Official Rugby Thread

[BoyBrumby]

Pretty pumped for this. Not expecting to win, but hope we manage to back up the good work from Sydney.

Not giving too much away in saying I think we'll keep it tight, and hope for some magic from Youngs or Foden. ABs have much better tight five than the Wobblies tho.

[BoyBrumby]

Jeez Gear's ****ing quick. **** off the proverbial wet shovel doesn't begin to cover it.

Some things never change tho: Wally can't throw into a line out for toffee still.

[BoyBrumby]

Try every day. Well played TMO.

Wondereful offload from SBW that made it beforehand. Boy's gonna be so, so good.

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by Scaly piscine

Oh ffs the BBC have started including the ****ing Scottish ****e in the football updates. Who gives a **** about that 2 team tinpot league where the 2 teams get dominated every time they bugger off from the home comforts of Glasgow and it's awe-inspiring post apocalyptic slums.

Don't sully our thread with your round ball filth.

Hartley's was a double movement if ever there was. Taking it tho. Cole shredding Woodcock in the scrum too, which is good to see. He's a beast, the boy.

[social]

Wallabies reverting to type against Wales - attacking flair just about compensating for shocking scrum

[Somerset]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Pretty pumped for this. Not expecting to win, but hope we manage to back up the good work from Sydney.

Not giving too much away in saying I think we'll keep it tight, and hope for some magic from Youngs or Foden. ABs have much better tight five than the Wobblies tho.

Great call BB. The most unexpected of tactics from England, great attitude it must be said to move the ball as much as they did. Sure their execution let them down a bit but its certainly the way to play under these law interpretations.

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Jeez Gear's ****ing quick. **** off the proverbial wet shovel doesn't begin to cover it.

Some things never change tho: Wally can't throw into a line out for toffee still.

Gear was fantastic in that first half, he does that every week in ITM Cup against weaker defences and looks a million dollars. Impressive workrate from Rokocoko too.

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Try every day. Well played TMO.

Wondereful offload from SBW that made it beforehand. Boy's gonna be so, so good.

Didn't think it was a try personally, too much doubt for my liking. The offload was magical though - didn't expect SBW to play the full 80 minutes and although he didn't see the ball so much in the second 40, its a solid debut he'll remember.

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Don't sully our thread with your round ball filth.

Hartley's was a double movement if ever there was. Taking it tho. Cole shredding Woodcock in the scrum too, which is good to see. He's a beast, the boy.

Shocking call, have they not heard of double movements in Italy? SBW taken out in the build-up to it too, and Nisbett was convinced one of the English players was in front of the kick anyway. Evened things up after the Gear try I suppose.

[Somerset]

Few other notes - the first 5 minutes of the second half is the worst passage of play since...well, since watching Stephen Donald last weekend. But it was still pretty bad. Speaking of Donald, bit ironic that he wasn't called upon to finish the match off as in Hong Kong...

For all the Toeava haters, what a sensational tackle on Hape with five or so minutes remaining.

I think Carter was awarded MOTM but for his 60 minutes Sam Whitelock was the best player on the field IMO. Compared to another Canterburian, Isaac Ross, hes so much more involved in general play, still a presence with ball in hand and was impressive in the line-out.

Scrum a clear issue - I'm certainly no expert when it comes to the front row and I'm sure we didn't deserve to be penalised to the extent we were, but for the most part I thought England had the better scrum. Just as well because having Thompson and Sheridan in open play is so much of a disadvantage that they need to compensate for it somehow.

Finally, was really surprised England kept persisting with such an attacking mindset. I imagined that after setting the ground running in the first 20 minutes that the effects of playing so much with ball in hand would suit the ABs but I don't think its unfair to say that England easily finished the strongest (and not disimilar to the Wallabies last week).

[Francis]

Worrying signs for Australia with that scrum. That's a complete reversion back to the days of Dunning and Baxter!

Other than that...

Seriously how awesome is Kurtley Beale? I remember seeing him play at flyhalf for the Waratah's a few years ago thinking he'll never be a Wallaby. His defence was horrible, he was carrying a bit of pork, and he looked lost - no instincts.

This year he's just transformed the Wallabies with his running. That try he set-up for James O'Connor in South Africa was amazing. The next week he backs up O'Connor for a good try. He did the same against Wales. Last week he was great in setting up Mitchell for that try by letting go of the ball at the right time. Just brilliant! The All Blacks struggled with his running last week.

I would have given a great deal to see him finish off that try against Wales. And up and under, re-gathered brilliantly, a deft kick behind Stephen Jones, and all he has to do is ground the ball, but he doesn't...

That would have been the try fo the year.

He's gone from that lost 18 year old to being a lean, fast, running fullback, and great nouse between the ears. He knows what to do and when to do it. He can counter-attack. His kicking from hand is excellent as well. He gained more metres, on average, than any other played in the Super 14 this year.

The Wallabies have gone from being a dour non-creative side (like we saw in New Zealand this year), to being a side that expect to score tries every time they touch the ball.

They'll lose a game this tour if they don't fix-up the scrum though.

[Uppercut]

Sexton's kicking sucks sooo much balls.

[ripper868]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Don't sully our thread with your round ball filth.

Hartley's was a double movement if ever there was. Taking it tho. Cole shredding Woodcock in the scrum too, which is good to see. He's a beast, the boy.

no such thing as double movement in rugby BB, player has the right to plce the ball in any direction once tackled.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Sexton's kicking sucks sooo much balls.

Shame. Remember him landing a blinder against Leicester in a Heineken final though?

(The Lions still picked O'Gara a month later and it turned out so well )

Young Bokke

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by ripper868

no such thing as double movement in rugby BB, player has the right to plce the ball in any direction once tackled.

If done immediately; there's a long pause between Dylan being tackled and him reaching out to place the ball. Would've been disappointed if it'd been given against us is all I can say.

Anyway, it seems as if I owe you a week with the avatar of your choice.

[Somerset]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

If done immediately; there's a long pause between Dylan being tackled and him reaching out to place the ball. Would've been disappointed if it'd been given against us is all I can say.

Yup exactly - in fact, in the ITM Cup semifinal just last week Neemia Tialata was denied a try for a double movement in similar fashion to the way in which Hartley scored his try this morning.

[social]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Sexton's kicking sucks sooo much balls.

Watched just over half of the match before drifting off and the Irish forwards were getting absolutely smashed by the Saffie forwards

Terrible conditions but both teams have lots of work to do

[Somerset]

Originally Posted by Francis

Seriously how awesome is Kurtley Beale? I remember seeing him play at flyhalf for the Waratah's a few years ago thinking he'll never be a Wallaby. His defence was horrible, he was carrying a bit of pork, and he looked lost - no instincts.

This year he's just transformed the Wallabies with his running. That try he set-up for James O'Connor in South Africa was amazing. The next week he backs up O'Connor for a good try. He did the same against Wales. Last week he was great in setting up Mitchell for that try by letting go of the ball at the right time. Just brilliant! The All Blacks struggled with his running last week.

I have to agree with the above comments - Beale's transformed from an average Super Rugby flyhalf to a lethal fullback in the space of a season. I didn't see the Australians play this morning so I'm only basing my opinion on his efforts against the ABs and the Springboks, but the way hes playing at the moment is such a reversal of his efforts in past Super 14 seasons that you'd think it was a completely different player.