Wallabies team for Scotland announced

First topic message reminder :

The Wallabies squad to take on Scotland on Tuesday...

Luke Morahan
Digby Ioane
Anthony Faingaa
Mike Harris
Joe Tomane
Berrick Barnes
Will Genia
Scott Higginbotham
David Pocock (c)
Dave Dennis
Nathan Sharpe
Sitaleki Timani
Dan Palmer
Stephen Moore
James Slipper

Replacements

Saia Faingaa
Ben Alexander
Rob Simmons
Michael Hooper
Nick Phipps
Pat McCabe
Adam Ashley-Cooper


Five new caps in the side: Palmer, Dennis, Harris, Tomane, and Morahan. Pocock's been named as captain. Hopefully he won't have to give one of his patented 'we're very disappointed with the result' Western Force style post match interviews after this game. The backrow of Dennis, Pocock, and Higgers looks pretty strong. In the second row Timani's a bit of a risk but if he manages to hold the ball and throws his weight around productively he could make an impact. Sharpe's experience and lineout skills are a good counter balance. Palmer in at prop should harden up our scrum.

Given the tight turn around Dingo's been forced to stick with tried and tested combinations hence the almost all Reds backline Genia, Harris, Faingaa, Ioane, and Morahan. Barnes at 10 must surely be a misprint. Quade's been overlooked as he's deemed not yet ready to return to test match rugby but Quade on crutches would be better than Barnes, as would Ben Lucas. I'd even settle for Zac Holmes from the Brumbies. Barnes just hasn't been right since his head knocks last year. His first option is always to kick. When he forgets to kick and passes it is usually behind the man, stifling any momentum. I'd like to see our outside backs do something all night other than chase incontestable up and unders. I hope for his sake that it's just bad Waratah tactics and culture causing him to be so awful and that he comes out and has a blinder but I wouldn't count on it, he's too in the habit.

It looks like we'll be in for wet weather in Newcastle on Tuesday which would probably suit Scotland. Given 5 new caps and Barnes at 10 this is shaping up to be a close game.

0 - 3

22minutes.

Scotland need more points this half, they won't get a chance at all in the second by the look of it.

Sent you links Submachine

0 - 6

Aus 3 - 6 Scotland

By the look of it, Aus have already won.

6 - 6

42mins

15 minutes of Aus pressure in the Scotland 22 results in nothing

63mins, till 6 - 6

Scotland may still have a chance if they keep up this defence.

Looks like Pocock and Genia are staying on for 80 in this close game - that's good for Wales.

Scotland are having to get over the ball carrier and hold there for near 5 seconds for a call.

Aus are getting desperate, throwing the ball around and getting isolated!!!

Scotland still holding out and winning penalties to clear.

69 minutes.

Lineout to the front man stood on the ground given as wayward, Ford has to leave this game!!!

Barnes drop goal under pressure and goes wide.

6 - 6, 72 minutes.

I thought Scotland had no chance at HT - but a draw is on the cards here.

Halfway line penalty to effectively win it for Aus...

Under the crossbar, unable to get height even with a gale at his back - similar to his last attempt.

Aus lineout on halfway, 75 minutes

Its going to be close...

The gale helps Scotland for the first time this half and Aus kick goes dead.

79minutes - Scotland nearing Aus 22

Looks like its a draw at worst for Scotland.

Scrum for Scotland on the buzzer.

Scotland can boot it out for a draw, but I think they will push for the penalty and a shot at a win on Australian soil.

Scotland driving hard in the scrum

Ref resets though (maybe a bit of a chicken move by the ref, hard to tell)

It is a penalty from the reset - Euan Murray wins it!

Now its a kick to win the game for Scotland!!!

On the 22, easy kick but for the gale facing him....


ITS OVER!!!!!!!!!

Final score

Australia 6 - 9 Scotland

An AMAZING 2nd half defensive performance, and a bit of luck wins the game for Scotland

Wales606, your tainted praise is, well, tainted praise. Those in Glass houses.....
Thanks to those who pointed me in the right direction of the match. What a solid team performance, well done to the lads. I just hope we can finish off the tour in a positive way. Lesson learned there from Robinson in that the substitutions were made when necessary and not pre-planned. Fantastic back row display too.
Can't really learn much from the game on an attacking front, but the cohesion, resolve and determination of the team were top drawer.
Ford needs to practice the throwing in though. I realise conditions were tough, but they were tough for both sides, and the not straights were a lot more from our team. Nonetheless, he was great in the loose and lead us well. Fantastic.

Why were Scotland lucky?

In the first half we dominated territory and failed to take points. In the second half the Aussies did the same to an even more incompetent degree.

Our defense in the second half was just as heroic as theirs in the first. I thought we were a touch hard done by at the lineout as well. Moore's throws were straighter than Ford's, but neither were straight. If the ref was going to be lenient, and those conditions you have to be, at least be fair in doing it. That short one to Richie Gray in the second half was perfectly fine.

Anyway, I don't see that as a lucky win at all (unlike our last win against the Aussies which was a touch fortunate). We played the conditions marginally better than Australia, and won marginally.

It was a fully-deserved win. No luck about it.

Not luck at all. Some brilliant back row and Ford was a giant! Well done to Scottish in make a famous win on Australian soil. Now is two of "home nations" make this feat in last two tourings.

Now, can Wales follow in the foot step of England and Scotland?

Lucky in that the game in those conditions really could have gone either way.

Aus were making ground so easily in the first half and Scotland were struggling, I thought that with the wind at their backs it would be impossible for Scotland to hold out for 40 minutes - and when it was 6 - 6 I thought to impossible that Scotland would manage to get into a scoring position

But they proved me wrong

Dingo will be pretty peed off with his decision makers in that second half, When you play wet westher rugby you always go for the points, and you do on quick ball put some along the ground if only to take the shape out of the opposition defensive line. Scotland's forwards will now go up to the tropics to thaw out and celebrate,good on them.

Meanwhile dingo might have to kick a few rses between now and the weekend.

Ok, so you mean we were lucky that it was raining.

Difficult to say really. We'd picked a fast and mobile pack and clearly were set up to play a fast offloading game, which we weren't allowed to do.

Both teams had the same conditions ultimately. Personally I don't think either side played the conditions very well. We just played slightly better.

Going to be a huge transition playing in Fiji and Samoa. We need to back this win up.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Ok, so you mean we were lucky that it was raining.

Difficult to say really. We'd picked a fast and mobile pack and clearly were set up to play a fast offloading game, which we weren't allowed to do.

Both teams had the same conditions ultimately. Personally I don't think either side played the conditions very well. We just played slightly better.

Going to be a huge transition playing in Fiji and Samoa. We need to back this win up.

The conditions certainly favoured Scotland, bright sunshine and Aus would have been a lot stronger

I notice the criticism of the ref stopped when he awarded Scotland that penalty in the 80 th Minute.

anotherworldofpain wrote:Not luck at all. Some brilliant back row and Ford was a giant! Well done to Scottish in make a famous win on Australian soil. Now is two of "home nations" make this feat in last two tourings.

Now, can Wales follow in the foot step of England and Scotland?

I find it interesting and obsessive that on each Aus/Scot thread you're mentioning Wales and whether Wales can do it.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
I notice the criticism of the ref stopped when he awarded Scotland that penalty in the 80 th Minute.

I thought the ref was good in the conditions to be fair.

I never said anything about him on this thread - except that Scotland looked dominant at the scrum but he reset it, I though he might do a 'Joubert' and chicken out of making a decision - but fair play, next scrum he gives the winning penalty when the Aussie LH drops it.

Who was the ref by the way?

The referee was Jayco Peyper a South African, who refs in Super xv, I think there are some in South Africa that thought he was a "soft touch" and if you work on him there is an advantage to be had.

aucklandlaurie wrote: The referee was Jayco Peyper a South African, who refs in Super xv, I think there are some in South Africa that thought he was a "soft touch" and if you work on him there is an advantage to be had.

I thought he was pretty good, didn't try to steal the show like a lot of top refs I could name - and tried his best to get the game flow a bit.

Ref was fine - missed a few things but most importantly was consistent at the breakdown which is critical to getting a good game - no one was allowed to hold on at all and he penalised for holding on when needed.

Good performance from him

Missed a hand in the ruck from Aus and a shirt pull . Let a couple of collapsed scrums go and took two goes to give the penalty atthe end

I am sure Aus fans will have spotted scots infringemetns he didn't but a good reffing performance

wales606 wrote:

The conditions certainly favoured Scotland, bright sunshine and Aus would have been a lot stronger

So would Scotland - all those wee fast guys

Rain or shine, Scotland always seem to drop the ball...

TJ wrote:

wales606 wrote:

The conditions certainly favoured Scotland, bright sunshine and Aus would have been a lot stronger

So would Scotland - all those wee fast guys

Hmmmm, unfortunately I have to inform you that at fast paced, high try scoring rugby...Scotland are not the best - Australia are.

Morgannwg wrote:Rain or shine, Scotland always seem to drop the ball...

Absolutely everyone was dropping the ball including the world's best scrum-half Genia.

123456789 wrote:

Morgannwg wrote:Rain or shine, Scotland always seem to drop the ball...

Absolutely everyone was dropping the ball including the world's best scrum-half Genia.

...but he wouldn't do it in the sunshine - Scotland probably would

Well we won't know, will we? What we do know is that Scotland beat the Wallabies yesterday. It's pretty poor to try and downplay that achievement.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Well we won't know, will we? What we do know is that Scotland beat the Wallabies yesterday. It's pretty poor to try and downplay that achievement.

Im not downplaying the achievement, I was very impressed with Scotland's second half performance.

But if you think the conditions did not favour Scotland and that they would have preferred to play open attacking rugby and try to score tries, then I think you are mistaken.

Luckless comments are today. Nobody has tried to downplay it, jeez. Stop trying to be the vicitim.

Of course they would have preferred to score tries!

And Morgannwg, you must be a delicate flower if my comments make you !

123456789 wrote:

Morgannwg wrote:Rain or shine, Scotland always seem to drop the ball...

Absolutely everyone was dropping the ball including the world's best scrum-half Genia.

bear in mind they used to pretend Mike Blair was one of those

To be fair to Blair, he was an extremely good scrum half a few years back, suffered an awful dip in form, and now looks to have rediscovered himself. He was exceptional for Edinburgh in the HC this season. He still tends to slow the ball down too much at the ruck for my liking, and is far better when increasing the tempo and breaking, but he's playing well at the moment.

Cusiter was awesome from the bench as well. Good to see both are back on form.

If we're thinking Lions, personally I think both are long shots. Youngs, Care and Phillips would be my current picks, and Simpson, Murray or Reddan could also easily make it. Tough call.