Lansdowne Lessons

Well, what a difference a week can make in the fortunes of twenty two committed and proud Australian men!
While I still 100% stand behind my comments following the England match, especially with regard to some individuals, I must say credit where credit is due.
Last night these men stood up to the huge pressure of the fear of failure, of being in the record worst Australian team, and played the Irish with passion and flair as we used to expect them to.
We need to remain realistic about the situation, Ireland are not England (and are certainly not world best New Zealand) and we still have to play Six Nations Champions Wales next week, so the cork stays in the Champers for now.
There were still some problems in the lineout and scrum and some defensive glitches with the backs in cover defense however, the signs are looking better.
I was impressed that following a fairly stodgy first half the Wallabies came out in the second and threw the ball around as of old and chanced their hand.
One great bonus to have come out of this game and the tour in general has been the blooding and performances by the debut and junior players so far.
None of them appear to be overwhelmed by the occasion and they have all shown signs of continuing to vie for places when our injured stars return.
The front row was a vastly improved unit and both starting props looked like they owned their spot.
The second row continues to gel and work together with awareness for the others position on the paddock. Unlike the props they have a genuine equal on the bench.
Individually the back row all showed good signs however, I am still disappointed at the insistence on using both Waugh and Smith at the same time and Roe is not the answer as a starting blindside.
The inside backs had a generally good game with some kicking errors but good defence and good communication. Some of the moves seemed a bit stilted and over produced for a rebuilding team with excellent outside backs to use however, in the main they pulled it off.
The outside backs remain our shining lights from the tour and must be allowed to continue to shine next week.
And so individually:

Greg Holmes, a great first start from the big Queenslander and for mine showed enough to keep Dunning out of the twenty two next week. You cannot expect these players to develop at a satisfactory rate if you keep pulling the rug out from under their feet every time they have a good game. Rating 6.

Brendan Cannon, a vast improvement for Cannon with the throw in to lineouts and the tight head scrum can definitely be blamed elsewhere (see below) as he didn’t have a stable platform to work from on that occasion. Set for a second coming under Mitchell and Darwin at the Western Force. Rating 6.

David Fitter, well what a relief to see that he lived up to all the support that he has been getting from Western Force supporters to have a start! And isn’t it excellent to see a tight head with a bit of agro and passion in a Wallaby jersey? The commentators bagged Fitter a little for his early flare up however I applaud it. He saw a mate get a cheap shot and he stood up for his mate as all good enforcers should. The Ref saw it for what it was, didn’t penalise him and told them to get on with the game. For me no further evidence of his ability is required than seeing what happened at the first scrum following his substitution. Collapsed scrum to the Australian tighthead side of the scrum, reset, tight head win to Ireland! Up until that change the Australian pack had held their own and had even shown some dominance at times. Fitter showed great aggression in the loose around the ground and had displayed impressive power in the ruck and maul.
He has earnt the right to start again against Wales and must be retained in the Wallaby Squad next year. Rating 8.

Hugh McMeniman, the rise of McMeniman continues with a great game. Again had a couple of errors in the lineout and will be a better player for the experience. His crash-up basically made Mitchell’s first try and as with last week his improved strength held him in good sted. Rating 6.

Nathan Sharpe (vc), this was Sharpe’s best match of the year and a return to the previous form that he became an automatic selection for over the season. Sharpey would have known he had to show something on this game with the rise of McMeniman and approaching return of Vickerman next season. This he did in spades and was arguably the best Wallaby forward for the second consecutive match. He had a big hit on his opposite number, although it must be acknowledged in Sharpe’s defence that the injury occurred when Malcom O’Kelly’s head hit the ground rather than in the tackle itself. Rating, 8.

John Roe, again Roe had a workman like match with good defensive efforts and good ground coverage. For mine he still lacks the size and aggression of Elsom or general skill and match awareness of Fava. The form he did show however, does promise good things for the Reds this season and he will be a better player for the exposure. Rating 6.

Phil Waugh (vc), not much changed for Waugh since last week, a good game, but we’re used to that. At least the penalty rate was slowed a little and he is ever reliable in defense. Rating 5.

George Smith, Smith continues to shine in broken play and appears to have sorted out his handling glitches from the start of the season. Was instrumental in some of match winning phases of play and had a generally good match. By now my feelings on the “7 Waugh, 8 Smith” scenario should be well known and I stand by that here. It is a stop gap measure and not a long term solution so make the change Eddie. Rating 7.

George Gregan (c), it would appear that Gregan just needed a bigger wall to get his back up against before firing back! Had arguably his best match in several seasons and has stayed the execution for the year. Rebuffed the critics by both running and kicking on occasions and he generally had a decent passing game.
The one valid criticism of Gregans style of play is his need to take a step back from the forwards to make the pass, this step is matched by the opposition and brings extra pressure onto the backline. Henjak in direct contrast with his extra height is able to reach in to the ball and pass as he transfers the weight onto his back foot, thereby giving his backs at least an extra yard to use up in set plays. This game has, excepting an injury, effectively ended Whitakers International career and will see Gregan certainly reach 50 Captain Test Caps next weekend and early next year become the games most capped player.
Is it for the good of Australian Rugby?
Probably not, but we shouldn’t begrudge this servant to his team celebrating these major milestones with the respect and congratulations that he deserves. Rating 7.

Mat Rogers, Rogers has again proven himself to be one tough cookie! He reportedly played the majority of the game “on one leg” with a severe cork above his right knee however, having run it out, continued on to kick vital goals and deliver generally good passes for the remainder of the match. He still is questionable with his in play positional kicks and had a couple of shocker restarts but that will come with experience. Is in doubt at this stage for a start against Wales and, with no Giteau, this may pose an interesting selection dilemma for the committee. Rating 7.

Drew Mitchell, Mitchell, three games, four tries! What a huge potential this young man has, a genuine player with a great work rate. He draws my admiration not so much for his great pace and skill but more for his second and third tackles to totally tie up the opposition. Let’s hope the injury gods stay kind to Mitchell because at this rate he will be one of our major players going into France ’07 and beyond. Rating 8.

Morgan Turinui (vc), well for this game at least I say well done Morgan. If the media and fans in Ireland had put on half the pressure as that in Australia then he would have been well aware that he was at the crossroads of his career. This was a must perform match and on balance Turinui did that. He had some good moments in defence with important tackles and his passing game was improved as well. I still believe that there are more productive options to try than Turinui but I don’t think Eddie has the spine to make the changes at 12 or 13. Rating 6.

Lote Tuqiri, although more secure in his selection the thoughts are basically the same as for Turinui. An improved showing but he is still not the man for the job. Has a worrying tendency to be waving his arms around telling who everyone should be tackling and then falls off his own man or leaves a gap open for the opposition to exploit. The insistence on this continued positional selection just really smacks of Eddies ego needing to be satisfied rather than who would be better in that position for mine. Rating 6.

Mark Gerrard, a great shame that Gerrard was forced off earlier than expected as he was again showing promise on the wing. I feel there is plenty of Caps left for Gerrard and the Brumbies will be excited by what they have been seeing over the tour. Rating 6.

Chris Latham, having pulled off possibly the try of the year Latham has proved himself to be one of the few genuine World stars in this Wallaby Squad. Having been arguably the best Wallaby in the last two matches Latham was voted best on ground for this match. Munster must be spewing at the one that got away!!! Rating 9 and best on ground.

Tatafu Polota-Nau, had an instant impact on the game. Not only did he make the intercept and the pass but his follow up in support for Mitchell was remarkable! Let’s stop for a moment, that is a 113kg, 181cm HOOKER keeping within helping distance of one of our fastest wingers! Most of our other usual suspects in the front row would have either knocked it on or been left hands on knees calling for the “magic water” back on half way! A fantastic display from the young man and I would be very supportive to see him force our own Western Force Cannon to the bench against Wales and see how he performs over a longer period. Really it’s a win-win situation, start Polota-Nau, if he fails then you can put Cannon on for sixty minutes as usual anyway. If Cannon then gets injured, being a front row player, then Polota-Nau must replace him under the rules to maintain a genuine front row for the scrums. I am convinced now that with the rise of Polota-Nau and the return of Jeremy Paul, Cannons Wallaby days as an automatic twenty two selection are well and truly numbered.
I would go as far to say that it will be Paul on the bench to Polota-Nau by the time we get to France ’07. Rating 8.

Al Baxter, Al, you did it again. Instant scrum disasters on arrival and half the field cover and aggression than Fitter. Perhaps it’s time for Baxter to do a McMeniman and leave the squad to work on his strength and skill? Rating, 2. (I guess that makes him twice as good as last week!)

Mark Chisholm, had a serviceable game with limited time. Rating, 5.

Scott Fava, has shown enough to surely dodge the dreaded #23 next week? In my opinion he was stronger and smarter around the park than Roe and deserves to take that position in the twenty two against Wales if Elsom comes back in. Rating, 7.

Matt Henjak, things are looking good for Henjak going in to the ’06 Super 14 and Test seasons. Henjak has performed very well in the two opportunities that he has been given and has earnt his position on the bench as the future starting Wallaby half. A full season starting with the Force in ’06 will be the turning point for any doubts about his potential. Also in comparison to Gregan read the notes in his revue. Rating, 7.

Lloyd Johansson, unfortunately was not required. Hopefully he will get the nod against Wales.

Wendell Sailor, had a better game than against France but Sailor is still not the player he promised to be. For Wales, we know where he is at, let one of the young guns get the call up. Rating, 5.

So, all in all a much improved outing, but still a long way to go. The Wallabies of old would have all been scoring 7+ in such a match revue rather than seeing the smattering of 6 and less efforts.
Once more Eddie is in a difficult position for selection next week. He’s facing a tougher side in Wales and if he loses then all the bullets will start flying again. So the temptation will be to go for the best paper players, including the re-inclusion of Dunning etc. I feel this (especially Dunning) would be a backwards step having finally gained some momentum in Ireland.
For me it is now time to go for broke and unleash the likes of Polota-Nau, Fava, Elsom, Henjak and Johansson for starting roles and bring Houston, Ioane and Shepherd onto the bench.
So to accommodate that, my selection for next week (injury permitting and assuming no Giteau) would be:

1. Holmes
2. Polota-Nau
3. Fitter
4. McMeniman
5. Sharpe ( C )
6. Elsom
7. Smith
8. Fava
9. Henjak
10. Rogers
11. Mitchell
12. Johansson *
13. Tuqiri
14. Gerrard
15. Latham
16. Cannon
17. Henderson **
18. Chisholm
19. Houston
20. Gregan
21. Ioane
22. Shepherd

* Assuming no Giteau, if Gits then 13 Johansson, 14 Tuqiri and Gerrard to rest.
** If he won’t make this move then why did they fly Henderson over? Baxter is useless and Dunning isn’t much better. If they must, then have Dunning on the bench as cover for 1 & 3 rather than tighthead Baxter.

The lessons from Lansdowne should be:
Fear not the debut player for they will rise and,
Belief will go a long way towards winning matches, especially if you are playing a weaker side….

another nice match report there Burgs :approve: You're a tough act to follow!

Another outstanding effort by Latham and Mitchell, and bloddy Polota-Nau has a future ahead of him! A nice showing by fitter too - looking forward to seeing the Western Force forward in full swing next year!

All in all a decent showing - we may have a competitive national team come next years spring tour, i not the tri-nations...!

Wow Burgs great review. :approve:
Are you a sports writer? You should be! Do you take notes during the game or write from memory?

They choose 22 players for a match. How many others are over there with them?

You should get a section on 8's radio show. :P

Thanks LarryNJ and Coach, nah no sports writer mate. Just have a bit of an obsession with the rugger at the moment! (well perhaps more like the last eighteen years...) Only took notes on the Sydney and Brisbane Club Finals thread (Force Finals performances (NSWRU & QRU), http://thewholeforce.com/showthread.php?p=526#post526 ) because I was less familiar with the names involved. The Wallaby ones are from memory and I run them past my good friend Grippage, who I watch most of the matches with, before posting to make sure it's factually accurate.
There was an original touring party of 32 plus 7 who went over for the Australia A fixture against the French Barbarians and then came home. Henderson has since returned to the Test Squad following the injury of Dunning and Freier has apparently been injured as well. Daruda was injured prior to the Australia A match. *Western Force Squad Members.
Australian Test Squad:
Al Baxter, Brendan Cannon*, Mark Chisholm, Matt Dunning, Rocky Elsom, Scott Fava*, David Fitter*, Adam Freier, Mark Gerrard, Matt Giteau, George Gregan, Matt Henjak*, Greg Holmes, Leroy Houston, Digby Ioane*, Llyod Johannson, Chris Latham, Hugh McMeniman, Drew Mitchell, Stephen Moore, Tatafu Polota'Nau, John Roe, Mat Rogers, Wendell Sailor, Nathan Sharpe*, Cameron Shepherd*, George Smith, Lote Tuqiri, Morgan Turinui, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Phil Waugh & Chris Whitaker.
Australia A Group:
Adam Ashley-Cooper, Alister Campbell, David Croft, Scott Daruda*, Nic Henderson, Lachlan McKay* & Brett Sheehan.

Haha, don't think I'd be quick enough for radio Chief! Old country bumpkin brain needs a bit of time for thought ;)

Great review Burgs, Very informative for those of us who couldn't see the game.