[EOYT] Wales v Australia, 30/11/13

[Chikwa]

This year was always going to be horrible with the transition of Coaches. However we have seen improvement and depth coming through. Next year we will have a team like this:

1. Slipper
2.Moore
3.Kepu
4.Simmons
5.Horwill
6. Higgerbothom
7.Pocock
8 Palu
9.Genia
10.Cooper
11. James O'conner
12. Toomua
13. Kurandrani
14 Acc
15. Izzy

With Beale and others on the bench

Scott higgingbotham was sorely missed, as was David pocock.(Hooper is not physical enough.Willing in the contact but ineffective in the physical contest)O Connor should be much improved with his current stint away from super rugby(What is his best position) Beale should play 15 with Israel falou on the wing in place of ACc.(Wing and full back are interchangeable positions during a game.)Against the welsh they are marginally the under dogs.

 

[Ospreylian]

The one man I really didn't want to see in the centre was Ashley-Cooper. Scott Williams has only just really stepped up to this level and Owen Williams is full of raw potential and can beat the first man but they are up against a very classy centre partnership. As mentioned in a previous post, the Welsh centres don't really suite the physical game that Gatland likes to play.

The control from Biggar will be key. If Wales can play a good territorial game, pin down their forwards and slow any fast phases down then I think Wales will win the arm wrestle. Mainly due to how well the pack played against SA.

Yeah, the centre is worrying. I love Scott Williams, but facing this Australian pairing is going to be a different kettle of fish.

I feel if this game is to be won by Wales, it will be a case of a solid blitz defense for 70 minutes and a moment of magic/luck from North/Cuthbert/Halfpenny at the end.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Tigers have said that when they were going to release Geordan Murphy and Castro, in previous years, outside of the International Window the PRL threatened them with a fine and
points deduction.
Wonder if they'll do this with Northampton?

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Do premiership rugby not want exciting players playing for english clubs or something!? There's always going to be trade-offs but it seems they're unwilling to make any concessions, even if it means they can attract better players.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

It's because it's outside of the international window, though.
They don't give a sh#$ otherwise, but Wales wanted the extra test which they would've known would've caused issues with player release (hence Hook, Charteris and James heading back to their clubs).

 

[Thingimubob]

Been doing it for years though, as have England, and usually when a deal is struck its kept. In fact last time we beat Australia a deal was struck for Gareth Coppers release if I remember right

 

[David Smith]

Scott higgingbotham was sorely missed, as was David pocock.(Hooper is not physical enough.Willing in the contact but ineffective in the physical contest)O Connor should be much improved with his current stint away from super rugby(What is his best position) Beale should play 15 with Israel falou on the wing in place of ACc.(Wing and full back are interchangeable positions during a game.)Against the welsh they are marginally the under dogs.

Do we really want Israel Falou taken away from fullback where is aerial abilities are un-matches to anyone else. I think he is wasted on the wing,however if Beale has a great super rugby season maybe he can play somewhere( injuries).

 

[The Jones Boy]

Beales pretty good but Folau blows him out of the water. Bigger, stronger, harder to tackle, maybe Beale would have to go to the wing, he's got some toe that boy and he's a champion wriggler.
Whats this O'Connor is back?
I thought he was having behaviour issues with alcohol.

 

[LittleGuy]

Beales pretty good but Folau blows him out of the water. Bigger, stronger, harder to tackle, maybe Beale would have to go to the wing, he's got some toe that boy and he's a champion wriggler.
Whats this O'Connor is back?
I thought he was having behaviour issues with alcohol.

Isn't the entire team?

 

[The Jones Boy]

Well, I don't know about that, there certainly seems to be more behavioural issues among the players than other sides but all the teams have their issue characters.
Jimmy Cowans had issues with alcohol and anger management when he was looking set to be the incumbent AB halfback and that got blown out of the water. Then we had a young speedster on the wing Zac Guilford who was a self confessed alcoholic at 24 years of age. All teams have their problem children, it's Aussie who seem to have had a swag of them in recent times.
Is there some kind of prima donna thing going on among the Aussie players?
I'm asking the question because I have seen this topic raised before and I don't know if its a genuine issue or media crack.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

With Folau all but nailing down the 15 shirt, surely Beale will be looked at as a 10?

 

[Draggs]

With Folau all but nailing down the 15 shirt, surely Beale will be looked at as a 10?

Foley isn't terrible either. Beale should have gone west to Perth, rather than a bunch of rando Saffas.

 

[j'nuh]

Why are the PRL throwing this giant tantrum about North being released for international duty, and there are mentions of fines for Northampton choosing to release their own player and what not... when Gloucester releasing Qera hasn't even been mentioned? :huh:

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He hasn't been released by Gloucester - neither him nor Tagicakibau are playing.

 

[Big Ewis]

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Owen Williams, 12 Scott Williams, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (capt), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Alun-Wyn Jones, 3 Rhodri Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Liam Williams.


Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Dave Dennis, 21 Nic White, 22 Mike Harris, 23 Bernard Foley.


Both teams look good on paper despite a handful of absentees collectively. Isn't the starting 3 for Wales a natural loosehead ??...
Anyways, Wallies back-line looking good. I think Australia will take this one by a hair, just like last year.

I see Wales coming out really strong and setting the tone. Australia score a nice try and come back into it. Wales will still give good pushes in the scrum, but without Adam Jones it's just such a completely different story. Not sure George North and Cuthbert alone can overpower the Wallabies backs and get through, and at the breakdown Australia looked good in parts in Aviva. I think playing North 3 times last summer in a Lions jersey has given the Wallabies smt to study in the meantime, and if there's one threat on that red 23 it's George North.

Quade Cooper's 50th exactly, and boy he's been on form.

Planet Rugby says Wales by 3, I'll say Australia by 3.

 

[The Jones Boy]

The Welsh centre pairing are an unknown quantity.
Are they much chop?
Adam Ashley-Cooper is a class act at centre and he may prove the difference in the midfield, he is some player.
Unless Wales can find a sustained motivation, similar to that of Ireland last weekend, I can see Aussie strolling off into the summer holiday by 12 points.

 

[dullonien]

The Welsh centre pairing are an unknown quantity.
Are they much chop?

Both are hugely talented, powerful and very quick. There have been question marks over Scott Williams' passing in the past, but there's been signs of improvement there this season. He's got a decent amount of experience now, playing in some big games for Wales. Owen Williams seems to always beat the first man, but this is a huge test for the rookie. If he steps up to the plate, he'll be a real handful. Both have scored some great solo tries during their short careers thus far.

 

[The Jones Boy]

The Dragon better be scoffing some charcoal tonight so it can breath some serious fire tomorrow, the world is watching you Wales.
You better front up instead of more of the non performances against the big three of the SH in recent times.

 

[Ospreylian]

The Dragon better be scoffing some charcoal tonight so it can breath some serious fire tomorrow, the world is watching you Wales.
You better front up instead of more of the non performances against the big three of the SH in recent times.

I don't think it's particularly fair to say recent games have been "non-performances" from Wales. Fair enough, they haven't won them, and they need to in order to compete in the world cup. But a lot of these tests against the big 3 have hardly been one-sided affairs. A lot of the games have been a case of Wales losing it in the last few minutes or in the last quarter.

 

[Aspry]

I would like to see Australia win o this one, though I reckon it would be a pretty tight match.