[2014 EOYT] Australia

[Imagine]

This side is looking really exciting!! My body is so ready for November ><

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Funny how the Baabaas are getting more attention on here than the Wallabies. Probably since they have the Bledisloe 3 fixture coming up firstly. Kirwan is set for props and wings. I assume TNW will take up outside center or fullback though Boshoff is an able fullback as well. He should get in Wilkinson IMO. Jaque Fourie and Craig Burden are also unattached ATM. A proper lock (Rhodes plays like a loose forward) and a bullocking no.8 are still needed.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Looking at the backs I would pick
15.Nanai-Williams 14.Halai 13.Osborne 12.Saili 11.Cummins 10.Boshoff 9.Tanaka
I'm guessing more players will be added as I don't see that many backs or forwards, or a recognised 15 apart from Nanai and Boshoff. On the players themselves I would really like to see Nanai-Williams play for the All Blacks, great threat with ball in hand and can play 12,13,14,15. Throw in Brussow and Hooper has to go up against one of the best opensides in the world, well use to be.

Also is Thompson the All Blacks Blindside Adam Thomson ? The pack is also taking shape
1.Oosthuizen 2.Schwalger 3.du Toit 4.Rhodes 5. 6.Thomson 7.Brussow 8.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Looking at the backs I would pick
15.Nanai-Williams 14.Halai 13.Osborne 12.Saili 11.Cummins 10.Boshoff 9.Tanaka
I'm guessing more players will be added as I don't see that many backs or forwards, or a recognised 15 apart from Nanai and Boshoff. On the players themselves I would really like to see Nanai-Williams play for the All Blacks, great threat with ball in hand and can play 12,13,14,15. Throw in Brussow and Hooper has to go up against one of the best opensides in the world, well use to be.

Also is Thompson the All Blacks Blindside Adam Thomson ? The pack is also taking shape
1.Oosthuizen 2.Schwalger 3.du Toit 4.Rhodes 5. 6.Thomson 7.Brussow 8.

Yip, Adam Thomson. He has also signed up for the Reds for 2015. Brussow is still a master pilferer. The only thing I would add is he get pinged a lot for not releasing as tackler and I am surprised no-one has worked with him on his timing. I believe Du Toit is seen as an out-and-out loose head so I would expect Stevens to be 1st choice TH with Oosthuizen covering off the benhc.

 

[Jaguares]

Props:

Ben Alexander
Tetera Faulkner
Sekope Kepu
James Slipper
Benn Robinson

Hookers:

Saia Fainga'a
James Hanson
Josh Mann-Rea

Locks:

Sam Carter
Luke Jones
James Horwill
Rob Simmons

Backrows:

Scott Higginbotham
Matt Hodgson
Michael Hooper (c)
Ben McCalman
Sean McMahon

Halfback:

Will Genia
Nick Phipps
Nic White

Flyhalf:

Quade Cooper
Bernard Foley

Centres:

Kyle Godwin
Adam Ashley-Cooper
Rob Horne
Tevita Kuridrani
Christian Leali'ifano
Matt Toomua

Outside Backs:

Israel Folau
Tom English
Henry Speight
Joe Tomane

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Matt Todd, Colin Slade and Steven Luatua have all been added to the Barbarian squad as well.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Good to see a couple of new faces in the squad! hope to see Rebels Shaun McMahon and Tom English make their debuts and Luke Jones get more game time.

 

[Jaguares]

Good to see a couple of new faces in the squad! hope to see Rebels Shaun McMahon and Tom English make their debuts and Luke Jones get more game time.

Like Luke Jones, Sean McMahon and Tom English?

 

[profitius]

I see the Australians are expecting to win at least 4 of their 5 EOYT matches. They're playing the Barbarians, England, France, Ireland and Wales. Is that realistic or are they underrating the NH sides?

 

[Darwin]

I see the Australians are expecting to win at least 4 of their 5 EOYT matches. They're playing the Barbarians, England, France, Ireland and Wales. Is that realistic or are they underrating the NH sides?

Australia winning 4/5 matches is realistic IMO. Personally I see them winning 3-4 of these matches. Obviously all 5 matches will be tough so it is possible they may really struggle and only win 1-2.....

Despite being in disarray off the field they have actually been resonable on the field this year. They easily beat France 3 games - 0 at the start of the year, pushed the ABs in 2/3 games (they should have won both, but lacked composure), beat South Africa in Australia and pushed them in South Africa (before falling apart in the last 10 minutes). Their only really poor performances were the thumping they received from the ABs (though all sides receive them occasionally ), and the loss in Argentina (again falling apart in the last 15 minutes). Losing to Argentina is hardly ideal, but Argentina is very hard to beat at home (when they are at full strength) - South Africa has come very close to losing there in their last few matches there. Australia has been in a position to win every single match this season with 10 minutes to go barring the ABs thumping.... if they one day develop some composure (easier said than done!) they will be a very hard side to beat.....

 

[psychic duck]

Australia winning 4/5 matches is realistic IMO. Personally I see them winning 3-4 of these matches. Obviously all 5 matches will be tough so it is possible they may really struggle and only win 1-2.....

Despite being in disarray off the field they have actually been resonable on the field this year. They easily beat France 3 games - 0 at the start of the year, pushed the ABs in 2/3 games (they should have won both, but lacked composure), beat South Africa in Australia and pushed them in South Africa (before falling apart in the last 10 minutes). Their only really poor performances were the thumping they received from the ABs (though all sides receive them occasionally ), and the loss in Argentina (again falling apart in the last 15 minutes). Losing to Argentina is hardly ideal, but Argentina is very hard to beat at home (when they are at full strength) - South Africa has come very close to losing there in their last few matches there. Australia has been in a position to win every single match this season with 10 minutes to go barring the ABs thumping.... if they one day develop some composure (easier said than done!) they will be a very hard side to beat.....

The fact SANZAR sides are all much fitter and have greater depth and superior benches were also major reasons Argentina fell short in those matches, particularly the home South Africa one.

 

[profitius]

Australia winning 4/5 matches is realistic IMO. Personally I see them winning 3-4 of these matches. Obviously all 5 matches will be tough so it is possible they may really struggle and only win 1-2.....

Despite being in disarray off the field they have actually been resonable on the field this year. They easily beat France 3 games - 0 at the start of the year, pushed the ABs in 2/3 games (they should have won both, but lacked composure), beat South Africa in Australia and pushed them in South Africa (before falling apart in the last 10 minutes). Their only really poor performances were the thumping they received from the ABs (though all sides receive them occasionally ), and the loss in Argentina (again falling apart in the last 15 minutes). Losing to Argentina is hardly ideal, but Argentina is very hard to beat at home (when they are at full strength) - South Africa has come very close to losing there in their last few matches there. Australia has been in a position to win every single match this season with 10 minutes to go barring the ABs thumping.... if they one day develop some composure (easier said than done!) they will be a very hard side to beat.....

It should be close against England Wales and Ireland. Home advantage could swing it for the home sides if things go badly for Aus. I was fairly confident Ireland could win but we've been hit by a few injuries this season so not as confident now. England will be hard to beat and they'll have to perform against Wales also. They love playing France but maybe the French want revenge after the summer.


I don't think Cheika will be the messiah they hope. As you say, they've performed well on the pitch but Cheika will at least stop all the off field nonsense. From an Irish perspective Cheika vs Schmidt will be an interesting sub plot. Cheika organised Leinster and raised their standards because they were a bit of a mess before he came. While you felt he took Leinster as far as he could, there was a noticeable improvement when Schmidt took them over.


Like Cheika both Deans and McKenzie were very highly regarded and they had a hard time of it due to bloated expectations.

 

[Gavin]

Link was seen as a Messiah after Deans but we all know how that went.

 

[ruggabee]

I'm not so sure we can contain the pace Australia can play at. Especially with all the injuries now I'm not so confident of a win. I'm fairly certain they will take out us, Wales, and France. Not so sure about England though as they can go up a gear the rest of us don't usually show against the big sides.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_9618822,00.html

Good news for Wallabies fans. Whoever Chieka hires as srum Dr has his work cut out, the Wallabies scrum has been pretty dire for the last 11 years.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Marc dal Maso?

 

[psychic duck]

They already had Noriega as their scrum guru for a few years, can't think of many scrum specialists who have become big names.