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Some pretty blunt assesments from those who have been there before.
Stay tuned for Campo to come out and say Australia CAN win the RWC
Wallabies 'can't win World Cup'
By Peter Jenkins
May 28, 2007
AUSTRALIA legend Nick Farr-Jones fears for the side's chances of landing a third Rugby World Cup in France later this year.
The Test halfback great described as "poor" and "alarming" the error-riddled last-gasp victory over Wales on Saturday night.
He also suggested that the attempt to inject new players at such a late stage of the build-up - there were two backline debutants at Telstra Stadium, with another player in the starting side for the first time - had been left too long and was now fraught with danger.
Asked if he would be backing the Wallabies to emulate his side's success in 1991, Farr-Jones replied: "Not at all.
"If we come up against South Africa in a quarter-final we would be 5/1 just to win that game," he said.
"History has told us the more an Aussie gets written off the more he can rise to the occasion.
"But to win a World Cup, you have to win three big (knockout) games.
"I can see us maybe winning one. I can't see us winning three."
Farr-Jones said the secret to success 16 years ago was the infusion of young talent into the side in the early stages of the World Cup countdown.
"The coach, Bob Dwyer, and his fellow selectors, in their wisdom, were bringing in players like Jason Little, Tim Horan, Phil Kearns, Tony Daly, Ewen McKenzie and Willie Ofahengaue two years before the tournament," he said.
"They were blooding them when they had hardly been heard of. There was only one freak who came into the 1991 team in the year of the World Cup, and that was John Eales.
"You've got to be putting your jigsaw together 24 months prior. That jigsaw involves experienced guys but also a bunch of young guys who can strut their stuff, chance their arm, be hugely athletic and give a really good balance to a team.
"I felt for some of those guys on Saturday night who had hardly played any Tests or were debuting.
"It's big pressure so close to the World Cup.
"But the lack of execution was quite alarming. Balls were going to ground, passes were in front and behind people. I thought it was pretty shoddy.
"One of the alarming statistics for me too was that 20 minutes into the game, Wales were leading 17-0 and up on the scoreboard came the possession statistic. We had 83 per cent of the ball to that point."
Another former Test captain, Tony Shaw, said the injury-time escape act - with the replacement back rower Stephen Hoiles crossing after the siren to snatch victory - would serve as a confidence booster.
But he lamented the overall performance.
"We've got to stop frigging around with changes and get some stability," he said.
"The fact we resurrected the game and got a win was a huge plus but we were looking down the barrel of an embarrassing loss."
Former Test flanker Simon Poidevin baulked at assessing the Australia display, adopting the approach that if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything.
He was, however, prepared to discuss the importance of beating a full-strength Wales when the two sides meet in a World Cup pool match in Cardiff on September 15.
The loser will almost certainly be consigned to second place in the group and a likely joust with the Springboks for a spot in the semi-finals.
"I watched South Africa and England after the Wallabies game and the intensity and strength of the Springbok forward pack was spectacular," Poidevin said.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Couldn't have said it better myself, he stuffed around on the european tour, now we start building on those experiments (the ones that worked)...Originally Posted by Burgs
Proudly bought to you by a brewery somewhere....
Tony Shaw never has been one to sugar coat an opinion![]()
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Love the jigsaw quote from Nick.Originally Posted by Burgs
Mr Connoly (& selectors) note - to successfully complete a jigsaw, forst sort out all the bit with flat edges (read Front Rowers) then fill in the rest.
Pity we've been friggin around with questions of scrum half/fly half instead of getting the tight five fixed...
As for 24 months - I think we've got less than 24 weeks - SHIT
Michael RaynerDisharmony stops the Wallabies from striking the right chord
One assumes when the World Cup is all over, that the reasons for Australia’s miserable performances will come out.
Was it simply our lack of, unlike New Zealand, preparing for the Cup four years ago by building a new team?
Posted: Monday, November 3, 2003
They should all just drag up their 1999 and 2003 articles and change the names....
rest of article... http://www.abc.net.au/rugbyunion/items/s981867.htm
and a Campoism
http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/20...3_13112003.htm
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 28-05-07 at 18:43. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
well at least the good news today is that we are going back to the old school,maybe this time we will stick to a winning line up.
PROPS RULE
Thought Campo was pretty prophetic with that one Gerry, basically saying they had to go for broke.
Really, with an intercept try, that's what they did.
The first article I could basically put the names in as I was reading
Doesn't say much for progress, in eight years we have one team that has over achieved (yet still lost) and a second in similar disarray.
Roll on November...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
what the hell. why are people so negative "australia cant win the world cup" i hope somebody beats some scence into him. sure they can whats stopping them i think theyve got a great chance you never know what is going to happen.
how would he like it if people were telling him that he has no chance and cant win the world cup before he went in im sure he would hate legends telling him that.
im getting sick of these stupid old players putting the current team down they are just pigs.
That sounds great when you don't have responsibility for the team, but that only works when you have the young players of the right quality coming through.Originally Posted by Burgs
International rugby goes in cycles and selecting a raft of quality young players is only a work of genius in hindsight -- the 1989/90 intake was a group of rare talent and they don't come around all the time. They were always going to be Wallabies and first class ones at that.
Take the All Blacks of the early 90s and the early 00s -- New Zealand has greater top level depth than anyone but they struggled to fill key positions during these periods simply because the players weren't there.
Australia is reaching the end of an era for a bunch of senior players now but there would have been no point dumping them in 2005 for a swathe of young hopefuls when said young hopefuls simply weren't there.
Rugby doesn't organise itself conveniently in four year periods to suit the world cup.
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 28-05-07 at 21:09. Reason: thats OK Rick...I'll fix your spelling :)
No-ones sayign the Wallabies "can't" win Rick, just its looking less and less likely. Some of us believe that ARU selectores have taken too long fiddling with the peices to put the jigsaw together in time.
We'll keep hoping, but I'm not beting the farm on them.