Aussie Pro Rugby
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And in "Fuck Aussie Rugby" news today, some puddle fucker wrote into the local rag, slagging our club off for the poor season we're having. Saying we should bring back the old head coach.
The same coach who brought in players that he was paying under the table. Who most of the playing group couldn't stand by the mid point of his second season. The same coach for whom I was second grade coach, and neither I nor the third grade coach could get along with after year 1. He'd slag players off, never had a game plan, and threatened to quit multiple times.
Well, after a brawl ended our Season 2016, he got what he wanted.
Now it's a question of how I respond.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby in general:
And in "Fuck Aussie Rugby" news today, some puddle fucker wrote into the local rag, slagging our club off for the poor season we're having. Saying we should bring back the old head coach.
The same coach who brought in players that he was paying under the table. Who most of the playing group couldn't stand by the mid point of his second season. The same coach for whom I was second grade coach, and neither I nor the third grade coach could get along with after year 1. He'd slag players off, never had a game plan, and threatened to quit multiple times.
Well, after a brawl ended our Season 2016, he got what he wanted.
Now it's a question of how I respond.
One barrel or two?
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That's shit. Do you know the prick who wrote it?
Maybe an open invitation to him to come down and volunteer countless hours or lace up the boots.Maybe just open up with both barrels about the issues in Australian rugby and you might get a phone call from Cheika.
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@pukunui said in Aussie Rugby in general:
That's shit. Do you know the prick who wrote it?
Maybe an open invitation to him to come down and volunteer countless hours or lace up the boots.Maybe just open up with both barrels about the issues in Australian rugby and you might get a phone call from Cheika.
I'd be very tempted to reply with a detailed explanation of the challenges faced in the modern world of club rugby and how actual community support rather than whinging from the sidelines from spectators that don't chip in is counter productive.
With regard to the coaching situation you probably need to tread carefully as this twat comes across as somehow connected in that area. -
Yeah the response I'm going to draft will focus mainly on the challenges, and the cultural change the club needed to move ahead.
Going on the attack looks stupid.
As for who "John Bridges" is - hasn't turned up on google search or white pages. So whether he even exists is another question.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Yeah the response I'm going to draft will focus mainly on the challenges, and the cultural change the club needed to move ahead.
Going on the attack looks stupid.
As for who "John Bridges" is - hasn't turned up on google search or white pages. So whether he even exists is another question.
Oh he exists alright. I believe his real name is "The Ex-Coach".
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@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby in general:
I'm sure he had the respect of the team
I never felt like Moore had the respect of Cheika - at least as I understand the role of captain and coach.
Going strictly from his press conferences and on field demeanor he always seemed like a functionary of Cheika rather than his own man.
Yes the coach picks the captain, but once that is done they essentially stand as equals and should both be leading the side at various times and be able to challenge the others decisions. I've never had the impression that the show was anyone but Cheika's.
So if you aren't in a strong leadership position off the field, you aren't much of a talker and you play half a game what kind of captain are you?
The Home Unions I think do a great job of respecting the role of captain. You have some coaches with big egos who don't mind a dig in the media either, but they defer to their captains constantly and entrust them with a lot of responsibility - regardless of age or experience.
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@rotated said in Aussie Rugby in general:
The Home Unions I think do a great job of respecting the role of captain. You have some coaches with big egos who don't mind a dig in the media either, but they defer to their captains constantly and entrust them with a lot of responsibility - regardless of age or experience.
Probably been mentioned elsewhere and slightly off topic but following on the Captain's importance theme:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/243390/the-captain-class-by-sam-walker/9780812997194/
The secret to winning is not what you think it is.
It’s not the coach. It’s not the star.
It’s not money. It’s not a strategy.
It’s something else entirely.AB's only team in the top 16 twice. 1986-90 and 2011-15. So Buck and Richie.
Might be a good read.Someone with some time please let me know.Back on topic - I won't miss Moore. He might be a good bloke but he just came across as a whinger.
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I don't rate Hooper as a captain. I realise there aren't an abundance of choices.
Hooper named new Wallabies captain
Michael Hooper is the new Wallabies captain, replacing the retiring Stephen Moore.
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@KiwiMurph A lot of Wallabies supporters don't. Basically anyone not from NSW...
Spiro Zavos thinks 12 tests into his career, Adam Coleman should be encumbered with the captaincy.
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Spiro Zavos is a moron.
I think it's really hard to judge captaincy potential from the sidelines/couch. Plenty of bloody great players out there who just aren't suited to captaincy (George Smith springs to mind). You just can't tell who has the respect of the playing group, who is decisive in the key moments, who communicates well on field etc etc etc.
I've been pretty impressed with Hooper's leadership this year, and I think he deserves a shot. But as I said it's hard to judge from the outside.
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I think you can form a pretty decent picture of a captain as a spectator. How does the team react when the game is there to be won? Does the team change tactics on the field? How does the captain communicate with the ref? What options does the captain take on the field (e.g. shot at goal vs going for try)? When interviewed what does the captain talk about?
Of course this doesn't all fall to the captain alone, the coaching staff and leadership group for starters are heavily involved, but I didn't need to be in the group to understand that Ali Williams was a terrible captain.
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@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby in general:
I've been pretty impressed with Hooper's leadership this year, and I think he deserves a shot. But as I said it's hard to judge from the outside.
The way he gets stuck into his team behind the posts is good.
The fact that he has to do it so often is bad.
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Cheika makes final call on Bledisloe Cup squad
Wallabies squad for Bledisloe Cup
OUT: Jermaine Ainsley, Sam Carter, Pek Cowan, Sef Faagase, Richard Hardwick, Campbell Magnay, Taniela Tupou
INJURED: Kyle Godwin (knee), Karmichael Hunt (ankle), Tolu Latu (neck), Eto Nabuli (knee), James Slipper (achilles), Lukhan Tui (knee), Sefa Naivalu (ankle), Jake Gordon (ankle)
Forwards
Allan Alaalatoa, 12 Tests, Brumbies
Rory Arnold, 12 Tests, Brumbies
Adam Coleman, 12 Tests, Western Force
Jack Dempsey, 1 Test, NSW Waratahs
Kane Douglas, 31 Tests, Queensland Reds
Tetera Faulkner, 2 Tests, Western Force
Ned Hanigan, 3 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Michael Hooper (c), 68 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Sekope Kepu, 80 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Adam Korczyk*, Queensland Reds
Sean McMahon, 15 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Stephen Moore, 120 Tests, Queensland Reds
Tatafu Polota-Nau, 71 Tests, Western Force
Tom Robertson, 9 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Izack Rodda*, Queensland Reds
Rob Simmons, 71 Tests, Queensland Reds
Scott Sio, 32 Tests, Brumbies
Lopeti Timani, 7 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Jordan Uelese*, Melbourne RebelsBacks
Kurtley Beale, 60 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Israel Folau, 55 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Bernard Foley (vc), 45 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Will Genia (vc), 78 Tests
Dane Haylett-Petty, 17 Tests, Western Force
Reece Hodge, 13 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Samu Kerevi, 8 Tests, Queensland Reds
Marika Koroibete*, Melbourne Rebels
Tevita Kuridrani, 47 Tests, Brumbies
Billy Meakes*, Western Force
Izaia Perese*, Queensland Reds
Nick Phipps, 52 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Joe Powell, 2 Tests, Brumbies
Curtis Rona*, Western Force
Henry Speight, 12 Tests, Brumbies -
@Stargazer said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Cheika makes final call on Bledisloe Cup squad
Wallabies squad for Bledisloe Cup
OUT: Jermaine Ainsley, Sam Carter, Pek Cowan, Sef Faagase, Richard Hardwick, Campbell Magnay, Taniela Tupou
The Tongan Thor out, that's interesting.
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@Higgins said in Aussie Rugby in general:
@Stargazer said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Cheika makes final call on Bledisloe Cup squad
Wallabies squad for Bledisloe Cup
OUT: Jermaine Ainsley, Sam Carter, Pek Cowan, Sef Faagase, Richard Hardwick, Campbell Magnay, Taniela Tupou
The Tongan Thor out, that's interesting.
Would be more surprising if his nickname was 'The Australian Thor'
Oh hang on isn't Thor Australian anyway?
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@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby in general:
So a squad of 34.
Who will be the first 10 to miss out on the team naming?We'll know in 48-72 hours.
Tongan Thor isn't ready for Test footy. A few good bumping runs, and a reduced cake intake, probably hasn't got his scrummaging to the level required, at least in the eyes of Ledesma.
Not sure why Simmons is still there. I understood why 2 years ago, watching the difference between our scrum with him both in and out of it, but now? Nup.
Both Beale and Kerevi are carrying injuries so not sure how much good they'll be. I'd suggest a team looks something like this:
1 Sio
2 Moore
3 Alaalatoa
4 Arnold
5 Coleman
6 Dempsey - while Hanigan might be a better size and weight, Dempsey is attack dog
7 Hooper (capt)
8 Timani
9 Genia
10 Foley
11 Speight
12 Beale
13 Kuridrani
14 Koroibete
15 Folau16 TPN
17 Robertson
18 Kepu
19 Douglas
20 McMahon
21 Powell
22 Kerevi
23 HodgeSo not much really changes there. Maybe Hanigan at 20 instead of McMahon, but I suspect with the pack we could pick, it'll be a case of being abrasive and rapid - McMahon is that guy.
