goodbye series, only positive will be goodbye Robbie deans
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goodbye series, only positive will be goodbye Robbie deans
Posted via Mobile Device
I think most of us thought that before it started, at least privately.
THE Wallabies intend to dust off the Jonah Lomu blueprint and get the ball into the hands of star winger Israel Folau as often as possible in the second Test against the Lions on Saturday.
When Lomu was in his prime at the 1995 World Cup, a fax was sent to the All Blacks hotel saying: "Remember rugby is a team game, all 14 of you must pass the ball to Jonah."
Folau was on a par with the Kiwi great by scoring two tries, busting four tackles and running for 114 metres in a spectacular Test debut in Brisbane - but the achievement was all the more remarkable given he only touched the ball 11 times in the game.
It continued Folau's stunning strike rate of tries in big games - both in league and union - but to ensure that try-haul continues, the Wallabies have identified the obvious need for a tweaking of strategy this weekend at Etihad Stadium.
Namely, pass the ball to Izzy.
A lot more.
"Obviously you want the most damaging blokes getting as many touches as possible. It would be a good outcome," said coach Robbie Deans."We have to work on that collectively. Israel is part of that, as are the people around him.
"It was very important for Izzy (to play well in Brisbane). It was a genuine cauldron he was entering. There was a lot of scrutiny, a lot of discussion about his selection in the first instance, so it was important to get off to a flyer and he did that.
"I have no doubt it will make entering the second Test a much more familiar contest."
Folau, who only had four runs in the second half, said he is confident he can make more impact in the second Test after watching the tape and spying all the potential gaps and tries he could have taken, if he was more vocal in calling for the ball.
"I learned a lot from that first game. I reviewed that game and saw a few opportunities that I missed, and where I can pick up in the second game," Folau said."I can work a whole lot more with James and the guys inside me to try and get my hands on the ball as much as I can. The initiative must come from me to want to get the ball."
The Waratahs took several months to remember Folau is exceptional in the air, and when they finally put in a cross kick near the line against the Stormers he scored.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226671056970
Mentioning Izzy and Jonah is the same sentence:( Sorry but Jonah was a legend who was cut down in his prime by disease, who knows what else he would have achieved if he had been fit. Izzy is just a talented newbie at the moment