England to whitewash Australia
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="592150" data-time="1466986241">
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<p>Holy fuck Nick, G&G must make you tear your hair out (oh...)</p>
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<p>lose 0-3 at home to England, changes that MUST be made. Get Quade in. Bring in a new winger. Replace Palu with, um, someone!</p>
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<p>Are you guys really so happy with Pocock at 8 that he walks back in there when he's fit? Or is it just you have no one else? (that you are willing to try)</p>
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<p>Pocock has to be in the team somewhere, Australia wins a lot more often when he is playing</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="SammyC" data-cid="592161" data-time="1466986979"><p>Pocock has to be in the team somewhere, Australia wins a lot more often when he is playing</p></blockquote>
Fardy hit more rucks than anyone on Saturday. <br>
Hooper's form is irresistible. <br>
We need an 8 and McMahon was pretty good on Saturday.<br><br>
Where to fit Pocock? -
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/81150196/Wallabies-v-England-Numbers-show-Australia-doesn-t-cope-without-David-Pocock'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/81150196/Wallabies-v-England-Numbers-show-Australia-doesn-t-cope-without-David-Pocock</a></p>
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<p>Fardy may have hit more rucks, but I didn't think he was that effective.</p>
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<p>And is hoopers form irresistable? First thing a Blind side flanker should know, if the 8 runs blind off the scrum, it's his man.</p> -
<p>Someone posed this hypothetical backline, which I really like:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>9. Phipps/Genia</p>
<p>10. Foley</p>
<p>11. Tomane</p>
<p>12. Giteau</p>
<p>13. Folau</p>
<p>14. AAC</p>
<p>15. Haylett-Petty</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Reckon that's a pretty good unit. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for the backrow, it's really tough. I think we need Fardy and Pocock. McMahon played really well at 8, and can carry the ball really well. Ultimately Hooper will start with McMahon on the bench, but wouldn't mind seeing the reverse tried once.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="592169" data-time="1466988132">
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<p>Fuck. You mean they made mistakes?<br><br>
SACK THE LOT OF THEM!!!</p>
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<p>Stop being so precious, I don't think Hoopers the superman you make him out to be</p>
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<p>Not making that tackle on the side of the scrum was a schoolboy error. </p> -
<p>I think Fardy has been ordinary this series (by his standards, I'm a fan), lots of endeavour for little output. He hit a lot of rucks, but didn't do much in most of them. That said, he took his lineouts, often under pressure, and that was a pretty big role for him (and an essential one going forward if the selection continues).</p>
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<p>Big news for Aus is Douglas will be back on the bench for the Reds this week. They'll be praying hard he comes back in the same sort of form as the end of last year. </p> -
<p>Just a point arising from your post Barb, are you at all worried by more overseas players coming in? I think Kepu's effectiveness was down on his previous levels, do you think they'll be able to 1. slot back in to the unit, and 2. provide the increase in performance required?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Genia especially, who had a long lay off. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="592170" data-time="1466988241">
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<p>Someone posed this hypothetical backline, which I really like:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>9. Phipps/Genia</p>
<p>10. Foley</p>
<p>11. Tomane</p>
<p>12. Giteau</p>
<p>13. Folau</p>
<p>14. AAC</p>
<p>15. Haylett-Petty</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Reckon that's a pretty good unit. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for the backrow, it's really tough. I think we need Fardy and Pocock. McMahon played really well at 8, and can carry the ball really well. Ultimately Hoopah will start with McMahon on the bench, but wouldn't mind seeing the reverse tried once.</p>
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<p>The key there is that you have Genia instead of Phipps. HB is such an important position from a decision making POV, and Phipps just makes the wrong decision too often.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="592176" data-time="1466988528">
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<p>Just a point arising from your post Barb, are you at all worried by more overseas players coming in? I think Kepu's effectiveness was down on his previous levels, do you think they'll be able to 1. slot back in to the unit, and 2. provide the increase in performance required?</p>
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<p><strong>Genia especially, who had a long lay off. </strong></p>
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<p>Fuck he's got to be better the Phipps!</p> -
<p>Not sure I can criticise the halves too badly when we scored 5 tries. Toomua helped significantly.</p>
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<p>Phipps looks good when he just gets there and flings it. The difference in speed for the attack is noticeable when he takes a step on the pass.</p>
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<p>He's also about the best defender - particularly cover defender - that we've got.</p>
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<p>Is Genia better? Dunno. The theory about people coming back from the NH and having issues isn't a bad one, but it depends on the ethics of the club they're at.</p>
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<p>If the Reds and ARU admin hadn't made so many fuck headed decisions I think we'd still see Genia and Quade here, and probably both qualifying for the Giteau Rule right now. C'est la vie.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="SammyC" data-cid="592173" data-time="1466988332">
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<p>Stop being so precious, I don't think Hoopers the superman you make him out to be</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not making that tackle on the side of the scrum was a schoolboy error. </p>
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<p>Yes. But I was being sarcastic. And really, I have no idea why we were trying to push 8 mean in that scrum - who the fuck does that defending their own line?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="592176" data-time="1466988528">
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<p>Just a point arising from your post Barb, are you at all worried by more overseas players coming in? I think Kepu's effectiveness was down on his previous levels, do you think they'll be able to 1. slot back in to the unit, and 2. provide the increase in performance required?</p>
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<p>Genia especially, who had a long lay off. </p>
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<p>I think they will help, yes. Kepu will hopefully be fitter and a bit sharper by the TRC - he got better as the series went on and our scrum was at parity with the Poms in the third game.</p>
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<p>I remember it was Nathan Grey who said during the tight matches of the World Cup, the two blokes who were taking charge and marshalling our defensive line were Giteau and AAC. They add a stability and a confidence we didn't have this series.</p>
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<p>I'm not too sure on Genia, his form dropped off a bit in the late stages of the RWC (he was very average in the final) and he's been injured since. But Cheika clearly rates him.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="SammyC" data-cid="592165" data-time="1466987527">
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/81150196/Wallabies-v-England-Numbers-show-Australia-doesn-t-cope-without-David-Pocock'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/81150196/Wallabies-v-England-Numbers-show-Australia-doesn-t-cope-without-David-Pocock</a></p>
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<p>Fardy may have hit more rucks, but I didn't think he was that effective.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And is hoopers form irresistable? First thing a Blind side flanker should know, if the 8 runs blind off the scrum, it's his man.</p>
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<p>Fardy was struggling from a hit and wasn't quite right when that scrum was setting up. Him and Hooper switched sides. Hooper forgot to do what he normally does at scrum time and keep his head up watching the play. This time he decided to push. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was on the openside. Try time England.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="ACT Crusader" data-cid="592201" data-time="1466991267">
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<p>Fardy was struggling from a hit and wasn't quite right when that scrum was setting up. Him and Hoopah switched sides. Hoopah forgot to do what he normally does at scrum time and keep his head up watching the play. This time he decided to push. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was on the openside. Try time England.</p>
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<p>cheers, I wondered why they swapped sides for such an important scrum</p> -
<p>Phipps is just too slow off base of ruch. Had to laugh one time when he put hands on ball, thought about it for a second, and by the time he passed the Pommy backs had run up so far the crowd all thought they were offside. Genia seems to have lost quite a lot in last couple of years. Was Nick White really so bad?</p>
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<p>so, so bad</p>
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Yeah, Nic White is not the answer, and fair enough re: Genia. I'm marking Phipps pretty harsh I guess, I've been backing the Wallabies vs England so it's been a bit frustrating when I watch the ABs with A Smith making it look easy, then find myself cursing Phipps for either taking an age to get the ball out, taking the wrong option, or firing the pass above the head/at the ankles/to nobody at all.<br><br>
HB is not an easy position to play, and there aren't many quality halves going around in world rugby let alone Australia. If the ABs lose Smith then we have a massive step down in quality. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Cookie" data-cid="592348" data-time="1467020407">
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<p>Meanwhile Eddie is off the the Tour de France to find out how elite riders cope with intense stress.<br><br>
Let's hope he doesn't find the answer in a syringe.</p>
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<p>Not sure how motors would be used in Rugby though</p>
