Beale could be the enforcer!

You have just been Kurtley’d !!

+ 3 (Spiro, Zac, Zoltan, Elisha – when are you gonna give us back our ‘like’ and incorporate a ‘dislike’ buttons!!)

Bernie’s nostalgic love affair with the boot has lost its sole. It was supposed to win games and a comp but it turned into another torrid little messy affair with recriminations and broken hearts. On the plus side the clean-up bill after the next home game will be lower.

Just how do we get into these excursions into d&d tactics and game plans? It is because in Oz the coach has yet to be exposed as a myth. He is not the messiah, he is not even a naughty little boy, he is merely, just, only,… the head of the support crew. If a team is going to win it is because it exhibits thorough preparation meeting fleeting opportunity, that is the myth of team and contact sport exploded folks. Where a coach can undermine that is by not making training enjoyable, by not finding ways to explain technique, by not enabling the team’s comms and leadership &c. On the sidelines we all have 20-20 vision, hindsight (though what orifice that uses I can’t tell you) and perfect recall. The boys have to do it in real time. Give them a chance, show them the different methods to get the job done and then let ’em loose. They will work it out by themselves, trust the process. Or you can just watch the Force instead, and maybe the Rebels next year.

Painful game that but we can comfort ourselves with the ‘building for the future’ mantra. We would have to come up against a side recently buoyed by the news of test selection and therefore armed with both confidence and a point to prove. Still happy with their effort, esp. after having no pill for 75% of the game. Tackled our hearts out until fatigue got the upper hand.

The ‘Tahs looked like a team on a mission, as they have for the two previous matches. Very balanced and good decision-making. I hope that is due to Cheika’s doing.

Did anyone else notice the director’s input; a lot more of the wider angle camera shots allowing us to see things take shape? Loved it, hope it becomes the standard.

Higgers is not a test starter, he is a replacement player only – at this level. His lack of relish for phase building, disregard of the Laws, absence when runners need support are liabilities that opposition kickers relish. As a replacement with fatigued opponents he would be the ideal substitution but those who build up the fatigue in the other side are the work-horses we need most. I doubt if he even gets that part of the game, it is the most critical factor in Rugby and it is why so many points are scored late – trite to say but points are what decide games. McCalman is our best at the moment but he stills runs high into the collision. Fardy could cover 8 too.

I can live with this, injuries have created a bit of a windfall selection-wise, not having QC available was a bit lucky, not for him of course.

Run on squad to follow, this is the test of whether Link and co have learned the lessons that the Force and Rebels have been giving. Just Play Rugby keep the ball in hand, build phases to tire the opposition esp. early, don’t ever kick away good possession (outside your 22), forwards on the front foot before the backs get a run, leave the desperation stuff to the replacements, pass to runners with a full head of steam whenever possible, back up, back up, back up never let anyone get isolated… Simple stuff but for too long we have thought we were playing another form of the game which rewarded risky, low percentage plays over graft and hard yakka. At this juncture it is up to the coaching squad to lose. Their whole focus should be on team building and moving the decision-making to the players (I would even involve them in the final selections – possibly one from each franchise and representing every possible state too).

Cheers RfBC,
Apart from Horwill, Higginbotham and Simmons sounds like a great unit. You probably wanted to protect those precious egos up there in Bananaopolis but that team has failed their fans, themselves and would not be ready for team-building again. Jones and Wykes, Jones and Fardy, Jones and Skelton sounds better, maybe? Simmons is a penalty waiting to happen, Horwill has lost his grunt.

Higgers has wonderful skills but he is also a one man band, risks penalties and hides behind the mantra of ‘if you don’t get penalised as a loosie, you are probably not trying hard enough’. There are smarter ways to do that and having the ref on board beforehand is the smartest, and recognising if you have lost that particular battle go to the next one, will suffice. This eludes Scott entirely and even as a replacement he will be a risk because his hero-meter will be on red alert when called. I just doubt his self-control. If it is a tough forwards battle will he go missing? Can you imagine him contributing to or organising a pick and drive, time-eating set of phases to end the game? I can’t and that means he is not a complete forward and therefore not worthy of selection. To replace him, Colby Faiingaa, there is one gutsy, quick, skilled player.

Meehan looked the goods last week, fast, flat, accurate, unselfish, balanced with a strong core. The ‘Tahs should be up for this, full of themselves, over-confident, ebullient, hubristic – bring it on, we have a lesson in Rugby waiting for them.

Oh, Tony, what has Meehan’s kicking game got to do with it, we prefer playing Rugby?

Go the Mighty Rebs!! At least five of you are run-on Wallaby ready. (LJ, MI, TE, CA, PA, CF, ready if needed).

Cheers Elisha,

This was a team that has either discovered itself or were playing for spots come Thursday. I really want it to be the former. They played some great Rugby and above all looked like they were enjoying it with their mates. On the flip side the Lions are not well-drilled, are somewhat pedestrian and look like a cobbled together team still looking for the leadership to solidify. Still its a 5 point bonus win and not a lot of those in the cabinet. I hope they are very proud of their mates today and tomorrow…

Totally agree on Skelton, biggest man on the field and he lasted eighty minutes, gargantuan effort, influential, powerful and the errors were all based on fatigue – but he never even looked like sitting down.

Missed the crowd invasion moments, ‘proper job’ as they say in some circles.

How does he keep the job? This team put itself into shape, must have anyway, nothing about Foley’s coaching past indicate he gets the dynamics that the Force players are showing.

The Force had to endure near enough to 20 minutes of goal line defence before the de Jongh try, an energy burden that was hard to overcome. Their attitude is first rate and sometimes the bounce of the ball just doesn’t go your way. There were many positives from that game and that is all any coach needs ever to concentrate on.

This team needs just a fitness coach and various skills coaches, a head coach or at least a negative one is not required.

GO the Mighty Force!!

Should add: Higgers will have a case to answer for the ‘meeting of minds’ moment he so thoughtfully provided.

Isn’t Malakai the Arnhem Land word for ‘lost brother from another mother’.

Be careful what you wish for Dc.

Can we invent an Australian grand-mothers for any Richies, Keirans, Conrads, or anyone with Whitelock as a surname? We already like an Israel and could do with another, and if that name is not an obstacle then an Aaron would come in handy too. And that is just the tip of the Titanic’s iceberg.

However, that talent when assembled has to bond and play as a unit, and that Dc, has always been your strength. A team with a single mind will always do better. Throw in some talent and the All Black legend is born. That is the part the Wallabies have only had in patches. When the support crew (incl coaches) took a back seat to the squad’s dynamics we did better. RMcQ and AJ were not the most dominant personalities within the crew and the results reflected the talent assembled.

However I do appreciate your generosity, thx.

My love of Rugby never dimmed because I was in a losing side. I knew I had to get better at it to contribute to the ‘one day’ when I would be able to hold my arms aloft at the final whistle. My coaches also let me in on the secret, I would become a better person for playing this game. I hope I haven’t let them down. Rugby does not need this and the parents and kids who do, goodbye, good luck.

Surround your self with low brainers then don’t complain when they do the no brainer that gets your team into the excrement. tbf Steve Walsh did try to ref a mens version of the game but the Reds weren’t up to it. Lets see how the judiciary treat O’Donoghue (my bet; the same as Deysel).

I believe now the Mighty Rebels have beaten all the other Oz franchises at least once so a milestone for them. This team very astutely plays to its strengths whilst trying to expose the opposition weaknesses. Their strength? They ‘get’ possession Rugby and the team dynamic.

I think those of us who look beyond the traditional NSW-Qld axis for our test players will raise a small glass toasting a brighter test future with 5 functioning franchises. We have only the selection hurdle (this thursday) to see if the Wallaby ‘brains trust’ warrants the title. If they do not reward form in favour of incumbency and it fails then we can insist the process be changed to merit so we can forever rid ourselves of that ongoing dullness. Added bonus, if the squad is predominantly form players then generating the bonds necessary will be easier because they will have come from the non-axis clubs and will have a point to prove. hint: Never underestimate the benefit the Brumbies had from having ‘rejected’ players.

I wish I could eat crow over my previous comments re: Burgess but won’t for the moment, he is still a one man band but he is getting marginally better in the scrum half position, but not nearly good enough yet to contemplate a Wallaby guernsey. Did anyone see him acknowledge anyone else’s contribution for the first try? It was a team effort none the less.

Fox commentary: Horan? Did he improve the quality of analysis?

Not holding my breath with this bloke. If he feels is so important then he is definitely in the wrong game. Rugby needs team builders and those who don’t run on to the pitch are not part of that equation. It really can’t be said any clearer, you play for your mates first and anything else is a distant second. Coaches who concentrate on imposing their will, rather than extracting/enabling the talent within, will suck the lifeblood out of a squad. It leads to substandard practise sessions, player selection, tactical suggestions. Our sport is a cold-blooded, ruthless animal. We don’t do dummy-spits and tanties, our kids do that for our (occasional) enjoyment.

In agreement with many above.

Totally ‘good luck’ to the Mighty Force! You have made quite a few sit up and take note of what is possible with a great team spirit and a hard uncompromising work ethic. There is no substantial reason your efforts will not set the tone for many more seasons to come.

If they bring that magical ball handling skill set (including the pack) we saw a few years ago then the quality of Rugby should be great. We need this series to expose coaches and players to a bit of blowtorch therapy before TRC and the Bledisloe tests.

Didn’t believe it at first myself, he almost had a ‘Bernie’ moment, hope it cost him a round of drinks!

One huge benefit to the Wallabies is the number of Super 15 players we have in all stages of development. If a player goes off the boil then we have probably four other replacements.

If a Wallaby squad was chosen on (a) ability to build and foster a team culture (b) good form, then bring it on. The Force and Rebels are our best examples of that at the moment. Team first, everything else second.

If he was the one who looked deceptively flat-footed then totally agree, he had a great step, needs another just like him to bust apart any defensive line.

One thought I had during the game. You probably noticed my ongoing theme on the Roar that any game could be won by a side that is really committed as a unit, and that talent is of only marginal benefit. That definitely does not apply to place kicking.

Cheers Harry.

Caught the Korea-HK game and saw some really dynamic moments from the all home grown Koreans. They have a quickness and deceptive style that was not really exploited. At some moments their ball handling skills were sublime. If they stuck to a game plan that held to the mantra ‘keep the ball alive’ they would be quite a handful. Their skills and awareness are up to it.

Brett,

The criticism is of the game and only by inference the teams. The Brumbies are probably everybody in Oz’s second team as are the Sharks if you are a Saffa. We are decrying that any coach, general manager, captain, player or water boy should ever think to bring this style to us. It is ugly and un-dis-de-showcase-istic. What we are asking for is that SANZAR, the code and any functionaries, whomever, do whatever they need to eliminate these spectacles because we love the feeling of rust as we put on our glasses and metaphoric boots and anything that threatens those sensuous moments when the call of Rugby is about. Deep down inside we would also love those AFL, Soccer and League fans to question their beliefs, if not their existence and self-worth when confronted by the purity of a well-played game of Rugby. Not too much to ask eh.

YKIR.

ps: for the trolls, on another thread I posted an acknowledgement of the game conditions that led to at least part of the tactical decisions.

TBF, it was his second game of Super Rugby and I think Steve Walsh had a chat at half time because the second half was a bit better. We will know what they think of him if he gets any more games. You are right, it is a very tough gig.

ps: I only ever carried a flag, after being pulled out of the stands.

? Always were able to ‘place’ the ball… in any direction, but there is only a limited time to do that, and that time is just enough for an opponent to demonstrate he is on his feet, supporting his own weight and if part of the tackle, has released. That is why getting isolated is a Rugby no-no and also why supporting the ball carrier is the 3rd commandment (depending on what list you read).