SMH Team of Week 13

[travelling_gerry]

Deans's teens lift stocks for U20 world cup

Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | May 11, 2009


WESTERN FORCE are finished, and the Brumbies might have left their run too late, but the Australian under-20 team will be delighted by the performances of two squad members in the weekend's round.

Standouts in the Brumbies win over the Blues in Canberra on Saturday night and the Force's loss to the Stormers in Cape Town early yesterday were teenagers Matt Toomua and James O'Connor.

With Wallabies coach Robbie Deans's preference for promising players to represent Australia at next month's Junior World Championship in Japan rather than be part of a squad for the June Tests, O'Connor, a certainty for the Wallabies training squad, found himself selected in the age team.

O'Connor, who has been a revelation in the centres for the Force this past month with several man of the match performances, came up with a season highlight at Newlands Stadium yesterday - a 26th-minute solo try - evading four Stormers defenders with deft jinks off his left foot. He repeatedly attempted to enliven the Force attack with cheeky chip kicks or solo runs. For most of the game, the Stormers struggled to contain him.

The Force falling short by just one point puts them out of the finals race, leaving the Waratahs and Brumbies as Australia's only remaining chances.

The Brumbies need final-round results to go their way to sneak into the four but will be buoyed by the form of their promising five-eighth, 19-year-old Toomua.
Since taking over from the injured Christian Lealiifano, the long-kicking Toomua has brought some midfield authority.

The Reds, who can help the Waratahs and Brumbies by beating the Hurricanes in Brisbane on Saturday, hope to have skipper and second-rower James Horwill (foot), inside-centre Berrick Barnes (groin) and fullback Mark McLinden (knee) back from injury. However, back-rower Ezra Taylor might be out with a knee complaint.

Australian Team Of The Week
15 Adam Ashley-Cooper (ACT) (2)
14 Stirling Mortlock (ACT) (4)
13 Timana Tahu (NSW) (2)
12 James O'Connor (Force) (5)
11 Lote Tuqiri(NSW) (5)
10 Matt Toomua (ACT) (2)
9 Luke Burgess (NSW) (4)
8 Wycliff Palu(NSW) (5)
7 Phil Waugh (NSW) (7)
6 Ben Mowen (NSW) (4)
5 Peter Kimlin (ACT) (5)
4 Ben Hand(ACT) (2)
3 Al Baxter (NSW) (4)
2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW) (4)
1 Benn Robinson (NSW) (8)
(Number of times selected in brackets).


http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...893849446.html

[mudskipper]

Tahs frontrow?

MAtt Toomua well done but was he really better than Gits?

[Flamethrower]

Interesting that everything I've read has said that Gits had a blinder and yet the guy he's going to replace had a better game.

[WF2006]

Was I watching a different game??
I thought Gits game was (by his standards) ordinary.

I know he scored most of the points, but as the kicker thats normal. The tries he scored were the end result of a team effort. True he was in the right place to score them but......

I don't believe he controlled the game well and his kicking game is still dubious at times.

I'm staring to wonder if the jouro's watch these games or just look at the scorecard before writing their match report?!?!

[oxleymoron]

The only reason the tahs front row got in was they played against an all yarpie front row, as opposed to an all black front row and it was raining, it was late on Saturday night, and they won away from home.

[mudskipper]

The only reason the tahs front row got in was they played against an all yarpie front row, as opposed to an all black front row and it was raining, it was late on Saturday night, and they won away from home.

Whats a yarpie?

[rahrahgirl]

The only reason the tahs front row got in was they played against an all yarpie front row, as opposed to an all black front row and it was raining, it was late on Saturday night, and they won away from home.

the fact that they consistantly turned the scrum and won a tighthead from the "yarpies" on there own five metre line makes this okay. the force front row held up alright but i think this team (i havnt seen the brumbies match) is pretty close to it. the force played well but didnt win. i think all season the winning teams have had a better chance of selection.

[travelling_gerry]

Maybe 3am is a bit late for the easternstaters.

[travelling_gerry]

Whats a yarpie?

[mudskipper]

I thought it maybe yobbo pejorative or worse, an ethnic slur… As it stands I’m not sure…

Google: Yarpie – a white South African (whether Anglo–African or Afrikaner). From the pronunciation of the Afrikaans word japie, meaning "farm boy".

TG you’re clearly fluant in the yobbo vernacular…

However I'm not sure the Sharks frontrow fit that description...

[palitu]

a yarpie is a saffer...

a saffer is a person from south africa.