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Rhys Bosley

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Joined September 2018

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“Look at me Marge, I’m a New Zealand rugby fan, looking for attention on a story about an all Aussie rugby game”.

Waratahs crush Reds in rout

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Rugby
 
Today

1. Campbell was the next best choice of winger after CFS then Petaia were unavailable, he clearly just struggled because he had been training for fullback all week and had to switch at the last minute.
2. Yes. This is just one of those hard lessons for Wright in particular.
I also think that the Tahs had their experienced heads back, Gordan, Hunt, Robertson, Dempsey back in form, made a huge difference to their confidence and composure.
3. If you look at the presser Thorn dealt with what had happened very well under the circumstances. Despite what his detractors would have us believe, he comes across to me as being a very empathetic man who genuinely cares for his young charges. He will make sure they get the support they need.
4. He had a slightly off night last night but under normal circumstances, Angus Scott-Young is the best six in the team and six is his best position so he should stay there. He does exactly what a six is supposed to do, organises the defence, gets into position to make the tackles, makes them, hits the breakdown with good body height and at 108kg with good power, plays his role in the lineout and runs reasonable metres in traffic. The reason that he doesn’t get a lot of credit for this is the same reason that most sixes don’t, the position is bread and butter and only really gets noticed when something goes wrong.
As much as I am a fan of Wright as a captain and a 7, at 101kg he isn’t heavy enough to be an effective six. If you see the turnover that Michael Hooper and Karmichael Hunt effected on LSL, Wright attempted to clean out but just bounced off them until the larger tight forwards arrived, at which point it was too late.
Put him on the field with McReight and you double that problem, we need ASY’s bulk.
I think you are a little mixed up on the lineout, the lineout where Gordan ran by BPM was a Tahs lineout, if it hadn’t been BPM would have been throwing. So it had nothing to do with whether or not the Reds were winning their own ball. The issue appeared more to me to be that BPM ran up to far to try to shut down Gordan, became disconnected from Zander at the back of the lineout when the latter was blocked by a Tah and then a hole appeared which Gordan exploited. So it was really just poor individual defence, in that tight had BMP stayed back a bit he should have been able to make the tackle.
Overall I was more disappointed with the Reds loss to the Brumbies last week, because I think it was winnable but for silly mistakes. Against the Tahs this week I think it was just one of those games when the team is off kilter and when players who normally don’t make a lot of mistakes, like BPM and Campbell, were unsettled and the Tahs were good enough to punish the Reds for it.
It happens, the Reds just need to move on and work out how to beat the Rebels and stay in the comp, because the Rebs are a real threat now.

Waratahs crush Reds in rout

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Rugby
 
Today

Look at the leadup to the disallowed Petaia try in the Reds game and you will see Kuridrani moving to the open side in defence while his teammates were still tangled up in the previous ruck in the blind side, leaving Valentini to defend about a 10 metre hole against Petaia. There was only one way that was going to work out. TK has his thumb in bum and mind in neutral, perhaps he needs wakeup call by McKeller, with a game or two on the bench.

Rebels shock Brumbies in the wet

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Rugby
 
1d

Kuridrani looks ready to check out, he contributes nothing except to illegally hold players without the ball back.

Rebels shock Brumbies in the wet

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Rugby
 
1d

Probably a bit of both Numpty, Kuenzle does nothing to spark the attack, but their forwards haven’t been great either.

Rebels shock Brumbies in the wet

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Rugby
 
1d

And coincidentally a team captained Matt Toomua at 12 with Reece Hodge at fullback, just put a big win on the Brumbies. Hodge in particular was excellent, his positional play is outstanding and he is going to have another month or so to make his case for the Wallabies 15, I reckon that DHP is going to have a hard time getting back into the starting squad. On the downside I am now far more scared of the Rebels for the Reds than I was previously.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

I don’t think either of those guys is assured of ursurping Toomua or O’Connor by the 2023 RWC. They are 21 and 20 respectively, that is very young for an international fly half, even Beuden Barrett had to get most of his experience of the bench until he was about 25.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

The sad fact for the Brumbies is that without Lolesio, they’ve got nothing attack except a driving maul. As long as teams don’t fall into the trap of giving away penalties and allowing them to use their primary weapon, the Brumbies are now very beatable. Good on the Rebels for showing how it is done.

Rebels shock Brumbies in the wet

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Rugby
 
1d

Journalists probably keep asking him the question.

Wallabies coach yet to give up hope Joseph Suaalii will stick with rugby union

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League
 
2d

1. NB showed that AAA is a very good prop, but he doesn’t bring the extras that Tupou does. Even on scrummaging alone Tupou has been merrily destroying opponents all season in a way that AAA physically just can’t. Scrum dominance is the THPs first and foremost responsibility and it is the cornerstone position for much of the attack in rugby, on that count alone Tupou should start. That means AAA either has to move to loosehead or go to the bench where he cannot be considered to be captain, I guess you would have to ask him what he would prefers.
2. Yes, I’ve never rated DHP. He is too slow and flakey, and at 31 years old he has had all the chances he deserves. Time to move on.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

Stewart is the best defensive 12 in Australia and the most versatile. He made 25 tackles with only one miss last week. He is also very effective at the breakdown and is a very good second playmaker in attack. He plays very flat and has a long, accurate pass so sets up his outsides well and he has an effective kicking game.
He can also cover fly half and fullback, making him very useful as a bench player.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

I reckon Simone, Wilson, Lolesio and Stewart should all get a run off the bench, all are having good seasons so it would be good to see how each does.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

1. Tupou is our best tighthead prop by a mile and AAA is as good a loosehead as a tighthead, so he wouldn’t be out of position.
2. Hodge, Maddocks, Campbell, Banks …. take your pick. DHP wasn’t even our best fullback last year, let alone this.
3. We have no evidence of White’s leadership ability, apart from one article showing him talking a lot during Wallabies losses. I don’t see that as conclusive evidence.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

Dane Coles, the Tanelia Tupou of the under 15s …

Any which way you can: Australia’s intriguing choice at tighthead prop

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Rugby
 
5d

What evidence is there that Petaia is a weak defender? His last full match was in the WC final, his international debut, and he made 7 out of 8 tackles, seems pretty good to me.

I also disagree on your assessment of the role of the 13, it depends on the coach and the personal. With a plsymaker inside him as Petaia would have with the Wallabies, the 13s role in attack it is to try to get past the opponent or at least to create space and offload. There is no player in Australia who is better tysn that in Australia.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

AA could do it but he would have to play loosehead, because Thor is a better tighthead than him. That could work actually, AA is as good as any loosehead in the country, aside from Toomua he would be the other choice.
Hooper has been tried and found wanting, Haylett-Petty shouldn’t even be in the 23 and White is an out there suggestion that isn’t going to happen.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

Because you can get away with sausage rolls if you drink coke zero. It is always the cupcakes that are the killer.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

Yeah, he isn’t perfect and would need guidance from Rennie, but we have seen Hooper making bad calls for 5 years without getting much better. I’d like to see Toomua given a go.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

TK? From what I saw with the Brumbies he has either been hitting the gym hard to try to become a loose forward, or alternatively has been hitting the cupcakes a bit too hard. He is looking very beefy and very ordinary in attack. If he stays healthy I reckon Petaia is ahead of any other options as Wallabies 13, despite all his injuries he has made an impact in virtually every game that I have watched him play, including the World Cup quarter final.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

I’m not sure there would be any difference which positions Toomua and O’Connor play for the Wallabies, they are very similar players and can both cover 10 and 12 well. Personally I would start O’Connor at 10/and make Toomua captain, starting him at 12. He is a head and shoulders above anyone else in the team in terms of brains and communication skills, bar Liam Wright who is still too young. Toomua would be a far better captain than Hooper has been.

Club or country: Balancing each side's needs at the selection table

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Rugby
 
3d

I guess the question is with a bloke with so much ability, where is it best used. They could just as easily position him outside the winger in attack, imagine the cleanouts and finishing. But he can’t do everything and he is effective at what he does do, perhaps Rennie will try something different.

Any which way you can: Australia’s intriguing choice at tighthead prop

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Rugby
 
5d

I’ve been watching him operate this way for at least the last two seasons Mate, I have not a shadow of a doubt that he is deliberately and effectively being played in a “roving battering ram” role.

Any which way you can: Australia’s intriguing choice at tighthead prop

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Rugby
 
5d

Fair enough, he sticks his foot in his mouth on occasions and people don’t have to like him, but I still think he will do a good job.

Phil Kearns will run Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup bid

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Rugby
 
4d

Fair point, though in reality Perth is going to be included in and Aussie tournament, so it isn’t really a trade off.

Phil Kearns will run Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup bid

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Rugby
 
4d

With Super Rugby the crowds including opposition supporters generally live locally. In contrast the World Cup relies on attracting high paying supporters from half way around the World, those are the people who we need to make attendance easier for.

Phil Kearns will run Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup bid

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Rugby
 
4d
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