Aussie Pro Rugby

Machpants

The beautiful game

Machpants

Gotta love Brad's old school attitude

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/300250689/its-having-your-cake-and-eating-it-reds-coach-brad-thorn-riled-by-thoughts-of-izack-roddas-return

Bones

@machpants said in Aussie Rugby:

@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:

@kiwimurph said in Aussie Rugby:

the game they play in heaven

fucking. hate.

Fucking hate heaven? Fucking hate rugby? Fucking hate playing games?

Ding ding ding!! We have a winner.

Stargazer

NTA

TWIGGYBUCK$$$!

Stargazer

@nta It's getting ridiculous.

Kiap

Schweet!

NTA

Picking an Aussie XV at the moment is actually a bit hard. The Reds and Brumbies lead the charge, but then you look at some guys from the Rebels and think they're not half bad either.

Front Row: Slipper, Fainga'a, and Alalaato (potential captain) almost pick themselves as starting props, given their combination. The Reds probably lack a bit of experience in the loosehead stakes with Hoopert and Zander, but no doubt Tupou will be there along with BPA from up north. Mafi might be the third hooker. Will the Rebels' Fa'amausili be given a look? Effective ball runner, but not sure he's got the gas to be Test player right now, and the squad already has 2 THPs. Other loosehead could be Bell or Robertson.

Second Row: I'm not liking the look of LSL's discipline, even if his agility and fitness have increased. Caydern Neville is also a bit of a dickhead penalty magnet. Young Rebel Trevor Hosea is a definite prospect, but only 21... jeez. Angus Blyth might deserve a shot on form, and then your backups are probably Sitaleki Timani who has come back a bit fitter and more active for the Force, or Rodda if he's not a complete dickhead.

Back row: openside battle to me looks like Hardwick vs McReight. Fuck Hooper, TBH. Blindside gets interesting when you consider Anstee (Force), Valetini (Ponies), and Kemeny (Rebels) who all have good attributes. Number 8 continues to be an issue IMHO, where Wilson hasn't set the world on fire, but could be a 100-Test Wallaby, and Samu isn't an 8 at Test level. Think Naisarani is injured?

Scrummies: White, Tate, and maybe a dark horse like Lonergan who clearly has a good kicking boot.

Flyhalves: JOC, Toomua, Lolesio

Centres: Paisama, Petaia, Hodge, Ikitau, Simone,

Wings: Koroibete, daylight, Vunivalu, Daugunu (discipline...), Muirhead

Fullback: I don't mind the look of Jock Campbell, or Mack Hansen. Maddocks might feature as the only Tah if he finds some form.

NTA

So with complete bullshit laissez-faire on my part:

1 Slipper
2 Fainga'a
3 Alalaatoa (c)
4 Hosea
5 Timani
6 Anstee
7 Hardwick
8 Wilson
9 Tate
10 JOC
11 Koroibete
12 Paisama
13 Petaia
14 Vunivalu
15 Campbell

16 BPa
17 Robertson
18 Tupou
19 Blyth
20 Valetini
21 White
22 Toomua
23 Muirhead

who the fuck knows? Rennie. That's who

barbarian

@nta said in Aussie Rugby:

Fuck Hooper, TBH.

Yeah, tell your story walking you useless cnt. Take your multiple John Eales medals with you, and your captains armband, and your proven abilities at test level.

Seriously Nick, that side is questionable in the extreme. You start off OK in the front row but it goes downhill from there. Timani has played one game off the bench for the Force, and now he's a starting test player?

So for the sake of our Kiwi cousins, here is a Wallaby team that might actually take the field this year:

1 Slipper
2 BPA
3 Allan A
4 Rodda
5 LSL
6 Valetini
7 Hooper (c)
8 Wilson

9 White
10 JOC
11 Koroibete
12 Toomua
13 Paisami
14 Petaia
15 Hodge

16 Fainga'a
17 Tupou
18 Sio
19 Hosea
20 Swinton
21 McDermott
22 Lolesio
23 Vunivalu

mariner4life

@barbarian Petaia at 14 is a much scarier proposition than Petaia at 13

I sort of, from an outsiders perspective, agree with Nick with regards to Hooper. All effort all the time, but, in a big game against good sides i don't think he's actually all that effective. He Eales medals are a bit of a red herring i think. I honestly believe he can be upgraded on.

Higgins

Any of these guys from the renowned stronghold of rugby that is Tokoroa?

NTA

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

Seriously Nick, that side is questionable in the extreme. You start off OK in the front row but it goes downhill from there. Timani has played one game off the bench for the Force, and now he's a starting test player?

Rodda fucked off for money and now has come crawling back for Twiggybucks.

So I've just arrested and executed both your Timani and Hooper arguments.

LSL in a Wallaby jersey is going to cost us bigtime.

Bovidae

I thought he was back in Japan.

barbarian

@nta said in Aussie Rugby:

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

Seriously Nick, that side is questionable in the extreme. You start off OK in the front row but it goes downhill from there. Timani has played one game off the bench for the Force, and now he's a starting test player?

Rodda fucked off for money and now has come crawling back for Twiggybucks.

So I've just arrested and executed both your Timani and Hooper arguments.

Well, no, not really. I'd love to be principled and leave Rodda out but the cupboard at lock is bare and he's proven test quality.

And I see M4L's point about Hooper, I'm not wedded to the bloke. But as much as Hardwick and McReight look decent, they aren't there yet. Hooper is the incumbent and he holds the jersey until someone takes it from him. The idea of leaving him out of the 23 completely is bizarre.

NTA

@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:

@barbarian Petaia at 14 is a much scarier proposition than Petaia at 13

If he's trying one-handed flick passes all the time, it doesn't matter where he is.

NTA

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

@nta said in Aussie Rugby:

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

Seriously Nick, that side is questionable in the extreme. You start off OK in the front row but it goes downhill from there. Timani has played one game off the bench for the Force, and now he's a starting test player?

Rodda fucked off for money and now has come crawling back for Twiggybucks.

So I've just arrested and executed both your Timani and Hooper arguments.

Well, no, not really. I'd love to be principled and leave Rodda out but the cupboard at lock is bare and he's proven test quality.

Timani has 18 Tests BTW. Short memories.

barbarian

@nta said in Aussie Rugby:

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

@nta said in Aussie Rugby:

@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:

Seriously Nick, that side is questionable in the extreme. You start off OK in the front row but it goes downhill from there. Timani has played one game off the bench for the Force, and now he's a starting test player?

Rodda fucked off for money and now has come crawling back for Twiggybucks.

So I've just arrested and executed both your Timani and Hooper arguments.

Well, no, not really. I'd love to be principled and leave Rodda out but the cupboard at lock is bare and he's proven test quality.

Timani has 18 Tests BTW. Short memories.

Well you certainly need a long memory to remember his last test - it was in 2013.

But luckily for you I do have a long memory, and I can distinctly remember big Sita consistently underperforming at test level, save for one dead rubber Bledisloe in Wellington.

So no, despite 18 tests he does not get the label of 'proven test quality'.

What posisble case does he have to play test footy again?