Official Rugby Thread

[Somerset]

One-way traffic really tonight, quite sorry to see Samoa belted so badly to be honest. At least they managed a few tries, the second of which was a well constructed counter-attack, though I'd imagine the ABs won't be so impressed about letting the Samoans score 14 points.

Personally I would've prefered to have seen one of the leading ANZC sides face the All Blacks - perhaps last year's winner (Auckland), or this year's leaders Wellington. Would represent a tough test for the All Blacks and give whichever provincial side faces them a chance to show their skills against the nation's best. Either that or ensure that Samoa actually has a full strength side if the scenario is repeated again.

 

[Somerset]

oh dear...any injuries to help the wobblies next week?

Tuitavake went off after about half an hour, seemed to have taken a knock to somewhere above the right eye - doesn't seem too serious to keep him from next week's test though. Other than that no obvious injuries to speak of.

 

[Somerset]

I don't buy that the Wallabies had nothing to play for. A bonus point victory would've meant we needed one ourselves to win the Tri-Nations, not to mention the history -- a first win at Ellis Park for 45 years (ironic winning margin), a series win in the Republic, back-to-back away victories (after losing 15 straight). Above all, it was a Test match. There's no such thing as a dead rubber in Test match rugby.

It was a soft effort.

The Boks' backs were far more impressive than ours have been for a long time.

Agreed that in theory there was something to play for, but I'd bet in reality the Wallabies had more than one eye on the flight home and the match in Brisbane - it certainly seemed that way anyway.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Agreed that in theory there was something to play for, but I'd bet in reality the Wallabies had more than one eye on the flight home and the match in Brisbane - it certainly seemed that way anyway.

Maybe after the first 20 minutes. They started off looking to score. The Boks got their tails up & the Wallabies were sucking wind.

Wasn't happy with our set pieces tonight, but that's what happens when it's so easy to score. Everyone wants to have a go.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

oh dear...any injuries to help the wobblies next week?

There's a few rumours swirling round that McCaw is worse than they're letting on.

 

[Somerset]

Maybe after the first 20 minutes. They started off looking to score. The Boks got their tails up & the Wallabies were sucking wind.

Wasn't happy with our set pieces tonight, but that's what happens when it's so easy to score. Everyone wants to have a go.

Yeh I wouldn't be so critical of the set pieces that weren't quite perfect (line outs in particular) when the opposition is that poor and the players can get the better of the match with so much ease. In saying that the scrum was ridiculously strong against a terrible Samoan scrum. Penalty try in the second half was fair enough IMO.

 

[ripper868]

There's a few rumours swirling round that McCaw is worse than they're letting on.

hmmm...lets hope so...

nah not really, want both teams at full strength...that means 10 changes for the wallabies.

 

[Francis]

Sweet gorilla of Manilla am I pumped for this weekends game!

I'm way behind the Wallabies and I sincerely hope they win. What's really been disgusting is how people have been saying how Australia don't deserve the tri nations because they've been thumped twice. Last I checked New Zealand were pretty bad in Sydney and South Africa managed to lose two games at home. You win games you deserve!

If the Wallabies win the tri nations it will be because they win more games than the rest. How does that make them undeserving. The stuff some New Zealand supporters have said has been saying is arrogant, ignorant and moronic.

Interesting that Mortlock will play at 12 - don't think that'll work though I do think Cross is better suited at 13. They'll miss Barnes and Vickerman.

Dean's selection of Sharpe has a lot to do with experience I think. I was disappointed Drew Mitchell wasn't named at fullback.

I think after these tri nations the Wallabies will have to, once and for all, get rid of Dunning, possibly Sharpe and Phil Waugh. Waugh's still an OK player off the bench, but the Aussies need to move torward the future. David Pocock is young and green and got smacked by Smith and Waugh in the Super 14 games. But he did produce a shocking performance where he outplayed Richie McCaw in the best Super 14 game of the season. The Aussies need to start blooding players, bring about the Pocock.

 

[ripper868]

Yp, bring out the pocock indeed, next year maybe.

Happy to hear Tahu goneskis and the backs defence much improved for it. Mortlock will be a prescence at 12 in defence, but attack will have to contend with the likes of Mccaw and friends coming from the breakdown. Can kick though, giving giteau a second option.

Wallabies by 50

Not really, think blacks by 10 more likely but praying the wobles an pull it out when it matters.

 

[Francis]

Hey Ripper check out these old Bledisloe videos this dude is posting on youtube. Stuff like Mark Ella and Campo combining for Campese's first ever try. You have Michael Jones exploding through the ruck and setting up St John in the 1988 Bledisloe Series. How about Phil Kearns giving the two fingers to Fitzy, you like? Or my favourite video, the one where Frank Bunce finishes off an 80 metre try from the 1992 Bledisloe Cup series. Then there's Jason Little scoring a try within the first 15 seconds of a game. Perhaps the greatest Bledisloe Cup game of all time from 2000 will spark your interest.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ihavenopantson

Few notes:

* How beautiful was Walter Little's little squiggle before he offloads in that 1992 game?

* Man it's easy to forget Tana Umaga once had so much pace! Maybe he was almost O'Driscoll's peer.

* How awesome was Stephen Larkham breaking through? Or maybe his flat pass was better!

Man rugby union can be a beautiful sport when it's played well.

 

[Perm]

Umaga>O'Driscoll by so far it isn't even funny.

 

[Smudge]

Umaga>O'Driscoll by so far it isn't even funny.

Errr, no, it's not that far. In fact, I've always felt Umaga was a touch overrated - his passing wasn't as brilliant as some made it out to be. Sure, he threw some nice passes (such as one to Sivivatu in the 2005 Lions series) but at other times his distribution was found wanting. Towards the end of his career, his hands became terrible, while he was prone to absolute howling games like in South Africa in 2003 where Marius Joubert scored two of his three tries as a direct result of Umaga ****-ups.

As a pure centre, I'd go for O'Driscoll; as an overall rugby player, I'd go Umaga.

 

[Perm]

Hmm, fair points. I agree with Umage being over-rated, but I think O'Driscoll has been hyped up heaps too, and is definitely made to look better than he is by playing for Ireland. Basically I just took exception to Francis saying that Umaga was 'almost O'Driscroll's pair'.

 

[Francis]

I have to say Voltman I have a newfound (well just plain 'found') respect for you. So many New Zealanders I know are so biased against O'Driscoll because of... yer know. They forget that before... yer know... he was actually well received in New Zealand and well regarded there. These days you can throw objectivity out the window when Kiwi's talk about O'Driscoll.

O'Driscoll was the man. Re-watching the 2001 Lions series there's no doubt in my mind he was in premier back in world rugby around that time. Pace, balance, speed, vision and a load of confidence. He's just a beautifully balanced centre and a good guy as well!

Tana is overrated. My philosophy of why people overrate him is his mana disguises himself as better than he really is. But he showed no mana when he... yer know.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

The O'Driscoll that first toured NZ was a pure centre, whereas Tana was a converted centre who played a lot of second five for his club, but Tana's defence was more important than his distribution and later his captaincy. O'Driscoll really hasn't changed his skill set to match his crumbling body.

 

[Perm]

I've got no bias against O'Driscoll, I've just never been that impressed with him when I've saw him play. Good player, no doubt, but over-rated IMO.

 

[Francis]

Oh I wasn't talking about you, Perm. IMO you're one of the most objective posters here at CW. I was just talking about others...

O'Driscoll is a mamba of a player though... or was anyway.

 

[Somerset]

Not being able to watch a lot of Six Nations rugby doesn't really allow me to comment much on O'Driscoll as a player in recent times but at the World Cup last year he certainly didn't appear to be the player he was, at least in 2003 or even 2005 with the Lions. I think that has to do with him being "over-rated" - go back four or five years and I doubt we'd be saying the same thing. As far as outside centres go today, Mortlock IMO is easily the best, though four years ago I still rated Umaga ahead of O'Driscoll - perhaps unfairly based on my inability to see Six Nations games but that was my ordering of the two anyway.

 

[Perm]

Yeah, I think that has got a big part to play Somerset. I've only seen highlights and things of the Six Nations, which is a shame.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

I've got no bias against O'Driscoll, I've just never been that impressed with him when I've saw him play. Good player, no doubt, but over-rated IMO.

The first time O'Driscoll came to New Zealand in 2002 he was phenomenal. That was his peak really, though he was still good player in the 2006 and 2007 Six Nations.

Mortlock's had a pretty awful year. He looks old.