Tri-Nations latest (Thurs)
2 Sep 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the news from the Tri-Nations.
Wallabies blame heavies
Jim Williams says the Wallabies pack needs to deliver an improved showing against the Springboks in Bloemfontein.
The forwards coach lamented the pack for their poor performance at the death in their 44-31 defeat in Pretoria last weekend. This has resulted in three changes amongst the forwards for Saturday’s Test, which sees No 8 Ben McCalman, lock Mark Chisholm and hooker Stephen Moore start in place of Richard Brown, Dean Mumm and Saia Faingaa respectively.
‘Opportunities presented themselves in Pretoria, and we didn’t take them,’ Williams said. ‘At this level, you have to take them. We had a good amount of possession in the last 30 minutes, especially the final 10 minutes, and this week we’ve been working hard so that from now on we make the most of those opportunities when they are presented.
‘We ran away from our plan, which saw Victor Matfield and Juan Smith steal a few of our balls. We’ve been working on rectifying that as well, and this time ensuring we stick to our plan.’
Henry to give ABs Super rest
Graham Henry says the All Blacks may be rested during next year’s Super 15 to ensure they are fit for the World Cup.
The All Blacks head coach was criticised for pulling his players out of half the Super 14 before the 2007 World Cup. However, Henry said he will aim to do the same next year as the Super 15 has a more tiring schedule.
‘I just think guys need to make sensible decisions so that people play at a high standard all the time and we will be discussing that with the Super 15 coaches in late September,’ Henry said
O’Connor happy to wing it
James O’Connor says he has settled on the wing for the Wallabies.
The 20-year-old plays a utility back role for the Wallabies and Western Force as he can fill in at fullback, inside centre and flyhalf. However, Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans has decided that wing will be his primary position in the team, a position O’Connor is happy to play.
‘Playing on the wing is a bit different, but I have settled in there now,’ O’Connor said. ‘I really enjoyed that Test [in Pretoria last Saturday], even though we lost. There was a lot of open space, and having guys inside you who can create something definitely makes it a good experience.
‘I’ve got guys near me like Adam Ashley-Cooper, who has played a lot on the wing, and he is giving me good advice. I’ve played a fair bit at fullback, and when you’re there, you know what you want from your wingers. Probably the biggest difference is the work rate, because you sometimes have to work inside and outside the No 10, and then have to bust your gut to get back to the wing.’
44 Comments
2 Sep 2010, 07:21 am
will be tough this weekend…
2 Sep 2010, 07:22 am
rest the all blacks dragons…
2 Sep 2010, 07:24 am
this thread should be renamed..
race to the wooden spoon
seems much more appropriate, the 3Ns was over weeks ago…
2 Sep 2010, 07:30 am
Super 15 doesn’t matter much — it’s not test rugby.
2 Sep 2010, 07:33 am
Once bitten, twice shy, graham
2 Sep 2010, 07:46 am
Aussies are gonna get klapped again.
2 Sep 2010, 07:53 am
Ai. Soos die Afrikaans spreekwoord lui: ‘n Donkie stamp nie sy kop twee keer teen dieselfde muur nie.
2 Sep 2010, 07:58 am
This thread should be renamed ‘Henry didnt learn his lesson’
I think 2-4 weeks is enough rest for the contracted Boks during the S15.
2 Sep 2010, 08:00 am
I think Henry has a memory disease.
2 Sep 2010, 08:01 am
I dont see the Wallabie forwards dominating the Bok forwards this weekend.
2 Sep 2010, 08:27 am
OZ more motivated and can pull this off!
2 Sep 2010, 08:51 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-8: it should also read
henry wasnt the only one not to learn his lesson, as PDV found out with all the killer bees buzzing around”
2 Sep 2010, 08:52 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-8: In the article that this information is from Henry goes on to say that he thinks the players need probably 2 games off on top of 2 byes. So yes he has learnt his lesson.
2 Sep 2010, 09:00 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-12: Uhm I think you are in the wrong thread bud. There is no mention of PDV in this thread. Wow you Kiwi’s are obsessed with our great coach.
2 Sep 2010, 09:02 am
@Ooh Aah Umaga(Ooh Aah Umaga)-13: Ah then everything is in order. I thought as much. I know Henry is dumb but I didnt think he is that dumb.
2 Sep 2010, 09:04 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-14: not at all, was just pointing out that Henry isnt the only one not to learn his lessons, as you alluded to..
if you cant see that PDV has had 3 years to learn to curb his clowning around, then thats your problem..
2 Sep 2010, 09:21 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-16: Oh I see. Henry has learnt well but it was a huge risk to take in the first place. Ja PDV will never stop clowning around that is just the way he is. I have accepted his ramblings and now find it quite amusing.
2 Sep 2010, 10:03 am
Good news for Lions rugby…
“New Zealander John Mitchell will coach the Lions on a permanent basis for the next three years.”
Good for guys like Jantjies, Taute and co who I expect will develop well under Mitchell!
2 Sep 2010, 10:15 am
@Gambit25(Gambit25)-18: True.
2 Sep 2010, 10:52 am
@ IORI YAGAMI 17 you are wrong there, he doesnt clown around, he is a clown. International rugby is not a joke and should only be played by the best on offer. That does not include PDV.
2 Sep 2010, 11:24 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-17: Im not certain Henrys learnt anything to be honest… what has been pleasing this year is hes stuck to the same team in the 3ns, a positive sign.. but the fact he wants to rest players is a concern.
2 Sep 2010, 11:35 am
Henry pulling players out of the S14 again, I think he’s on the right track generally but surely it makes more sense to pull them out of the 3N next year? NZ arrived for that QF with some players on the brink of injury as a result of playing them through the 3N ’07.
2 Sep 2010, 11:36 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-21:
Am not so concerned with the rest period during the start of S15. The problem prior to RWC’07 was not so much the Cotton Wool Club but the way it further undermined the Rotation Policy. Given GHs incessant desire to continually rotate, the CWC was unnecessary as it was MORE gametime the players needed, not less. GH has now learnt that lesson and is playing the same lineup, 1 or 2 positions aside, every week and therefore his players will need that reconditioning/rest period where they can concentrate on getting in peak fitness. As long as GH doesnt then start protecting those players – injuries will always be a concern but rather that than a team going soft in the head – by rotation again, then the CWC should be beneficial.
The reason why this AB team is stronger than the sum of its parts is the settled lineup and having faith in their gameplan until the whistle has blown. Also players like Woodcock were dropped and told to watch their teammate excel in their position – no wonder his form improved on return. He has also shown the ruthless gene which seems beyond his contemporary, Krusty, by giving players like Messam and Guildford a chance but then dropping them so they can work on their game. Meanwhile he keeps everyone on their toes despite that settled lineup. Canny.
2 Sep 2010, 11:43 am
Shew we talk more **** here than rugby!
Whos this 8 Ben McCalman ? He that guy from the Force? Remember him having a few decent games towards the end of the Super 14 when Pocock came back..
2 Sep 2010, 11:45 am
Amazing how everyone has been so quiet regarding the fact that David Pocock was pretty much completely nullified last week? Did the oke even make 1 turnover? Slow down 1 ruck or more, last week?
Must say it took the boks a few attempts to get it right without a Brussow Dragon..
2 Sep 2010, 11:47 am
83% of voters say Piet Should be axed.. Too bad for them the publics vote in an ANC Regime counts for piss diddly squat..
2 Sep 2010, 12:10 pm
@Guns(Guns)-25: The trick was always to not to target Pocock, but his support base, by nullifying the other forwards in the pack who are not test level – Ma’afu, Faingaa, Mumm, Brown.
Without a forward pack to support him at the breakdown he was nowhere near as potent.
Considering one of the first things PdV ever said while in charge was a slant on Bruce Lee’s famous quote “If someone is pointing to the moon and you focus on the finger, you do not see the moon”, I am surprised it took the Bokkie forwards this long.
2 Sep 2010, 12:31 pm
@DonutDunning(DonutDunning)-27: it’s true he was nowhere near as potent at the breakdown but if you check the stats he still got through much more work than most of the Wallaby players
2 Sep 2010, 12:42 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-22: 3N is test rugby. ABs expect to win every test and usually do. S15 is expendable second-tier stuff.
2 Sep 2010, 12:47 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-29: well if NZ fans are content to see a half-injured NZ team endure another early WC exit because of a few 3N tests then fair enough. Resting them in S14 isn’t going to make much difference.
2 Sep 2010, 13:06 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-21: Henry has learnt some very valuable lessons as far as game plan is concerned and in my opinion, as much as it pains me to say it, has prepared the AB’s to front up to and beat any team who plays any style of rugby.
Those who think the AB’s are peaking too soon are way off the mark. They will become better at it and will win the WC. No team, barring the AB’s themselves, will beat them. They are just too far ahead right now and I don’t see any team catching up with them.
2 Sep 2010, 13:17 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-28: Haven’t seen the stats but it wouldn’t surprise me.
It’s much like King Ritchie is and Georgie Smith was – even their bad games are better than most player’s average games.
2 Sep 2010, 13:28 pm
@Couchcoach(GI POT)-31: I agree with you in regards to being able to play a different style.. they ground out a win against Aussie and while fortunate come from behind to beat SA.. both times against full complement of players… so in that aspect yes.
As for your second paragraph, Im not foolish enough to get ahead of myself like that… one game at a time, Aussie next, hoping to get to the game..
2 Sep 2010, 13:42 pm
Last time around Henry had players miss the Super 14 for a reconditioning program to try to increase the conditioning of the players before the season, I think(/hope) now he has learnt his lesson and that is not what he says he will do next year.
The only resting he has mentioned so far is players to miss the odd game and that is to prevent burnout, as it is too hard to players to play every game in a 15 week period.
In regard to injuries there is no way to prevent them with the players getting enough game time. Bad luck happens and players will always get injured. If you try and keep players in cotton wool they will have to play sometime and they could get injured then. Or they have a similar situation to 2007 when the NZ side was underdone through not playing together enough.
2 Sep 2010, 13:45 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-33: Hey Poppa, to continue our conversation, I also think the new 3N format (3 games each), is a total farce and if they cared anything for fans and the purity of the comp this would have never been done. Glad next year only 2? Also glad to see the Argies in soon. Really the 3N shouldn’t be played in a WC year. In my perfect scenario, I would have 3N tests all in 1 country. Ie. 2008 9 games in Aus, 2009 9 games in SA, 2010 9 games in NZ. Then nothing in a WC year. You could work out the REAL winner at the end of the 3 year period, by combining all 3 years result and call this trophy something cool, that you then hold for the next 4 years.
2 Sep 2010, 13:55 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-3:
Humility, friend, humility.
Fair play, you boys have played some lovely rugby this year.
But we also know that it’s just a little tweak here and there before either Springboks or Wallabies get on a winning run, and both teams have a much better RWC psychology than NZ.
2 Sep 2010, 16:50 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-3: Hmmm… Interesting Poppa, considering a year ago the Boks had the TriNations early on, but AB fans still cheered their side on for the Bedisloe Cup. What’s the difference?
2 Sep 2010, 23:01 pm
@umfolozi(umfolozi)-36: @Bouts(Bouts)-37: you boys obviously missed the sarcasm in that post… was just a tongue in cheek comment, much like the old NZ Rugby is k@k that was prolific on this site oh, before the 3Ns started..
Umfolozi, I also know that SA will be back in a strong way. much like how the ABs responded to last years losses..
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-35: Hey Ratel, I agree with you on not playing the 3Ns before the world cup, think it actually does your opposition a favour by showing where you are at before the tourney, though I also think you need those games so you can assess where you are… double edged sword I suppose..
I dont think any of the unions would go for playing the 3Ns in one country, would say a game between the Wobblies and ABs in SA attract a big crowd? probably not.. too much moola at stake to do that..
The Argies should be interesting once they are in the comp, beating them in Buenos Aires is always tough… just worried that they may end up like Italy and not really command their place..
3 Sep 2010, 00:06 am
Argentina are third-rate rubbish. They’ve never ever beaten the All Blacks, and neither have they ever — as Argentina, not South America — beaten the Boks. They’re only in the 4N to be the whipping boy.
3 Sep 2010, 00:09 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-30: The 3N is truncated in 2011 — only six tests (two each) instead of nine (three each). R&R is therefore built in already.
3 Sep 2010, 00:13 am
@umfolozi(umfolozi)-36: There lies the yarpies’ great weakness. The only RWC that matters is a year into the FUTURE, and not at any point in the past. There’s no help to be found for the challenge ahead by looking backwards into the past.
NZ is looking forward. SA is looking back.
And the calendar is moving in NZ’s direction, not SA’s.
3 Sep 2010, 00:18 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-41:
You should at least aknowledge the past WC wins……..or else why do you then look at the total no of games played between the sides over the years?
3 Sep 2010, 01:07 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-40: what I find interesting is that the 3N runs right up until the World Cup so if SA/NZ/OZ put out full teams in the 3N they’ll be smashing the hell out of each other right before the tournament. It could work one of two ways, i.e. they’ll either be at the right intensity or they’ll be bandaged together ripe for the picking by the other sides at the WC.
3 Sep 2010, 04:49 am
@whatever(whatever)-42: Looking back over past glories is valuable if you’re focussing on past glories. But it’s utterly irrelevant when looking forward over glories that have yet to come. The best you can go by is present form. Not last year’s form or last century’s form. More like last week’s form, or this week’s form.
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