Andrew 10/10!! Great read!
Your title should read expert story teller, NOT rookie journo!

Agree with Fadida too, tho Lucas Neill wasn’t my favorite in a golden era, he certainly did both himself and Australia proud!
Unfortunately he will be remembered for one poor tackle, art the wrong end of the park, in the wrong game, when we were semi final bound!
Maybe a good omen Andrew, Italy has missed the World Cup, means we will get to the semi finals this time.
Sorry got ahead of myself

Thanks again Andrew great read

Thanks Nic, for another great piece , again…
Also THANKS to everyone, who added there “tuppence worth” of comments to further develop Nic’s article.
A fantastic read to the insights of Rugby personalities.
(Kanes photo’s, speak a thousand words of BT)
For the sake of both Aussie Rugby and international Rugby competitiveness, lets hope the Reds win the Super Rugby comp, we need BT’s galvanizing presence in our game, same as Mick B and Dave W .

McKinna is a winner, the Mariners have been nothing since he moved on!
Merrick is a seasoned winner, as seen and shown at his time at Victory!
Toper Stanley is a winner, the Wanderers have struggled since he left them!
It will depend entirely if the “no names” can step up to the professional level of the above 3!
All three wont take excuses, so if success isn’t forthcoming, then we could see a big fall out again!
Lets hope, at last Newcastle football takes off again. It was the premier football city 40-50 years ago!
Time to return there NOW!

The tight five seem to have settled into a “best 5”. Back up is our weakness with Robertson and a hooker?
Back row atrocious. Need to be bigger especially, 6&8. Test match rugby requires a “lock” size 6&8, Hooper needs to be stronger in arms/shoulders to pull ball free at breakdowns, or a bigger player required. (Mcmahon/Pocock), for all his work rate. Hannigan is a kid playing against fully grown men!
9/10/12 our best options at moment.
Kuridrani is world class.
Back 3, is close our best, but Folau as mentioned by many, needs moving from the back,especially when receiving kicks in own 22.
Hodge is a must, just for the pressure of having a long kicker, like it kept Pumas in game.
Our bench is a real weakness, especially front three and 9/10, but cupboard is bear, I suspect

Mr Angry,

I know how you feel, so many of us feel the same way!

Scrap the Australian Rugby super rugby model!
Either all in or all out! That is the Australian way, stick by your mates! What is the RPU doing, sitting on there hands?

This is a great chance to stop the elitist Rugby, and get back to the grass root rugby.

I remember being a no name subbie, walking off Ballymore and the Mark Loanes etc, walking past me onto the field.
That is what rugby is about, not this poor excuse we are seeing in the West!

Someone start a petition to this decision!

A very poor and short sighted decision! This is so un Australian!

Force was the stand out team this year in OZ and got better as the season went under Wessells coaching, whereas all other teams got worse as the season went! The boys in Gold included!

They displayed what Australian Rugby lacks at the moment, passion, desire,team mate-ship, from a team and coach of no names!

The old saying of ” a champion team is always better than a team of champions”, is never so true, look at Waratahs, Rebels and QLD reds playing roster!
The above teams have turned away most of the Force players, and paid big dollars for non performers, and yet the decision was made on monetary logic! Maybe Force management should be running the ARU, instead of the Waratahs old boys club!

I am an old subbie of the 70’s, and if i was still playing, I would be off to the West, to join something that needs saving!
Played and followed rugby for over 50 years, and this is a terrible decision, I would have preferred pulling out of Super Rugby, than this, just not Australian!

I hope they win in court and send the ARU broke, because that seems the only way to fix Rugby in Australia,

If we get within 30 points in a game against the MIB, it would be surprising, and maybe the Boks too in their back yard.
That means we will need to score at least 20 points as they will score 50points, plus a game against our defence!
I cant see that happening, with our inside backs. Terrible!
It would be interesting to see an international world rating of of our backs, Folua is the only one one of any special skill, and Beale, but he has to overcome his injuries first, and as we all know, the older you get the slower it takes, and Beales big skill, is his speed through a gap, we need him to get it back!

I don’t think so!

Harr’ys comments, close to the mark, “mid table team”!

Aussie’s nearly always play any sport above and behind both natural ability, and numbers,

Not anymore at the Wallabies.

Other teams are better coached, skilled, and lead, both on and off the field.

Pulver and co, should die on there sword, as it aint working, it is getting worse fast.

Cheika, for all his passion, is the wrong coach for the this team at the moment. Most people can see that, except the people that count.

Love to know what John Eales really thinks, it is not what his expresses publicly.

Pretty accurate summing up, especially re Hooper captaincy and Cheikas influence on his thinking.
Genia , Higginbotham,Carter, THP, even Coleman for captain.
Team also needs a Tolu or Hardwick type for turnovers.
If you are a fan of Pococks or Hoopers, at the end of the day, turn overs creates tries and pressure at the breakdown, we do neither.
Give it it to Izzy, he will score. Poor coaching!
The coaches need to go. All three 3! It aint working! Change is needed.
Player talent is good enough to compete, against most teams, also easier to find 3 new coaches than another 30 odd test players!
Cheika is the wrong style of coach for this team of players sand he is a good coach, but not for this team!
A Jake White or Link type of coach is needed BIG TIME!

Poor game plan, 2 critical turning points, 2 senseless kicks, 1 by Genia and 1 by DHP, why, because no plan! B
Both players are better than that. Hooper being left on half way, after a great run, with no support.
The support play is atrocious! It is non existent, and that is coaching.
The All Blacks support play is awesome, wonder why they keep winning!
Simple Rugby, take the tackle, and set up again, not hard just needs less Cheika running Rugby at all costs,
This is NOT how you play the game in 2017!
Cheikas game plan is well past its use by date, from the pre millineum.
Cheika is well past his use by date too, and if change is to be made it is after the June tests, to give the new coach a chance for next world cup
Sorry Cheiks, I am a fan of your rough and tumble life style image, but NOT your coaching style!

The coaches need to go. All three 3! It aint working! Change is needed.
Player talent is good enough to compete, against most teams, also easier to find 3 new coaches than another 30 odd test players!
(Except against the All Blacks and we will see how good the the MIB are, after this weekend, against the Lions).
Cheika is the wrong style of coach for this team of players sand he is a good coach, but not for this team!
A Jake White or Link type of coach is needed BIG TIME!
Call it 10 man rugby or, smart rugby, or winning rugby, but field position and quick turnovers cause tries, ask the MIB!
To the poor game plan, 2 critical turning points, 2 senseless kicks, 1 by Genia and 1 by DHP, why, because no plan! i.e. oh what do I do now, Both players are better than that. Hooper being left on half way, after a great run, with no support, near east player in support is Higginbotham, where is Genia, Foley, wingers, again still trying to organise the D! Poor coaching! The support play is atrocious! It is non existent.
The MIB support play is awesome, wonder why they keep winning!
Simple Rugby, take the tackle, and set up again, not hard just needs less Cheika running Rugby at all costs, like the Ella days, this is NOT how you play the game in 2017! The rules and much else has changed! and Foley is no ELLA!
Cheikas game plan is well past its use by date, from the pre millineum.
Cheika is well past his use by date too, and if change is to be made it is after the June tests, to give the new coach a chance for next world cup
Sorry Cheiks, I am a fan of your rough and tumble life style image, but NOT your coaching style!

A lot has been said by many passionate Roarers, but end of the day, it is up to the coaches to get get players playing to there skill levle and ability or above it! I am no Hooper fan and much prefer mcmahon, even Hardwick, but he is one player along with coleman that is an 80 minute player and who consistantly plays to his ability.

Cheika, Larkham Grey are just not up to it! Deans also struggled with the player selection, ie. Oconnor at first 5!
Link fixed a lot with his dry style of coaching, Chieka just the reverse, with no plan B
Cheika emotional passsion is just like Styles, poor. Coaches need to be objective and unemotional. The last thing the Wallabies needed is more emotion

Wessels has shown some skills, changing Force style and performance, but maybe as asst with a Lancaster, Henry type to get us playing consistantly to a our player skill levels, We are not at the moment, and the coaches ain’t fixing it, just making it worse!
Nicholas Bishop would have a field day with this team!
Where is Mick Byrnes?

We have the nucleus but not the smarts to make it work, thats simply COACHING!

The Brumbies, like all Aussie teams, look so one dimensional and a yard slower than the other team in reaction time.

Why cant they just play wants in front of them, and whatever happened to playing the whistle
Tthat is what makes the kiwi teams so effective.

More of question, is Aussie teams performance, poor due to player quality or depth, or head coaching tactics, or just squad coaching via asst coaches?

I am sure Kerevi, Hodge, Folau etc would be big performers in a Kiwi side, but not Aussie ones.
Who was responsible for moving Hooper to 7 from a 12? As said by many, he is good, but not world class, not a fetcher”‘, but as a 12, I suspect he would have been world class?

Thanks PeterK.

Always enjoy your insight to player selections and team strengths/weaknesses.
We Roarers need to stay open minded and evaluate what is said, not be negative to everyone else’s opinions, poor form!

Peter, Coaches ratings?

It would be good to see where the player improvement/pride has had the biggest/least impact since Mick Byrne joined the coaching team.

Always been prejudiced with Larkhams coaching in the past.
Seemed to lack confidence to state his coaching style, however, the EOYT seems to have had a Larkhamesk influence in backline angles/speed etc in attack. I think QC would be better served at the Brumbies with Larkhams coaching, and improve his chances of the #10 Gold jersey.
Has Mick B, influenced larkhams coaching pride? i.e. show us what you’ve got?

Lastly, has Larkham, Cheika and Grey, coaching improved since Mick B has joined the team, because he needs to “coach the coaches”, on his way, if we are going to get back to the top two in the world, surely thats why he is there.
Picking big boppas has seemed to have happened since he arrived. i.e ” a good big player is better than a small good player”

Merry Christmas to all Roarers

Sheek,
Always value your balanced insight and thoughts on rugby.
the “no try”, I agree with you.
If you played the game, you’d know, it is just that, part of the game.
If Savea was supporting the ball carrier, then I doubt very much if he would have allowed HP to push him away!
He would have done everything possible to support the ball carrier. Crying fail was his last attempt to disrupt the attacking team and stop the try!

The Dean Mumm carry on, is simple, Retaliak who was in an off side position to the ruck, was knowingly and intentionally interfering with Mumm’s attempt to join ruck and compete for the ball. No different to the HP infringement except he used his arm to push Retaliak away, who swan dived, as hit by a truck.
Again, nothing to be gained by Retaliak in an offside position, fouling an attacking player on the ball, except disrupt the attacking team. All part of the game, I dont in anyway support foul dangerous play, but again it was no different to the Sio “accidental trip”, which was play on, it is part of the game!

It is Southern Hemisphere rugby, NOT Northern Hemisphere rugby!

Yes, agree, Cooper looked like a stranger, asking if he could touch the ball. Foley has some influence on Cheika thinking!
Smacks of a real culture of the old boys and the newbies!
That has to be Cheika and Moores influence, and that is a worry.
To change that some real lateral thinking is required, i.e. make Cooper VC and Moore needs to be gone, cant throw, cant run, cant captain, the refs hate him!
Foley moved to the bench.

Just theorising,,
if the Brumbies pick up Hayne to replace Tomane, and he turns out like Folau, a scoring machine, will we still be anti Hayne.
I understand the no to BIG Money being splashed out for him in these hard times, but he will impact and will draw bums to seats if
successful.
I would hate to think what crowd the Waratahs would get without Folau’s presence.

Can anyone tell me why the Waratahs never play comp games in Newcastle Dubbo etc. Unless you live in Sydney or drive 6 hours you cant see them

Re Phipps

While watching the game, I kept asking myself, how many mistakes/poor decisions will he make before Lucas comes on.
It was far too late, last 10 minutes, for Lucas to impact the score.
Kearns? made a comment before the game and said “Tahs centre pairing should be there backline strengths”, but it wa a shocker by Horne and Folau’s worst game at 13 so far I thought.
Not a fan of Skeltons but I thought he bought some physicality to the Tahs,
The Canes weren’t going to be out muscled.
The strong Tahs scrum was a highlight and the lineout was a real lowlight!l

Agree Taylorman re Kervei, and he was qld’s best back.
How poorly did Frisby play, he should be on top of his game, after playing for WB’s.
Plenty of other examples of players being overwhelmed by Chief players though!

Men against boys it seems.
Why do NZ 21yr olds have it and Aussie 21y rolds dont! Consistently across all teams, theirs and ours.
NZ young players impact, whereas Aussie youngsters are overwhelmed. It has to be coaching before, during, and after each game!
Example; McKenzie, plays 80 minutes of mistake free SR, yet it his first year SR and young.
Is it coaching at school boys or just Australian SR coaches poor?
O’Connor certainly saw the light when he said “NZ teams play a different style and we AUSSIES need to catch up quick”!
NZ have been building to this for a few years, McCaw was a stand out when he hit the scene, but there is 25-35 McCaw types running around in NZ and we wonder why we cant beat them!!!
Go Waratahs tonight, keep the flag flying!

Beale may well have been the key to unlock that defence.
Folau was shut down and how could anyone rate Kuridrani’s poor game. He is there to punch holes and drag tacklers along, but that didnt happen, so why is he there, Kerivi was seemed far better performed, and was repeatedly beating the first tackler.
Certainly missed Beales speed and spontaneity to unlock that well drilled defence.

Much has been said about the 50/50’s, but Joubert got it wrong with the yellow card before halftime, but the Aussie think tank did too, a simple drop at field goal immediately would have forced the yellow card issue.

Foley penalty, oh please, it is a test match that happens every game and even more than usual last night.
40 penalties should have given if that was one!! Poor officiating surely!
I am a fan of Cheikas passion and desire but last night Eddie was certainly showing his wealth of International coaching, and showed up Cheikas lack of a Plan B.

LLF seemed totally lost when he came on, certainly showed no impact.

Taylorman,
you just hit the nail on the head!
Cheika is a good coach, but “simply the best”, well time will tell.
Potentially he could just be that, but not yet.
He needs to nurture, develop the next generation of players for the next two world cups and then we will have our answer.

Though you cant deny the public love his style and the playing group also seem to want to play his way, so good luck to the immigrant.

Go Wallabies, by 15 points tomorrow.

Spot on KC!,
Cheika will definitly send down some curve balls with his team selection.

My tip, Folau, will attack from 12 and defend from wing/fullback, and Horne the reverse,
Even now he drops back when at 13.Best player on field in Chiefs game, and what a game, it deserved a 40,000 crowd.
It was up with the sades/landers game of the season

The Waratah forward pack played with mongrel last night, first time this year, looked like Cheika had spoken to them!

Best forward pack effort this year by Waratahs.
Certainly played like a pack last night, not 8 forwards who just met each other!, we have been used to this year.
I hope Daryl Gibson has the no-how tactics to beat the Saders, who were beaten by an outstanding Landers team.
Waratahs could well do with Jackpot still n the pack, still missing that .abrasive “in your face” aggression.

” ……and his defence is solid”.
Kellaway might have one good defensive game but had a shocker last game and missed three try saving tackles, a fullbacks bread and butter and using defensive angles!
Lets hope his young age is still in a learning curve.
Hopefully as he gets more experience, he will make better decision making and execution techniques.
Folau is given more attacking licence in midfield, where at the back he has a lot of territory to cover.
Still can’t understand why the attacking high corner kick isn’t used for him. That was he NRL trademark try.
Make or break time this trip for Waratahs against SA teams.