The Silver Fern

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mick Gold Coast QLD" data-cid="610538" data-time="1472453843">
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<p>There is no remaining question - the process* used to investigate if there is anything to investigate has been followed and a finding has been announced.</p>
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<p>* Comprising referee on the spot and looking at the play, linesman on the spot, video referee and SANZAR post game review. If the process is not to your liking then bang off a letter to SANZAR. It would have been preferable that you did so before the season commenced ... or did you only just now discover the process and decide you didn't like it for some reason?</p>
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<p>Well that is an asinine response. All they've said there isn't case to answer, but everyone can see the footage so in this day that isn't adequate. I'll get my legal team on right away Mick. Honestly.</p>

<p>I don't expect much in the way of change but I'd like to see TJP & Tuipulotu get a start and Liam Squire get 30-40 mins.</p>
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<p>If Crotty returns I'd like to see ALB get 30 mins off the bench.</p>

<p>I just saw the clip of Phipps throwing Fekitoa's boot into the stand, the All Blacks completely own the Wallabies. That's all they've got to bring to the party gamesmanship and cheap shots. Looking forward to them being pumped by the Pumas. They will only lose fans carrying on with this rubbish.</p>
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<p>On the Franks facial, it doesn't look good and I don't know what he was thinking, there was no reaction at all from Douglas. But I think it should have been cited and pursued. All we're left with are questions.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="610149" data-time="1472368027">
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<p>Yep - they basically marched up the field, stole our lineouts, forced a penalty that Morne Steyne kicked - rinse and repeat. And of course they were using the high ball that Habana especially was much better at than our guys.</p>
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<p>We had Beaver for the first two tests in 2009 and Danny Boy came back to run the Boks close at home. </p>
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<p>In 2010, Tom Donnelly and ultimately Sam Whitelock (and the return of Ali Williams) helped to strengthen our lineout - but, the emergence of Kieran Read to supplant Rodders was also crucial in shoring up our lineout.</p>
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<p>If we'd had to persist with Isaac Ross, Rodders, Beaver and Sivi - I'm not sure we would have fixed things in 2010. </p>
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<p>You do have a good point re the cattle, I forgot about Ross or maybe just suppressed the memory!!!</p>

<p>Maybe they could try and poach more players while they develop a long term strategy to broaden their base and grow skills across the franchises?</p>
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<p>They're not exactly endearing themselves to anyone with the way they conduct themselves on and off the pitch.</p>
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<p>The Boks & Pumas are not particularly strong and it will be really interesting to see how they go against them.</p>
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<p>They need a proper 8 and a new captain, they need to build their back play around Folau ... imagine if he played for the ABs?? They need to find a way to increase his involvement 200%.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="610004" data-time="1472344514">
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<p>Yeah - I guess they did eventually. But, a significant part of the answer was finding better cattle to play under the new (ELV) rules.</p>
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<p>It was interesting though that they spent a season being out-coached by Puppet (who seemed to me to be about the least competent Tri-Nations coach of all time) and not finding the answers.</p>
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<p>That RSA side had won the World Cup and beaten the Lions and had their game plan down pat, they were a well-oild machine that dominated everyone in the line-out and their kick chase was very effective.</p>
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<p>Carter was injured or just coming back from injury in 09 and yes we did lose 3 on the trot to RSA. Tom Donnelly came in to help provide a short term fix for the team and we ditched the wide men who couldn't handle the high balls. And basically ran the ball from everywhere and stopped kicking the ball to the Boks. The Wallabies copied the template.</p>
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<p>And the rest is history. 2009 was the All Black annus horibilis and their response to that laid the foundations for subsequent success.</p>
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<p>This is pretty close to rock bottom for the Wallabies, they don't have great depth but enough good players to be #2, it will take time to match the ABs skill level. They need to change captain, Stephen Moore isn't a very good player and he needs to be allowed to work on his game, he is a rubbish captain. They need to lose the niggle, and then work incredibly hard & smart. By next year they could be a very different prospect. Mick Byrne is a coup.</p>
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<p>Thought ALB had a fine debut, a 21 year old kid who looks like the finished product already.</p>

<p>Cheika's record in 2015 is won 10 lost 2 and the 2 losses were against the ABs. Not too shabby. Though the Wallabies were very close to slipping on their favourite banana peel Scotland ...</p>
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<p>England are 6 Nation grand slammers which must make them the greatest team in the known universe!</p>
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<p>Early chance for the Northern hemishpere to bite back after the WC. It's an enticing series but I sorta hope that both teams fizzle and it's a limp affair rather than a titanic struggle. You would expect the Wallabies to win 2 and lose 1.</p>
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<p>Cheika has some real talent at his disposal but definitely short in some areas.</p>
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<p>Will Skelton remain an impact player or will he start? Is he is a player to be feared? He is a behemoth of a human being.</p>
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<p>Under Deans & McKenzie the Wallabies had players like Ioane, Folau, Genia, Beale but the ABs always found a way to contain them, most particularly Genia & Folau. I feel that Scott Sio & Will Skelton give the tight five some serious umph which is where they have been second best for so long.</p>

<p>Really looking forward to this season, it's obviously a new era and filling the 7, 10, 12 & 13 jumpers will be a huge task. I saw a quote from Sam Cane saying they wouldn't know how much the old guys were missed until they were under the pump with 5 minutes to go. How true that is.<br><br>
Looking back at results from 2012 thru to the WC final, where the ABs were described as the most dominant team ever and were rightly lauded for closing out tight games. We're all familiar with the fact they only lost 3 games and drew 2 against the Wallabies in those 4 seasons.<br><br>
Looking at the other results there were 10 games which finished with narrow wins of 7 points or under. There were 2 others with 8 point margins.<br>
3 of those narrow wins were over ENG, 3 over the Boks and 2 over IRE, 2 over AUS.<br><br>
The most famous of those narrow victories was the one against Ireland where Ryan Crotty scored the try and Aaron Cruden converted from the side line.<br><br>
Goal kicking is going to be critical for the ABs and it will be interesting to see how Cruden goes off the tee. I'm disappointed in a way that Cruden & Barrett continue to have pretty poor success rates, Cruden can be partly excused due to injuries but you would have though that Barrett would have fixed that part of his game by now. Has he not been given specialist world class coaching? I'd like to see 2 kicking options in the AB team, it's been a long time since we had that, probably not since Leon McDonald retired...<br><br>
The AB management & coaching is top class and I'm very optimistic of what we'll see this season, we may drop a couple of games but we'll come back stronger for it.<br><br>
We've lost 4 world class and all time greats from those 7, 10, 12 & 13 jumpers, the new guys will have some pluses and some minuses. Can't wait for the action to begin.</p>
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<p>Some of the new guys have huge potential, McCaw retires and Savea walks onto the stage ...</p>

<p>Ire v Fra was pretty disappointing overall. Ireland needed to put points on the board in the 1st half when they controlled the game but they were let down by errors and ultimately it cost them. O'Brien's loss hurt. Ireland got little change from driving mauls, up & unders and cross field kicks which they usually execute well but not so yesterday.</p>
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<p>The Ireland scrum was under pressure the whole game and came unstuck with the subs. That tight 5 wasn't an imposing bunch. Really hope McCarthy is available for the next game as a second row of Toner & Ryan will see the scrum under real pressure.</p>
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<p>I don't have a problem with Schmidt's conservative game plan, they're picking players from 3.5 teams and while he can put together a large panel of players, there aren't many really top drawer players for him to choose, so playing the percentage game is a good strategy. But it depends on execution and it wasn't there yesterday. Leinster & Munster are rebuilding and the Irish teams have not fared well in the European competition this year. Ireland likewise has a rebuilding job to do.</p>
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<p>The fact is Ireland has overachieved over the past decade enabled by the underachieving England & France.</p>

<p>I thought Ireland were pretty positive against Wales in a particularly exciting first half. Whatever about the superiority of the Southern hemisphere teams NH rubgy has greatly changed. Ire v Wal was not a kick-fest and I'm looking forward to Fra v Ire though I expect we'll see Ire play a more conservative approach but when it's on they'll go for it.</p>
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<p>My concerns for Ireland against France are White at tight-head and whether McCarthy & Toner can get the job done, Ryan on the bench has seen his best days. McGrath had a very strong game against Wales and will need another strong one against France.</p>
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<p>I don't know what to expect from the French so nothing new there.</p>
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<p>My only comment on Wales is they need a new backs coach, their attack is just so jaded and how George North continues to be selected baffles me.</p>