Spring Tour: Australia vs Wales - 1st Test (09/06/2012, 10:00 GMT)

[Draggs]

I'll pay for James Hook's flight home today if that's possible.

If you think Hook was to blame, then I don't know what you saw.
He wasn't great, but there were players far worse.

Scott Williams, Sam Warburton, Luke Charteris, among others, didn't look match fit.

 

[welshglory]

I'll pay for James Hook's flight home today if that's possible.

Give him a chance mun, lets judge him when he actually gets a shot at his preferred position(s) because fullback is certainly not one of them!

9.Phiilips
10.Hook
12.Beck
13.Davies

Could work well i reckon, Hook always plays well with a playmaker outside him

 

[Me 1]

Watch out the Turks won't like that.

No, no they won't.

I've only just got home and only caught about 15 minutes of it, I'll comment on it seriously when I've seen the repeat on S4C.

 

[welshglory]

I knew that playing Williams and Davies together would be a huge risk, what the hell were they thinking? The Aussies probably play the quickest game in the world yet they selected 4 players lacking any sort of game time. **** me why did we expect anything else.

Tipuric, AWJ (screw his sister's wedding), Beck/Hook Bishop with Davies/Williams should have started. We've missed a golden opportunity and now we've got two players out injured.

I'm afraid its classic Wales boys

 

[TRF_Cymro]

I knew that playing Williams and Davies together would be a huge risk, what the hell were they thinking? The Aussies probably play the quickest game in the world yet they selected 4 players lacking any sort of game time. **** me why did we expect anything else.

Tipuric, AWJ (screw his sister's wedding), Beck/Hook Bishop with Davies/Williams should have started. We've missed a golden opportunity and now we've got two players out injured.

I'm afraid its classic Wales boys

If you are suggesting Tipuric infront of Warburton as a solution to the mess that was today then I am sorry and to out it nicely you are deluded. Tipuric would not have faired any better than Warburton. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, the only change that I wanted from the initial side that was named was that Beck started at 12 infront of Williams. Looking back it would have been nice to see AWJ start also but such things sadly made sure he was not selected to start.

 

[welshglory]

Well a full fit and on form Tipuric might have helped a hell of a lot actually

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Well a full fit and on form Tipuric might have helped a hell of a lot actually

Pocock was all over the shop today, I doubt many 7s in the world would have shut him out today, Tipuric would not have been one.

 

[Draggs]

Well a full fit and on form Tipuric might have helped a hell of a lot actually

Agree, he would have caused more problems for Pocock. Warburton isn't match fit, but you can't drop him now without ructions.

 

[welshglory]

I'm not necessarily talking about the breakdown. Tupiric would have helped a lot around the field. Pocock didn't win them the game, they won because they were much quicker around the park and blasted us in the breakdown, Pocock's steals were just the icing on the cake.

 

[Peat]

Agree, he would have caused more problems for Pocock. Warburton isn't match fit, but you can't drop him now without ructions.

I can't help but wonder to what extent their performances were motivated by Warburton knowing that, but Pocock seeing a highly rated specialist 7 foaming at the mouth on the bench... complacency can be an insidious thing.

It takes a pack to stop a 7 though. Too many bodies tired from the outset.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Agree, he would have caused more problems for Pocock. Warburton isn't match fit, but you can't drop him now without ructions.

Sorry have I missed something?

Warburton did quite a bit today but then again what am I to know better.

 

[Draggs]

Tipuric simply has to be on the bench (provided Ryan covers second row).
His presence on the bench is what saved us against Ireland.

I don't know how I can best describe our performance. Simply careless I suppose. We looked out of it in the first quarter, and from then on decided not to bother turning up. Early try in the second half killed us, it could have been a bit different otherwise. Still two matches to play, if we can't turn up next week than what is the point of being champions and all that?

@Cymro. Not having a go at Warburton, you have misunderstood me. What I am saying is that if we do want to play Tipuric, it is much more difficult to start him. If we played him today, it would have been understandable as Warburton has been out. Now Warburton has started, and we would have to drop our captain to fit Tipuric in. Warburton was not 100%, that was evident.

 

[welshglory]

Warburton did well but hes not that far ahead of Tipuric. Dropping him would be a bit awkward though seeing as hes the captain and all

 

[ret]

As I said pre game not confident about the Wallabies. However after watching the game it was decided by one factor only-pace. Not individual speed but the pace of the game. Australia's strength (even with a backline decimated by injuries) is playing the game at speed. Sure it helps having Genia -but even second string players understand this fundamental of winning rugby, and the much maligned Robbie Deans knows this all too well. This series is far from over. Interesting to see how the Welsh this.

Sorry, how the Welsh address this.

 

[Ostrayian]

Pocock was all over the shop today, I doubt many 7s in the world would have shut him out today, Tipuric would not have been one.

It takes a team effort to neutralize Pocock at the breakdown or any effective openside for that matter. its why the AB's always have Pococks measure. Every AB wearing 1 to 15 smashes the breakdown if they have to and dont just rely on the poor bugger with 7 on his back to do the hard yards.

i really hope north is back next week to expose vuna's flaws in defense in time to drop vuna for the bledisloe cup.

 

[psychic duck]

Warburton did well

the problem was with the half backs, both Phillips and Priestland didn't have their greatest games

hopefully whoever is 9/10 against the Brumbies can put some pressure on them to improve

 

[coonor]

Warburton did well but hes not that far ahead of Tipuric. Dropping him would be a bit awkward though seeing as hes the captain and all

This isn't Loose Women! It doesn't matter if it "awkward". If Warburton isn't match fit and Tipuric who is a very capable player is deemed to offer more then the captain should be dropped.

 

[TPenn]

Warburton did well

the problem was with the half backs, both Phillips and Priestland didn't have their greatest games

hopefully whoever is 9/10 against the Brumbies can put some pressure on them to improve

Priestland was poor I think, but Phillips wasn't helped by the entire backrow having a poor game.

 

[Teh Mite]

The sad part is that was one of Philips's better games. He really is that bad.

Connie that with the class of Genia and that is what swung the game.

 

[SelimNiai]

What did Lydiate do wrong then. Warburton was decent, not up his usual standard but not terrible, Faletau was more quiet than bad