[2014 Mid-Year Tests] Australia

[Big Ewis]

And I put extra deodorant on this morning too...

...you people disgust me...

 

[Darwin]

This is the 23 I would pick if I was the Aussie coach (fortunately for all other teams in the world rugby I am not):

1. Slipper
2. Moore
3. Alexander
4. Simmons (not perfect, but played well for the Wallabies last season)
5. Horwill
6. Fardy (not flashy, but does the basics right, and is good at the breakdown. The number of penalties he concedes is an issue though...)
7. Hooper
8. McCalman (No point in picking Mowen as he is leaving. Not a fan of Higginbotham - he has all the skills, but goes missing far too often and is a penalty magnet. Palu is an option (if fit), but McCalman has been the form 8 this season).
9. White (not a massive fan, but has been in much better form than Genia for the last few years, and I need a goal-kicker in my side!)
10. Toomua (Not likely to happen, but I think the Brumbies 10/12 combo could completely shut down the French backline attack. Obviously it is not the most exciting 10/12 combo in world rugby, but both can break the line with a combination of power / running good lines).
11. Cummins (rather limited, but there are few other options apart from shifting AAC to the wing)
12. McCabe (I'm sure Wallabies fans won't be happy to see him here, but for me he is the obvious choice. He is in my opinion the best defensive 12 in world rugby, and he is more than capable of breaking the line with his direct running. Toomua is obviously a good option here [if Cooper starts at 10], but I don't think Beale is a good option - they would have to hide somewhere on defense, and he spends a lot of time running across the field cramping the rest of the backline...).
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Tomane
15. Folau

16. Polota-Nau
17. Robinson
18. Kepu
19. Jones (or Gill, depending on weather conditions. On a hard dry track Gill could be an asset with 20 mins to go, but Jones has been excellent all season for the Rebels)
20. Palu (Still a good player when fit. Higginbotham is an option as an impact sub)
21. Genia
22. Cooper
23. Beale

I would be surprised if the actual Wallabies 23 looked anything like that, but that's who I would pick....

 

[Big Ewis]

This is the 23 I would pick if I was the Aussie coach (fortunately for all other teams in the world rugby I am not)

so you're saying you'd make an unbelievable coach.

 

[Shaggy]

Well, ARU chairman, Bill Pulver seems pretty confident that the Wallabies can win all of the games in this series

... plus all of the Rugby championship games, November tour games ... all 19 games before the next RWC.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...ARU-boss-has-lofty-expectations-for-Wallabies

In fairness he does say they are "capable of" not that they "will" or that they are "expected to" ... I'll go out on a limb here, and say that I don't think it's likely that they will go through undefeated, even if they win this series, the Bledisloe Cup, and the Rugby Championship.

... I wonder what the real target is for a successful year

 

[Darwin]

so you're saying you'd make an unbelievable coach.

Indeed I would.

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Indeed I would.

think you would be better that PSA and Scott Johnston put together

 

[Tahman15]

This is the 23 I would pick if I was the Aussie coach (fortunately for all other teams in the world rugby I am not):

1. Slipper
2. Moore
3. Alexander
4. Simmons (not perfect, but played well for the Wallabies last season)
5. Horwill
6. Fardy (not flashy, but does the basics right, and is good at the breakdown. The number of penalties he concedes is an issue though...)
7. Hooper
8. McCalman (No point in picking Mowen as he is leaving. Not a fan of Higginbotham - he has all the skills, but goes missing far too often and is a penalty magnet. Palu is an option (if fit), but McCalman has been the form 8 this season).
9. White (not a massive fan, but has been in much better form than Genia for the last few years, and I need a goal-kicker in my side!)
10. Toomua (Not likely to happen, but I think the Brumbies 10/12 combo could completely shut down the French backline attack. Obviously it is not the most exciting 10/12 combo in world rugby, but both can break the line with a combination of power / running good lines).
11. Cummins (rather limited, but there are few other options apart from shifting AAC to the wing)
12. McCabe (I'm sure Wallabies fans won't be happy to see him here, but for me he is the obvious choice. He is in my opinion the best defensive 12 in world rugby, and he is more than capable of breaking the line with his direct running. Toomua is obviously a good option here [if Cooper starts at 10], but I don't think Beale is a good option - they would have to hide somewhere on defense, and he spends a lot of time running across the field cramping the rest of the backline...).
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Tomane
15. Folau

16. Polota-Nau
17. Robinson
18. Kepu
19. Jones (or Gill, depending on weather conditions. On a hard dry track Gill could be an asset with 20 mins to go, but Jones has been excellent all season for the Rebels)
20. Palu (Still a good player when fit. Higginbotham is an option as an impact sub)
21. Genia
22. Cooper
23. Beale
I would be surprised if the actual Wallabies 23 looked anything like that, but that's who I would pick....

That's the forward pack I'd have but I'd put Cooper at 10 and Toomua at 12 and Kurindrani at 13 with AAC on the wing. I've said this before but Cooper and Toomua made a great 10/12 combinations, Cooper has all the flashy skills and will put Folau in space while Toomua will run hard straight and will let no-one through all night he also has a long and accurate boot which got the Wallabies good territory in the EOYT. Cooper can be a defensive liability but on the EOYT he wasn't that bad at all. I personally think the Wallabies should take the Queensland League State of Origin and the All Blacks selection methods which is if it aint broke don't fix so unless someone is playing really badly they should be dropped while you blood in young players from the bench, IMO Genia is probably the only player out of the EOYT squad who comes under that category plus Mowen who's leaving so my team would have the same forward pack as the one above but the backline and bench would be:

9. White or Genia (too hard to pick Genia has been crap but he has been playing behind a rubbish forward pack as well)
10. Cooper
11. Cummins
12. Toomua
13. Kurindrani
14. AAC
15. Folau

16. TPN
17. Sio (has been immense for the Brumbies and will be a future Wallabies starter)
18. Kepu or Longbottom (Longbottom has been in my eyes great for the Force and is underrated)
19. Jones
20. Hodgson (Plays his heart out for the Force every week)
21. Genia or White
22. Beale
23. McCabe

 

[Bada-Bing!]

This is the 23 I would pick if I was the Aussie coach (fortunately for all other teams in the world rugby I am not):

1. Slipper
2. Moore
3. Alexander
4. Simmons (not perfect, but played well for the Wallabies last season)
5. Horwill
6. Fardy (not flashy, but does the basics right, and is good at the breakdown. The number of penalties he concedes is an issue though...)
7. Hooper
8. McCalman (No point in picking Mowen as he is leaving. Not a fan of Higginbotham - he has all the skills, but goes missing far too often and is a penalty magnet. Palu is an option (if fit), but McCalman has been the form 8 this season).
9. White (not a massive fan, but has been in much better form than Genia for the last few years, and I need a goal-kicker in my side!)
10. Toomua (Not likely to happen, but I think the Brumbies 10/12 combo could completely shut down the French backline attack. Obviously it is not the most exciting 10/12 combo in world rugby, but both can break the line with a combination of power / running good lines).
11. Cummins (rather limited, but there are few other options apart from shifting AAC to the wing)
12. McCabe (I'm sure Wallabies fans won't be happy to see him here, but for me he is the obvious choice. He is in my opinion the best defensive 12 in world rugby, and he is more than capable of breaking the line with his direct running. Toomua is obviously a good option here [if Cooper starts at 10], but I don't think Beale is a good option - they would have to hide somewhere on defense, and he spends a lot of time running across the field cramping the rest of the backline...).
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Tomane
15. Folau

16. Polota-Nau
17. Robinson
18. Kepu
19. Jones (or Gill, depending on weather conditions. On a hard dry track Gill could be an asset with 20 mins to go, but Jones has been excellent all season for the Rebels)
20. Palu (Still a good player when fit. Higginbotham is an option as an impact sub)
21. Genia
22. Cooper
23. Beale

I would be surprised if the actual Wallabies 23 looked anything like that, but that's who I would pick....

Surely Kepu instead of Ben Alexander? I just don't see why Ben A keeps getting picked by the Wallabies. Are their tight head prop options that poor? Every time I see Ben A pack down he ends up face down in the mud, after binding on the opposition loosehead's arm. He maybe good around the park, but he's one of the main reasons the Wallaby front 5 are a liability come scrum time.

Kepu was superb against Ireland in November; especially against Cian Healy come scrum time.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

And agree with Tahman15 - the Wallabies have to pick Cooper-Toomua at 10-12. I would still go for Genia ahead of White. Although Genia might be out of form for the Reds he's still one of the few World class players the Wallabies have at scrum half. Nice White played well v Argentina at home, but he was awful when the Wallabies played SA away and does not strike me as an international scrum half.

 

[Tahman15]

Alexander has really lifted his game this year, if you asked me at the end of last year if I would ever pick Alexander again I would say definetly no but this year his scrimmaging has been very good plus he has his workload which has always been good. Kepu on the other hand has been playing of the bench for the Waratahs and hasn't had the best of seasons. I think I have to agree with you on Genia, he has been playing behind a forward that has really struggled while White has been playing behind one of the best packs in Super Rugby. I'll pick him on the one condition he puts away his box kick, don't get me started (or any other Wobblies fan for that matter) on Genia's box kicks.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Alexander has really lifted his game this year, if you asked me at the end of last year if I would ever pick Alexander again I would say definetly no but this year his scrimmaging has been very good plus he has his workload which has always been good. Kepu on the other hand has been playing of the bench for the Waratahs and hasn't had the best of seasons. I think I have to agree with you on Genia, he has been playing behind a forward that has really struggled while White has been playing behind one of the best packs in Super Rugby. I'll pick him on the one condition he puts away his box kick, don't get me started (or any other Wobblies fan for that matter) on Genia's box kicks.

I think I'll reserve judgement for when Ben A plays in test matches. I'm not convinced the scrums in super 15 really are test level standard; it's more about getting the ball in and away to exploit the Wallaby teams back play. But apart from Ben A and Kepu; who else have the Wallabies got in contention for tight head prop? Paddy Ryan? Is Dan Palmer returning to Australia in 2015?

 

[Tahman15]

Paddy Ryan has been quite bad this year so cross him of your list, we've actually got some good tightheads coming through, Paul Alo-Emile from the Rebels is turning into a very good scrimmager and he's only 22. While Kieran Longbottom from the Force has been quite good this year consolidating a good Force scrum. So the Wallabies have got to choose from Kepu Alexander, Slipper (if he moves to 3), Alo-Emile and Longbottom IMO.

 

[Darwin]

That's the forward pack I'd have but I'd put Cooper at 10 and Toomua at 12 and Kurindrani at 13 with AAC on the wing. I've said this before but Cooper and Toomua made a great 10/12 combinations, Cooper has all the flashy skills and will put Folau in space while Toomua will run hard straight and will let no-one through all night he also has a long and accurate boot which got the Wallabies good territory in the EOYT. Cooper can be a defensive liability but on the EOYT he wasn't that bad at all. I personally think the Wallabies should take the Queensland League State of Origin and the All Blacks selection methods which is if it aint broke don't fix so unless someone is playing really badly they should be dropped while you blood in young players from the bench, IMO Genia is probably the only player out of the EOYT squad who comes under that category plus Mowen who's leaving so my team would have the same forward pack as the one above but the backline and bench would be:

9. White or Genia (too hard to pick Genia has been crap but he has been playing behind a rubbish forward pack as well)
10. Cooper
11. Cummins
12. Toomua
13. Kurindrani
14. AAC
15. Folau

16. TPN
17. Sio (has been immense for the Brumbies and will be a future Wallabies starter)
18. Kepu or Longbottom (Longbottom has been in my eyes great for the Force and is underrated)
19. Jones
20. Hodgson (Plays his heart out for the Force every week)
21. Genia or White
22. Beale
23. McCabe

I'm almost certain that we will see 10. Cooper, 12. Toomua, and I can see why they will be be picked. They did a good job together last season, and I certainly think it is a well balanced combination. For a few years now I have mentioned that Cooper needs a strong running option outside him to be most effective - I've generally promoted McCabe as that option, but Toomua fits the bill too, as well as providing a 2nd kicking option (so you get the best of both worlds....). My only issue is that when Cooper plays the success / failure of the side seems to revolve entirely around him. If he plays well the Wallabies play well. If he is poor the Wallabies are dismal. Being a bit more conservative I would feel more comfortable with Toomua at 10, and I think the with Toomua at 10 and McCabe at 12 they could completely shut down the French backline. Foley is another option at 10, though I'm not convinced about his tactical kicking game.

13. Kuridrani, 14. Ashley-Cooper is certainly an option, but I'm not a big fan of it. I feel Ashley-Cooper is largely wasted on the wing. He will do a solid job, but he always seems more effective at 13. I'm not really a big fan of Kuridrani either. He is big, strong, and fast, but he doesn't really do with these attributes! He has loads of potential, I just don't think he is worth shifting AAC to the wing for. To be fair though Australia's wing stocks aren't that flash, but I do think Tomane has looked pretty sharp in recent weeks.

Scott Sio is a good call. I'm really undecided about the Wallabies props at this stage. I don't think there is a lot between Slipper, Robinson, and Sio - indeed I would consider starting the entire Brumbies front-row (especially if they hold up well against the Sharks this weekend). Not sure about Longbottom, but to be fair I haven't watched a huge number of the Force's matches this year....

Hodgson is in great form (and has been for several years), but I can't see him being involved. Gill hasn't been in great form this season but he is 11 years younger than Hodgson, and has a huge amount of potential. If this team was being picked for a World Cup match I would seriously consider Hodgson, but I think the Wallabies would be better off giving Gill more game-time (if they want openside cover on the bench).

Surely Kepu instead of Ben Alexander? I just don't see why Ben A keeps getting picked by the Wallabies. Are their tight head prop options that poor? Every time I see Ben A pack down he ends up face down in the mud, after binding on the opposition loosehead's arm. He maybe good around the park, but he's one of the main reasons the Wallaby front 5 are a liability come scrum time.

Kepu was superb against Ireland in November; especially against Cian Healy come scrum time.

Personally I don't think there is a lot of difference between them. Both can look very solid at times, but at others times can look very poor. The main reason I would go for Alexander would be because of his combination with Moore, and the fact he has been in better form this season (though as you mention scrummaging at test level and Super Rugby level is very different). As Tahman15 has mentioned has mentioned Kepu has been sharing time with Paddy Ryan at the Waratahs (Ryan is a strong ball runner, but I think there are even more question marks over his scrummaging than the average Aussie prop...). I don't think there are really an other options TH options for the Wallabies. Slipper can play there (but is much better on the LH), as can his Reds team-mate Greg Holmes (who is ok). Tahman mentioned Longbottom from the Force, so he may be an option. I haven't heard anything about Palmer coming back.

 

[Shaggy]

I'd probably start Cooper at 10, but would like someone like Bernard Foley on the bench to play a more structured game if things start to fall apart ... I initially thought Lealiifano would be the starting 12, but his form needs to improve, and his kicking accuracy needs to get back to what it was last year

 

[Tahman15]

Lealiifano was, apart from his goalkicking, not all that flash for the Wobblies last year so I'd start him from the bench. The thing that Toomua has over McCabe is his distribution and kicking, McCabe has been passing better this year but he's obviously not as good as Toomua who is usually a 10. Ask any Tahs fan (me included) what they think of Foley based on this years form and you will probably get a long rant. He just hasn't been in the same form as last year, this could be because he has Beale outside him and he's not completly controlling the play but he does have some work to do especially on his kicking. The reason why lots of people like Kurindrani at 13 is that the Wallabies haven't had a big, physical 13 since Mortlock and he did play quite well on the EOYT so why swap him is my reasoning. AAC on the wing is the safe option but you look at last year against the ABs and the amount of tries caused by wingers coming of their wings was ridiculous. AAC runs hard, defends well and is quick and experienced.

 

[Darwin]

I understand why the Australian public would want a 'new Mortlock', but I fear they are expecting a bit too much out of Kuridrani. As I mentioned before he certainly has all the physical attributes to be a real weapon for the Wallabies, but I don't think he is a test player yet. He certainly has size, pace, and power, but his distribution skills need a lot of work (he seldom passes the ball at all....), and he does have a habit of running out of the line on defense. I think he was solid for the Wallabies last season, but I think Ashley-Cooper is a more complete option, and more dangerous too (he is one of the few current Aussie's who I really fear).

In addition I've never been that impressed with Ashley-Cooper on the wing, as he never seems to be as dangerous there as he is at centre. I think Ashley-Cooper is clearly Australia's best option at 13, so that's where I would play him. I certainly see your point regarding having a 'safe' option on the wing, but personally I think someone like Tomane offers more on the wing than Ashley-Cooper (as long as he stays on his wing on defense!).

 

[Gavin]

I think one of the problem I have with Australia is that they have players playing in different positions for their clubs than where they might play in international games. It is unfortunate as they have an excellent back-line with good replacements.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I think one of the problem I have with Australia is that they have players playing in different positions for their clubs than where they might play in international games. It is unfortunate as they have an excellent back-line with good replacements.

Personally with us having to play them twice a year I prefer it stays that way.

 

[Tahman15]

I think one of the problem I have with Australia is that they have players playing in different positions for their clubs than where they might play in international games. It is unfortunate as they have an excellent back-line with good replacements.

Do you mind clarifying who those players are, there's only 2 who spring to mind and they're Fardy who plays lock for his club and 6 for the Wallabies and Toomua who is a flyhalf and plays 12 for the Wallabies but those two were some of the best on the EOYT so I don't think that was a problem. I could've left players out and/or I've misread your point but IMO I don't think that's one of the problems for Wallabies. The main problem is that Union is the 3 or 4th most popular winter sport in Australia and we have a smaller pool of players to pick from. I live in a small low socio economic country town in Australia and league is vastly more popular than Union. That's not to say Unions inexistant but almost all the junior rugby players at our local club are from the private school. The public schools play rugby and the kids enjoy it but they've grown up with league so they stick with league. In Australia if you say your a sports fan you will usually have a main code, out of AFL, Rugby, League and Soccer but most people follow the other codes as well but not as in depth as their main one.

 

[welshglory]

Adam Ashley Cooper never passes the ball either.

Come to think of it none of the top outside centres seem to pass the ball that much these days except for Conrad Smith.
JJ Engelbrecht and Fourie don't
Jonathan Davies can't and doesn't
Ashley Cooper and Kudriani don't
O'Driscoll does, more short ones though
Tuilagi doesn't
Bastareaud doesn't, Fritz can but doesn't really
See the pattern...

These days you don't really see much "passing" from outside centres. I think that's a bit of fantasy from the olden days. More pops and short passing i think.