Official Rugby Thread

[Hurricane]

whats all this talk about lions playing 10 man rugby this tour?

 

[BoyBrumby]

whats all this talk about lions playing 10 man rugby this tour?

Team's set up for going over the top of the Wobblies rather than around them, so wouldn't be a massively surprised.

If Phillips gets the nod ahead of Youngs for scrum half you know the Lions are just going to try to smash the Crims.

 

[Hurricane]

Team's set up for going over the top of the Wobblies rather than around them, so wouldn't be a massively surprised.

If Phillips gets the nod ahead of Youngs for scrum half you know the Lions are just going to try to smash the Crims.

What is the point of picking a star studded back line then?

What a dissapointment if they just do up and unders every time.

 

[social]

First Lions match of the tour

Very scrappy so far - not surprising given how hot it is and they are basically 2 scratch sides

Farrell an early contender for the Lion we will all love to hate but cant imagine him playing in the tests

 

[BoyBrumby]

Farrell's had a minor shocker, actually. Handling, distribution and game management all sub-par.

& admittedly it was the girliest of dives from Britz after young Owenaro had twatted him (the Yarp hooker must outweigh the stand off by a good two stone) but it was a poor show to clap the decision to card him.

Phillips really needs to look for the pass more; he's come close to effing up both tries when there's been an easy offload there.

 

[James]

Really shows how fit the Sevens players are compared to the 15 man game given the difference in the amount of running and stoppages.

Can't wait for the real stuff to begin.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ok, that was better from Phillips, tbf.

Croft could be the only Pom in the test XV at this rate.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

***ton inked in for the Force game, you'd think.

Out of curiosity, do the British or Irish posters in this thread actually rate Quade Cooper as Wallabies flyhalf? Hugely divided over here.

 

[Hurricane]

2nd attempt replying - my unsolicited opinion from kiwiland - is that he will never adjust to the faster defensive line speed of test rugby.

I also think that some teams realise he always passes and never takes it into contact this makes him predictable. That said he is starting this year to play percentage rugby and i have seen him dive on loose balls and end up at a bottom of a ruck - so maybe he can learn new tricks.

I think Aussie has many peeps who can play fly half however and no one who can play 12 and 13. That is also a concern.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

2nd attempt replying - my unsolicited opinion from kiwiland - is that he will never adjust to the faster defensive line speed of test rugby.

I also think that some teams realise he always passes and never takes it into contact this makes him predictable. That said he is starting this year to play percentage rugby and i have seen him dive on loose balls and end up at a bottom of a ruck - so maybe he can learn new tricks.

I think Aussie has many peeps who can play fly half however and no one who can play 12 and 13. That is also a concern.

Believe it or not, but 13 is one of our only certainties for the Lions in Adam Ashley-Cooper. Has had a white-hot season in a dud side.

12 is more contentious, but Christian Lealiifano (in running rugby) or McCabe (in defence) will probably get the gig.

Our problem with flyhalves is that we have plenty of cattle that can do it, but nobody who's considered a specialist apart from Cooper. James O'Connor is the incumbent Wallaby but he's showing all the signs of a makeshift player even in Super rugby ATM.

Warburton is no McCaw, though. He'd get more breathing room than against the All Blacks.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Knock is Warburton's injury is worse than the Lions' heads are letting on, so Tupiric might yet get the openside gig.

On form Croft & him should be shoo ins.

On Quade: talented footballer, but a turnstyle defence and flaky as ****. Kinda think of him as a poor man's Carlos Spencer; world class on his day, but hands over your eyes woeful when not.

 

[Hurricane]

yes AAC can play centre solidly - perhaps in my mind I was thinking I wanted an x factor player as good as some of your other men like O connor and Beale at centre.

Cooper is less flaky now and he was on the highlights scoring a try in heavy contact the other day. But yes can't argue with what you said B.

 

[social]

Restores my faith in humanity to see that Sir Clive is still a whinging **** after all these years

Here's a tip for the Lions

If you had wanted the Force to field their strongest team, then you should have scheduled the match last weekend when they had the bye rather than playing a match in Hong Long purely because of the filthy lucre on offer

 

[James]

If you had wanted the Force to field their strongest team, then you should have scheduled the match last weekend when they had the bye rather than playing a match in Hong Long purely because of the filthy lucre on offer

Going to really suck though if all the Super teams play their second string. The Force don't have a chance of making the play-offs, so would have thought give your main team the chance of a life time against the Lions. Unlikely most of these players will still be around in 12 years.

 

[Hurricane]

Going to really suck though if all the Super teams play their second string. The Force don't have a chance of making the play-offs, so would have thought give your main team the chance of a life time against the Lions. Unlikely most of these players will still be around in 12 years.

The players the Force rested are hardly house hold names so perhaps the force would have lost by 15 points less.

It was not the same thing as Cooper and Genia being rested.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

The players the Force rested are hardly house hold names so perhaps the force would have lost by 15 points less.

It was not the same thing as Cooper and Genia being rested.

Would have been nice to see how McMeniman came out through his injury though. More to the point, we need a blindside with Mongrel™ now that Higginbotham's relegated to the corporate box.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Right now, we have very few dead certs in our starting XV. Looking like this:

1.
2. Moore
3.
4. Horwill
5.
6.
7. Hooper
8. Palu
9. Genia
10. Not Quade
11.
12.
13. Ashley-Cooper
14.
15.

Speculate away.

 

[Hurricane]

1. Robinson
2. Moore
3. Slipper
4. Horwill
5.
6. Gill
7. Hooper
8. Palu
9. Genia
10. Berrick Barnes
11. Tomane
12. Christian
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Oconnor
15. Israel (can't see any other fullbacks in the squad apart from Barnes)


Whole squad here - Three changes to Qantas Wallabies preliminary squad for DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour

 

[social]

Obviously there is some difficulty in determining Deans' mindset vs rational thinking but I think he will err on the side of conservatism and hope to steal wins by playing a similar game

Having said that, I wouldn't mind seeing the following team from those in the squad (not that I agree with that either)

1. Robinson
2. Moore
3. Slipper
4. Horwill
5. Simmons
6. Gill
7. Hooper
8. Palu
9. Genia
10. Leali'ifano
11. Folau
12. Horne
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. O'Connor
15. Barnes

 

[James]

Disappointing from the All Blacks, but I suppose first game of the season was always going to be touch. Thought France had it over us for most of the match and expected them to take it.

Cruden was very disappointing. Would suggest benching Dagg and starting Ranger for the second Test.