wins a win

[zimeric]

I thought they played well considering the scrum and the turf were so crap...
a few decision making issues in the first half as well that need to be ironed out but i was happy with
1) the backline still looking as dangerous with ball in hand as ever
2) Huia Edmonds lineout throws great
3) Sharpie and Elsom stealing throws
4) Pocock being his usual terror in the loose along with McCalman ( even Elsom had a good game today)
5) Beale had a great individual game
6) considering that the turf was its usual crap self the scrum did very well especially as they were giving away a whopping 7kgs PER person in the front 8 No penalty tries against us!!
7) wales were crap in attack

England will be lathering at the chops looking at our scrum...
but i think we have it countered... keep ball in hand and no knock ons and we should take it...


did anyone see gits get the ball?

[GIGS20]

Only the two times he dropped it.

The scrum was a lot less crap than barnes gave it credit for. I thought the first few penalties were reasonable, but after that he seemed to make a lot of assumptions, some were right but some, particularly the two on the line which lead up to the try were pretty dodgy.

We need to win matches, not necessarily every facet of the match. Our forwards had the better of the black forwards last week, our backs won the game this week. As long as we win, i don't mind!
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[Burgs]

With the Scrum issues a given, the rest was pretty sound.
Some great pilfers, even Cooper getting in on the act with a couple of maul rips, though reminded me a little of the little dog biting from the outside while the big dogs fight.
I think the coms had it pretty accurate where they looked like they were trying to score a try from every phase, perhaps a little more patience required at times. That said, it is so refreshing at this level to see a team have a crack from anywhere. I want to see them do that so I have to expect a few errors and a few tries leaked in, high risk high reward.
Hopefully a couple of the usual suspects will have seen for themselves the benefit of passing back inside rather than taking on the defence when within 10m of touch.
Drew and AAC both struck me with their upper body strength, highlighted towards the end where they just swatted away tacklers.
Edmonds could well have the opportunity to cement himself into the #16. Haven't heard the time frames on Moore or Fainga`a, but he certainly stepped up to the plate in all but the scrum, but was no orphan there either.
Generally pretty frustrating to watch for the most part but some individual brilliance.
What could have been on a sound pitch...

[joblot]

Rocky being pinged twice for breaking from the scrum early was not a good look.

[TOCC]

Huh, I must have missed those penalties?
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[welshrugbyfan]

I'd put our front row up against anyone at the moment and be happy they'd get the job done.

Unfortunately we are lacking (through injury) key players in the backs and we were never going to score too many trys. Penalties were our only real option to get points, well done Mr Jones for missing two easy shots as well.

Wallabies deserved their win and I'm just gald we weren't a walk over and made you work for your win. Pocock is a machine at the breakdown.

But please can someone explain to me how if a ball gets called backwards how can a player who picks it up can be pinned for being in front of the ball be called offside and 3 points given away?

Mr Barnes, please explain.

[James]

With the kind of pressure that Wales was putting on our scrum I wouldn't have kicked penalties. Had they sent the ball into touch with the penalty at the end of the first half, all they needed to do would be to get a scrum by burrowing in with pick and drives until you get held up and crush the Australian scrum into a try, penalty try or penalty try + yellow card (we can't have been too far off one of those). Wales probably could have been far more ruthless in their dominance in the scrum and we are very lucky they weren't- and that Barnes didn't show anyone a yellow sticker for it.

[Burgs]

WRF, as I think they pointed out, wasn't that the Lions FR in a match in SA?
Re offside, my understanding was simply he came back from an offside position and touched the ball, but will leave that to Ecky et al.

James, that (scrums v kicks) would be a logical viewpoint however, I think it is that ingrained in NH phsyc that it would take a Christchurch sized shaking to change the mindset.

[normie]

The Welsh front row had about 150 tests worth of experience, on top of the kg advantage; They were the BL front row that caned the Springboks (when they all assembled off the bench) on that last Lions tour of the Republic. For all it's 'imperfections' I thought it was a cracker of a match.

[.X.]

The first 2 scrums of the night - the Welsh put a massive hit on us, a hit that big, some could say was early. would like to see a repeat.

But it went downhill from there. The lack of support from the back 3 who were busy looking for the next phase, didnt do us any favours when we were back peddaling.

[James]

Fingers crossed Rod Blake makes good down in Melbourne and gives us another option in the scrum.

I think Dean Mumm should be subbed back in for Mark Chisholm.

[zimeric]

really its a matter of physics

the weakest link the chain will always fail... on Saturday that was the turf under the wallabies.. they were strong enough to hold the Welsh.. if the grass held them... which it didn't.. every scrum on the wallabies side churned up big folds of freshly laid turf.. it is atrocious and seems to happen every year on these big stadia in Europe. why don't they lay the turf in summer and let it set so that by the first week of November its ready for a pounding.

[Darren]

surely teh turf under teh welsh was just as bad - what did they do different?

[zimeric]

they were heavier...

[palitu]

interesting to see a call for Dean Mumm back in the fold...