Rugby Championship 2013, the preview

[Jaguares]

Thanks Conrad, I was about to post "here we go, another year of everyone saying that the pumas only chance will be against the Wallabies"

we were depleted through injury last year and yet still managed to finish second. I remember the "review" last year that predicted the Wallabies finishing last... turn it up


LOL the whole weight vs. height thing.... just makes a mockery of the BMI calculation... all pro rugby players would be classified as 'obese'

I have much appreciation for many Aussies players. You have good players, now have to make a good team. Robbie Deans quite the team improved from last year, now you need that Ewen McKenzie doesn't make many changes and contribute their expertise. He did play a high-level rugby in Reds in recent years, if McKenzie getting "Genia-Cooper" make the same game as they did in the Reds, Wallabies can be a great team. James O'Connor playing 12, Israel Folau as wing, you have many good players.

Regards

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Everyone knows we can beat the All blacks on a good day, it's just those good days don't happen very often. Robbie was a good coach, but he wasn't the awesome coaching messiah that we need to be as consistently good as the all blacks, nonetheless we are a good team that should beat Argentina. Argentina are also good, they are no easy beats but plain and simple Australia should not lose to Argentina. SA and NZ should be tough away games for us, but we should be able to beat both of them at home regularly, we should not be dropping home games. that's pretty much my opinion of where Australia should be at in terms of performance.

I'm not going to accept that we have no depth, too many injuries etc. Robbie just could not get the team where it needed to be, 2011 looked great and I can accept a semi final loss in the world cup, I just can't accept what's happened since then, we have been crap considering the players we have, the hunger to win just doesn't seem to be there, and you have to put that down to the coach not getting the best out of his team. I think that will be the first think link will address and you'll see a very different wallabies this tournament.

 

[Jaguares]

Everyone knows we can beat the All blacks on a good day, it's just those good days don't happen very often. Robbie was a good coach, but he wasn't the awesome coaching messiah that we need to be as consistently good as the all blacks, nonetheless we are a good team that should beat Argentina. Argentina are also good, they are no easy beats but plain and simple Australia should not lose to Argentina. SA and NZ should be tough away games for us, but we should be able to beat both of them at home regularly, we should not be dropping home games. that's pretty much my opinion of where Australia should be at in terms of performance.

I'm not going to accept that we have no depth, too many injuries etc. Robbie just could not get the team where it needed to be, 2011 looked great and I can accept a semi final loss in the world cup, I just can't accept what's happened since then, we have been crap considering the players we have, the hunger to win just doesn't seem to be there, and you have to put that down to the coach not getting the best out of his team. I think that will be the first think link will address and you'll see a very different wallabies this tournament.

I agree with you, on a good day Wallabies can beat NZ, as in the Tri Nations 2011. Wallabies need regularly, especially in the scrum. Robbie did a good job this year, considering how strong they were the British Lions, Wallabies could face them as equals. Again, if Ewen McKenzie doesn't many changes and maintains most of the team that faced Lions in all tests, Wallabies will be a tough match for NZ and SA.

Regards

 

[Superalexmarket]

The new rules for the scrum will be applied in this RC, all the Pumas' forwards agree that the new times of entry to this formation (crouch, bind, set) will favor significantly the Argentine pack, giving a 25% less impact on entry, and more stability for the push. This will be very similar to the old school of Argentine scrum.

 

[Jaguares]

Problems with injuries for Wallabies again? Like last year...


A number of senior Wallabies may be rested for the opening stages of the Rugby Championship as Ewen Mckenzie will be placing a*big selection emphasis on match fitness
, rather than selecting underdone players hampered by ****ling injuries.*‘You have to pick players who are fit and raring to go,’ McKenzie said. ‘By doing that you create depth, you create competition, you create trust.’

Key players who may enter a period of rehab include Captain James Horwill, Will Genia and Wycliff Palu. With Pocock, Higginbotham, Polota-Nau and Timani all sidelined by long-term injuries, this policy could result in a number of new additions to the Wallaby squad.*

 

[luchito]

Phelan is out at the end of the season and there is a strong rumor that his replacement is already signed. Also, he is supposed to be foreign. I think its gonna be Dave Rennie (http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_8833712,00.html)

 

[Jaguares]

Phelan is out at the end of the season and there is a strong rumor that his replacement is already signed. Also, he is supposed to be foreign. I think its gonna be Dave Rennie (http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_8833712,00.html)

Dave is a great coach. Where you hear that he will go to Pumas?

 

[Superalexmarket]

Friendly match: Argentina 29 vs New South Wales Barbarians 27.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/videohub/video/clipDeportes?id=1865467&cc=7586

 

[Da Grappla]

Just one month to the beginning of the RC, the toughest tournament of the year.
Regarding the Pumas had a month of hard physical training in High Performance Center in Pensacola, Florida.
They are now in Argentina, doing tactical and strategic practices, and trying to automate their game.
Personally I have a very bad feeling about this RC, I think the Pumas will lose all their games and badly. The fact that Australia recover their injured players, South Africa is stronger than last year, and the All Blacks are always the AB, significantly reduce the chances of at least one win for Argentina.I think this usually happens in second participation of teams in tournaments like this (Italy in 6N)
One debate in Arg is who should be the fly half: Juan Hernandez, Felipe Contepomi, Nicolas Sanchez or Santiago Fernandez?
I think it would be good to give an opportunity to Nico Sanchez, he did superb against Wales in November.
Well all about the incoming RC let's talk in here.

Woaw...keep the faith, man. Argentina is very capable to at least giving tough times to every other team in the RC. I could see them managing to defeat Aus at home.

Bancando a la Argentina a muerte en toda competición que no participe España (supporting Argentina in every sport tournament which does not have Spain playing on it)

I just remember the first match of RWC 2007, Diego Maradona trashing the whole english team or Luís Scola yelling after slam dunking in the final seconds of Athens 2004 against an USA superstar team.

Argentina is known to be able to upset the bigger teams in many sports for many years, it's like a competitive gene in the argentine player DNA that activates in the worst of the circumstances, a rebellion against the natural order of things.

 

[Superalexmarket]

Woaw...keep the faith, man. Argentina is very capable to at least giving tough times to every other team in the RC. I could see them managing to defeat Aus at home.

Bancando a la Argentina a muerte en toda competición que no participe España (supporting Argentina in every sport tournament which does not have Spain playing on it)

I just remember the first match of RWC 2007, Diego Maradona trashing the whole english team or Luís Scola yelling after slam dunking in the final seconds of Athens 2004 against an USA superstar team.

Argentina is known to be able to upset the bigger teams in many sports for many years, it's like a competitive gene in the argentine player DNA that activates in the worst of the circumstances, a rebellion against the natural order of things.

Agree, the argentines athletes have an enormous pride even playin in inferiors conditions, thats is what it make them specials.

 

[Big Ewis]

Argentina is known to be able to upset the bigger teams in many sports for many years, it's like a competitive gene in the argentine player DNA that activates in the worst of the circumstances, a rebellion against the natural order of things.

I dunno about all that....well, hopefully they can use those genes to win this year though !

 

[Superalexmarket]

Argentina 58 - NSW Barbarians 12. This was the last friendly match for the Pumas before the RC.
[video]http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/videohub/video/clipDeportes?id=1870530&cc=7586[/video]

 

[Big Ewis]

^ wowww...Argentina looking good. Some really nice tries there...I know NSW isn't at full strength, but damn....promising play from the backs. That's what I like to see !!
thx for the highlights.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

The new scrum rulings will be very interesting. Over the weekend the Bulls managed to draw with a WP side who had them on the ropes on the back of a dominant scrum which particularly impacted in the last half hour. Technique seems to be less important than sheer power but I expect the Aussies will get a way around it; like binding on the arm constantly did it for the Brumbies over the Bulls but that was prior to the new engagement sequence at the scrum.

EDIT; now that I think about it in that SR SF the Bulls had the upper hand with Mellett and Kirsten at the end and its those same guys that had the Province scrum in all sorts of trouble... HM should keep his eye on them (they have the benefit of playing at the Bulls LOL), I know I will and I remember they impressed earlier in the SR season as well.

 

[TRF_heineken]

The new scrum rulings will be very interesting. Over the weekend the Bulls managed to draw with a WP side who had them on the ropes on the back of a dominant scrum which particularly impacted in the last half hour. Technique seems to be less important than sheer power but I expect the Aussies will get a way around it; like binding on the arm constantly did it for the Brumbies over the Bulls but that was prior to the new engagement sequence at the scrum.

EDIT; now that I think about it in that SR SF the Bulls had the upper hand with Mellett and Kirsten at the end and its those same guys that had the Province scrum in all sorts of trouble... HM should keep his eye on them (they have the benefit of playing at the Bulls LOL), I know I will and I remember they impressed earlier in the SR season as well.

I said prior to this year's Super Rugby tournament, that Mellet is a guy to look out for. He's a very powerful scrummager, and he doesn't shy away from rucks, and runs with the ball.

I was just surprized at how Steven Kitshoff got manhandled by Kirsten... He was a frontrunner in my books to be called up next, but he got smashed.

I for one think this new scrum law will help the Boks a lot. and all these talks from NZ about our props being just overgrown muscle with no technique... This weekend will be the start to prove them wrong...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I said prior to this year's Super Rugby tournament, that Mellet is a guy to look out for. He's a very powerful scrummager, and he doesn't shy away from rucks, and runs with the ball.

I was just surprized at how Steven Kitshoff got manhandled by Kirsten... He was a frontrunner in my books to be called up next, but he got smashed.

I for one think this new scrum law will help the Boks a lot. and all these talks from NZ about our props being just overgrown muscle with no technique... This weekend will be the start to prove them wrong...

Well, TBF on Kitshoff the pack behind him was somewhat lighter than what Kirsten had and he has been overplayed even more than Jannie du Plessis; I remember last year he played every game on top of the JWRC and then this year as well. That has to take a toll at some stage and if your struggling on the other side its not gonna help either but yeah, there's no getting away from the fact that he came second in that fight. Between these guys, Kruger (who has never had a bad day) and Marcel van der Merwe the Bulls certainly look set in the prop department.

I also expect the new rules to favour us (but not sure about our current test props ATM) in the long term but we'll have to wait and see. I think its the start of an interesting 'arms race' that's for sure.