The Rugby Championship - Buildup

First topic message reminder :

Seeing as there's only 3 matches left in Super Rugby, time to start thinking about TRC

Fixtures:

The Australian squad are already in camp (except for their Brumbies' players), with all their Super Rugby commitments finished - Quade Cooper and Scott Higginbotham notable squad omissions, thought Quade may get a reprieve as Karmichael Hunt is out for the next 2 months

Wallabies Squad:

Our back three is very suspect in defence and their aerial skills are very poor, that is where the All Blacks are going to thrash us

Ye may be right but I do think that SA have some pace in that backline that will cause the AB's some issues.

Positive start for SA but they do look a little unimaginative in attack.

SA on attack, player taken without the ball then seconds later (after the AB's clear) a no arms hit on the SA counter attack...

Beautiful AB try but question marks about their play in the lead up...

Superb try from the AB's, simply wonderful.

Game over, you can't compete with such a Poopie backline

Kriel demonstrates the difference between the two sides at the moment: the instantaneous decision making...Kriel should have kicked through.

Mr Fishpaste wrote:Kriel demonstrates the difference between the two sides at the moment: the instantaneous decision making...Kriel should have kicked through.

I actually thought they should have let play go on and review the try. I don't think Kriel touched it, looked like it came off an AB hand...

Can't watch this rubbish, boks still crap

This is just ambarressing, I am Frak done with this coach

The AB's have not looked that good yet are cruising 24-0. SA just have no direction, little imagination in attack and very poor handling skills.

Another try, this is over as a contest by some shot. 31-0

Now for the big SA comeback

eirebilly wrote:Now for the big SA comeback

We live in hope...

Just have to get a line out right...

Mr Fishpaste wrote:

eirebilly wrote:Now for the big SA comeback

We live in hope...

Any South African supporter that still have hope in this team and this coach beating the All Blacks have lost touch with reality

The AB's getting some fortunate calls, actually thought that scrum penalty could have gone to them as the AB's did not bind or drive straight. That is what caused knees to hit the ground...

Wow.

That is now 50 points and there is still 6mins to play...

This is pure humiliation.

Words fail me.

SA, shocking in the set pieces, terrible in attack and clueless in defence.

The AB's, clinical in everything they do.

Where is the passion that was once one of the Springboks greatest assets?

I wonder just how good the Pumas could be if they could play for a full 80mins...

Folau scores, I can here the grinding teeth of many LGBT people out there.

Coetzee quoted on Planet Rugby...

I'm pleased with a couple of brilliant defensive efforts and a lot of positives that we can still take out of this game.

He makes Comical Ali seem like quite a realist.

Yup ebop. Think currently england are a touch better. Both have some great young players coming hough as well so should be a great ding done I'm the next few years.

The Boks were awful, made NZ look good is all.

Gwlad wrote:The Boks were awful, made NZ look good is all.

Yes we get that a lot. Odd how no one else has made them look that bad this year.

Taylorman wrote:

Gwlad wrote:The Boks were awful, made NZ look good is all.

Yes we get that a lot. Odd how no one else has made them look that bad this year.

In fairness Taylorman, SA were absolutely dire. That is not to say that the AB's got lucky that SA were so dire, they were incredibly clinical today.

For a team to not switch off after running up a cricket score against the opposition also highlights an incredibly well drilled and concentrated team. That is a couple of the most important facets that makes them the number 1 team in the world.

eirebilly wrote:

Taylorman wrote:

Gwlad wrote:The Boks were awful, made NZ look good is all.

Yes we get that a lot. Odd how no one else has made them look that bad this year.

In fairness Taylorman, SA were absolutely dire. That is not to say that the AB's got lucky that SA were so dire, they were incredibly clinical today.

For a team to not switch off after running up a cricket score against the opposition also highlights an incredibly well drilled and concentrated team. That is a couple of the most important facets that makes them the number 1 team in the world.

Yes they were showed up quite badly in parts, Marx throwing in the worst of the skills on display by the Boks. ABs are still looking for depth but are still able to up tempo the game at times in a way others cant keep up, the Ioane, Retallick and M Skudder tries a heap of fun but also reflective of where theyre efforts still lie when they get the chances.

For Springbok fans

eirebilly wrote:

Taylorman wrote:

Gwlad wrote:The Boks were awful, made NZ look good is all.

Yes we get that a lot. Odd how no one else has made them look that bad this year.

In fairness Taylorman, SA were absolutely dire. That is not to say that the AB's got lucky that SA were so dire, they were incredibly clinical today.

For a team to not switch off after running up a cricket score against the opposition also highlights an incredibly well drilled and concentrated team. That is a couple of the most important facets that makes them the number 1 team in the world.

 And in further fairness, In that first 20 minutes (when the score was 3 - Nil) the All blacks were banged just as hard if not harder compared to the Lions three months ago. The referee must of had a good game noone is talking about him.

 Wayne Smith also deserves a mention as this was his last game as Assistant All Black coach in New Zealand, Dont think any of the ABs will think its the end of turning up on Monday mornings with your homework though.

Not to worry, Scotland play in the Blackness in a month.

We'll show those cheeky Kiwis a thing or two*.









































* I'm not sure what yet, exactly, but apparently Gregor Towsend has a cunning plan.

The two games today were a bit of a contrast,Australia were definitely the better
side over the game.But AGAIN a card gave them a boost 3 tries in the last 10
minutes against 14 men.
NZ for the first 15 minutes were in trouble,a couple of dodgy scrums,a Lineout
lost.Dropping balls missing up and unders,SA looked good then and they were
unbeaten this year till then.
Both teams were missing key players but the NZ conveyor belt keeps churning
them out.Owens had a brilliant game totally impartial and standing for
no nonsense.
On the Scrums "Keep it up or i`ll get someone on who can",Nz had one of
those days when they clicked for 80 minutes.
The bench was very strong when Hames came off Scrum dominance was
established,Scott Barrett as a 6/lock was immense[he kicks goals too]
Management of the players till 2019 RWC will mean more sabbaticals for
key players,but when you see the youngsters coming thru it makes
you think.
Many of these will go overseas because they can`t get regular starts
sad but true.

Awesome performance from the ABs but really sad to see the decline in the Springboks in recent years.

They started pretty well but just seemed to give up after 20-30 min, it's such a shame as the boks have been historically the ABs closest rival but the gap just looks huge right now.

I think that's the nail on the head and a real problem ie they gave up. After those couple of quick tries from individual mistakes they could have cone together ot gone to pieces. We know what happened.

I am not so sure SA did give up, certainly not after a couple of AB tries. There was a moment when, the AB's were 17-0 up, that SA had a good run on the attack and I felt that the referee should have let the try be scored before calling for the TMO. I was sure the SA attacker did not touch the ball (thought it came off an AB) and that a try could have been awarded. That would have brought them to 17-7 and a different game may have unfolded.

I just attribute the AB win to their superb commitment and drive as opposed to SA giving up.

Nz are a great team but heads went down in that game.

George Carlin wrote:Not to worry, Scotland play in the Blackness in a month.

We'll show those cheeky Kiwis a thing or two*.









































* I'm not sure what yet, exactly, but apparently Gregor Towsend has a cunning plan.

 Scotland will have home ground advantage, a team of players out to prove that they were every bit up to the task of dealing with those cheeky Kiwis back in June. the Scotland test comes only four days after the ABs play a French xv in France, the All blacks will be suffering from jet lag. Gregor Townsend will be thinking that there is no time like this November to start a history of defeating the All Blacks, Scotland have many reasons to come out and smash the ABs.

I think the Lions just proved the Scots aren't supposed to play NZ.

Looking at some of the highlights from the Boks dismantling by NZ, my immediate thought was fitness is lacking in many players and the defensive decision making was poor. The third try was an easy walk in when it shouldn't have been, same could be said with others afterwards. Having forwards who can offload effectively is such a big part of the game now, I think that was lacking from the Boks despite some brilliant ball carrying.

First 10 NZ points...

That first Boks lineout had several switches then an overthrown ball, most likely due to the hooker waiting for so long to time it right. That resulted in AB's snatching the ball and getting right into the Boks's 22, forcing a clearing kick and ultimately an AB's lineout roughly 30m out from Boks try line. But then the Boks threw up one man and stole an easy one, nothing complicated there but effective. Period of boks dominating up front continued and Boks looked good, they were on the front foot, but when the backs had a go handling errors occurred. Next boks attacking attempt had an indecisive offload by the forwards that led to NZ getting back into the Boks 22 and getting the first points on the board. So far a fairly even contest but NZ looking much more threatening in attack with the few chances they have had. Boks do well after the restart and are surely in for a first try of the match, had it not been for a sloppy offload from the Boks no.8 to the fullback. Instead, minutes later, boks 9 throws slow pass to 10 and another slow pass to 12, isolated, penalty, quick tap, NZ score from beautiful kick forward. 10 - 0.

I won't analyse the whole match but as the pundits always say, small margins in international rugby make such a difference. Had teh ball been going to hand better and the decision making more organised i think the Boks could easily have been 7 - 3 up after 20 mins and right in the game.

Gwlad wrote:I think the Lions just proved the Scots aren't supposed to play NZ.

Viewed through the prism of a single coach's subjective view, coupled with about a dozen other factors, sure.

Isn't everyone's point of view subjective? And anyway we know the squad was selected by the group of coaches not just Gatland.

Yup they made mistakes.

Hardly, it was Townsend made the mistake of not being on board to advocate for Scots players

So with that you admit they were biased and couldn't judge effectively. Well done you.

No 7&1/2 wrote:So with that you admit they were biased and couldn't judge effectively. Well done you.

And you admit that based on results they judged very effectively. Well done you.

Celebrating draws and moral victories. How very Welsh

Pointing out useless inaccurate stuff, how very Bam Bam.

When did I mention results at all? You however acknowledged that mistakes were made based on bias unlucky gwlad. And stop wumming so much.

No 7&1/2 wrote:When did I mention results at all? You however acknowledged that mistakes were made based on bias unlucky gwlad. And stop wumming so much.

Understood, you aren't interested in results just whining about representation when the guy who is responsible is the Scottish coach invited to the party who was too busy to come.

I'm agreeing with you. Gatland and the coaches were wrong. You say we needed townsend to turn that draw into a win fair enough.