AB's v Wallabies @ Auckland

[Butters]

The wallabies are a bad team. They deserved to get stomped like that.

They've got a fetish for giving the ball to the backs as soon as possible, even when they're not going forward at all. And when they do give it to the backs for some f**king reason Rocky Elsom or a prop is out on the wing. If you're going to use the backs actually use the f**king backs. :/

Need the forwards to use the ball more before even considering giving the ball to the backs. A decent kicker would go alright too.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

It's just ignorant to call the Wallabies a bad team. You're either biased or stupid. Sure they played badly on the weekend and deserved to get pumped, but they're a great team. You do make a good point though - the forwards need to be actually going forward and giving Genia fast ball if our backs are to be able to do anything with it. Congrats to the AB's on such a great defensive effort (even if they were off side alot) and shutting down Genia/Cooper. They deserved to win...just don't write the Wallabies off because they're more than capable of retuning the favour in a couple of weeks.

 

[Thomas]

The Wallabies looked rather good when they did get fast ball. Pity the decision making options were poor in the backs.

Anyone who writes them off in the RWC knows very little about rugby.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

Agreed Thomas. Taking nothing away from th AB's, the Wallabies made poor decisions and were their own worst enemies with far too many unforced errors. We'll dust ourselves off and move on. We probably learned more from that game than the AB's did and that will only make us better. Higginbotham needs to start. McCalman needs to go completely. This in my opinion is our biggest issue - a quality number 8. If Palu isn't there, we're screwed! It would have to be Higginbotham at number 8 with Dave Dennis or Mowen as backup. Hell i'd even consider Horwill at 8!

 

[Thomas]

Palu is sorely missed. The Wallabies need a ball running number 8 with size. In the Australian once journo (might be Brett Harris??) said that the Reds had a mobile but decent front row and backs who ran the ball and looked to put people through gaps in close. The Wallabies have a mobile and decent front row but the back 3 look content to set up a ruck. You could see them hang back in the Samoa game and they did the same on Saturday.

This Wallaby team is only a few tweaks away from being a really good team. It's a pity these tweaks are mainly mental ones. Quade will have learned from that game and despite sounding and acting like an idiot on occasion, he has a very astute football brain. I reckon we'll win in SA and go close to beating NZ in Brisbane. We may even scrape a win at Suncorp.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

Yeah we lacked patience, and when we did show it, we turned the ball over (usually because we didn't commit enough to the breakdown). It's good to see Elsom starting to play himself back into a world class number 6. If they (selectors) really do see Giteau as a part of theie RWC plans, he needs to play in SA. Whilst I love McCabe's straight, hard running, I'd also love to see O'Connor at 12. If Mitchell doesn't make it back in time, Luke Morahan should take a wing spot.

 

[Habitual Linestepper]

As long as a player enters the ruck correctly - which Horwill did - he can go right through if the opposition let him.

9 points + a fluke try from the kick-off - there is the 16pt difference right there. But it is not that simple. The AB's looked like they could step it up if they had to, the Wallabies could not.

The ref & the missed goals did not influence the result of the game.

Exactly.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that the AB's deserved to win. I only have issues with people who are so biased that they can't provide some form of objective opinion. AB's, Boks an Wallabies are the top 3 teams in the world. Every win between these teams is earned. Refs certainly CAN influence the final score but it's not often that they influence a game to the point that the wrong team wins. We all love to hate refs, but overall they're pretty consistent.

 

[Habitual Linestepper]

Everyone blames the ref. Everyone. In every sport the first person to get blamed for a loss is the ref. it's only normal.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

Yes that's the problem. Why are the actual players not the first ones to me made accountable?!!

 

[shiznit]

Easy to say that with a reasonable kicker and no try from the kickoff that there is a 16 point turnaround. That makes it 34-all without even bringing in the Joubert factor.

Problem is the kiwis were never tested. If we had kicked those 9 points and defended that kickoff what would they have done? They appeared to have plenty in reserve and could stop us when it mattered. But as they were not tested we will not know. And neither will they. On paper it could easily have been 34-34. Games are not won on paper. World Cups are not won in August.

true... but you can lose it in august.

which is what Australia have just done. EVERYONE now knows how to beat them. play physical... they cant handle being hit hard in defense. Just get up in there face.

The Samoan's showed the way... NZ just confirmed it.

South Africa will hammer them this weekend with there full strength side.

They may beat the All Blacks in Brisbane.... but that will only be because we may rest our best players... even then... our 2nd stringers could probably beat these pansies.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

Ah shiznit, if only the AB's had the same arrogant attitude as your good self. The surest way to lose a game is to disprespect yuor opponent. The Wallabies are happy to be underdogs. We've proven that we can win World Cups from that position. What about the AB's? Sorry - I forgot not to mention the war...

 

[shiznit]

I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that the AB's deserved to win. I only have issues with people who are so biased that they can't provide some form of objective opinion. AB's, Boks an Wallabies are the top 3 teams in the world. Every win between these teams is earned. Refs certainly CAN influence the final score but it's not often that they influence a game to the point that the wrong team wins. We all love to hate refs, but overall they're pretty consistent.

im not so sure about that... i think the All Blacks are clear number 1... the rest is a bit murky.

England certainly have claims to be better than Australia... they beat Australia both home and away last season.

 

[shiznit]

Ah shiznit, if only the AB's had the same arrogant attitude as your good self. The surest way to lose a game is to disprespect yuor opponent. The Wallabies are happy to be underdogs. We've proven that we can win World Cups from that position. What about the AB's? Sorry - I forgot not to mention the war...

lmfao.... the wallabies are beyond underdogs...

NZ certainly aren't guaranteed winning the world cup... there are teams capable of stepping up on the day.

Sadly, Australia just aren't one of those teams... they have far too many holes in there game.

the fact that they lost at home to Samoa... that would be an instant sackable offense for an All Black coach.

NZ wont even get a chance to play Australia... they will be knocked out well before they get to us.

Our threats will come from South Africa, England & France.

and since Saturdays win... all the talk out of the all black camp seems to be pointing at the fact were gonna focus on them from here on out...

 

[Silent But Deadly]

So by your logic, we beat the AB's last year so the gap between number and the rest has to be smaller than you would suggest. In saying that I do a gree that the AB's are the best team in the world. It's no secret that our scrum is a laughing stock but it's getting better. we held our own agianst the AB's though i'm sure England would demolish us...

 

[Silent But Deadly]

lmfao.... the wallabies are beyond underdogs...

NZ certainly aren't guaranteed winning the world cup... there are teams capable of stepping up on the day.

Sadly, Australia just aren't one of those teams... they have far too many holes in there game.

the fact that they lost at home to Samoa... that would be an instant sackable offense for an All Black coach.

NZ wont even get a chance to play Australia... they will be knocked out well before they get to us.

We deserved to lose to Samoa. We fielded a B team, and yes we disrespected our opponent (something you're continuing to do). A timely kick up the backside is what it was but certainly nothing to be too worried about.

 

[shiznit]

So by your logic, we beat the AB's last year so the gap between number and the rest has to be smaller than you would suggest. In saying that I do a gree that the AB's are the best team in the world. It's no secret that our scrum is a laughing stock but it's getting better. we held our own agianst the AB's though i'm sure England would demolish us...

no, no, no... lets get things straight...

youve lost 10 of the last 11 games against the all blacks... and your only win was in Hong Kong last season...

a game where NZ subbed off Daniel Carter with 20mins to go with us leading 24-12. Stephen Donald then came on and blew our 12 point lead in those 20mins.

Stephen Donald's All Black career ended after that tour.

If the All Blacks were serious about that Hong Kong game they would have kept Carter on and Australia would be 11 from 11.

but isnt it funny how you aussies seem to forget about that when you mention your Hong Kong fluke... :lol:

 

[shiznit]

We deserved to lose to Samoa. We fielded a B team, and yes we disrespected our opponent (something you're continuing to do). A timely kick up the backside is what it was but certainly nothing to be too worried about.

we fielded our C team against Fiji... a team that beat Samoa a couple of weeks earlier... and we put 60 on em..

we fielded our B team against the Boks B team... and we destroyed them...

Even our B and C teams wont lose to Samoa...

 

[shiznit]

We deserved to lose to Samoa. We fielded a B team, and yes we disrespected our opponent (something you're continuing to do). A timely kick up the backside is what it was but certainly nothing to be too worried about.

im not disrespecting anyone... im just saying how i see it... Australia have way too many holes in there game so just aren't up to scratch.

IMO they wont threaten...

not that my opinion matters much anyway!!

i thought the reds weren't anything special and was proved wrong spectacularly.

 

[Silent But Deadly]

It's semantics. We beat them who beat them so that means they should beat them... the simple fact is that we need to have the right game plan and attitude. We have the troops to execute it so write us off at your peril. We are able match anyone with physicality but that comes with attitude. I have a feeling that we are going to see a more physical Wallabies outfit in Burban this week. no one has a better backline that Australia (note - i didn't say we have the best), so provided the forwards can hold their own, I'll back us to come home with the chocolates.