Pool C - Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal

[social]

Do a lot of the players grow up playing other codes then take up union as an adult.
To me it looks as if they aren't all natural union players

Very few converts from other sports

The biggest problem facing rugby in Australia is that there’s no intermediate step between amateur and Super Rugby so most elite juniors play professionally in other sports and never return

 

[Molehill]

Q.
Is Jamieson Park, Anscombe, Aki a better 9-10-12 axis under big game pressure than anything NZ can pick?

Not sure, but undoubtedly the best Aussie winger plays for Ireland!

You could have Lowe on the wing too.

 

[social]

Eddie knows what hes doing mate, we just have to trust the process.

Hopefully that process is ****ing everyone currently involved in the administration (and Eddie) of the game into the sun.

Eddie has a 5 year deal and only signed a few months ago so would be entitled to a massive payout

RA has just borrowed $40 million to pay the bills so an Eddie payout is the last thing that they want to do

 

[social]

Not sure, but undoubtedly the best Aussie winger plays for Ireland!

You could have Lowe on the wing too.

Koirobete is arguably the world’s best, Nawa is very good and Suaalii is coming

Another winger won’t do **** for the Wallabies when most inside are ordinary

 

[Ali TT]

I mean the weird thing is that until they kicked for touch at 6-10 and then lost the line-out, they were probably the better side. They had most of the play and had turned over a couple of Welsh scrums. Then panic set in.

 

[Howe_zat]

Q.
Is Jamieson Park, Anscombe, Aki a better 9-10-12 axis under big game pressure than anything NZ can pick?

Also Gatland seems a lot astute than his old provincial team mate Foster.

No and I don't think it's at all close. Aki could not unreasonably get a gig for the all blacks but Anscombe probably struggles to make any other tier 1 team (except Italy, if they count).

 

[the big bambino]

I mean, when a squad's second choice stand off is a full back by trade, one would assume they're screwed for options, but there's Noah Lolesio, Bernie Foley and Quade Cooper all cooling their heels at home, so, y'know, WTF?

For a moment I thought I was in a draft thread where you can pick players long retired or even dead. Are those jokers still playing? My word if the wallabies best team is that retro then sit out the cup.

None of those players are any good. If they’re the alternatives then I see why Jones rejected them. They’re known failures so why not take a punt? Didn’t work out of course but at least you had a mugs chance before hand.

The level of hate for the wallabies in Oz is epic and it’s down to the admin of the game. It is also jarring to hear some players occasionally say they are playing for their families as if they don’t really believe in the jersey. That’s nice for them but I’m not supporting a player turning out for and ultimately disgracing the family name.

 

[social]

I mean the weird thing is that until they kicked for touch at 6-10 and then lost the line-out, they were probably the better side. They had most of the play and had turned over a couple of Welsh scrums. Then panic set in.

It would be easy to blame Eddie for throwing out all that experience and for failing to pick a backup 10 but this game is just the worst example of what the Wallabies have been doing for years

We rarely take the points on offer from penalties, our basic execution is terrible, we can’t defend a maul to save our lives and breakdown work is the worst of any major nation

 

[GotSpin]

I know we dont have the cattle but Eddie nullified our strengths and amplified our weaknesses. Kerevi & Korobiete offered nothing for example

 

[ripper868]

Eddie has a 5 year deal and only signed a few months ago so would be entitled to a massive payout

RA has just borrowed $40 million to pay the bills so an Eddie payout is the last thing that they want to do

I'm hoping his 5 year deal is voided (and therefore payout) by having interviews with Japan Rugby 2 weeks before the world cup started.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

For a moment I thought I was in a draft thread where you can pick players long retired or even dead. Are those jokers still playing? My word if the wallabies best team is that retro then sit out the cup.

None of those players are any good. If they’re the alternatives then I see why Jones rejected them. They’re known failures so why not take a punt? Didn’t work out of course but at least you had a mugs chance before hand.

The level of hate for the wallabies in Oz is epic and it’s down to the admin of the game. It is also jarring to hear some players occasionally say they are playing for their families as if they don’t really believe in the jersey. That’s nice for them but I’m not supporting a player turning out for and ultimately disgracing the family name.

Lolesio is quite good is still only 23. Is better than any the young 10s in NZ.

 

[the big bambino]

Lolesio is quite good is still only 23. Is better than any the young 10s in NZ.

Fair enough. Not sure if he would’ve made a difference, but since he’s young and as good as you say he is, should’ve been picked.

 

[ripper868]

He at least should of been in the squad over Jorgenson, even if Eddie thought he was 3rd behind CG and BD.

Anyway, I've calmed down a bit, accepted it, and moved on with my life. I look forward to the 2055 Bledisloe when we almost score a try.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

If Foley had kicked the ball out faster in that test against the ABs, Dave Rennie would still be coaching Australia and Scott Robertson would be coaching NZ.

 

[Burgey]

I woke up this morning expecting to be able to have a bit of a chuckle at another loss, but tbh reading the thread and checking out some highlights it genuinely seems sad. It's so bad that even I don't want to sink the boot into the Aus rugby fans on here. There's a lot of passionate supporters on here and rn I feel for them.

The next WC is in Australia isn't it? Stating the obvious but the game needs a total administrative rejig ahead of that tourney to try to parlay it into something which can secure the future of the sport here. There's some lessons they can learn from the mistakes made post-03 WC where they let the profile and development of the game fall away massively. Anyway, they've four years to try to get something out of it.

 

[GotSpin]

I woke up this morning expecting to be able to have a bit of a chuckle at another loss, but tbh reading the thread and checking out some highlights it genuinely seems sad. It's so bad that even I don't want to sink the boot into the Aus rugby fans on here. There's a lot of passionate supporters on here and rn I feel for them.

It’s that bad isn’t it

 

[ripper868]

Tbh, I think the kid in me that fell in love with the game watching the likes of Larkham, Eales, Gregan, Tune, Mortlock, Horan, Little, Smith, Kefu, Latham, Burke, Herbert, Noriega, Paul, Roff, Ofahenguae, Finegan etc has died a bit today.

I'll always support them, but this ****ing hurts today. But hurts in a way where I no longer care. For the custodians of the game to have got me to this point says plenty about how **** the situation is.

Tad dramatic sure, but is what it is. Still love the game, will still watch every game I can of the WC, just hope to someday experience the highs again. E.g, being at Twickenham in 2015 when Giteau went over in the corner to formally dump England out of its own world cup was special, as was being at Twickenham for the final in 2015.

How the **** have we fallen so far, so hard, and so quickly. Only way is up. Hopefully.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

The next WC is in Australia isn't it? Stating the obvious but the game needs a total administrative rejig ahead of that tourney to try to parlay it into something which can secure the future of the sport here.

Yeah, and there's also going to be a ridiculously strong Lions team touring Oz in the winter of 2025, so Australia doesn't have long to try to put some sort of side together for that.

 

[social]

Rugby in Australia can be summed up by reference to Matraville High

It’s a public high school which played in the Waratah Shield, a knockout tournament contested by high schools from NSW & ACT

Matraville produced many Wallabies including Fairfax, the Ellas, Lloyd Walker and David Knox

It also produced Eddie fkn Jones who was actually a pretty good player

It was rugby heartland that has since been abandoned by RA

No surprise that it’s now a rugby league school which continues to churn out stars like Josh Addo-Carr, Boyd Cordner, Adam Reynolds, James Tamou & Dylan Walker

Imagine a different world where the Wallabies had Reynolds to steer the team around the park and kick goals at an 80% clip

That’s just one school!!!

Meanwhile, RA has spent more on sports psychologists for the Wallabies than they gave to grassroots this year

I am not sorry for them because they are reaping what they sowed

 

[social]

Yeah, and there's also going to be a ridiculously strong Lions team touring Oz in the winter of 2025, so Australia doesn't have long to try to put some sort of side together for that.

Barring the random emergence of some freak talent, we’re 5-10 years away even if we start today