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[2014 Mid-Year Test] Australia vs France (2nd Test)

Doesn't matter, Wallabies should not have problems. McCalman is making a fantastic Super Rugby season.

If I were Palu I would be worried, McCalman could grab the jersey number 8 for looooooong time
 
Wooooooollabies team named:

1. James Slipper
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Rob Simmons
5. James Horwill
6. Scott Fardy
7. Michael Hooper
8. Ben McCalman
9. Nic White
10. Bernard Foley
11. Nick Cummins
12. Matt Toomua
13. Tevita Kuridrani
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Israel Folau

Deserves:

16. Nathan Charles
17. Pek Cowan
18. Laurie Weeks
19. Luke Jones
20. Scott Higginbotham
21. Nick Phipps
22. Kurtley Beale
23. Pat McCabe
 
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No surprises in the Aussie lineup. Disappointing to see Horwill included - he's been rubbish this season. Interesting to see Weeks on the bench - I assume Paddy Ryan is injured?
 
Hi everyone - first time poster!

Wallabies line-up is as expected for the most part. With such a convincing win on the weekend, it would be hard to justify too many changes aside from the ones that were injury enforced.

A real shame about Moore, Carter and Palu all being out on the weekend. Moore has been rock solid for us for years now (IMO 2nd best hooker in the world behind Bismark) and to be written off just as he was recognised for the captaincy must be heart breaking. Carter had a great game and deserved the MOTM, he made same great plays and none of the rookie mistakes you would have associated with a first time test player. Palu was relatively quiet but has been in fine form for the Tahs. I'm least upset up Palu missing as McCalman deserves his second chance for the Wallabies and I'm excited to see how well he plays in the 2nd Test.

For what it's worth, if I had my way - I would have dropped Horwill from the bench and given the start to Jones or Skelton, Horwill's time is past and these are the games we want to be giving the young guns Test Match experience. Bringing on Will Skelton to gas himself with 20 to go would have been perfect. Would have also replaced Phipps with Genia which I am sure will happen for the 1st Test against the AB's - sorry but he's just not an international level player. I rewatched the game yesterday and as soon as Nick White left the field, the ball was noticeably slower out of the ruck, we are at our best with quick and decisive ball.

Love Hooper (2nd favorite player) but can't help but feel as though the captaincy is a bit too soon. I have no doubt he'll continue to play at a high level but the attitude the Wallabies displayed on the weekend made me feel as though Moore's influence really had an impact in the brief time the guys had been together. IMO, the Wallabies have been their own worst enemies over the past 5 years and strong leadership is the key to our success. Just not too sure that the 2nd youngest player on the team can have the same effect on the squad. It's one thing "leading from the front" so to speak but another thing entirely in inspiring and galvanising the troops behind you. Hooper is the future captain - no doubt, but I would have given it to AAC this year. Very happy to be proven wrong on this!

I'm expecting a much harder Test Match down in Melbourne. Not only are the French regaining many of their key players (and leaders) but it's hard to imagine the French being pumped twice in a row.

All in all, we really couldn't hope for a better start to the Test Match season and aside from a lapse in concentration in the last 10 minutes - played at a very high level (especially for the first game of the season).

Go the Wallabies!
 
Darwin said:
No surprises in the Aussie lineup. Disappointing to see Horwill included - he's been rubbish this season. Interesting to see Weeks on the bench - I assume Paddy Ryan is injured?
Click to expand...

Rebels bias here but Weeks has been pretty solid at TH this year, after last weekends debacle it's no surprise he's not in the 23. Both Blades and McKenzie highlighted that Ryan was being assisted through some technical issues and was in the training squad, obviously elevated when Ben.A pulled out.

Good to see 2 other Rebels boys in the mix. Jones making his debut off the Bench, and great to see Force hooker Nathan Charles make his debut especially considering the uphill battle he's been fighting all his life with cystic fibrosis.
 
Guilty said:
Hi everyone - first time poster!

Wallabies line-up is as expected for the most part. With such a convincing win on the weekend, it would be hard to justify too many changes aside from the ones that were injury enforced.

A real shame about Moore, Carter and Palu all being out on the weekend. Moore has been rock solid for us for years now (IMO 2nd best hooker in the world behind Bismark) and to be written off just as he was recognised for the captaincy must be heart breaking. Carter had a great game and deserved the MOTM, he made same great plays and none of the rookie mistakes you would have associated with a first time test player. Palu was relatively quiet but has been in fine form for the Tahs. I'm least upset up Palu missing as McCalman deserves his second chance for the Wallabies and I'm excited to see how well he plays in the 2nd Test.

For what it's worth, if I had my way - I would have dropped Horwill from the bench and given the start to Jones or Skelton, Horwill's time is past and these are the games we want to be giving the young guns Test Match experience. Bringing on Will Skelton to gas himself with 20 to go would have been perfect. Would have also replaced Phipps with Genia which I am sure will happen for the 1st Test against the AB's - sorry but he's just not an international level player. I rewatched the game yesterday and as soon as Nick White left the field, the ball was noticeably slower out of the ruck, we are at our best with quick and decisive ball.

Love Hooper (2nd favorite player) but can't help but feel as though the captaincy is a bit too soon. I have no doubt he'll continue to play at a high level but the attitude the Wallabies displayed on the weekend made me feel as though Moore's influence really had an impact in the brief time the guys had been together. IMO, the Wallabies have been their own worst enemies over the past 5 years and strong leadership is the key to our success. Just not too sure that the 2nd youngest player on the team can have the same effect on the squad. It's one thing "leading from the front" so to speak but another thing entirely in inspiring and galvanising the troops behind you. Hooper is the future captain - no doubt, but I would have given it to AAC this year. Very happy to be proven wrong on this!

I'm expecting a much harder Test Match down in Melbourne. Not only are the French regaining many of their key players (and leaders) but it's hard to imagine the French being pumped twice in a row.

All in all, we really couldn't hope for a better start to the Test Match season and aside from a lapse in concentration in the last 10 minutes - played at a very high level (especially for the first game of the season).

Go the Wallabies!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forums, great first post!
 
as if it were individual players that were the problem (as opposed to...everything else !!!), we do get back a few key players.
Firstly, Bastareaud, our beloved center/third rower. Second, and I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but Rémy Talès at 10. He'll at least give us good defense at the flyhalf position, although he may be a little too slow against the Wallabies, then again he was pretty darn good against the AB last November...and God willing they'll start Parra, who along with Talès will combine for the "most functional" halfpack pairing PSA has proposed so far. Again, those two worked very well against the All-Blacks last November in Paris.

The rest I'll just wait for the selection to come out. No point commenting now.
 
France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Maxime Medard, 10 Rémi Talès , 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Alexandre Menini.

Replacements: 16 Brice Mach, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Bernard le Roux, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Antoine Burban, 22 Frédéric Michalak, 23 Remi Lamerat.

http://www.planetrugby.co.uk/story/0,25883,16024_9345086,00.html
 
Better.

Dulin + Medard
Tales
Dusautoir + Nyanga
Maestri + Slimani

= :bravo:
 
Geez, you French don't mind chopping and changing. 10 changes is going to be really good for a stable team PSA...... The French have always been my second international team but if this keeps going on I might have to find another second team.
 
Tahman15 said:
Geez, you French don't mind chopping and changing. 10 changes is going to be really good for a stable team PSA...... The French have always been my second international team but if this keeps going on I might have to find another second team.
Click to expand...

Shame it was not 13 and change the coaches as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
ratsapprentice said:
Better.

Dulin + Medard
Tales
Dusautoir + Nyanga
Maestri + Slimani

= :bravo:
Click to expand...

...Ménini ?

Tahman15 said:
Geez, you French don't mind chopping and changing. 10 changes is going to be really good for a stable team PSA...... The French have always been my second international team but if this keeps going on I might have to find another second team.
Click to expand...

the France staff are monsters. Absolute monsters. The changes aren't just benign squad modifications. Think of the Félix Le Bourhis case:
picked out of nowhere (as if we needed a FIFTH center on tour or a new face in the backs at all...), selected to START as a WINGER....away in third nation Australia.
Given the depressing, chaotic atmosphere and complete lack of support gameplan wise, playing out of position (to add insult to injury) it was absolutely impossible for him to have a good game with any references or confidence WHAT-SO-EVER. So he plays his (inevitably) bad game, and now they put him back in the fridge and call a new 23 where he doesn't appear at all, and surely they won't call him in the third test either, surely.

As mainstream and sheep herd like as it may seem, I can only echo what I've been reading everywhere: only change for me, the coach.

Anyways, about the selection itself:
much better, but still PSA-like (i.e. chaotic) and unfair to some:
- Why the fk does Tolofua not get selected, why has Mach deserved this over him ??
- 3 third rowers on the bench. So both locks play a full 80min, so does Parra at 9. Or wait...no, I think they'll make Le Roux play as lock....
- Fickou loses not only his starting role but a role at all after playing a good game last week (incl. 14/14 tackles).
- I repeat myself but Médard at the wing ?? Médard's the only guy we could manage on the wing out of all the French wingers ??? Really ?....Maxime Médard ? oh and guess what, not only is he way past his prime and all he's also...A FULLBACK !!!...
- Thank God they changed the front row. I don't know wtf is wrong with Mas and Domingo, but it's too bad we lose the services of Debaty off the bench now...

And let's hope Lamerat plays meaningful minutes this time.
 
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so as if it wasn't enough we've got the worst coach (in Tier 1 Rugby history ??) out there, it coincides with a time when we have huge issues in the scrum. Why the fk is that a problem, like right now ?! Slimani and Ménini are solid though, no doubt. We did get a penalty try when Slimani came on last week...in all France vs Australia tradition (3 straight tests we get a penalty try now against Aus).

Seeing Mas have so much difficulty against Beast in November, and then the French scrum suffering badly against SCOTLAND...now THIS ?!!! oh boy...and Domingo has been no better. Why did this have to happen just now ?! At least in 2013 although we struggled tremendously we at least had our fundamentals right...
France penalized in the scrum in Aus, just wtf is this world coming to...:cryy:

EDIT: just watched all the scrum from Test 1 again. Nicolas Mas is done for. Old age + huge issues with new rules= baked. He's just out of the race. Thomas Domingo on the other hand was much better than I'd thought the first time. Had Kepu on his knees the whole way and was making good gains each time.

I think starting after this series, we need to go with Slimani at starter as young as he is for a TH and Ducalcon on the bench who's been better since the rule change. Unless Mas resurrects somehow...
 
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d'you guys see this ?! :lol:

Bp4WuZECYAAEZOt.jpg

A$shole Aussies...
 

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