby. Only one outlier.

In the last 20 years RA has had a non NSW chair for 6 years, a non NSW CEO for 6 years (but never an Australian CEO from outside NSW) and a non NSW Wallabies coach for 11 years, but only 3 years of that 11 an Australian coach.

In 60 years worth of work at the top driving Australian Rugby into the ground those 3 spots have been held by NSW for 37 of them (61%), and by a non NSW Australian for 9 of them (15%) with the other 24% being NZ.

Any wonder the rest of Australia don’t trust NSW to run Rugby? NSW have had their chance, they promoted mates, added more old boys and ran the sport into the ground nationally in the interest of NSW rugby.

Looking at who is in and out, we lose White, Samu, Ross (was 3rd/4th in line) Ulugia (only played due to injuries to all other hookers, coaching) Jack Wright (only played to cover injury/rested players) Pedro Rolando (34yo scrum half who I think played 1 game covering rested players) CFS and Mogg (coaching)

So outside White and Samu there’s no real player loss, and those two are excellent players but we have IMO a better 9 in Lonergan right now, although we do lose the experience white brings and not as good as Samu but still solid players covering his loss.

Backrow of Bobby V, Hooper and any of Brown, Scott or Reimer starting looks solid, but lacks depth at 6/8.

Hookers are not bad, same as 2023 aren’t they?

Wright was the best Australian 15 in 2023 SRP by a fair margin.

12 is our biggest issue I reckon followed by depth at 6/8/9/13 and 15 otherwise Brumbies look solid.

I’m not saying centres are weak because they’re Kiwis, just that we should be developing Aussie players in a position of weakness for Australia, even if there is a better alternative from another country in the same position. All good with having a Kiwi there as the starter right now, but the guy behind him learning should be an Aussie.

Mate, how can they be both the top Australian team and end the season in 7th/8th?
You’re saying that Drua will be ahead of all Australian sides which I think is unlikely, that Highlanders will improve from 9th to top 5 and that Moana will probably come from 15th to top 7/8.
An Australian team will be top 5 at the end of the regular season, it will probably be the Brumbies. I’d back them to finish 3/4 and have a home QF. Chiefs and Saders clear standouts with Brumbies, Blues and Hurricanes the next best.
White is a loss, but I’d have had Lonergan starting over him most of last year and definitely this year. Samu hurts but Reimer, Scott and Hooper cover that respectably. The Lord is the biggest loss but he’s working with Ben Mowen, Johnny Uliaga and helping mentor the new coaches.
My real issue with the Brumbies lineup is having Ollie Sapsford, Tamati Tua and Austin Anderson as three of the four centres because they’re all NZ players so the Brumbies don’t even have an Australian 12 in the squad, it’s a position of weakness for the Wallabies so if the top Australian side isn’t developing a Wallabies eligible player there it’s an issue.
I’m not anti hiring NZ players but we need to develop guys. Swap one of those three with a young Australian 12 would be bad for the Brumbies right now but good for Australian rugby overall.

Did Brumby Jack spew in your handbag after beating the Tahs one day?

Cheika and Larkham working together…….

There’s history there, IMO that didn’t work and would continue to not work because they have very different philosophies on how to play the game.

When Larkham was Cheika’s attack coach it always felt like Cheika was selecting the team to play his way while Larkham was trying to coach them to play his way so the gameplan simply didn’t suit the players.

Personally I wouldn’t bring Cheika back. If I did I wouldn’t put Larkham with him. We need a team builder, Cheika isn’t that coach IMO, most importantly we need an entire coaching structure pulling in the same direction.

I’d also say none of McKellar, White and Cheika would come back as an assistants they would all be only available for the head coach role so only one of those three would be an option. Larkham unlikely to come back as an assistant if Cheika was head coach but I think a possibility with White or McKellar.

Having said all that I would only have White from those four as head coach of a team in the Wallabies current position.

Issue is that there are a significant number of players that went to the RWC nowhere near the form of players who were left behind. First example – Ikitau, a contender for best 13 in the world, left at home with Petaia, a winger who had a couple games at 15 playing totally out of position.

I totally agree, the form players of SRP should be the guys making the bulk of the Wallabies. So about a third to a half of the 2023 RWC squad should not have been there on form.

You have some really wrong numbers there mate, Debraz started 6 Games for the Brumbies this year, Lolesio started 10.
In three of Debraz starts Lolesio was out injured. In one Lolesio was on “Wallabies Rest” a bit ridiculous considering the other Aussie teams were exempt from having to rest players. In the other two Lolesio was coming back from Concussion, playing limited minutes in the first one then 50 off the bench in the second one.
I’d say signing Debraz was a really good move from Larkham to get an experienced 10 in the squad, something all Aussie SR teams lack. I’d also say Larkham has backed Lolesio both by picking him for every game he’s available and publicly questioning EJ on his non selection before TRC.

I would assume that the teams are still expected to ID and develop the players coming through their systems, that they then make an offer to the players under their salary cap however when the player signs their employer is RA, not a specific team.

This would mean that the teams still have the overall roster and selection to themselves. RA would only really get involved when Melbourne said – Hey we have this really good young 9 in our system but no space in our roster for another 9 does anyone want this lad on their books? Or if it was obvious that the best two hookers in the country were on the same side and stopping each other getting game time, even 2 of the best 3, in that position RA might say to the side, hey you’re holding back the development of player A and Player B which one do you want most because we’re going to offer the other one a spot in a different side.

At the end of the day the Players still have to be able to make the final decision on where they play, RA can’t force them to play for a team they don’t want to be in.

Of course that could still be manipulated, but your comment is exactly why the Reds and Brumbies are correct to sign nothing with RA until there is a sufficient level of detail around how Centralisation will work.

I completely agree, not just Pasitoa. Burey, Stewart and Kuenzle are all better 10 options than Donaldson IMO. I don’t think he makes the Force bench except through injury.