Wallabies squad for Tri-Nations

[jazza93]

Its going to be an awesome backline with Cooper, Giteau and AAC (hopefully at 13). Along with O'Conner, Hynes and Ioane in the outside backs.

The forwards are the ones who need to step up to the mark. The NZ backrow will destroy us if we use too many ball running forwards. Anyway, the front row looks slightly improved so if they can hold up i guess where always a chance.

[James]

Good points James, but from the lists I have seen Shep didn't make the cut yet?

I have faith

We need AAC in the centres and we really can't play Cooper, Giteau and O'Connor in the same XV and expect to beat the Blacks/Boks. Deans would be stupid not to include Shepherd and if he's dropped both Turner and Mitchell I'd wager its going to be a return for Shepherd.

[Hoolly Doolly]

Ideally of whos available my 22 to play the springoks first up would be....

1 robinson
2 faingaa
3 maafu
4 mccalman
5 Sharp
6 Higginbotham
7 hodgson
8 elsolm
9 genia
10 cooper
11 ioane
12 faingaa
13 horne
14 hynes
15 ashley cooper

16 moore
17 slipper
18 pocock
19 mumm
20 giteau
21 shepherd
22 oconnor

Ashley Cooper at fullback as he seems safest under the high ball and to give him space to counter attack. When sheps is up to match fitness id put him on the wing and replace horne with ioane.

[robyn <3]

Ma'afu wouldn't make my ideal bench, let alone my ideal XV. He's been a mess in the two tests, surely there must be someone better to take on DuPlessis and Guthro?!

[Hoolly Doolly]

agree robyn. if rodzilla, baxter, or dunnning were in the squad theyd be picked ahead.

[BeeJay]

Ideally of whos available my 22 to play the springoks first up would be....

1 robinson
2 faingaa
3 maafu
4 mccalman
5 Sharp
6 Higginbotham
7 hodgson
8 elsolm
9 genia
10 cooper
11 ioane
12 faingaa
13 horne
14 hynes
15 ashley cooper

16 moore
17 slipper
18 pocock
19 mumm
20 giteau
21 shepherd
22 oconnor

Moore has to be the starting hooker if fit. The All Blacks showed that if a player is good enough, he can step up despite little rugby in preceding weeks.

A big call for McCalman to start. I suspect he will come off the bench. Higginbotham probably will start as there have been enough hints about that. Pocock HAS to be 7. If Elsom starts at 8 then Brownie on the bench.

My backline would be Genia, Cooper, Ioane (11), Giteau, Ashley Cooper, Shepherd (14) and O'Connor. The only issue is Ioane's safety under the high ball - as I'm sure he'll see a lot of them in the game. As an alternative, Ashley Cooper and Ioane could swap places.

Barnes should get a bench place as he can cover 10 and 12. And Burgess as a back up scrumhalf.

[Hoolly Doolly]

The pack was the most aggressive mongrel of a pack I could put together with what we got thus why mccalman, higginbotham and hodgson is in their.
If todays game is any indication then we need the pack and backs to meet the ab's and boks with the same level of physical intensity they intend to bring upon the wallabies.
AB's were consistently getting over the advantage line, recycling the ball quickly. Their ball movement and running out wide was good but what made the defense brittle was the direct running, and offloading to support players following closely behind.
If there was an alternative for the backs i would go 9 genia 10 cooper 11 ioane 12 faingaa 13 ashley cooper 14 hynes 15 oconnor
but the allblacks know how to expose oconnors lack of height with guys like jane, rocokoko etc and although in attack i prefer AAC, defensively rob horne would be an excellent pairing with faingaa in the centres.

Come world cup Moore will be the 3rd choice hooker, hopefully 4th if whittiker or charles step up next year.

[jono]

will be interesting to see what tyrell does as well
realistically we haven't even begun to see what he can do yet.
his games this year were pretty good.
i'm not saying that he will be a wallaby next year but i am looking forward to seeing him get back onto the field, and seeing what he can really do.

although on a side note, he isn't listed in the player profiles?

[GIGS20]

AB's were consistently getting over the advantage line, recycling the ball quickly. Their ball movement and running out wide was good but what made the defense brittle was the direct running, and offloading to support players following closely behind.

My call was the intensity over the ball on the floor. They were insane. I also thought they got away with crossing plenty of lines there, particularly sealing off and not rolling away, which made them even more confident and aggressive. If we can't win the hit, and compete better at the breakdown than SA we're buggered for a Bledisloe! For that reason, I'd play our best breakdown players regardless of whether we begin the game with three opensiders. we need blokes charging into the cleanout to ensure the blackness is scared to go in there. That's the one thing that makes me thing McCalman is actually a smokey to start.

Bam 7
Hodgeo 8
Elsom 6 unless he looks as pedestrian during the break as he has so far, if he stuffs it up then McCalman

Locks.....well Sharpie, but make sure he knows not to be more than 4m away from the ball ever, and probably Simmons or McCalman depending on Whether Elsom starts and who is showing more mongrel.

Mumm will only be any good once the tripe has been smashed out of the opposition, and there aren't any locks in the squad who've done anything better, so I think we have no choice but to look at the young locks.

[Hoolly Doolly]

Yep they were pretty dominant at the breakdown. SA didnt have much chance to compete at the breakdown with the relentless go forward ball getting over the advantage line the allblacks were enjoyig. The sealing off and not rolling away is pretty typical. Cant really control that unless u wanna line ur knee up with richie mccaw or brad thorns head.
Im interested to see Hodgo get a shot at 7 which is his true position. I remember our last win in auckland waugh got picked ahead of smith after sitting on the bench for ages. waugh was like a wild dog unleashed. was the best i ever seen him play. im hoping the same would occurr starting hodgo.

Kieren Reid will be the next Allblacks Captain. I could possibly be his biggest fan.

[James]

although on a side note, he isn't listed in the player profiles?

Someone was saying something about him coming back but I'd heard he simply couldn't play on without serious risk of long term neck damage.

[GIGS20]

I heard that at the start, but apparently he's been cleared.

[jono]

Someone was saying something about him coming back but I'd heard he simply couldn't play on without serious risk of long term neck damage.

i heard he wasnt coming back, then i think he had another round of surgery or something,
and he was given the all clear?


i really should go down to the club one night, or for a home game, seeing as its like a 20 minute walk