[June Tests 2018: 1st Test] Australia vs. Ireland (09/06/2018)

[TommiG88]

Genuine question, I've never seen it before and want to know... Ref was ****, we'd have lost regardless, we have next week.

You do, and I expect Ireland to come back and spank Aus next week.

 

[big ginger 8]

Combining the score from this match and the 7s we actually won overall, so happy days!

 

[Thingimubob]

I still think it was a pen against Stockdale, he waited too long, which is obviously something they have been practising, too let go and pick the ball up and run. It could be argued the guys were off his feet, but the ruck had formed.

Pocock also got penalised twice wrongly which led to 6 points to Ireland...

I guess my main issue with it was the fact that the aussie tacklers and supporting player all flew in off their feet (pet peeve of mine)

Pocock treaded a very fine line with what was legal all game (as all good fetchers do) and definitely won a few he maybe shouldnt have, so dont think he can complain too much...

 

[Thingimubob]

I still think it was a pen against Stockdale, he waited too long, which is obviously something they have been practising, too let go and pick the ball up and run. It could be argued the guys were off his feet, but the ruck had formed.

Pocock also got penalised twice wrongly which led to 6 points to Ireland...

I guess my main issue with it was the fact that the aussie tacklers and supporting player all flew in off their feet (pet peeve of mine)

Pocock treaded a very fine line with what was legal all game (as all good fetchers do) and definitely won a few he maybe shouldnt have, so dont think he can complain too much...

Either way dont think Ireland particulary deserved to win, just (as a neutral) also didnt enjoy how it ended with that string of bad calls.

 

[Zootalaws]

Things of note.
- Ireland's attack was very blunt. Nothing new there. The Aussies have a big backline so they put up a wall of defenders and ganged up on Stockdale which results in a clueless looking Ireland. It resembled the Fiji match last year. Ireland don't make defence think so stack the defence with big men.
- The Aussies dominated in the air especially Folau.
- Irelands bench made a negative impact.
- Pocock dominated the breakdown. Next match I'd bring in Leavy and play Beirne at 8 since Stander made no impact.
- Ireland made some bizarre mistakes. When Murray kicked the ball out on the full I said to the person next to me that they're pressing the self destruct button.


Next match I'd like to see Leavy, Ringrose, Beirne, Conway (for Kearney). Murray needs to improve too especially with his speed.

Physically Aussie just beat them the **** up.

The much smaller men in key positions were targeted and, as we say in UnZud, "smashed em bro!".

And Ireland play a predictable, unsurprising game, allowing Aussie to predict what they would do and be unsurprised enough to be there to meet them.

The overuse of the Garryowen when they have Israel Felou is just stupid, mindless tossing of a coin.

Australia have 80-minute focus - to sneak past them requires guile and finesse. If Ireland decide to use some of that, they ma be in wit a chance.

Unsurprisingly, all NH teams supporters are moaning about the ref.

Sure, all the refs made mistakes, but it was that you were outplayed - that was the reason for your loss.

 

[corny]

Physically Aussie just beat them the **** up.

The much smaller men in key positions were targeted and, as we say in UnZud, "smashed em bro!".

And Ireland play a predictable, unsurprising game, allowing Aussie to predict what they would do and be unsurprised enough to be there to meet them.

The overuse of the Garryowen when they have Israel Felou is just stupid, mindless tossing of a coin.

Australia have 80-minute focus - to sneak past them requires guile and finesse. If Ireland decide to use some of that, they ma be in wit a chance.

Unsurprisingly, all NH teams supporters are moaning about the ref.

Sure, all the refs made mistakes, but it was that you were outplayed - that was the reason for your loss.

Not this one. I thought the ref was very good. Pinged us early for offside and pinged the Aussies for sealing off. Set his stall out as it were and it provided for an excellent game. If anything he probably favoured us overall.

Interesting watching the post match press conferences. I suggested the senior players coming off the bench would be scolded in the Monday review. After watching Schmidt speak post match i'm sure of it. He wasn't happy at all.

Ordinarily after a loss the focus would be on the technical details to be ironed out. Might differ this week. I'd say there'll be a fair bit of challenging the players to respond physically to the Australians. Expecting fireworks next Saturday.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

The overuse of the Garryowen when they have Israel Felou is just stupid, mindless tossing of a coin.

Ah... So you didn't watch the game!

 

[munstermuffin]

Physically Aussie just beat them the **** up.

The much smaller men in key positions were targeted and, as we say in UnZud, "smashed em bro!".

And Ireland play a predictable, unsurprising game, allowing Aussie to predict what they would do and be unsurprised enough to be there to meet them.

The overuse of the Garryowen when they have Israel Felou is just stupid, mindless tossing of a coin.

Australia have 80-minute focus - to sneak past them requires guile and finesse. If Ireland decide to use some of that, they ma be in wit a chance.

Unsurprisingly, all NH teams supporters are moaning about the ref.

Sure, all the refs made mistakes, but it was that you were outplayed - that was the reason for your loss.

First up. The main fella complaining about ref was Australian here. And on that he was complaining for something the ref actually did correctly.
Yes Ireland got beaten physically and yes Aus made huge hits. Wouldn't say they targeted anyone though as it was all different lads.

As I said no-one blamed ref for loss and yes the better team won yesterday. But the rest of it I think you seen a different game

 

[Rinkadink]

In rugby league they'd have applied common sense and understood it had zero impact on the try. Just saying, but it's a classic example of why no one watches the game here anymore. Too much indecision and ambiguity over decisions. So much **** is let go in the course of a game FFS... calling a try back for an inconsequential decoy misread is just stupid

Think opinions like these are largely formed by the Aussie commentators who were clearly quite ignorant of several laws and a little myopic. Kiwi ones were more clued in but only had praise for one side and could see no wrong in their team. Saffas had the best commentary by a mile; excited, balanced and complimentary. Credit to them.

As for the game itself I think Ireland have been found out by Australia, needing to ask questions of defences would be top priority. Referee was okay as well, didn't favour either side. Pocock and Beale were outrageously good. That said I reckon Ireland could well turn things around by the next test, should be a good one (in Melbourne, right?).

 

[Groundhog]

Is anyone actually worried about losing to this shower with a weakened team away from home? I'm not particularly. Clean sweep in the land of rugby league was pretty unlikely, but I still fancy us to take the series if we rotate in the players we need. Tadhg Beirne for instance would have been perfect to combat the Aussies yesterday I feel. Mostly excited to see him in green. Would be more fussed about results if it wasn't WC year. Strong performances in certain positions are more important. A scrum half besides Murray stepping up would be nice.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Clean sweep in the land of rugby league was pretty unlikely

Small fries, where's your ambition?

 

[Groundhog]

Small fries, where's your ambition?

Well if we won three games in Australia, it would make a 5 game losing streak two years later look even more embarrassing, so I'd be happy with two wins.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Is anyone actually worried about losing to this shower with a weakened team away from home? I'm not particularly. Clean sweep in the land of rugby league was pretty unlikely, but I still fancy us to take the series if we rotate in the players we need. Tadhg Beirne for instance would have been perfect to combat the Aussies yesterday I feel. Mostly excited to see him in green. Would be more fussed about results if it wasn't WC year. Strong performances in certain positions are more important. A scrum half besides Murray stepping up would be nice.

Yeah, we couldn't have picked a side less suited to beat the Aussies if we tried yesterday. Throw two of Beirne, Leavy and Ringrose in the 23 and we win that game. It's not about a sweep anyway, it's ensuring that we don't fizzle out to be a shell of our former selves by not rotating like... ahhh, the Kerry footballers in recent years. (Couldn't think of any relevant rugby team that that's happened to)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Well if we won three games in Australia, it would make a 5 game losing streak two years later look even more embarrassing, so I'd be happy with two wins.

It's better to have white washed a Tri Nations side away from home and become **** afterwards than to never have whitewashed a tri nations side away from home at all, as my old Granny used to say.

 

[munstermuffin]

Not these days Olyy. It better to develop this squad. If it weren't a RWC year and well 2015 didn't happen where we lost in part to having a 10 who was there simply because there was no other 10 and he wasn't playing there regularly himself. Schmidt has now got to stage where I think apart from Furlong, Murray and Sexton that nearly everyone else can be replaced to a similar level if an injury occured.

For Ireland that is some achievement considering it's usually a first 15 wrapped in cotton wool and after that you had maybe 10 lads battling for subs jerseys. Schmidt has now got a squad where it can be horses for courses but equally he can mix up his team and keep the standards high. Add in guys like Sexton should be very fresh next week and that may be a big factor.
Healy and Furlong along with Cronin will be a galloping frontrow. Beirne and Ryan behind would be crazy too. Throw in Ringrose and if they all up their performance then it a nice variety of where the attacks may come from.

The big question is can Aus back up their physicality again next week.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Is anyone actually worried about losing to this shower with a weakened team away from home? I'm not particularly. Clean sweep in the land of rugby league was pretty unlikely, but I still fancy us to take the series if we rotate in the players we need. Tadhg Beirne for instance would have been perfect to combat the Aussies yesterday I feel. Mostly excited to see him in green. Would be more fussed about results if it wasn't WC year. Strong performances in certain positions are more important. A scrum half besides Murray stepping up would be nice.

Cooney's form has been well ahead of Murray's since the 6N (behind a worse pack as well). He deserves a start and probably the 21 shirt for the next while. Goalkicking is probably better than Carbery's as well. Losing this wasn't a disaster by any means. Beirne is perfect to combat the Australians and should start the other tests.

I'd also like to see Conan at 8 (Stander was anonymous except for his break where he botched anyway by not passing) and Larmour or Conway at 15. Kearney was very poor yesterday, making all the mistakes that other people making put him in the team. Leavy would help a lot assuming his injury won't keep him out any longer.

James Ryan is the only player who's played every game going back to the Heineken Cup final so he could do with a rest. He was great yesterday but went in and out of the game at times and a rest would do him good. We don't need him knackered by the third test especially given how good the other locks in the squad are. (Amazing how it's gone from one of our weakest positions to one of the best in a year.)

Finally and most importantly, we desperately need Ringrose. He's so much better than Henshaw as a 13 it isn't even funny. The only battle for places there should be in the centres is Aki v Henshaw at 12. Picking both of them together has definitively been proven not to work at international level. Neither of them were good at all yesterday and between this and the France game we can't break down opposing defences with them. (That SA team we played against doesn't count based on how bad they were.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Not these days Olyy.

 

[Groundhog]

It's better to have white washed a Tri Nations side away from home and become **** afterwards than to never have whitewashed a tri nations side away from home at all, as my old Granny used to say.

What does your granny say about crashing out on the group stages of a World Cup she hosted?

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

What does your granny say about crashing out on the group stages of a World Cup she hosted?

I'm sure Olly's granny had a saying about winning one as well. Does urs? Oh wait...

 

[Groundhog]

I'm sure Olly's granny had a saying about winning one as well. Does urs? Oh wait...

Well it is like an elderly person to cling to the glories of their youth.