RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland
-
@pakman said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Makes Foster look like a clown, O'Gara is Wayne Smith like in his knowledge and honesty. I just love a bloke who tells it like it is and knows what is going on.
Of interest he alluded to without directly saying it that some teams may actually be trying to get hit high to invoke Yellow and Red cards. And that rush defence can be harder for the defender to adjust their height and therefore maybe more prone to high shots.
Makes me think a smart coach will look at NZ and who gives away the most penalties and types of penalties and then try to milk that.
-
@SidBarret said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@pakman said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
I really hate this selection.
Fuck Jasper Wiese
I honestly think Faf is the worst scrumhalf of the four in the squad.
Kolbe vs Mapimpi. Kolbe does all the pretty shit - Mapimpi scores tries. I prefer tries
The fucken bench. OK let's say the 7-1 is the right call, why not go with the scrumhalf that is actually half decent at playing wing (Williams).
But.... the 7 1 is stupid. Even France replaces Dupont at 70 min into the game. We can't sub Faf because we need to keep a very bad winger on the bench (just in case). So we have the power to turn things up in the last quarter, but we can't turn things up at 9. But even if we do, we have a crappy nine coming on anyway.
And the fucken hooker situation. Fourie is not a hooker. Even if his lineout game is good enough - we are giving up so much in the scrum.
In reverse order:
The hooker situation fills me with dread. And makes me wonder if the staff have fallen in love with their own cleverness.
But then again, if Fourie/MVS have been holding their own in our intersquad scrum sessions, I’m inclined to think they’ll go alright there this weekend. And if they haven’t been, then we’ve got much bigger issues with our Staff.
My guess is when we lost Marx the thinking went something like: how are we going to replace his presence at the breakdown? MVS plus Fourie just about does it. But also more or less forced them into 7-1.
If anything, that just underlines how weird this “solution” to Marx’s injury is. Like Rassniennies read the PEP stores discount moneyball comic and got all excited. Still, I keep telling myself those okes have mainly ridden the line between genius and lunacy pretty well.
If we aren’t able to sub Faf it’ll be because either: we need him to keep kicking for goal or we’ve had to bring Reinach on for another back.
In either case, I’d much rather have Reinach’s old head on the park than Williams whose done nothing as a test nine or wing to suggest he should be on the field in a game of this magnitude. To the contrary, in every fundamental aspect of halfback play he’s been gash.
I got the impression it was not Kolbe v Mapimpi. But rather Mapimpi v KLH. Tough call on Mapimpi but both KLH and Kolbe create more opportunities- for themselves and others. They also seem better at taking half chances. Off the top of my head Kolbe has the Lions series match winner, the break in the AB RWC 19 opener (which only Mounga’s heroics denied), a hand in PSTD’s tying try in AB 18 and the Farrell humiliation in 19 final. Sure I’m forgetting something but all I’ve got for Mapimpi is his chip for Am for his try in 19 final.
You keep stating Faf is our worst scrummie and I keep wondering why.
Fuck Jasper Wiese.
-
@chimoaus Interesting video - I enjoyed that, thanks.
Hopefully bodes well for the future that Razor was smart enough to conscript O'Gara for a couple of seasons.
Interesting that his main principle for this Cup is to avoid France - and how highly he rates du Pont. So he wants us for this coming QF.
The other thing that I'd been wondering about was quite how good Ireland's record under Farrell is - according to ROG they've won 27 of their last 29. As he says, it gives you pause to think on. As above, I think I'd rather play play the Boks and I think we're at least a 50-50 shot to beat them. They are doing some strange shit and that's likely to come unstuck somewhere.
Unfortunately, I suspect ROG might well get his way. Ireland vs SA is bit of a battle of brains vs brawn and I've got a hunch that Ireland might be quite a bit better than I want them to be.
We'll see - but, in the poll I've picked them to win comfortably.
-
@chimoaus said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Makes me think a smart coach will look at NZ and who gives away the most penalties and types of penalties and then try to milk that.
Maybe they already are/have?
-
@nostrildamus havent had to try very hard either...
Our disipline has been poor for a number of years now, so this is not a new phenom for opposition to exploit.
-
@taniwharugby said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@nostrildamus havent had to try very hard either...
Our disipline has been poor for a number of years now, so this is not a new phenom for opposition to exploit.
In the forwards it may have even got worse lately?
What really tugs my mountain goat is we still can't work out NH refs.
Grr. -
Tipped Ireland. I just think they're too well organised and cheat magnificently.
-
@antipodean said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Tipped Ireland. I just think they're too well organised and cheat magnificently.
So they are using "The McCaw" strategy, no wonder they are doing so well.
-
@Bovidae said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
The 7:1 split will backfire at some stage if there are early injuries or cards to midfield backs, for example, forcing a major reshuffle. 6:2 allows a halfback and utility back to cover all contingencies.
remember the olden days when a 6:2 bench was considered risky...
-
@voodoo said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@Bovidae said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
The 7:1 split will backfire at some stage if there are early injuries or cards to midfield backs, for example, forcing a major reshuffle. 6:2 allows a halfback and utility back to cover all contingencies.
remember the olden days when a 6:2 bench was considered risky...
Rassie is losing the run of himself. I think all the praise about the 6:2 split has gone to his head and he wants more of that. The supreme innovator.
-
Boks by 9+. No surprises, they will outmuscle and destroy the Irish. Relentless pressure, big emphasis on scrums and mauls . They’ll kick to the Irish and dare them to run it back.
-
-
I read in Irish media this morning there's a possibility that van der Flier may be dropped to the bench in favour of Beirne taking the 6 slot, O'Mahony at 7 and young McCarthy as TH lock to partner Ryan.
-
@antipodean said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Gee there's a lot of talk about the Bok bench.
I'm interested in Keith's belief that this might drive a change to a smaller bench. Not going to lie, that would be my preferred option. Hopefully this helps drive the ridiculousness of the current rule.
I do like the idea of a smaller bench, but more the idea of fewer changes. Have X on the bench but only X-3 allowed on. Exception, front row which means someone else must go off and you play with 14 or less if you go over quota. Could be nasty, but games have been finished with 14 due to injuries and cleared benches before
-
@Machpants said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@antipodean said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Gee there's a lot of talk about the Bok bench.
I'm interested in Keith's belief that this might drive a change to a smaller bench. Not going to lie, that would be my preferred option. Hopefully this helps drive the ridiculousness of the current rule.
I do like the idea of a smaller bench, but more the idea of fewer changes. Have X on the bench but only X-3 allowed on. Exception, front row which means someone else must go off and you play with 14 or less if you go over quota. Could be nasty, but games have been finished with 14 due to injuries and cleared benches before
Yes - you must be punished if you fail to maintain a contest at the set piece.
-
@antipodean said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@Machpants said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
@antipodean said in RWC Week 3: Springboks v Ireland:
Gee there's a lot of talk about the Bok bench.
I'm interested in Keith's belief that this might drive a change to a smaller bench. Not going to lie, that would be my preferred option. Hopefully this helps drive the ridiculousness of the current rule.
I do like the idea of a smaller bench, but more the idea of fewer changes. Have X on the bench but only X-3 allowed on. Exception, front row which means someone else must go off and you play with 14 or less if you go over quota. Could be nasty, but games have been finished with 14 due to injuries and cleared benches before
Yes - you must be punished if you fail to maintain a contest at the set piece.
And because you could easily end u with 14, you would have a lot less pre planned changes. It would be risky to use all your changes ala Boks at half time
e.g. Bench = 7 allows for Front row, + 2 forwards +2 backs (but mix and match outside of front row)
4 changes allowed
EDIT: or 8 and 5 changes. whatever, just not 8 with the entire forward pack being changed at half time -
-
Does anyone have stats on how often >1 back gets injured per game? I can only assume SA know this and let’s say the odds are 5-10% you then weigh up the benefit of 2 full forward packs pretty much going hard for 40 minutes each.
Ultimately it’s a gamble but what this does say is SA don’t really think impact backs have that much value in the current test meta but the forwards do.
I have to admit I largely agree, there are not many ABs back reserves that are better than the starters that can turn the game. Maybe DMac as a point of difference but really I have long wondered if the back reserves actually add impact or simply hinder the cohesiveness.
Of course BB of old and a few others used to but with Forwards now dominating the game I applaud SA for playing to their strengths.
