Australia vs England

[The Camden Leisure Pirate]

I'd play Giteau at 12. The more space he gets, the better he will play!

I'd say it will be a very tight game. Both sides look quite poor!

The bloke is a ball player not a ball runner.

At No. 9 he would just have a more creative roll.

Get Lloyd Johansson and Lote running some angles and give them

Some time before the defence rushes up on them and the only way

That is going to happen is if we get Gregan out of the scrum-half role.

 

[Jackal Dog]

I would go for this team:

15.Mitchell
14.Sailor
13.Tuqiri
12.Gituea
11.Iaone
10.Rogers
9.Henjak
8.Fava
7.Waugh
6.Smith
5.Sharpe
4.Wallace-Harrison
3.Fitter
2.Palatua-Nau
1.Holmes

16. Moore
17. Random Aussie guy
18. Mcmenmiam
19. Houston
20. Sheehan
21. Johasson
22. Latham

Would put 50 on the poms and smahs the Irish and Welsh too.

 

[Tim Brasher]

15.Latham
14.Sailor
13.Turunui
12.Giteau
11.Tuquiri
10.Rogers
9.Whittaker
8.Fava
7.Waugh
6.Smith
5.McMeniman
4.Sharpe
3.Fitter
2.Cannon
1.Dunning
16.Polatu Nau
17.Holmes
18.Chisolm
19.Roe
20.Henjak
21.Johannson
22.Mitchell

 

[Scott]

John Howard would do a better job than Matt Dunning! When are people going to realise that he is a liability??

 

[aussies1st]

Since that Tri Nations game in Auckland, i've been over Dunning. Its time to blood in some young props its not like we got anything to lose anyway.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The Aussie selectors need a good smack upside the head. The Wallaby front row has been getting mauled all year yet they persist with Dunning, Baxcter and co. They need to take a leaf out of NZ's book, The All Blacks have the best front row in World Rugby right now yet we still went into a game against the 6N champions and instead of playing our usual combo of Haman and Woodcock we moved Woodcock to the bench and gave a debutante front rower (Neemia Tialata) an opportunity. You can't develop depth in a position without giving players experience there.

 

[aussies1st]

The Aussie selectors need a good smack upside the head. The Wallaby front row has been getting mauled all year yet they persist with Dunning, Baxcter and co. They need to take a leaf out of NZ's book, The All Blacks have the best front row in World Rugby right now yet we still went into a game against the 6N champions and instead of playing our usual combo of Haman and Woodcock we moved Woodcock to the bench and gave a debutante front rower (Neemia Tialata) an opportunity. You can't develop depth in a position without giving players experience there.

Well doesn't help when you don't have a domestic comp. All we have is the Super 12 and most of the props used there are the usual ones.

I agree though we should have used this tour to try out new guys. Young was injuried, Dunning and Baxter suck, clearly we needed to bring more younsters.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I agree though we should have used this tour to try out new guys. Young was injuried, Dunning and Baxter suck, clearly we needed to bring more younsters.

Exactly, what do you have to lose? If the ABs are prepared to risk a grand slam in the interests of depth by replacing a proven performer with a new player, then you'd think that the Wallabies could risk trying someone new in the place of a player who is crap anyway- after all they can't be much worse
Oh and incidentally Tialata dominated the welsh poodle he was up against.

 

[blackfriday]

the problem is that (and this has been mentioned by other people before) we do not treat forwards like we do backs. we laud and praise backs but nobody in australia gives credit to the a good forward pack.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

the problem is that (and this has been mentioned by other people before) we do not treat forwards like we do backs. we laud and praise backs but nobody in australia gives credit to the a good forward pack.

You can't win all the time without a good pack. Lets face it England won a world cup with a bloody good pack and a goalkicker. NZ, SA and French rugby all value front row domination as one of the most important facets of the game and regard the ability to bring an opposition side down with forward muscle as a point of pride. Australian rugby too often seems to think that the tight five's job is just to get parity with the opposition and feed the backline to do the rest.

 

[Jackal Dog]

the problem is that (and this has been mentioned by other people before) we do not treat forwards like we do backs. we laud and praise backs but nobody in australia gives credit to the a good forward pack.

lol I remember hearing a quote at a another rubgy board that somes it up perfectly "forwards win games, but backs get the chicks":lol:

 

[aussies1st]

While those ABs have made 15 changes we bearly make any according to the rumour after the training run. (Not the official side)

Chris Latham, Mark Gerrard, Lote Tuqiri, Morgan Turinui, Drew Mitchell, Mat Rogers, George Gregan (capt); George Smith, Phil Waugh, John Roe, Nathan Sharpe, Hugh McMeniman, Al Baxter, Brendan Cannon, Matt Dunning. Res: Steve Moore, Greg Holmes, Mark Chisholm, Chris Whitaker, Matt Giteau, Wendell Sailor.

Turinui over Giteau you have got to be kidding, Gregan still there, Smith at 8 still. And the worst of all the NSW forward pack is still there. England is going to kill that forward pack.

 

[blackfriday]

turinui has great rugby instincts and he is a vice-captain but i dont think it should have been at the expense of giteau. i would think cannon wouldnt be in the side because of his awful lineout throwing and chisholm banished altogether for butterfingers despite the fact they have had a months worth of catching practise preparing for the game. the nsw forward pack, believe it or not was quite strong in super 12 this season, and thats how the tahs got the final. they are clearly not up to international standard and its time to bring in david fitter. this is problem, the 'near enough is good enough' attitude is going to ensure that we're not going to win any games in the near future.

also...we've just lost six friggin games in a row playing that team, what makes eddie think we can still win without changing the side? they have all had a chance and they havent proven themselves. now its time to give those who havent had a chance a go. if we lose, then no big deal because it wasnt like we were winning anyway.

 

[aussies1st]

turinui has great rugby instincts and he is a vice-captain but i dont think it should have been at the expense of giteau. i would think cannon wouldnt be in the side because of his awful lineout throwing and chisholm banished altogether for butterfingers despite the fact they have had a months worth of catching practise preparing for the game. the nsw forward pack, believe it or not was quite strong in super 12 this season, and thats how the tahs got the final. they are clearly not up to international standard and its time to bring in david fitter. this is problem, the 'near enough is good enough' attitude is going to ensure that we're not going to win any games in the near future.

also...we've just lost six friggin games in a row playing that team, what makes eddie think we can still win without changing the side? they have all had a chance and they havent proven themselves. now its time to give those who havent had a chance a go. if we lose, then no big deal because it wasnt like we were winning anyway.

I don't know what happened to Turini in the French game but he didn't do much at all. I suspect he tackled but thats it. Giteau deserves the spot though, he with Rogers would make a lethal combo.

Our scrum while it wasn't at its worst wasn't dominating the French one either. Our forwards also don't have the running game that the ABs and SA ones have. The breakdown was also a problem, we lost quite a bit of ball there.

 

[blackfriday]

its becoming a real worry if we have scrummaging specialists in smith and waugh both on the field and we still lose the breakdown. if those blokes arent doing anything, we might as well have elsom and roe both starting so we can have four lineout jumpers.

 

[Tim Brasher]

It has already been said but what does Scott Fava have to do to get a look in... Its an absolute joke. How many chances will John Roe get? Fava should start at Number 8 and Smith should play Blindside flanker.

 

[Palms]

As long as Eddie Jones is coach he will not play for the wallabies, plain and simple. Waste of a phenominal talent though Eddie..

 

[aussies1st]

Whats new with Eddie. Look at the other talent we could be playing right now instead of having to wait another year.

 

[sixtynine]

go australia we can do it and i rekon we will!

 

[aussies1st]

Time much faith in a crap team Grothe. The signs were there. I hope Eddie finally brings in the young guys we have on tour. If we keep this team we won't get a win on this tour.