Rebels vs Bulls: Super Rugby live scores, blog

Missing players wasn't an excuse for the teams they beat earlier in the year.

Hahaha. He can, but just too quick to argue for the sake of it.

Can you read?

Makes sense. A bloke playing like a busted ... having a go at you doesn’t go down too well.

So your answer for missing forwards was to play a more forward oriented game? From memory they mauled it on plenty of occasions, but were not very successful.

Perhaps but they failed to adapt their game to that reality, like spinning it out immediately from the lineout, instead of trying to fight a losing battle in the rolling maul. It has the hallmarks of rugby by numbers instead of playing what is in front of them, which is a coaching issue.

Yes, I noted that too. There are ways to lead and motivate, and there are ways that might have good intentions but they diminish and deflate, and therefore have the opposite effect. Barking at team-mates by Genia could be bringing early-season cohesion undone? Phillip discretely doing a 'go away and get f'd' to Genia was a clear and loud statement of dissent. That Cotterell/Wessells interaction was gobsmackingly uncomfortable viewing. I thought it was a cheap throw-away line by Wessells throwing his captain/players under the bus post-match, when clearly there were major tactical and game-plan blunders, particularly in the second half, that he was responsible for that needed owning before trying to blame his players. The last couple of games will be interesting? We might see some unravelling?

I actually think some of the players might be bucking back at Genia shouting at them. He was having a go at Matt Phillip at half time last week and Phillip ignored him and walked off. Then there was the instance where Cotterall contradicted Wessels in the press conference after one of the earlier losses, Storners I think. It suggests to me a lack of buy in by all of the team.

Few teams peak without half their first choice pack. Few teams also peak when they literally run out of players in a position. They had 3 contracted back rowers available. Unless you count RHP as one. But then they’d have only 2 locks, not 3 available as required for the 23.

Everyone has injuries and from this game the Rebels haven’t even had the worst of it. This end of the season is the test for coaches and Wessels isn’t really passing with flying colours.

I mean over the season, they have dropped more than just this game. And in any case it is Wessel’s job to develop depth, the pack he had on should have been able to do better than that. Perhaps he thinks he can rely on his “stars”, without having sufficient backup.

Melburnian, rumour has it that Nic White will sign with the Brumbies and be eligible for the World Cup.

At his rate, Nic White may be our starting 9 at the World Cup. Genia has been terrible in a few matches recently.

Quade set up at least one try, maybe two, and made plenty of breaks. Cynical Play has zero legitimacy when it comes to discussing Quade. Every week it is the same thing, unless Quade has the best match ever, he’s terrible. On the flip side, if Foley is even halfway decent he re-affirms that he’s the best in Aus by a mile to CP. Agenda is clear as day.

Yeh, a smashing through the forwards and it’s Quade’s fault? Turn the record over. I thought when Leota dropped that kick off we were in for a long night. The Bulls had a plan to niggle the Rebels youngsters early and it worked. The ‘run em ragged’ policy to tire out the Bulls big boys did not work. Philip went well early but he wasn’t supported enough and lost his smarts for the Pollard try. Forwards and Genia have a case to answer. But by all means slate it all home to Quade.

The fabled pair (Genia and QC) AGAUN failed to fire. Wessels, early on, was being lauded as a terrific coach. Maybe nor do much now. Disappointing result.

Well wrong on this one - the so-called poorly travelling Bulls were well above their average. Very solid win. Pollard excellent. Specman surely a clear bolter for RWC. Rebels played right into Bulls hands, much like the Crusaders did to Sharks weeks back. Close quarter combat when rush d smothered backs. Needed a change in strategy sometime in second half - early perhaps.

Yes, the days of him playing the house down seem to get wider apart. He just seems to have a commanding presence on field. Maybe it's his 'haircut' that gets him constantly noticed? I don't know, but we need him to pull a few more top-shelf games out of his bag in the RWC and not be ordinary if we are going to play further than the pool games. We definately need to be blooding in the next generation of players at 9 for example, and I don't believe Cheika has done a good job at that at all.

Perhaps because the alternative seems to be Nick Phipps. ????

Yes, I think you've got a good point with your criticism of Wessels at this point riddler, and I agree with you that I think Wessels has dropped the coaching ball somewhat as the season has progressed. I've held my gunpowder dry on Thorn's coaching as its early days for him and his squad. The bar is not set too high for 2019. However, I've never liked, agreed or respected him over his his/Reds administration's handling of QC. I thought that was appalling. If they didn't want him, fire him and pay him out and set him free. At least RA had the guts and decency to do that with Izzy after his indiscretion. Also, I don't think Thorn's roster has got balance of young and old, Test caps experience, and the right positional coverage; so that might be another early-career blemish of Thorn. Having said that, after a slow and ragged start to the season, the Reds are getting better and building greater cohesion; so that is a good positive.