[2014 TRC] Australia v South Africa in Perth (06/09/2014)

[TRF_heineken]

SA are in trouble if Matfield is in the team, I think you have to pick a team that's capable of beating the ABs and I can't see that happening with a 38 y/o starting.

So let me get this straight, you are dissing Matfield purely because of his age?

Have you watched Super Rugby at all this year? Did you see how Matfield played? For a 38 year old, he's in damn fine shape, and definitely fit enough to play against any team, and he is still as sharp as ever. Age is just a number!

Back on topic of the props. On Supersport they are showing that the only 2 guys in contention for the tighthead prop position who weren't part of the squad this year are Lourens Adriaanse and Pat Cilliers. Now Adriaanse is injured, and Pat has been a bit quiet lately. To me this is a sign that if there are any tight head SA props playing abroad who wants to play for SA, must get their bums back in SA ASAP!!

 

[The Jones Boy]

Heiney, super rugby is NOT test rugby mate, a LOOOOOOONG old way from it.
Victor Matfield is a champion player, no question, but time has a habit of making great players look ordinary as their pace diminishes, even slightly. At lock and at 38 he is going to be run off his feet by the pace of the game, (much as John Smit was as he aged in the public spotlight) and by Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock.
Maybe he'll be fine at arm wrestle pace against an Aussie pack that won't be competitive in the scrum, but against the AB's... I say bring it on, you'll be doing us a favour especially in the Kiwi leg of the tournament.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Heiney, super rugby is NOT test rugby mate, a LOOOOOOONG old way from it.
Victor Matfield is a champion player, no question, but time has a habit of making great players look ordinary as their pace diminishes, even slightly. At lock and at 38 he is going to be run off his feet by the pace of the game, (much as John Smit was as he aged in the public spotlight) and by Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock.
Maybe he'll be fine at arm wrestle pace against an Aussie pack that won't be competitive in the scrum, but against the AB's... I say bring it on, you'll be doing us a favour especially in the Kiwi leg of the tournament.

Clearly you didn't watch the first test against Wales earlier this year either... But okay, go ahead and judge the book by its cover.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Of course Matfield is aging and not as good as he was but the reality is our other options who have had time within the system are all injured.

 

[squirrel]

I watched a couple of super games and I thought Matfield was missing quite a few tackles, that was early season though. Heineken you have a bit of an emotional attachment to Victor so I have to be careful of reading too much in what you say about him.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I watched a couple of super games and I thought Matfield was missing quite a few tackles, that was early season though. Heineken you have a bit of an emotional attachment to Victor so I have to be careful of reading too much in what you say about him.

yeah I'm a big fan of him, but that doesn't make him any less qualified to play for the Boks. He is still better than any other lock in world rugby at reading the lineouts and stealing opposition ball. That is why he is picked, as a lineout specialist, so I really can't see the fuss. His replacement was Lood De Jager, and he has been MIA since his debut.

 

[Jaguares]

James Horwill is back and good news for Saffers: TPN named in Wallabies squad but won't be available for Perth Test in 10 days.

Wallabies Squad:

PROP: Ben Alexander, Pek Cowan, Sekope Kepu, James Slipper

HOOKER: Saia Fainga'a :lol: James Hanson, Tatafu Polota-Nau

LOCK: Sam Carter, James Horwill, Rob Simmons, Will Skelton

BACKROW: Scott Fardy, Scott Higginbotham, Matt Hodgson, Michael Hooper (c), Ben McCalman, Wycliff Palu

SCRUMHALF: Luke Burgess, Nick Phipps, Nic White

FLYHALF: Kurtley Beale, Bernard Foley

CENTRE: Kyle Godwin, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Leali'ifano, Matt Toomua

BACK-THREE: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Peter Betham, Israel Folau, Rob Horne.

 

[Imagine]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyChampionship/Alberts-loss-is-Bok-headache-20140829

Well it looks like the Boks are going to be missing the "MASS" of the bone collector for a third consecutive game now, and speculation around the inclusion of WW and the lack of inclusion of Mohoje are starting to arise. One solution I liked was the idea of running WW at 8 and shifting Vermeulen to 7. What would your loose trio and bench look like in this situation?

6. Flouw 7. Vermeulen 8. Whiteley 20. Coetzee

 

[TRF_heineken]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyChampionship/Alberts-loss-is-Bok-headache-20140829

Well it looks like the Boks are going to be missing the "MASS" of the bone collector for a third consecutive game now, and speculation around the inclusion of WW and the lack of inclusion of Mohoje are starting to arise. One solution I liked was the idea of running WW at 8 and shifting Vermeulen to 7. What would your loose trio and bench look like in this situation?

6. Flouw 7. Vermeulen 8. Whiteley 20. Coetzee

I wouldn't move Duane away from the no.8 spot, I would start with 6. Flouw 7. Coetzee 8. Vermeulen and put warren on the bench. I think the balance would be better. Then depending on the situation and how the starting 3 goes, would determine who Whiteley would replace. If Duane is playing poor, then it's a straight swap, otherwise if they replace Flouw or Coetzee, then maybe move Duane to the side and put Whiteley at 8.

 

[Jaguares]

This really is a tough one to call... Will the Wallabies responded positively or will they still be in a state of shock? The Springboks are similarly hard to pick; are the Argentinians that much better this year, or are the Springboks just a little off the pace. Either way it'll be an intriguing encounter.

I think those are the reasons, we have improved a bit and the Boks have dropped a bit. Relax, mate. We couldn't win the Wallabies 2012/2013 (They were a lower level than current Wallabies) so against Link's team with 7 wins in a row we have no chance. You have a good team, you should beat the Boks and should win us. Your next challenge is against ABs in Brisbane

 

[Big Ewis]

heh it's very possible the Pumas go take it right at the Wallabies' chest and face in Australia and lose another infuriating 2-point contest, before getting smashed again at home back in ARG.
You know Conrad, you said TRC is predictable, well apart from the All-Blacks (who just win anything, anywhere anyways...) it's one hell of a fkng rollercoaster ride man. Up n down n up n down. Think about it.
Like, the results might be redundant, but the performances themselves...weirder than 6N, that's for sure.

 

[Imagine]

Both the Wallabies and The Springboks are coming into this match with a lot to prove, from the players all the way through to the coaching staff, doubts are starting to creep their way into the public consciousness over where either side stand at the moment in terms of IRB rankings and just the general pecking order associated with the "Big Three".

This Saturday will determine which of the 2 sides will return into the fold and which is to be cast out into the wilderness, metaphorically speaking. Both sides are expected to have slightly revised team sheets for this match, whether that is due to injury, a return from injury, or just a revised strategy both sides are expected to deliver the goods this Saturday. My question to all who care to answer it is, what does the best match day 23 look like for both the Wallabies and The Springboks?

 

[Jaguares]

Wallabies team named:

1 James Slipper
2 James Hanson
3 Sekope Kepu
4 Sam Carter
5 Rob Simmons
6 Scott Fardy
7 Michael Hooper (c)
8 Wycliff Palu
9 Nick Phipps
10 Bernard Foley
11 Rob Horne
12 Matt Toomua
13 Tevita Kuridrani
14 Adam Ashley-Cooper
15 Israel Folau

Reserves:

16 Saia Fainga'a
17 Pek Cowan
18 Ben Alexander
19 James Horwill
20 Scott Higginbotham
21 Matt Hodgson
22 Nic White
23 Kurtley Beale

Without Skelton and with 6 forwards on the bench...

 

[RoosTah]

Cheers Conrad.

The changes to the back line were obviously necessary, but in all honesty I think our biggest weakness is at hooker and lock. We're now on our bloody 5th choice Hooker, and it's not a position we have a tonne of depth to begin with. Meanwhile, Carter and Simmons did nothing against the All Blacks, being overpowered in the set-piece and failing to along with the other forwards to provide any sort of platform. Lock is one of those positions where you just need a lot of bloody mongrel, and we have none.

 

[squirrel]

Palu being retained is a strange one for me, his defence was woeful in Auckland

 

[Darwin]

Palu being retained is a strange one for me, his defence was woeful in Auckland

Was it? I didn't notice it being that bad, but I was focusing more on the men in black! The stats I've seen show he topped the tackle count and only missed a single tackle. Obviously these stats don't indicate how dominant these tackles were, but they show he got through plenty of work on defense and was pretty accurate...

There is no surprise to see Phipps, Foley, and Kuridrani in the backline. I remain unconvinced about Phipps but he certainly looked much sharper than White these last two tests (though starting a test is a very different proposition).

As has been mentioned Australias locks have a lot to prove, but to be honest I don't think they have any better alternatives at the moment. I'm a big fan of Luke Jones, but he isn't the player they need to address their lack of physicality in this area. Hanson gets a chance at hooker.... any bets on how long he will last before he gets injured? He's a solid enough player, but I'm sure South Africa will look to target him at lineout time.

I'm not a fan of the 6/2 split on the bench...

 

[RoosTah]

Was it? I didn't notice it being that bad, but I was focusing more on the men in black! The stats I've seen show he topped the tackle count and only missed a single tackle. Obviously these stats don't indicate how dominant these tackles were, but they show he got through plenty of work on defense and was pretty accurate...

There is no surprise to see Phipps, Foley, and Kuridrani in the backline. I remain unconvinced about Phipps but he certainly looked much sharper than White these last two tests (though starting a test is a very different proposition).

As has been mentioned Australias locks have a lot to prove, but to be honest I don't think they have any better alternatives at the moment. I'm a big fan of Luke Jones, but he isn't the player they need to address their lack of physicality in this area. Hanson gets a chance at hooker.... any bets on how long he will last before he gets injured? He's a solid enough player, but I'm sure South Africa will look to target him at lineout time.

I'm not a fan of the 6/2 split on the bench...

Palu was workman like, but he didn't dominate, which is why he is copping it a bit. It was our props and locks that let us down defence wise - I saw Kepu get turned inside out on a couple occasions.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Seems to me like they are taking the more conservative approach. With Beale on the bench and 6 forwards, it looks like they know they are in for a tussle up front.

Strange, as it looks like they want to take on the Springboks where the Boks are at their strongest... Might work, might not...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Phipps and Foley in is a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. Waiting for the Springbok line-up and I hope to see some 'no-brainer' swap outs from our side as well; here's looking at you Jannie, Lood and Ruan..

Well Juan Smith dropping is already a default since he decided not to tour although asked too. I do admire the man for manning up and saying 'I am not fit enough'; a good example of integrity and one I'd have hoped some of our other senior players would look at.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Phipps and Foley in is a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. Waiting for the Springbok line-up and I hope to see some 'no-brainer' swap outs from our side as well; here's looking at you Jannie, Lood and Ruan..

Well Juan Smith dropping is already a default since he decided not to tour although asked too. I do admire the man for manning up and saying 'I am not fit enough'; a good example of integrity and one I'd have hoped some of our other senior players would look at.

Well if the news reports are anything to go by, there will be the following changes:

*Adriaan Strauss to start with Bismarck on the bench (rotation)
*Victor Matfield to start in place of Lood De Jager
*Morne Steyn to start in place of Handre Pollard
*Jan Serfontein to start in De Allende's place

there has been no other news really from the Bok-camp. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see who HM picks tomorrow