Rugby: Tri-Nations

[Shayne]

Right lads.

We move into the next chapter of the season.. Tri nations!

IMHO, Aussie seem to be doing well, AB's struggling andBoks are kuk.

THis weekend AB's vs Aus at home. Tough one. Carter or McAllister might be the decider in the game.

[Poison]

I think the Wallabies are going to take it this year..

[spuff]

Put another crack crystal in your pipe and smoke it...

Entire Aussie front row are rookies. Larkham will probably be starved of ball, due to the scrum's inadequacies.
AB's be a mile. Again.

[biffon]

i think that if giteau & Fava get a run we might see some sparks - McIsaac is going to have to lift his game to another level to be able to disrupt his opposite numbers game..

I see the war of words between Greagan and Kelleher has heated up -theyve always taken pot shots at each other in the press... silly boys!

wallabies to win 29-23

[TiGeR]

Hullo men!
I am rubbin my hands with joy...its goin to be a tight one this w/end- DC will probably kick the ABs to victory as the Wallabies will be under pressure up front & may concede some costly penalties....ABs have home advantage, a better front row & a more experienced front 5 than the Wallabies...throw in their AWESOME loosies & you have a serious threat. I think the Wallabies shade the ABs from 9-15 but the crucial ball needed hase to be won by the men in jumpers 1-8 & i think the ABs shade the golden boys there...

On a different tack, i am beginning to lose my rag with SANZAR with regards their stubbornness over bringing Los Pumas into the fold- if i was SA, i would can tri nations, play a home & away series Vs Argentina, one off tests Vs ABs/ Wallabies (depending on who the test series/tour was against & go back to playing a 3 test series & going on 5/6 match tours (3 tests & 2 or 3 provincial games for the reserves & SA A sides) But we shall see....

[RustyBear]

are you opening a bookie thread on the tri-nations

[Poison]

But the World Cup is still on.. So we can't bet or are we going to can the world cup rules as I think we know who has won.

[Shayne]

are you opening a bookie thread on the tri-nations

There will defintely be Vbookie events open for the enitre Tri Nations.

[FerrariSucks]

can we have some money for the Tri-Nation event boss

[Poison]

Are we going to share the total winnings between us.. haha

[spuff]

Sorry, I am not sure if I was watching the right game - what was the score there Shayne/Ryan??? ;) ;)

[TiGeR]

How AWESOME are the ABs!?:smiley3: THeir tight five KILLED the Aussies, their loosies strangled the little bit of posession that MIGHT have gone the wobblies' way & Rocky Elsom's 10 mins in the bin did the rest...i still think the wallabies have a team capable of beating the ABs (again from 9-15 without doubt) but they need to develop some tight forwards...if i were assie rugger, i'd go get me a couple of BIG lads from SA or the Islands & develop them into man eating front rows to give stability & a platform up front- Vickerman was good, Sharpe isnt hard enough, George Smith was at his world beating best, Elsom (& ALL the 'Tahs players except for Tuquiri & Rogers) must F O & GO...THEN maybe the wallabies will fire...

I fear for the Boks' tour down under...

[Shayne]

AB's only won by 20 points. 14 of those were when Aus had 14 men and one try was a dubious decision. Therefore, 19 oints were gifted the the AB's.

Going on stats, Aus enjoyed far more ball, terroritory, rucks, mauls etc.

[sally]

Thank god!! i was getting sick of that gay sport they call football/soccer, now rugby is what i call a proper sport!! A mans game!! Here is to the tri nation games which i will be watching!!!

[TiGeR]

Too right mate- the stats do show that the game was a tad closer than the points suggest, BUT there is no question the ABs outmuscled the wallabies up front & used their posession better (very easy when you are on the front foot!) Will be interesting to see if the Boks target the Aussie scrum next w/end...

[wayneess]

Aussies cant pumped by the Ab's so stop wingingyou to blouses. If Sa get pumped by Ab's ill accept a proper thrashing and would not make up excuses like you two Aussie supporting Hommos.
And Spuff its about time you started supporting the boks you were born there okay Ryan (rathbone) Smith

[wayneess]

And this is just an arb message, so at last ive posted 10 messages. So now im off to the porn section.

[biffon]

Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi!!!

[RustyBear]

when are the bokkies playing and against who, i cancelled my sky sports a week ago without even thinking now i gotta drive 30 miles to go and watch the tri nations

[Kirsty]

My goodness, now I'm a chick who can hang when guys talk about sports, but my goodness sometimes I don't think you guys are speaking English. My head is sore trying to figure out what the hell you guys were on about.

Sorry can't parttake unfortunately in the Tri-nations as I don't get Ruggers on my TV in the states. We get only the gay shit on the sports hcannels over here.

I am enjoying some Tour de France on the tv of late though.

Wil Mbanga, keep me informed on the Tri-nations. Not having not seen a ruggers game in a while I am going out on a limb saying NZ will take it all.

:)

[zambezilover]

Go the bokka, although they were beaten by france it is still early days

[Aboriginal]

Ignore the Springboks at your peril. I guarantee they are collectively going to be very tough this year if the Super 14 is anything to go by. Wallabies are restructuring at the moment. Best back line in the world but front three will get done by inexperience (Chris Latham and Mortlock are legends even Gerrard had a good game but offensively they lacked ideas). All blacks played consistently at all levels with massive overlaps at some stages in the backs that went begging. They will be unstoppable when they have gelled as a team. (Shayne and Poison fancy doing a hairdo job on Eaton,man he's a mess).

Gaan die Bokke!!

[biffon]

youre probably right based on the first match of the year - they are definitely a class above Aus and after the boks debacle against the frogs well theyre not nearly in it i think.
but watch me eat my words when the Boks do their usual magician trick and win.

Boks v Wallabies this weekend looking forward to it.!!!

[Angelshark]

why watch rugby, go fishing!!!!!

[TiGeR]

why watch rugby, go fishing!!!!!

:naughty: dude...Nemo is in the fishing pix forum...:smiley2:

Boks have a decent tight 5 so the aussies will get it at scrum time & in the lineouts...but the boks are lacking in the loosies- Spies is a debutant so will be looking to Joe Van Niekerk & Juan Smith for leadership & grunt- Joe is not an openside's arse (best no. 8 in SA tho'!) & Juan cant/ wont/ doesnt pass (stingy bastard!) the SA 9 Januarie cant pass to his left (watch closely!) the centre pairing is new but both good players, intercept king Habana is CRAP (what does he REALLY do other than the odd intercept?) the 10 & 15 should be swopped (Percy is the best 10 in SA at the moment & Jaco has ALWASY been a great fiullback) & Ndungane on the other wing is also a debutant- while i rate him as a plyer with future potential, i dont know if he's ready to make the step up (read Tuquiri, Gerrard, Rathbone, Gear, Howlett & Rocokoco)...whatever happens, it sure is intruiging!

[zambezilover]

looked like there were 2 new players in the side, spies definitely, hopefully the boks will perform. Schalky is injured which is a big blow.

[Aboriginal]

Ha ha this made me laugh. Maybe it's just a Southern Africa thing but when I was playing anyone who stood out of the crowd with cool hair or fancy boots was always a 'free target'!

http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/12/1152637743440.html

[spuff]

Kirsty, if you are referring to Waynes nonsensical first post - I agree with you, he can't speak "muchgoodenglesh"

For Rugby in general, don't worry, sometimes even the most experienced fans don't know what is going on a lot of the time. As long as you join in the roar in the bar, when someone gets hit, you will be into it.

[spuff]

Dammit - Keep doing that... Posting a reply to the last post on the first page...!

[Greenballs]

Aus will pump the slopes today... that doesn't get my point across exactly as I would like... "THE BOKA ARE GOING TO TAKE IT UP THE ARSE WITHOUT LUBE TODAY!!!"

[biffon]

one would hope so but i think it will be a closer game than expected..

aus to win by 5 points.....

[biffon]

ill revise that...... Australia by 50 points

they gonna piss all over John Smit & his boys...

[biffon]

hahahahahhaahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa ahahahahahahha.....



hahhaahahahahah heheheeehehehhheeeeheheh !!!

49 sweet points to BAH!
Giteau you Beauty!!

[Poison]

What game... I think the All Blacks must watch out..

[TiGeR]

OH MY WORD! What a ripper!:smiley32: Nice comeback by the Aussies....think the boks need to go back to the draw...:smiley35: that, they need new ideas, a new coach & a new team!

[Angelshark]

bang goes another chance but 49-0 what a hiding. drop the whole team and bring in the soweto 15. definately not proudly south african today

[zambezilover]

i hear you, that was a digraceful game, and they are supposed to be professionals

[Shayne]

I was hoping they would make it a half century. What a disappointment. :)

[biffon]

i was saying to my dad that the zim team in its heyday would have given the boks a run for their money the way they played last night - definitely 3rd rate there!
feel sorry for the boks next week - another hiding!

[Shayne]

These records are before the recent Aus Vs SA game.

Tri-Nations records - 1996-2005
Who has scored more tries - Roff or Cullen? Who has kicked more points - Burke or Mehrtens? Who has scored more tries - New Zealand or Australia?

TRI-NATIONS ROLL OF HONOUR (1996-2005):
1996: New Zealand
1997: New Zealand
1998: South Africa
1999: New Zealand
2000: Australia
2001: Australia
2002: New Zealand
2003: New Zealand
2004: South Africa
2005: New Zealand

TEAM RECORDS (1996-2005):
Highest aggregate scores:
61-22 - South Africa v Australia, Pretoria, 1997
55-35 - New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland, 1997
52-16 - New Zealand v South Africa, Pretoria, 2003
50-21 - New Zealand v Australia, Sydney, 2003

Biggest wins (margin):
39 - South Africa v Australia (61-22), Pretoria, 1997
37 - New Zealand v Australia (43-6), Wellington, 1996
36 - New Zealand v South Africa, Pretoria, 2003

Most tries in one match:
8 - South Africa v Australia, Pretoria, 1997
7 - New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland, 1997
7 - New Zealand v South Africa, Pretoria, 2003
7 - New Zealand v Australia, Sydney, 2003
6 - New Zealand v Australia, Wellington, 1996
6 - South Africa v New Zealand, Johannesburg, 2000

Most tries in one season:
18 - South Africa, 1997
17 - New Zealand, 1997
17 - New Zealand, 2003

Most tries conceded in one season:
18 - South Africa, 1997
17 - Australia, 1997

Fewest tries conceded in one season:
Three - Australia, 1999; South Africa, 2001

Most points in one season:
159 - New Zealand, 1997

Most points conceded in one season:
150 - Australia, 1997

Fewest points conceded in one season:
54 - South Africa, 1998

Most log points by a team:
18 - New Zealand, 1997; 2003

INDIVIDUAL RECORDS (1996-2005):
Most points by a player:
In a match: 29 - Andrew Mehrtens v Australia, Auckland, 1999
In a season: 84 - Carlos Spencer, 1997
In a career: 328 - Andrew Mehrtens

Most tries:
In a match: Three - Joe Rokocoko v Australia, Sydney, 2003; Marius Joubert v New Zealand, Johannesburg, 2004; Doug Howlett v Australia, Auckland, 2005
In a season: Seven - Christian Cullen, 2000
In a career: 16 - Christian Cullen

Most conversions:
In a match: Six - Jannie de Beer v Australia, Pretoria, 1997
In a season: 13 - Carlos Spencer, 1997
In a career: 34 - Andrew Mehrtens

Most penalties:
In a match: Nine - Andrew Mehrtens v Australia, Auckland, 1999
In a season: 19 - Andrew Mehrtens, 1996 and 1999
In a career: 82 - Andrew Mehrtens

Most drop-goals:
In a match: Two - Jannie de Beer v New Zealand, Johannesburg, 1997
In a season: Two - Jannie de Beer, 1997
In a career: Three - Andrew Mehrtens; André Pretorius; Percy Montgomery

Most appearances:
38 - George Gregan
35 - Justin Marshall
29 - Tana Umaga

[Aboriginal]

Interesting stats. Shit game though. Could'nt watch the last 15.. turned the tele off in disgust. Pathetic display of lack of professionalism and arrogance. The Boks need a foreign based coach with a professional attitude and some new ideas. Home bred bonehead coaches are just too old fashioned and basically crap. Jake White has to be l'histoire now surely!

P.S I don't think the wallabies will challenge the all blacks despite the flattering score, their scrums were still kuck even against the shitboks!

[kfm]

The only good thing about the game on Saturday was seeing some half decent male bodies - in the flesh! That part of it was great!

[spuff]

You talking about Jerry Collin's little willy?

[Shayne]

Boks picked themselves up after last weeks humilation but still nowhere good enough to compete with the AB's. Wooden spoon for them this year.

Aus vs Ab's this weekend in Sydney will determine the winners....

[biffon]

how was that pick-up from Paulse... brilliant!!!
that little guy cant tackle to save his life, but its moments of brilliance like that that keep him in the team!

[Aboriginal]

how was that pick-up from Paulse... brilliant!!!
that little guy cant tackle to save his life, but its moments of brilliance like that that keep him in the team!

Paulse's a great player in my book. Compared to some of the other wingers he tackles pretty well for all 78kgs of him! Not sure about the Afro with a semi parting:smiley11: :smiley36:

[biffon]

maybe hes going to do a dreadlock thing like Tuquiri or George Smith haha that would be funny!

[biffon]

as for tackling.. well ill have to reserve judgement on that, i have NEVER seen him actually go into a tackle with his shoulder. He usually grabs a fistful of jersey/hair and pulls!, not exactly in the "how to tackle a prop" guidebook....

[zambezilover]

I thought that was Jimmi Hendrix for a while. I agree that the boks need an outsider to couch them, some of the players in that team are over the hill and moments of brilliance arent going to get them very far.

[biffon]

Tiger for Coach!!! haha

[TiGeR]

Thanks for the vote of confidence mate! :smiley20:

The problem with SA rugby after schools level is coaching & poor structures- the problem with the Boks isnt lack of talent or poor coaching, its ATTITUDE...i watched in stunned silence as Bok players WALKED back on defence instead of scrambling back...i watched with disgust as they walked to set pieces...that isnt about talent or coaching, that is pure ATTITUDE! Can you imagine Mark Andrews, Kobus Wiese, Jooste, Chester, James Small, Henry Honiball WALKING around a field, head down, shoulders slumped...NEVER! Even in a bad season/ game the Boks of yesteryear LOOKED the part (visions of a snarling James Dalton fighting to the end on the back of a hiding from the ABs, Corne Krige doing the same against England at Twickers in that 53-3 drubbing in 2001...they were "beaten, bloodied but NOT bowed"...)Also, watching Jake's interview, i saw that same lack of conviction & attitude...if the coach doesnt believe (in himself, in the team, in the structures/ system) then how much harder is it for the players to buy into the vision? Jake has aged BADLY in the last 18 months! I had dinner with him in Durban last yr in April & he was on top of the world then...defending Tri-nations champs, best upcoming int'l coach...now he just looks like he needs a WHOLE bottle of scotch in one glass!

[biffon]

haha whole bottle - maybe should switch the energade at the end of the game to klippies n coke!

[zambezilover]

They are definitely playing half heartedly, not the boks we are used to seeing thats for sure.

[Richard]

for all you jappie supporters.



There are only two things you can see from space the Great Wall of China and the holes in the boks back line.

[Poison]

How true is that.. hahaha

[biffon]

heres some food for thought going into this weekends game:

were the Kiwi's really that dominant in the last game or was the score line a little flattering???

Here is a statistical look at the last game.

All Blacks:
Possession: 41 percent
Territory: 43 percent
Restart halfway: Turnover 3, regained 0
Restart 22: Turnover 1; regained 0
Line-outs: Won 9, lost 0; Top jumper - Jack 3, So'oialo 2
Scrums: Won 7, lost 0, reset 1
Rucks: Total 62
Mauls: Total 3
Hit-ups: Total 55
Line-breaks: Total 8
Tackles: Made 140, missed 14; Top tackler - McCaw 14, Collins 14
Turnover: Total 15 - at tackle 3, ruck/maul 3, line-out/scrums 0, other 9
Errors: Total 9 - handling 8, kicking 1
Infringements: Penalties 9, free-kicks 1

Wallabies:
Possession: 59 percent
Territory: 57 percent
Restart halfway: Turnover 3, regained 4
Restart 22: Turnover 4, regained 0
Line-outs: Won 14, lost1; Top jumper - Sharpe 3, Vickerman 3
Scrums: Won 9, lost 1, reset 3
Rucks: Total 74
Mauls: Total 10
Hit-ups: Total 70
Line-breaks: Total 3
Tackles: Made 121, missed 24; Top tackler - Elsom 12, Holmes 9
Turnover: Total 18- at tackle 5, ruck/maul 2, line-out/scrum 3, other 8
Errors: Total 7 - handling 6, kicking 1
Infringements: Penalties 7, free-kicks 1


interesting isnt it????????????

[biffon]

the only thing that stands out for me is missed tackles & line breaks which are related anyway
.. otherwise the wallabies had the lions share of possession and territory, even stats on everything else

[zambezilover]

I think the all blacks might win this next game????

[biffon]

nah i reckon it'll be 2 or 3 pts diff and the wallabies will win.

[spuff]

almost right there Biff...

[zambezilover]

good game by the ABs they are going to take the Tri nations undefeated at this rate

[Shayne]

Good game of rubgy though. Showed the weakness of the Aussie scrum and AB lineouts.

If Mortlock hadnt missed those penalties Biffon would of been right.

[spuff]

Actually Mortlock only missed one penalty, and the first one that he did kick, was as a result of a dubious penalty, where Mealamu was penalised for coming in on the side, when replays clearly show him coming from the back of the maul

[Shayne]

I'm sure he missed two. Let me try find the stats.

[biffon]

the game was won in defence to be honest.
one lucky break by the AB's and then they sat back & defended for 3/4's of the game.. great defence!!!
the aussies just couldnt break through & giteau only got one touch and he oh so nearly got there...

[TiGeR]

A great test match- AB defence was OUTSTANDING...but so was Wallabies... think the ABs edge was the 3 inches between the ears- their self belief & character as a team is HUGE & unless someone puts a dent in it CHOPPERS, they are going to wreck a few teams along the way to a world cup victory...but i cant see anyone except France & Australia at the moment coming CLOSE to the ABs "A" side...any way you slice it, going into RWC 07 ABs are favourites, Wallabies & France are up there...who will make the fourth place? If current form persists, then i call Argentina...if Boks sort their shit out, then S hemisphere big 3 plus France...this yrs edition of tri nations is practically over as a contest, but will be interesting to see if the Wallabies new found confidence & resolve will hold up at Ellis Park & just how good the ABs are on the road...

[Aboriginal]

All blacks are too good at the breakdown. If it's loose they are there in numbers everytime. The amount of turnovers was ridiculous. Wallabies really need to clean up in this area. George smith looked really tame and could do nothing as he was always swamped by a wave of black. Wallabies ran out of ideas. If something is not working for 45mins of straight out attack why not try something else. They rely too much on individual talent. They are too inexperienced collectively and the experience in Gregan and Larkham really had a bad night. Anyhow they will always be tough to beat. Thats what I respect about them (like the boks used to be) they never say die and play til the end!

Don't expect any surprises this weekend against the Bok's. I think I'm just gonna get pissed as they get thumped!

[TiGeR]

THink we will see the boks play with greater passion & but again trying to dominate the Wallabies up front- certainly the selection mix shows that they arent going for anything different or pretty...interesting selections in the wallaby camp at 2 & 8 with Palu & McIaasac coming in for Paul & Fava... i would have dropped Gerrard for Rathbone after that SHOCKING dropped catch on the ABs tryline...kept Fava & brought in Palu or Chisolm by dropping Elsom (he's a SHOCKER on discipline but then again what do you expect from a Waratahs player- look at all the trouble the Wallabies or oz teams have had on tours...ALWAYS 'tahs! Brumbies Cpt incident doesnt count because it was the SA media who turned it into a circus when there was nothing to it) I would also try & find a place for Rogers...maybe rotate him with one of Larkham or Latham....hmmm, OPTIONS i tell you!

[biffon]

yeah i would have kept Fava he is one of the few ppl in the scrum that is actually making a difference. Im of two minds between Paul & Mc Isaac they have different qualities they bring to the field. I think they should have brought in Sheperd in place of both Gerrard & Rathbone or at least have him on the bench, but another option would be Scott Staniforth as a Surprise addition.

[Shayne]

SA can hold their heads up high after that Tri Nations effort last night. Aussie still have a chance of winning the Tri Nations?

[biffon]

they should have won if it wasnt for percy the poophole!!! he fluffed 4 golden opportunities and a shocking drop goal attempt.

other than that Butch was a BEAST in defence, man that guy can hit hard! & at least now he's using his arms too.
did you notice that the only time Australia looked in control was when they scored in the last three mins after replacing 9 & 10??? interesting tactic!

[TiGeR]

Think the rain F'ed up what wpuld have been an interesting game-

Tactically, the Aussies rightly tried to go field position in the first half (minimize possibilities of giving away penalties in range of SA kicker(s) & obviously score some points yourselves) then try & open it up a bit in the second spell, thereby putting the pressure on the opposition to not only make up the deficit, but also to beat the clock, thereby increasing the likelihood of mistakes as players get flustered & lose composure due to pressure...SA should have played direct rugby in the first spell..channel one stuff with Butch, Os, Smit & Van Der Linde running at Gregan/ Larkham, although in a well structured defence, they wouldnt actually have to make many of the tackles (this tactic draws in big hitters to try & minimize metres gained over the advantage line as well as fetchers & loosies to compete for ball on the deck) creating opportunities out wide for backs (no loosies cover defending & cluttering up 'space') gaining ground (teams that can recycle through more than 6 phases are 60% more likely to score a try/ force a penalty) increasing the pressure on the defenders (loosies tend to play on the edge of the laws at the breakdown e.g McCaw, Smith, Burger & Betsen & a stupid one...someone like Elsom for example will give away a penalty through becoming frustrated & also the backs become more likely to go offsides as they anticipate trying to shut down opponents playing off front foot ball) while tiring the opposition (they are having to make tackles & get back onsides all the time- all energy sapping stuff) & if you have smart runners, by manipulating the defence by changing angles & the width of the attacking seams (the Brumbies are excellent at this on their day & so were Australia in the Rod McQueen/ John Eales era 1998-2000)

But sadly SA do not currently have the attacking acumen to win a tight one like y/day, nor do they have the street smarts to have changed their point of attack...they have a retreaded centre (& a BLOODY good one!) playing at 10, a one dimensional scrum half (he plays at the Bulls for goodness sake, all he is, is a clone of Jooste) & a fullback who is probably SA's best no 10 (if Super 14 form was anything to go by) The best fullback in SA is now dropped because the coach persisted in playing him WAY out of position & ultimately it broke Jaco VDW...SA needs to start picking smarter players, NOT necessarily BIGGER ones...if i were to pick a Bok side that i believe WOULD have beaten Oz in y/days game...
15 J Van Der Westhuisen
14 A Ndungane/ B Habana (Ndungane is inexperienced & Habana does no work, so with Paulse unavailable & no other wingers in SA shining...)
13 J Fourie
12 A James (his name is actually Andrew, NOT 'Butch'- HELLUVA nice oke)
11 B Russell
10 P Montgomery (interesting to see that Andre Pretorius was OUTSTANDING y/day in a Currie cup match...ok the level is different, but there was NO doubt he was the MAN in that game...hmmm, food for thought Jake?)
9 R Pienaar (Sharks scrumhalf- my first choice but got left in SA) or F Du Preez (at least he can pass both ways & isnt a hood likely to get banned/ sent off like Januarie!)
8 J Van Niekerk
7 J Smith
6 L Watson (MY first choice but same as 9) or S Tyibilika (in absence of Schalk, he is the only other guy who can actually GET to the breakdown...just hasnt been doing much once he gets there! But seeing as the poor oke didnt play S14 he is probably still pulling splinters out of his ass!)
5 V Matfield
4 AJ Venter (as per 6 & 9- he would give you that bit of 'mongrel'/ dog fuck in the pack but also some street smarts) otherwise A Van Den Berg ( a bit light but then again his mobility is useful in getting to breakdowns & he has played the big games unlike Muller)
3 C Visagie (playing in the UK at the moment, but a tighthead from HELL!..ask the bok front rows who he bent in the game Vs the World XV!)
2 Gary Botha (as per 9,6 & 4...) so J Smit (only because Chilliboy is not ready!)
1 P Du Randt ('os') & i would be teaching CJ Van der Linde to play both sides of the scrum!

Anyway...i DO think the boks effort level was great & their application on defence was good, so with a bit of tweaking (bringing in some players with brains!) having some poitjeikos, ouma's rusks, pap en wors & being back on SA soil, the games against Aus & NZ in SA will be tight affairs, possibly even an upset in the offing? Watch this space!

[TiGeR]

How the Tri-Nations shape up:
New Zealand:
Current position: 1st
Best possible finish: 1st - 28 points
Worst possible finish: 3rd - 13 points
Remaining games:
August 19: v Australia, Auckland
August 26: v South Africa, Pretoria
September 2: v South Africa, Rustenburg
Australia:
Current position: 2nd
Best possible finish: 1st - 20 points
Worst possible finish: 3rd - 10 points
Remaining games:
August 19: v New Zealand, Auckland
September 9: v South Africa, Johannesburg
South Africa:
Current position: 3rd
Best possible finish: 1st - 16 points
Worst possible finish: 3rd - one point
Remaining games:
August 26: v New Zealand, Pretoria
September 2: v New Zealand, Rustenburg
September 9: v Australia, Johannesburg

[Shayne]

Still a 3 horse race.


Got to admit that the first half was opne of the most boring i have ever seen. From www.rugby365.com (http://www.rugby365.com)


It was tense stuff at the end, which may have been compensation for the drab stuff that had gone on before, especially in the first half, when they kicked. Both teams kicked. They kicked and kicked and kicked. In the first half there were 56 kicks - 27 by the Wallabies and 29 by the Springboks. The difference was that Australia did it better than South Africa and ended the half winning 10-0.

[TiGeR]

ja it wasnt pretty- as i said earlier, the idea was to play in opposition's half & if your defence is good, you can kick, send two chasers to shut the ball down or shepard the carrier back to wherever you want them to go (a REALLY smart team can manipulate the attackers & force them places where you want on the field, shut the space with a second wave of players fanned out & have sweepers ready to counter attack if they kick it or you force a turnover- sounds simple enough & when done effectvely... we did it to Falcon in 2004...down 7-25 at halftime, we figured they rated their backs so whenever they got the ball in the second we allowed them to play it wide (by cross graining on defence using an inside out rush defence) to their outside backs who couldnt understand why they were gettin banged & ball taken off them- my outside centre & winger that yr were both ex openside flankers & put in the hits & stole the posession, but more importantly, tired out the fatties in falcon's front five & had their loosies busier than a one legged man in a bum kicking competition- final score 36-25)

I've seen it done in S14, in the 6 Nations (France did England that way) & yet the SA teams dont do it...cos we like to be dumber not smarter out here! (With the exception of the Sharks & Western Province traditionally & of late the Cheetahs since Rassie started coaching, although they didnt play too smartly at the w/end!)...in SA its all about 'big arms, big legs, drive the ball up son!' .... we need more magicians in the coaching ranks...cerebral assasins like Rassie & Nick Mallet...& a WHOLE pile of guys coaching at schools level....

[biffon]

I think there was a lot of smarts going into that last game by SA,
The aussies have been panned in the press here in the last two days with their performance but all credit to SA they were able to keep the wallabies off their own game and thats what nearly caused the upset.

On to next week:

Apparently Cordingly has rolled his ankle and that is a disaster as i believe right now he is a better more inspiring player than Greagan. as is Rogers at 10 instead of Larkham. MAYBE keep Larham in there in the first half as he brings a bit of consistency to the game.

Palu was good but he didnt have a big enough impact for me, I hope Connoly brings Fava back hes more dynamic at the back of the scrum.

[TiGeR]

Palu was F:smiley35: AWFUL! (Man of the match? Who gave that award & what game were they watching?) Dont think SA played smarter- just harder- if they'd played smarter, they'd have shut that game down once they were in the lead...hold the ball & strangle the opposition...grind them down, let the clock run & put the pressure on Oz to get the ball (in the process a tahs clown like Waugh/ Elsom is likely to give away a penalty & you either take 3 or you go to the line & force them to defend (particularly since the Bok lineout was doing so well against an unusually creaky wallaby lineput...)

I agree- Fava at the back with Palu as an impact player (he just didnt get around the park enough for a no. 8...made the Bok loosies look like they were in the game! (& they were pretty ordinary!) Think we will see a different Wallaby team in SA for 2 reasons...they will be fresh off a 2 wk break & also the Boks will have played back to back tests against the ABs...regardless of outcome, you dont play against the no. 1 team in the world 2 wks in a row & come away feeling 100s...

I would like to see Mortlock at 12, Gits at 13, Rogers at 15 & Rathbone in 14 for Oz...the pack...bring in Chisolm for Elsom & Paul for McIsaac...

But i must say, i was VERY pleased with the endevour & commitment of the Boks (made a nice change to seeing okes walking around the park in Brisbane!)

[spuff]

Enjoyed your summation on the game Tiger, as well as your team pick. If I was asked to pick a Bok team, those are pretty much the players I would pick. Possibly Jake White would like to pick a similar one but... You missed out one very important factor, and it is the Springboks major hurdle right now, in terms of team morale and continuity. Your team had only one "transformation" player in it, and is therefore unacceptable by the powers that be, whoever they are...

Personally I think players should be picked on merit above all else. Surely a more concerted effort in investment in developing under privileged rugby would be a better long term plan than making un unwritten law, undermining the credibilty of the current national team, and potentially devaluing the Sprinbok name?




Think the rain F'ed up what wpuld have been an interesting game-

Tactically, the Aussies rightly tried to go field position in the first half (minimize possibilities of giving away penalties in range of SA kicker(s) & obviously score some points yourselves) then try & open it up a bit in the second spell, thereby putting the pressure on the opposition to not only make up the deficit, but also to beat the clock, thereby increasing the likelihood of mistakes as players get flustered & lose composure due to pressure...SA should have played direct rugby in the first spell..channel one stuff with Butch, Os, Smit & Van Der Linde running at Gregan/ Larkham, although in a well structured defence, they wouldnt actually have to make many of the tackles (this tactic draws in big hitters to try & minimize metres gained over the advantage line as well as fetchers & loosies to compete for ball on the deck) creating opportunities out wide for backs (no loosies cover defending & cluttering up 'space') gaining ground (teams that can recycle through more than 6 phases are 60% more likely to score a try/ force a penalty) increasing the pressure on the defenders (loosies tend to play on the edge of the laws at the breakdown e.g McCaw, Smith, Burger & Betsen & a stupid one...someone like Elsom for example will give away a penalty through becoming frustrated & also the backs become more likely to go offsides as they anticipate trying to shut down opponents playing off front foot ball) while tiring the opposition (they are having to make tackles & get back onsides all the time- all energy sapping stuff) & if you have smart runners, by manipulating the defence by changing angles & the width of the attacking seams (the Brumbies are excellent at this on their day & so were Australia in the Rod McQueen/ John Eales era 1998-2000)

But sadly SA do not currently have the attacking acumen to win a tight one like y/day, nor do they have the street smarts to have changed their point of attack...they have a retreaded centre (& a BLOODY good one!) playing at 10, a one dimensional scrum half (he plays at the Bulls for goodness sake, all he is, is a clone of Jooste) & a fullback who is probably SA's best no 10 (if Super 14 form was anything to go by) The best fullback in SA is now dropped because the coach persisted in playing him WAY out of position & ultimately it broke Jaco VDW...SA needs to start picking smarter players, NOT necessarily BIGGER ones...if i were to pick a Bok side that i believe WOULD have beaten Oz in y/days game...
15 J Van Der Westhuisen
14 A Ndungane/ B Habana (Ndungane is inexperienced & Habana does no work, so with Paulse unavailable & no other wingers in SA shining...)
13 J Fourie
12 A James (his name is actually Andrew, NOT 'Butch'- HELLUVA nice oke)
11 B Russell
10 P Montgomery (interesting to see that Andre Pretorius was OUTSTANDING y/day in a Currie cup match...ok the level is different, but there was NO doubt he was the MAN in that game...hmmm, food for thought Jake?)
9 R Pienaar (Sharks scrumhalf- my first choice but got left in SA) or F Du Preez (at least he can pass both ways & isnt a hood likely to get banned/ sent off like Januarie!)
8 J Van Niekerk
7 J Smith
6 L Watson (MY first choice but same as 9) or S Tyibilika (in absence of Schalk, he is the only other guy who can actually GET to the breakdown...just hasnt been doing much once he gets there! But seeing as the poor oke didnt play S14 he is probably still pulling splinters out of his ass!)
5 V Matfield
4 AJ Venter (as per 6 & 9- he would give you that bit of 'mongrel'/ dog fuck in the pack but also some street smarts) otherwise A Van Den Berg ( a bit light but then again his mobility is useful in getting to breakdowns & he has played the big games unlike Muller)
3 C Visagie (playing in the UK at the moment, but a tighthead from HELL!..ask the bok front rows who he bent in the game Vs the World XV!)
2 Gary Botha (as per 9,6 & 4...) so J Smit (only because Chilliboy is not ready!)
1 P Du Randt ('os') & i would be teaching CJ Van der Linde to play both sides of the scrum!

Anyway...i DO think the boks effort level was great & their application on defence was good, so with a bit of tweaking (bringing in some players with brains!) having some poitjeikos, ouma's rusks, pap en wors & being back on SA soil, the games against Aus & NZ in SA will be tight affairs, possibly even an upset in the offing? Watch this space!

[biffon]

amen to that!

[TiGeR]

Gregan 'no scapegoat'
09/08/2006 09:09 - (SA)
[/URL] (javascript:void(0))[URL="http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Rugby/0,,2-9-838_1980237,00.html#"]http://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gifDisplayAd('S1');http://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gifhttp://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gifDisplayAd('C1');http://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gifhttp://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gif
Sydeny - Wallabies coach John Connolly said on Wednesday he would not sack embattled skipper George Gregan to ease pressure on himself over Australia's indifferent recent form.
Calls for Gregan's head began during Australia's woeful European tour late last year and intensified after the Wallabies ugly 20-18 Tri-Nations win over South Africa last weekend.
Critics in the Australian media say Gregan, 33, is too slow and predictable to lead the Wallabies at next year's Rugby World Cup in France and he should be dropped now.
But Connolly said he was in no hurry to dispense with the services of a veteran campaigner who holds a world record 125 Test caps and has led his country 56 times, more than any other player.
Connolly, whose reign as coach began strongly earlier this year with emphatic wins over England and Ireland but has been tarnished by recent defeats to New Zealand, said it would be easy to deflect his critics by making Gregan a scapegoat.
"You drop George and everyone's happy," Connolly told The Australian newspaper.
"There's no doubt you could take pressure off yourself by dropping him but you can't pick teams that way.
"And the thing is he hasn't played that badly, that's the crazy thing about it. He's played fucking well at times."
Connolly's sentiments were echoed by Australia's attack coach Scott Johnson, who defended Gregan's performances at half-back.
"He's the most capped player in history, wants to play for his country and keeps getting picked on form ... what's his crime," Johnson told The Australian.
"If he wasn't the best package at (number) nine, he wouldn't be in the team."
Gregan is expected to remain in the starting line-up for Australia's Tri-Nations clash with New Zealand on August 19 in Auckland, where the Wallabies will be trying to avoid a 3-0 Bledisloe Cup whitewash.

[biffon]

I see they are even considering bringing back Matt Henjak ... Im of two minds with that chap, he has some absolutley brilliant games and then he will have a brain explosion and stuff it up. I would actually rate Chris O'young above Henjak in consistency.. i wonder if they have even considered him?

[TiGeR]

Henjak the most experienced of whats left- despite his being f:smiley35:d alternatively call up Chris Whitaker (at least he's been there...albeit collecting splinters not caps!) :smiley36:

[biffon]

actually Giteau wouldnt be a bad replacement halfback seeing as they havent been using him much in the line.. and he is a very capable halfback at that, in fact didnt he used to play at halfback as a replacement for greagan in the brumbies.

[TiGeR]

actually Giteau wouldnt be a bad replacement halfback seeing as they havent been using him much in the line.. and he is a very capable halfback at that, in fact didnt he used to play at halfback as a replacement for greagan in the brumbies.

No, Henjak was Gregan's deputy @ the Brumbies...now the two funny haired freaks will be playing together for the Force...

I think Whitaker is my leading guy, followed by Henjak & Sheehan...i dont see Gits as an option at 9 because you minimise his playmaking & neutralise his ability to finish by placing him in a distributors role at 9...i really think they should play him at 13 & Mortlock at 12, where he can either round people/ crash, wjile Giteau's silky skills in space would be simply DELICIOUS!:smiley17: Goin to be a GREAT game this w/end boys!

[biffon]

apparently that was one of the main reasons Gits moved to perth was to be side by side with his "bum-chum" (jks) Henjak

[TiGeR]

Ja, apparently they are childhood chums...just hope there is nothing there to make a commentator have to blush when he says something inane like "Henjak loves it when Giteau comes inside of him" a la Andrew Merhtens & Darryl Gibson comment a few yrs back...:smiley11:

[TiGeR]

The AB class of 2006 is just AWESOME! What an excellent game from both teams but there is NO doubt that if they mainy=tain current form, develop their game & their players, the William Webb-Ellis trophy will be sitting in NZRFU headquaters next August...& then the challenge thereafter will be getting it back as they host the 2011 RWC as well & if they succeed next June & continue to innovate as they are, they will be even FURTHER ahead of the pack!

http://www.planetrugby.com/mediastore/images/editorial/New_Zealand/Richie_McCaw2cups200.jpg
Just ONE more trophy needed to complete the set mate!

As for the Boks...:smiley19: ...i suggest Jake picks a squad of young up & coming tyros, mixed in with a few old heads (guys coming back from injury & who are there & there about) & use them for the 3 home games (2 Vs ABs & 1 Vs Wallabies) & end of yera Grand slam tour, which will serve three purposes: 1) develop depth (& tell you where the guys are in terms of test rugger) 2) allow the current mainline bok players a rest because quite frankly, they're F:smiley35:D! 3) provides an opportunity for blooding the next generation as i would like to think after 07 RWC many of the current bunch will move on...
My picks for this experimental team & tour squad of 28:
Extended tour squad: Wian Du Plessis (prop- Cheetahs) Laurence Sephaka (prop-Lions) Solly Tyibilika (Flank-Sharks) Gerrie Britz (Lock-WP) Heinie Adams (Bulls- scrumhalf) Jody Rose (Lions- utility back)
22 Gio Aplon (WP)
21 Derrick Hougaard (Bulls)
20 Bolla Conradie (WP)
19 Kabamba Floors (Cheetahs)
18 AJ Venter (Sharks)
17 Cobus Visagie (Saracens)
16 Chilliboy Ralapele (Bulls)
15 JP Pietersen (Sharks)
14 Brent Russell (Sharks)
13 Wyanad Olivier (Bulls)
12 Meyer Bosman (Cheetahs)
11 Bryan Habana (Bulls)
10 Bradley Barritt (Sharks)
9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks)
8 Pierre Spies (Bulls)
7 Jaques Botes (Sharks)
6 Luke Watson (Capt)
5 Johann Muller (Sharks)
4 Ross Skeate (WP & Stormers)
3 Jannie Du Plessis (Cheetahs)
2 Schalk Brits (WP)
1 Jaco Engels (Bulls)

http://www.planetrugby.com/mediastore/images/tournaments/header_3n.gifhttp://www.planetrugby.com/mediastore/graphics/spacer.gifTri Nations
http://www.planetrugby.com/mediastore/graphics/spacer.gif
All Blacks retain Tri-Nations crown
Saturday August 19 2006
Australia go down in Auckland
New Zealand clinched the 2006 Tri-Nations title courtesy of a tense 34-27 victory over Australia at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
http://www.planetrugby.com/mediastore/images/editorial/New_Zealand/rokocoko_v_Aus06_200.bmp
Cup of Joe: Larkham fails to get to grips with Rokocoko


The visitors put up a sterling challenge and had the better of their illustrious opponents during the early exchanges. But the All Blacks upped the gears in the second half to notch up their 21st consecutive home win and seventh Tri-Nations title, four of those coming in the last five years.
The results mean that the South African leg of the tournament has been reduced to little more than a victory parade for the all-conquering ABs; the Springboks and Wallabies now must ready themselves to play for that most unpalatable of substances - pride.
"It's all yours, New Zealand."
Danie Craven said that at Eden Park in 1956. It's true again at Eden Park fifty years later as the All Blacks stood to receive the Blesidloe Cup and the Tri-Nations Cup.
Even with two matches still to play, the All Blacks are the champions of all that is available to them so far in 2006. But it was not easy.
The Wallabies had the champions on the ropes in the first half but then, like true champions, they tightened a little and came back in the second half, winning it 23-7. The All Blacks have the quality of champions and in warding off the Wallabies they had to fight against a physical onslaught.
Physical it was, and enthralling it certainly was as both sides sought to play with the ball in hand. For one thing there was little kicking, in fact just 23 line-outs in the match.
There were many turn-overs, mainly in the first half and mainly in favour of the Wallabies - 12-6 was the half-time statistic - as the All Blacks played a risky game which threatened to sink them.
The All Black line-out held up well and the Wallaby scrum, creaky at times, stood up but it was in the area of the tackle that the fierce contest raged with Richie McCaw an obvious target for the Wallabies, especially for Phil Waugh and Rocky Elsom who were not always scrupulous in their methods.
Elsom was particularly prodigal, giving away four penalties and nine points. But Waugh was the one sin-binned late in the game - for quite calculatedly grabbing Ali Williams when he did not have the ball and was supporting the ball-carrier in a movement which could have led to a try. Lote Tuqiri weighed in with a tackle on McCaw that looked remarkably like a spear tackle. He was not sanctioned, except by the crowd at whom he sneered.
Those were the bad bits of a match that had so much going for it.
The first shot fired in the first half was by Stephen Larkham as he charged straight ahead and made ground from the first line-out after New Zealand had sought to run from his kick-off. Carl Hayman was penalised at the tackle and Stirling Mortlock, who had another giant of a game, goaled the penalty. The Wallabies led 3-0 after two minutes.
Then it was New Zealand's turn to attack. They went right, left and right again till Elsom and Dan Vickerman were penalised for being off-side and Elsom, who had infringed earlier in the movement, earned his first talking-to. Carter goaled. 3-3 after five minutes.
In this half Carter's play was more hesitant than his majestic usual and he missed two kicks he would have been expected to goal.
The All Blacks threatened to go right when McCaw turned a pass inside to Joe Rokocoko but a forward pass destroyed a possible try.
When McCaw looked likely to win a turn-over off Greg Holmes Waugh battered into his face and set the All Black captain's nose bleeding, which troubled him for the rest of the match. But it was McCaw who later gave away a penalty at a tackle that enabled Mortlock to make the score 6-3 after 15 minutes.
New Zealand's line-out was working well though - evidently reaping the rewards of Robin Brooke's coaching - and they threatened with their first long maul from the line-out, a tactic which would eventually produce their first try.
When Nathan Sharpe held on, Carter goaled. 6-6 after 20 minutes.
After the Wallabies, with the light wind, had done what the All Blacks did, namely run the ball from their own 22, disaster struck the All Blacks. They had been doing a lot of risky passing but mostly it was at close quarters. Jerry Collins tried doing it far out and long and with his left hand. He floated it high and wide. Tall Lote Tuqiri plucked the ball out of the twilight sky and raced just over 50 metres to score the first of his two tries in the match. Mortlock converted, 13-6 after 26 minutes.
At this stage Carl Hayman left the field injured and was replaced by Greg Somerville. It may come as a surprise to some that the All Black scrum improved with the change and put increasing pressure on the Wallabies, forcing a turn-over through a wheel.
After Carter had missed an easy penalty at Goal when Vickerman was off-side, Elsom was penalised at a tackle and Carter put the ball into touch. The All Blacks, remarkably confident and efficient at lien-outs compared to their previous two Tri-Nations matches, threw deep and mauled some 20 metres to, and then over, the Wallaby line where the television match official confirmed that Jason Eaton's long reach had scored a try. It was the young lock's first Test try. Carter missed the comfortable conversion. 13-11.
The selection of Isaia Toeava had been much debated and it was not a great success as the young man's hands proved fallible. In the second half he was replaced by Leon MacDonald with Mils Muliaina moving to outside centre.
Toeava's second knock-on on the All Black left sent the Wallabies counter-attacking down their left. This led to a line-out in All Black territory. New Zealand tried to run the ball out of their own 22 but Muliaina was turned over and suddenly Mortlock was hammering at their line on his right.
The Wallabies went left on a frantic attack and Elsom managed to stumble past McAlister. Down he turned over and stretched for the line. The referee consulted the television match official. It was a tough decision. Did he lose the ball forward before grounding it? Did the ball spit forward after he had grounded it. eventually the TMO advised that a try had been scored - a debatable but understandable decision. Mortlock converted and the wallabies led 20-11 at half-time.
The All Blacks were different in the second half. The risky passes were gone, the forwards more physically active, meeting muscle and bone with muscle and bone. Gradually they ate away at the Australian lead.
Two penalties for off-side took the score to 20-17 after 50 minutes but then the Wallabies attacked for the first time in the half, as Tuqiri grabbed the ball at a knock-back from the kick-off. They won an attacking scrum and Wycliff Palu had a good moment when he charged,. But he followed this with a bad moment when he knocked on and New Zealand was relieved.
Substitutions were happening now - Piri Weepu for Byron Kelleher who had suffered erratic ball in the first half, Ali Williams for Eaton, and a few others. Waugh and Mortlock were replaced for bleeding.
Rokocoko had a great moment when he caught a kick and started at counter-attack from well inside his own half. Weepu went for the line in a battering attack but lost the ball forward over it.
The All Blacks created space for Doug Howlett who came back inside. Weepu went blind and gave the ball away with an attempted grubber. The Wallabies cleared but there was lock Williams waiting back for the ball. He countered with power down the right and from there the ball went far left where Muliaina straightened brilliantly to give lock Chris Jack and easy run-in for a try -started by lock, finished by lock, both in "funny" positions. Cater converted. 24-20. The All Blacks were ahead for the first time with 17 minutes to play.
They went even further ahead four minutes later with a present of a try. Larkham, who had grown quieter as the match progressed, got good ball from a scrum and moved to his right. Suddenly Carter was up on him, and Larkham spilled the ball in the tackle into the eager arms of McAlister who was just inside his half of the field. The burly inside centre pumped his powerful thighs down the field for a try which delighted him. Carter converted. 31-20.
Mat Rogers replaced Larkham who was playing his 90th match for Australia.
At this stage it looked as if the All Blacks were cruising to a big victory. After all they had scored 20 points to nil in the half, but the Wallabies were proud and determined.
With eight minutes to go they scored a wonderful try as far out Matt Giteau got the ball going right and then slid a long grubber in behind the All Blacks to his left. there was not an All Black soul in the big empty box and Tuqiri raced after the ball. It sprang benignly for him and he stretched out and scored as Howlett clung to him from behind. Mortlock converted. 31-27 with eight minutes to play.
At this stage the Wallabies were rejuvenated and victory was not unlikely. Mark Chisholm, on for Elsom, had a great charge but then Chris Masoe, on for Rodney So'oialo, won a turn-over off Clyde Rathbone and the All Blacks made attack out of defence. Waugh was cynical in grabbing Williams. The referee and the touch judged conferred and bloodied Waugh left for the sinner's chair. Carter kicked the penalty.
There was just time for the kick-off, which Chris Jack won and bashed the last nail in the Wallaby coffin with a great left-footed kick down the touch-line.
Man of the match: There were some great performances. Veterans Chris Latham and Stirling Mortlock were magnificent for Australia as was industrious Lote Tuqiri apart from that bad moment with Richie McCaw and his puerile reaction to it. For the All Blacks Mils Muliaina was full of constructive endeavour and, of course, Richie McCaw was a telling factor. If opponents have to go to so much trouble to contain one man, he is doing a great job. Keven Mealamu was as lively as ever, and Joe Rokocoko was superb on and off his wing. But our Man of the Match is inside centre Luke McAlister who was so effective in all departments of the game.
Moment of the Match: There was something special about all the tries but the most special of them all for the vision and skill was Lote Tuqiri's second try, the one off Matt Giteau's perfect grubber.
Villain of the Match: It will be interesting to see what happens to Lote Tuqiri and Phil Waugh if the citing commissioner decides on activity. But for the time being Phil Waugh is the official villain for his well-deserved yellow card.
The scorers:
For New Zealand:
Tries: Eaton, Jack, McAlister
Cons: Carter 2
Pens: Carter 4
For Australia:
Tries: Tuqiri 2, Elsom
Cons: Mortlock 3
Pens: Mortlock 2
Yellow card(s): Waugh (Australia) - holding back the attacking player (77).
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Malili Muliaina, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Greg Somerville, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Sam Tuitupou, 22 Leon MacDonald.
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Stirling Mortlock (vice-captain), 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan (captain), 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman (vice-captain), 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Jeremy Paul, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Tai McIsaac, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 George Smith, 20 Brett Sheehan, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Mat Rogers.
Referee: Chris White (England)
Touch judges: Mark Lawrence, Craig Joubert (both South Africa)
Television match official: Willie Roos (South Africa)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)

[Shayne]

3 tries a piece, only penalties the difference but what a game of two halves. AB's had a good talking to at half time and changed their game completely.

Very physical encounter. Cant remember a game where i saw so much blood from numerous players. Well done though to the Ab's. 15 unbeaten games so far.

[TiGeR]

An article i wrote last yr for an Australian rugby mag- apart from having a new coach & their injured stars back, the scrum is still an area of concern & there is no light at the end of the tunnel! :smiley13:


As a passionate Southern hemisphere rugby supporter & an amateur coach, i feel compelled to wade into the current debate on Australian Rugby's crisis & throw in my five cents worth. Re: David Fitter's elevation to test status- I am glad that he has FINALLY been given a crack at test match 'footy' by Eddie Moans er i mean Jones...ABOUT BLOODY time! As a player & more recently as a coach, i have been a great admirer of Australian rugby's use of intellect (or rather i should say USED to be) but it seems Eddie has turned the guys into robots in an attempt to copy Lord Bald's structured game (Sir Clive Woodie) but unlike SCW, Eddie doesnt have the grunt up front. Australia even fielding a "C" team have the most dangerous backs in world rugby, but without a tight five that can compete...well, the backs have looked dangerous & done some good things but the results speak for themselves. George Gregan has been much maligned for his recent performances, but his cause has not been helped by a pack going backwards (at SPEED against England!) That the Wallabies managed to survive the tri nations was more due to the forebearance of referees than of their props holding their own. They have been destroyed at the lineout- a primary source of posession from which they attack so well, but the Wallaby selectors let Justin Harrison go earlier in the year because he was seen as surplus to requirements!

Going back to the front row crisis, there are obviously problems which have been coming for a while (remember the slanging match with the Boks about Bill Young & Aussie scrumming in general?) which havent been helped by the injury to Jeremy Paul & the indifferent (at best) form of Brendan Cannon, who hasnt been able to reproduce his form of a few seasons ago (or hold onto a ball for that matter!) since coming back from injury (perhaps Pelous was trying to do Eddie Jones & Aussie rugger a favour?) THANK the rugby gods that Bill Young was left behind on this current tour as he has got to be THE most overrated loosehead prop in international rugby- Jake White has been MORE than vindicated! I find it laughable that Ewen McKenzie, a great front ranker in his playing days should come out defending the ability (or rather lack of) of his NSW front rows Al Baxter & Matt Dunning. They are CLEARLY not world class & something needs to be done about it YESTERDAY! Eddie Jones & Australian Rugby's obsession with the running game & "athletic" forwards has bitten them firmly in the rear- a prop/ tight five's primary objective is to win ball at 1st phase- i.e. the scrum or lineout. The sky blues front row has done neither very convincingly in the gold jersey- the persistance by selectors to continue with these three has mercifiully been broken by the unfortunate injury to Dunning & i think Baxter will be grateful for the break to enable him to pull his head out of his nether regions courtesy of a fantastic scrumming lesson from Mr Sheridan last weekend.

There is no doubt that change has to happen for the Wallabies to produce results more worthy of a world cup finalist- The loss of Harrison (which was avoidable) & the string of injuries suffered by a few other frontline players- Steve Larkham, Clyde Rathbone, Jeremy Paul, Radike Samo, Matt Giteau, Daniel Vickerman & Stirling Mortlock has created a crisis of both confidence & performance, but there are still more than enough useful players to build with. As the injured men start coming back into fitness & form, with some decent coaching (particularly of current front rows & more big game experience for David Fitter) & freedom to express their wonderful skills & talent (i emphasise the word freedom) i believe the Wallabies could still be a contender in France in 2007. The Southern hemisphere particularly & the rugby world in general need a strong Wallaby team...it remains to be seen whether Eddie & his merry men can do the necessary.

Will Mbanga is a High Performance accredited rugby coach based in South Africa.

[biffon]

Hoorey!! they bringing in two of my favorite back liners to replace the injured Rogers and sin-binned Tuquiri.. Staniforth and Shepard...

We gonna see a bit of get up and go i reckon come saturday week!! :D :D

[TiGeR]

I like Shepard but i think Staniforth is yesterdays news...i would have liked to see Drew Mitchell or Adam Ashley-Cooper who are tomorrows news going...

As for ABs Vs Boks y/day... WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS! from an AB perspective but WELL done the bokke! Just shows, rugby is a game of inches...a few calls went SAs way, they had the rub of the bounce & most significantly, they were able to apply pressure for te entire 80mins....had the privilage of watching the game with Andre Watson (ex test ref) & we both reckon the TMO got it wrong on Andrew Hore's try (where he said So'oialo obstructed the tackler) the SA player was part of the ruck & was cleaned out...but as i said, it is a game of inches & it was nice to see the boks come out with the extra one or two for a change...

So....there goes the current AB squads aim to win a series in SA & more significantly to equal or break the consecutive wins record (currently 17 held jointly by SA & NZ)...they had 15 in the bag so i think this will hurt them BIG TIME....McCaw was crying in his interview afterwards...

[Aboriginal]

How good is McCaw. He is like a fly on shit. He is just everywhere and although not enormous by todays standards puts in some awesome tackles. Dan Carter has to be the best nos 10 now. His defence is excellent and decision making 10/10. The Boks showed some promise out wide for a change which was heartening. Their scrum is really fallible without the old head of Os up front and it showed everytime he went to the blood bin.

And Matfield is just becoming a turd although his earlier scuffle with Sa'oiala (?sp) ended up being the match clincher when the red mist descended and aforementioned had a brain explosion to make a penalty fouling Matfield at the ruck. I can only imagine how Matfield would have laughed at him all the way to the change rooms!

Sa v Wallabies this weekend. Should be good. Oz have not won in SA since 2000 and not at Ellis Park since 1967!

Hey Tiger the greens got up this week at Saints 29-27 sounded like a good game. Maythe competition grow.

[Shayne]

Hey Tiger the greens got up this week at Saints 29-27 sounded like a good game. Maythe competition grow.

St Johns must of had 11 men sent off for St Georges to score that many points. :smiley36:

Thoughts on this weekends game? I'm thinking a 10 point win by the Aussies.

[biffon]

i think SA might take it actually - but we'll see how it goes - either way it'll be a close game i think!

[TiGeR]

St John's Vs St George's at the w/end? Are you sure? Its school holidays/ 3rd term now...ja, sounds like it mustve been a cliffhanger tho'!

I think SA will take it on sat....by 3-7 points...Wallabies havent won @ Ellis park since 1963...my boet watched the game with Matt Giteau's old man in Vic Falls last w/end! Says he's a good guy...

[Aboriginal]

Boks won as expected. Wallabies always choke away from home but I think I can say the Springboks dominated most of the game, Scrums, posession and even some of the lineouts! Breyton Paulse is a great player. Ndugane is shit and Pieterson looked like a scared rabbit when he had the ball (was'nt very impressed with the rookie to be honest). SA worrying from point of lak of depth at the moment if key players injured for next year. Anyway not a very exciting game as known since the tournament was won 4wks ago!!!!

[TiGeR]

Ja Boks had too much ascendancy at the setpiece but you are right, their depth is suspect...Wallabies execution was pretty ordinary on the day- they certainly created the opportunities to have won...i still reckon Connolly is MAd to include those 'Tahs forwards- they are SUCH costers! :smiley36:

[biffon]

Wallabies need a few bigger men in the scrum im afraid... if they think that they are going to hold back a scrum thats nearly100kg's heavier than they are they have another thing coming!!and whats with the brain explosions in the back line - My god i havent seen so many stray passes and general " oh shit ive got the ball what do i do now" situations its was scary.

Credit should go to Paulse he was outstanding in attack and "twinkle toes" in defence.
Palu impressed me with his strong running and even ol Sharpie had a storming game.
I was dissapointed in Shepard he didnt have much of a chance to show his flair & i fear it will be his undoing. Staniforth Showed some strong legs when he ran on and Giteau also showed for a brief moment what he is capable of.