Wallaby EOYT 2016
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Yep and with no Coleman there, Cheika has to make a call on Douglas versus Simmons.
Arnold also hasn't been playing full games due to a few knocks here and there, but maybe that's to save his legs for this one. We'll definitely need the pack firing, and I think we might revert to a backrow of Pocock, Hooper, Timani for this one, and risk the slightly weakened Pommy lineout.
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Poms this week. Cheika decides he isn't here to fuck spiders and starts firing shit at Eddie Jones:
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika blasts Eddie Jones and England prop Dan Cole
England’s illegal tactic that infuriates Cheika
“He’s been having a crack and wants to talk about our scrum because we’re ‘cheating’ in the scrum, I think the important thing there to note is that he’s got to be looking at his own players because they’re the ones who have got the penalty try against them and a prop [Cole] with a yellow card and that same prop’s been infringing the law since his career started probably, if not all of this year,” Cheika said.
“If [Jones] thinks that the refs are that naive to take the strategy ‘well if he has a go at our scrum they’ll forget about his guy,’ well that’s up to the ref. That’s not up to me. Nothing I can say can make a difference about that.
“It’s up to the ref whether he gets influenced by that really after the guy’s been boring in and falling down all of June in the series that we played against them and that’s his tactic and if he thinks that me saying something back about that is going to change the referee’s mind well that’s totally up to the ref.
“I don’t think the ref should be influenced like that anyway.”
“We scrum square, we’ve got an Argentinian scrum coach [Mario Ledesma] and all we do is scrum square and try to get as much weight as possible,” Cheika said.
“It’s very obvious from the clips, if you wanted to watch them instead of all the vitriol that goes around, if you really look at the clips properly they’ll tell you the story.
“In the summer what happened to Scotty and James — Cole’s experience in that way and turning in and pulling down just got the better of them and they weren’t able to deal with it.
“We still scrum the same way and do the same things we do. It’ll be up to the referee as to who he believes. If he wants to be influenced by the other chap that we’re the ones scrumming illegally, then they’re the guys that had the penalty try and then yellow card against them.”
Jones said he’d invite Cheika along to his meeting with Peyper, leading the Wallabies coach to reveal the England mentor had stormed out of a similar meeting in June, while claiming he had undue influence over World Rugby (formerly the IRB).
Cheika said he would be in attendance if Jones meets Peyper before the Test at Twickenham
“How could I refuse an invitation from the great man? He’s running IRB now, he’s organising the meetings for the refs and for Australian teams and everything like that,” Cheika said.
“It’s funny how your tune changes because in the summer when we asked for those meetings he was blowing up, he stormed out of one [with Wallabies assistants Stephen Larkham and Nathan Grey].”
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Mumm has been cited for his tip tackle and I think will get a week - bad look for him after getting a week off for using his drunken master skills to elbow a guy behind him earlier this year.
Genia has been called back to French club rugby.
So the team for England might look a little like this:
1 Sio
2 Moore (captain)
3 Kepu
4 Douglas
5 Arnold
6 Pocock
7 Hooper
8 Timani
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Speight
12 Hodge
13 Kuridrani
14 DHP
15 Folau16 Latu
17 Robertson
18 Alaalatoa
19 Skelton
20 McMahon
21 Frisby (ffs)
22 Foley
23 NaivaluIn case you were wondering: yes, FUCK Simmons. He's not going to stand up to the Pommy forwards. Skelton is a risk but at least bosh is a known quantity.
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Anyone who saw that interview with Eddie knows he was trolling. He couldn't stop grinning as he was saying it.
Seems to have wound up Cheik though. Good to see he's going back to the "Dan Cole bores in" well though; served the Aussies so well over the summer.
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After due consideration, ceteris paribus, Cheika seems to me to be marginally the bigger eejit. He certainly seems to let Eddie press his buttons. Anyhow, roll on the weekend.
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@Disgusted-of-TW said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
After due consideration, ceteris paribus, Cheika seems to me to be marginally the bigger eejit. He certainly seems to let Eddie press his buttons. Anyhow, roll on the weekend.
bigger eejit but ever so slightly less unlikeable for mine
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Well... Mumm got off. Jeez.
Dean Mumm cleared to play against England
Michael Cheika says it was a "good result" that back-rower Dean Mumm had been cleared to line up against England after escaping suspension for a lifting tackle during Saturday's loss to Ireland.
London: Michael Cheika says it was a "good result" that back-rower Dean Mumm had been cleared to play against England after escaping suspension for a lifting tackle during Saturday's loss to Ireland.
Mumm was involved in a tipping tackle on tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong in the 22nd minute of the Wallabies' clash with Ireland at Aviva Stadium.
He was shown a yellow card for his offence and was immediately apologetic to the referee and player involved, adamant there was no malice in the tackle.
Cheika agreed with the verdict, saying: "I think it didn't meet the red card threshold and that was backed up by the disciplinary committee so it was a good result."
Mumm accepted he had committed an act of foul play, but according to a statement from World Rugby: "the particular circumstances of the incident meant that Mr Mumm's actions would not have warranted a red card. Accordingly, no sanction was imposed and Mr Mumm is therefore free to resume playing immediately."
It was only in late October that Mumm was in front of a disciplinary hearing for elbowing New Zealand second-rower Brodie Retallick and there were concerns his second infringement in the space of five weeks might work against him.
While Mumm was Australia's starting No.6 in Dublin, he is no certainty to line up there again on Saturday at Twickenham.
Given Michael Hooper and David Pocock will without question start, it appears to be a three-horse race between Mumm, Lopeti Timani and Sean McMahon for the remaining back-row jersey.
It depends on whether Cheika sees England's lineout as an area of weakness - meaning Mumm will probably get the nod - or whether he wants to beef up a forward pack to make the most of missing Red Roses No.8 Billy Vunipola.
The Wallabies will name their team for the final match of the spring tour at 11pm on Thursday (AEDT).
It is understood England coach Eddie Jones is considering postponing the announcement of his team until Friday in what would be an chapter in the pre-match mind games.
Unlike Rugby Championship fixtures, teams are under no obligation to name their final side two days before a game.
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Arm bands! conspiracy! different rules etc
Personally i think the English pulled strings to make sure the non-event got a starting jersey.
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I don't know whether I'll be happier that either of England or Australia lose, or sadder, that either team wins.
I think I'm slightly leaning towards Australia in this one, Eddie Jones needs a bit of a spanking and the Aussies already got done vs Ireland -
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@rotated said in Wallaby EOYT 2016:
0-0 draw is only result that will fully satisfy me here. Jones and Cheika are made for each other - although with Jones I get the sense he is a touch more self aware.
Hell no. That result would have both coaches crowing about how wonderful their defence is and how 'if they played NZ tomorrow' like that NZ would not be able to score
I would prefer a very high scoring draw so we could accuse them of playing 'basketball rugby' and not knowing how to actually win.
