Rocky must have read the bad press

[blueandblack]

Channel 9 just telecast the Fox Sports feed
Posted via Mobile Device

and they took the feed from SuperSport (although Fox had their own commentators on, of course)

[James]

Making a great 30m run and then giving away a penalty does not equal a good match.
Having a reserved word to an ineffective Ref does not equal a good Captain.

There was an improvement but I still say he is not at the level required to deserve either a starting position nor the leadership of his nation.

Or perhaps for an off the ball tackle on Bakkies Botha- though I did love seeing Botha get smoked. But if you are a forward and you run 30m and there is a penalty against you it isn't your fault, it is the bloody backs who should have been there in support, either for the offload or two secure the ball. What the hell was James Horwill doing in that play? He should have known that, if Rocky wasn't going to pass it, he should be there to ensure the ball is protected when Elsom went to ground.

But Rocky did play better. I'd say better than Higginbotham, who was ok but was lacking in the scrums. He wasn't perfect, but few of the Wallabies were at their best and it was a distinct improvement on last week.

[GIGS20]

What the hell was James Horwill doing in that play? He should have known that, if Rocky wasn't going to pass it, he should be there to ensure the ball is protected when Elsom went to ground.

I think Horwill was expecting Rocky to play like he has for the last three seasons, throw the insane offload and lie on the ground for a while.

If that had been the case, he would have been pretty much under the posts.

[Rex Messup]

I'll have to stand up for Rocky re his conversation with the ref

I felt he raised his objection in an appropriate way. He acknowledged the bokke were coming in hard which they were entitled to do but were going over the ball and off their feet and making no effort to get out of the way.

The ref was toilet for the record

Bullying the ref and whining like a little b1tch like Gregan used to do won't win any favours

[Rex Messup]

Well done Rocky. He had all manner of media writing him off, not just this esteemed forum of course, but just about every media commentator was on his back. He silenced the critics and showed some mongrel. He's on track form wise now, just hope he keeps progressing.

I was an outspoken critic. He had a fine game. Lets hope he can keep going. We're stuck with him after that performance so we'd better use the electric prod.

You can tell from his post match interviews that he is still short of a gallop. He can hardly find the energy to talk

I will call on Ecky to defend Bryce Lawrence........what a farce the refereeing display was. That was gimp material.

[Swee_82]

and they took the feed from SuperSport (although Fox had their own commentators on, of course)

And the fox guys in turn were struggling with the whole 'pretend we're in Durban' concept.

[SinBin]

I was an outspoken critic. He had a fine game. Lets hope he can keep going. We're stuck with him after that performance so we'd better use the electric prod....

Yep, I was also a critic but we're all giving credit when it's due. I agree, I hope Robbie's shipped one of his cattle prods over to help keep Rocky's mongrel level on high.

[Burgs]

Can't speak for others, but my "credit where it is due" is for a moderate improvement, not a gushing endorsement.
He is still a long way from where the Wallaby Blindside and Australian Captain should be at and needs to improve by at least that much again for next match against the #1 team before I would come anywhere near eating my words.
He has gone from S15 bench to S15 start on that performance.

[Thequeerone]

But still nowhere near the effort / flair and style he put in for Leinster

[Hansie]

Too much faint praise around. Score should have been 34-9. JOC botched a try on half time, Moore dropped a sitter in space 30m out, Horwill didn't catch whilst seagulling down the sideline, forward pass from Genia ..... Yes Rocky got involved a bit more and Sharpie showed why he should not have missed the Auckland test, but for professional players earning some big bucks - the basics are letting us down.

Keep your eye on the ball all the way into your hands......

[jargan83]

Whilst it was a step in the right direction for Elsom, 1 game does not make a season.

Hopefully he continues his improvement with a bit more game time

[Rex Messup]

I thought Elsom actually had a very good game. A few breaks, plenty of hit ups and a lot more effective at the breakdown and a lot less time on the wing and in the backline. There were less missed tackles also and a couple of great cover tackles suggesting he was covering more ground. I thought he had a blinder.

The team perfromance was disappointing however. At least 20 points left on the field. We should have won with a BP when you reconcile the missed opportunities.

[James]

What was with that Genia forward pass anyway? I have seen Burgess try and pull that behind the back crap a couple of times and it pretty much never works.

[Happy]

Bullying the ref and whining like a little b1tch like Gregan used to do won't win any favours

it used to work though ... gregan knew more about the rules than a lot of the ref's he played under and while they must have hated him pointing things out well.. he generally got the penalty awarded :p

[mudskipper]

Gregan was a very good captain always talking to the ref, always talking about the progress of the game... thats why he had such a successful career... won every cup worth winning... and had the skills and discipline to match...