Wallabies v Wales match day teams and matchday thread

by munkian Thu 7 Jun 2012 - 6:41

First topic message reminder :

Captain Sam Warburton returns to lead Wales against Australia

Australia coach Deans makes wholesale changes against Wales

TEAMS

Wallaby

Australia: Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW); Cooper Vuna (Melbourne Rebels), Rob Horne (NSW), Pat McCabe (ACT), Digby Ioane (Queensland); Berrick Barnes (NSW), Will Genia (Queensland); Benn Robinson (NSW), Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW), Sekope Kepu (NSW), Rob Simmons (Queensland), Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), Scott Higginbotham (Queensland), David Pocock (Western Force, capt), Wycliff Palu (NSW).

Replacements: Stephen Moore (ACT), Ben Alexander (ACT), Dave Dennis (NSW), Michael Hooper (ACT), Nic White (ACT), Anthony Fainga'a (Queensland), Mike Harris (Queensland).

Wales

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Blues); Alex Cuthbert (Blues), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), George North (Scarlets); Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Bayonne); Gethin Jenkins (Toulon), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Blues), Luke Charteris (Perpignan), Dan Lydiate (Dragons), Sam Warburton (Blues, capt), Toby Faletau (Dragons).

Replacements: Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Paul James (Bath), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Blues), James Hook (Perpignan), Ashley Beck (Ospreys).

Scott Williams at 12, ken Owens hooker which is a great call , no Webb on bench though which is a bit gutting, Lloyd was awful against the Baa Baas thumbsdown

Tour Previews
http://www.v2journal.com/wales-summer-tour-preview.html
http://www.v2journal.com/australias-june-tests-preview.html

by Zander Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:11

Do any Wales supporters feel that this result may have something to do with Warren Gatland not being around? It seems Wales were confident about the first test but it didn't turn out as planned.

by anotherworldofpain Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:21

I think the pressure get to Wales about be the favourite. I thought that make a problem this week. I post about it a lot how is so much pressure to performance today.

by sugarNspikes Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:22

Wales were plucky in defeat but Australia really should have been out of sight by half time.

Wales' tactic seems to be 'give it to the big guy' and when North was injured that became Cuthbert. They need other tactics rather than waiting for mistakes by other sides.

Genia was absolutely awesome! Best performance I've seen by any player in some time.

Scrums were fairly even. No dominance by either side.

Think the Aussies are warming up nicely now. Could be a long tour for Wales as this was their best shot and they came up a fair bit short.

Enjoyed the game. Well done Aussies, chin up Wales Smile

by gelodge Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:30

Did the Welsh squad peak at the WC? They didn't perform to the same level in the 6N (though clearly better than the pretty poor opposition), and they probably played worse today than they did then.

There's a hint of the supposed rebirth of England that people were talking about after their wins against Australia and then below par 6N title.

Still doing better than us Irish though. Sad

by Cymroglan Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:31

sugarNspikes
Yes we played poorly today and we did come up short against the TN champions we butchered several opportunities during the game.
But it's now Wales turn to be the wounded animal and take the game to Australia in the next test.
Now let's hope England can do the NH some justice in the next test.

by welshy6 Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:33

i think wales had the advantage in the scrum but the ref didnt seem to want to penalise aus or let wales get an advantage from it.
saying that i guess SH refs see the scrum as a way to resume play rather than a weapon that NH teams use it as.

but cant take anything away from aus deserved to win by more tbh, wales were lucky in first half and allowed genia to much space. cut the B*st*rd down, and same with pocock

by sugarNspikes Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:35

Cymroglan, I wouldn't say Wales played that poorly, although both Priestland and Faletau looked fairly out of sorts.

Australia also butchered several opportunities, chiefly the one on the left wing where it should have been a walk in.

I was a little surprised how even the scrums were. Australia were never going to be as bad in that area as some were making out but I expected Wales to have a good edge there.

Maybe Wales can fight back, but to be honest, I think the Aussies have their tails up now and will only get better and better.

by maestegmafia Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:35

Wales were penalised four times for early shoves...! Need to work on that.

by Liam Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:37

I thought the Aussies were unbelievably lucky to get away with some of the things at the breakdown. Every time they were refusing to roll away, Pocock wasn't releasing and continually went in off his feet. I think you have to play on the line but the Aussies were very lucky not to get pinged every time there.

by **Pal Joey** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:39

anotherworldofpain wrote:I think the pressure get to Wales about be the favourite. I thought that make a problem this week. I post about it a lot how is so much pressure to performance today.

Maybe so... but also don't forget the Wallaby team and coach had a difficult situation after the loss earlier in the week and there was a sort of "silent embarrassment" by players and staff. The media made a few noises (from former greats, etc asking a few questions) but didn't push too hard. We could see it in players eye's. They knew what was at stake. I think this had a very positive affect on the team. We hate losing too much at anything and losing twice in a week would have brought great shame upon us as a nation; not to mention our recently cobbled together team Wink

Also, they played in Queensland - which brings out special powers sometimes... but overall our best winning ground is further south in NSW.

by Cymroglan Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:41

sugarNspikes
Of course Wales will fight back you don't become the fourth best side in the world cup and European champions if you don't have any fight in you.
Australia could get better and there is no reason why Wales cant get better as well.
Now let's shrug off this defeatist attitude and get behind the NH sides

by **Biltong** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:43

Wales didn't play badly, they used the same tactics they did in the six nations, and there was talk amongst the posters after the six nations that Wales would need a few new tricks against OZ, I guess it never materialised.

by sugarNspikes Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:45

I tend to see it as realistic rather than defeatist, Cyrmoglan.

I'm not arguing that Wales won't fight back and give it a good go, I'm just saying that Aus have more than enough to counter that.

by anotherworldofpain Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:46

martyr_94 wrote:I thought the Aussies were unbelievably lucky to get away with some of the things at the breakdown. Every time they were refusing to roll away, Pocock wasn't releasing and continually went in off his feet. I think you have to play on the line but the Aussies were very lucky not to get pinged every time there.

EXCUSE BINGO #2 : The opposition are cheats.

by Hookisms and Hyperbole Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:48

biltongbek wrote:Wales didn't play badly, they used the same tactics they did in the six nations, and there was talk amongst the posters after the six nations that Wales would need a few new tricks against OZ, I guess it never materialised.

From a neutral perspective. Dan Lydiate is good at what he does, but offers little other than tackling. Don't get me wrong, this is very effective given the right opposition, but one wonders if Ryan Jones would have been a better option today. Also, bashing it up the middle and using big wings is not going to be enough to beat a team like Australia. Wales need more guile and greater creativity that what they have displayed this season. For sure, the building blocks are laid down by Gatland but they now need to build on it to truly challenge the southern hemisphere. The biggest challenge for this side is to move away from the boom and bust form of the past decade or so.

by **Biltong** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:48

martyr_94 wrote:I thought the Aussies were unbelievably lucky to get away with some of the things at the breakdown. Every time they were refusing to roll away, Pocock wasn't releasing and continually went in off his feet. I think you have to play on the line but the Aussies were very lucky not to get pinged every time there.

Wales did the same a few times, especially the tighthead prop Jones, he was offside a couple of times and stood as a blocker

by **Biltong** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:50

Hookisms and Hyperbole wrote:
biltongbek wrote:Wales didn't play badly, they used the same tactics they did in the six nations, and there was talk amongst the posters after the six nations that Wales would need a few new tricks against OZ, I guess it never materialised.

From a neutral perspective. Dan Lydiate is good at what he does, but offers little other than tackling. Don't get me wrong, this is very effective given the right opposition, but one wonders if Ryan Jones would have been a better option today. Also, bashing it up the middle and using big wings is not going to be enough to beat a team like Australia. Wales need more guile and greater creativity that what they have displayed this season. For sure, the building blocks are laid down by Gatland but they now need to build on it to truly challenge the southern hemisphere. The biggest challenge for this side is to move away from the boom and bust form of the past decade or so.

Hookisms, Wales has the same probllem SA has and Ireland, your gameplan is good enough to beat certain opponents, but to beat those ahead of you there needs to be a plan B, we don't have it, Wales don't have it and Ireland doesn't have it

by Cymroglan Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:54

One man beat us today and that was the brilliance of Will Genia who really deserves the title of being world class.
He gave one of the best performances that I have seen from a individual player in a number of seasons,without his contribution Australia would have been very ordinary.

by sugarNspikes Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 14:58

Agree about how good Genia was, Cymroglan. He was truly brilliant today. Even without his excellent try early in the second half he was clearly the best player on the pitch by a country mile.

by **Biltong** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:00

Did he get man of the match?

by Cymroglan Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:02

Why was my post removed when it was clearly a joke ? in refrence to how well he had played.

by **Biltong** Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:06

what post?

by ChequeredJersey Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:09

Dan Lydiate may offer little other than tackling but he makes so many consistent tackles around the fringes that it allows other players to show off with the flashier stuff. If you have dynamic backrowers to pair with him, which Wales do, having a tackle machine is fine

by anotherworldofpain Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:12

biltongbek wrote:what post?

About referee play well for Australia

by wales606 Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:25

Hookisms and Hyperbole wrote:
biltongbek wrote:Wales didn't play badly, they used the same tactics they did in the six nations, and there was talk amongst the posters after the six nations that Wales would need a few new tricks against OZ, I guess it never materialised.

From a neutral perspective. Dan Lydiate is good at what he does, but offers little other than tackling. Don't get me wrong, this is very effective given the right opposition, but one wonders if Ryan Jones would have been a better option today. Also, bashing it up the middle and using big wings is not going to be enough to beat a team like Australia. Wales need more guile and greater creativity that what they have displayed this season. For sure, the building blocks are laid down by Gatland but they now need to build on it to truly challenge the southern hemisphere. The biggest challenge for this side is to move away from the boom and bust form of the past decade or so.

There was a lack of creativity from the centre - we missed Roberts at 12 and JD2 looked very out of sorts. Beck provided the most creativity off the bench and it will be interesting to see what he can do next week, he didn't look great in the collisions or in defence today though.

by belovedfrosties Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:25

I thought Pocock was immense today as well as Genia, the talk of Warburton being a match for him are a bit generous tbh (Warb's is a class player but still a level below Pocock). Seemed that whenever a welsh player got tackled Pocock was the one straight there and competing.

For the next test Wales need to develop a better attack than smash repeatedly into the Aussie defence followed by an up and under 10metres too long. They need to sort out the breakdown as well, Australia were very good at judging at when to throw in players to make a turnover and when to sit back and flood the defensive line. The Welsh need to learn similar skills or just flood the ruck and blow the aussies off them to generate fast ball and get the backs picking intelligent lines or have the forwards coming in at pace. Neither appeared to happen today which is a shame as i was hoping there would be another SH scalp.

by sugarNspikes Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:27

I agree you could do with Roberts back. His voice is too quiet to do the pundit work anyway, especially next to Scott Quinnell who tends to do his 'Postcooddde Lotteeerrry!!!" voice full time now Wink

by wales606 Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 15:57

Ryan Jones made 3 times the ground Faletau did off the bench apparently - he has to start next week.

by maestegmafia Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 16:59

wales606 wrote:Ryan Jones made 3 times the ground Faletau did off the bench apparently - he has to start next week.

I really dont think Faletau is a scapegoat for missed tackles and not catching passes...

Wales lacked a usual composure...! More patience and more pressure on the opposition and we will get a better result.

by mckay1402 Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:07

Wales didn't play well today. too many mistakes and I don't think any one player is to blame. Even our usual 'stars' didn't perform today. In hindsight it should have been Beck to start with Sc Williams to come on. Not that he did much wrong.

Wales kicked away too much ball which they needed to keep hold of and when they made ground they eventually coughed the ball up. I would like to see Evans and Jones start in the boiler house next week. Phillips needs a rocket up him as he was way too slow.
I expect Warburton to be much more involved next week as he was clearly rusty. Faletau needs to carry more as he is a decent carrier of the ball and didn't offer enough today. Bring Liam Williams into full back if North is out. He offers something tasty in attack and is a solid defender as well.

All in all a big improvement needed but perhaps this was inevitable and necessary

by Liam Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:11

I think Phillips again was superb in contact. A couple of times he was wrapped up due to a lack of options and he got Wales out of some tricky situations. However, when your struggling to generate quick ball, you SH should be the one to reignite that pace back into play. You only have to look at how quick Genia was throwing his passes which allowed the backs to attack it with pace and in the first half and the second, Wales couldn't handle it. I would be tempted to start Webb next week but Lloyd Williams is ahead of him. I would at least bring Williams on earlier, the fact Phillips was still playing after 70mins didn't make sense to me.

by wales606 Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:12

maestegmafia wrote:
wales606 wrote:Ryan Jones made 3 times the ground Faletau did off the bench apparently - he has to start next week.
I really dont think Faletau is a scapegoat for missed tackles and not catching passes...

Wales lacked a usual composure...! More patience and more pressure on the opposition and we will get a better result.

No, but Faletau was very poor and was one of the reasons the Aus forwards dominated and Genia had such good ball. Faletau hasn't had a good game for Wales for a while now, its time for Ryan's good form to be rewarded.

by Liam Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:20

Many people had poor games:

Toby
JD2
Preistland
Charteris

I think at the end of the day, despite Wales getting blitzed in the first half, suffering an early try in the second half and going 20-6 down, they still had chances to win. If Warbs and threw a better pass to Rhys then it was a certain try and Wales would surely have won the game. The margain for error at this level is so small that if you don't take every chance, no matter how small it is, then you probably, more often than not won't win. I thought Wales were poor at the breakdown and quite poor defensively. There were also allot of positives, the fact we had chances, Cuthbert's performance, the line out was excellent and 1/2p proved he is a world class kicker.

Bring on next week I say. Wales would have shaken off any rustiness that was there, clearly in the first half anyway, and they will only grow into this series. There is a great chance of winning next weekend if we just work on the things we need to in training this week. Plus, our coach is actually back.

by Guest Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:56

wales606 wrote:
maestegmafia wrote:
wales606 wrote:Ryan Jones made 3 times the ground Faletau did off the bench apparently - he has to start next week.
I really dont think Faletau is a scapegoat for missed tackles and not catching passes...

Wales lacked a usual composure...! More patience and more pressure on the opposition and we will get a better result.

No, but Faletau was very poor and was one of the reasons the Aus forwards dominated and Genia had such good ball. Faletau hasn't had a good game for Wales for a while now, its time for Ryan's good form to be rewarded.

Really? I thought this was Faletau's first bad game for us. Well below his usual high standards for sure, he was superb in the rwc and v good in the 6N's.

by Guest Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 17:57

mckay1402 wrote:Wales didn't play well today. too many mistakes and I don't think any one player is to blame. Even our usual 'stars' didn't perform today. In hindsight it should have been Beck to start with Sc Williams to come on. Not that he did much wrong.

Wales kicked away too much ball which they needed to keep hold of and when they made ground they eventually coughed the ball up. I would like to see Evans and Jones start in the boiler house next week. Phillips needs a rocket up him as he was way too slow.
I expect Warburton to be much more involved next week as he was clearly rusty. Faletau needs to carry more as he is a decent carrier of the ball and didn't offer enough today. Bring Liam Williams into full back if North is out. He offers something tasty in attack and is a solid defender as well.

All in all a big improvement needed but perhaps this was inevitable and necessary

+1, good post.

by maestegmafia Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 18:02

rugbydreamer wrote:
mckay1402 wrote:Wales didn't play well today. too many mistakes and I don't think any one player is to blame. Even our usual 'stars' didn't perform today. In hindsight it should have been Beck to start with Sc Williams to come on. Not that he did much wrong.

Wales kicked away too much ball which they needed to keep hold of and when they made ground they eventually coughed the ball up. I would like to see Evans and Jones start in the boiler house next week. Phillips needs a rocket up him as he was way too slow.
I expect Warburton to be much more involved next week as he was clearly rusty. Faletau needs to carry more as he is a decent carrier of the ball and didn't offer enough today. Bring Liam Williams into full back if North is out. He offers something tasty in attack and is a solid defender as well.

All in all a big improvement needed but perhaps this was inevitable and necessary

+1, good post.

Yes Well said, i think you are right... I am hoping that North will be fit and the injury is not too serious. I wouldn't mind Williams in on the wing, I thought Halfpenny looked threatening.

by glamorganalun Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 18:51

glamorganalun wrote:Team as expected, my biggest concern is the bench players have the most game time over the last 4/5 weeks, only Adam and maybe Phillips has played recently. Warburton, has he played a complete game since the start of the 6N and we have no 7 on the bench to compete with Pocock? I agree with others Webb should be on the bench.

Could be a close game if Wales are not under cooked. I expect a lot of up and unders for Halfpenny to take!

I think my post above has proven to be correct (from last Thursday) the team were under cooked, too many players have not played for 5 or more weeks except Adam Jones. As stated all the players that had game time were on the bench but they were the last players sent out to Aus. This first test should have been built around the "in form" Ospreys team and should have been sent to Aus first and the guys who played today, should have played against the Baabaas for game time and then been contenders for the second test. I think the guys that played today should play at least half of the game on Tuesday to get game time as most of them were not up to the pace of the game and the defence at the fringes was poor, R Jones must play 8 next week. I thought B Davies, D Lydiate, Cuthbert and 1/2 Penny had a good games but Preistland say no more and Hook is no FB (nor is RP, he can't catch a straight forward up and under). The team selection will be interesting for Tuesday but Wales should be better next week if the selection is based on form (unlikely, same team I fear except injuries).

by maestegmafia Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 18:53

Glam you are right.

by HERSH Sat 9 Jun 2012 - 22:14

by kingjohn7 Sun 10 Jun 2012 - 1:08

sugarNspikes wrote:Wales were plucky in defeat but Australia really should have been out of sight by half time.

Wales' tactic seems to be 'give it to the big guy' and when North was injured that became Cuthbert. They need other tactics rather than waiting for mistakes by other sides.

Genia was absolutely awesome! Best performance I've seen by any player in some time.

Scrums were fairly even. No dominance by either side.

Think the Aussies are warming up nicely now. Could be a long tour for Wales as this was their best shot and they came up a fair bit short.

Enjoyed the game. Well done Aussies, chin up Wales

would have to pretty much agree with u. Thats what peed me off the most, that honestly we were just 2nd best in every facet of the game.

by JDizzle Sun 10 Jun 2012 - 1:53

I don't think it is a disaster as a performance tbh. We weren't played off the park in any department, we were just slightly off the pace in all of them and 1 or 2% is a huge advantage to give a side as clinical as Australia. If we can just cut out the simple and basic errors we were making such as poor passes and not keeping control of the ball at the back of rucks (the number of times it popped out was unbelievable, my pet hate as a scrum half!) then it immediately makes the game a lot closer. We made a few chances, which was encouraging but managed to butcher them through poor passing and poor handling. I still believe we can win next week. Very Happy

As long as someone puts that little **** Genia on the floor as soon as he starts to pick and dart sideways looking for runners and gaps! He was so irritating to watch play against you today, but he must be fantastic to have on your side though. Great player. Big defensive effort required in training this week though, as we were poor for at least the last two of Aus's tries (although the McCabe line was delicious). Especially Beck, his touch for the Cuthbert try was almost sublime but ball watching for the third try. Could be a worry if Scott isn't alright to play.

Just raise the intensity next week in defence and at the breakdown, and cut out the stupid errors. I still believe! thumbsup

by Cymroglan Sun 10 Jun 2012 - 9:52

I'm just wondering when in the game Faletau got injured and if he should have been taken off sooner,
As JD said the number of times we lost control of the ball scuppered any chance of us building forward momentum

by Taylorman Sun 10 Jun 2012 - 11:07

The thing about Genia is all week Wales were warned he was the one to watch, to break the game open. He did it to us last year and again recently in sxv- a solo try from 40-50 out that is. He simply must be stopped or he'll do it again as he's getting better at it, spotting those gaps. And he knows the normal playmakers arent there...joc beale and cooper.

by Pete C (Kiwireddevil) Sun 10 Jun 2012 - 11:25

Taylorman wrote:The thing about Genia is all week Wales were warned he was the one to watch, to break the game open. He did it to us last year and again recently in sxv- a solo try from 40-50 out that is. He simply must be stopped or he'll do it again as he's getting better at it, spotting those gaps. And he knows the normal playmakers arent there...joc beale and cooper.

I called it right in my preview

Will Genia:
While Fourie du Preez may dispute Genia's claims to the "World's Best Half Back" title, Genia's running, passing and kicking skills will be more important than ever to this Wallabies side, forced into selecting an uncharacteristically "direct" midfield, which rather lacks the usual Australian creativity. Genia's battle with the more physical Mike Phillips is a delightful exercise in contrast. ( http://www.v2journal.com/australias-june-tests-preview.html )

by 2ndtimeround Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 1:44

martyr_94 wrote:I thought the Aussies were unbelievably lucky to get away with some of the things at the breakdown. Every time they were refusing to roll away, Pocock wasn't releasing and continually went in off his feet. I think you have to play on the line but the Aussies were very lucky not to get pinged every time there.

No luck involved in this merely a good use of their knowledge of the way Joubert calls a game, he regularly leaves most things go at the breakdown in an attempt to keep a flowing game, Australia used this to their advantage, well done Deans.

by **Pal Joey** Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 2:16

There is a slim chance Beale may be on the bench for Saturday night's match.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/wallabies-could-welcome-back-bad-boy-beale-for-second-test-20120610-204di.html

His shoulder is progressing well, more tests being done but he will also have to get the green light from the code of conduct disciplinary hearing during the week.

Deans will keep the same team apart from Dan Palmer coming in for Kepu (strained forearm) at TH prop.

Jake White will also go down to Melbourne after the mid-week match to assist in the final preparations.

by wales606 Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 12:02

New THP - That should help the Welsh scrum if they can cut out the early engage.

by anotherworldofpain Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 12:26

2ndtimeround wrote:
martyr_94 wrote:I thought the Aussies were unbelievably lucky to get away with some of the things at the breakdown. Every time they were refusing to roll away, Pocock wasn't releasing and continually went in off his feet. I think you have to play on the line but the Aussies were very lucky not to get pinged every time there.

No luck involved in this merely a good use of their knowledge of the way Joubert calls a game, he regularly leaves most things go at the breakdown in an attempt to keep a flowing game, Australia used this to their advantage, well done Deans.

In my mind is better style to referee than Nigel Owens who always blow up penalty for some minute technical infection against the team who is attacking.

by Comfort Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 13:07

Only just managed to watch the game and get on here.

My summary (and its probably been covered here already by others so sorry if im just repeating):

Wales: lethargic, only half the team looked match-fit in the first 40. Probably a mistake in sending an "advanced" squad who'd had little gametime for a while.

Priestland wasnt great at all, made some real clangers, but wasnt the reason we lost.

Faletau's first bad game for wales, he could be rested in favour of R.Jones (perhaps injury has forced that change already).

This game showed how much work Ian Evans and AWJ get through for a lock partnership at rucktime aswell, there was a real lack of counter-rucking and power at the fringes.

Adam Jones seemed to be a passenger for most of the game, the early engages at the scrum were just embaressing by the end of the game, I think we'll see Rees back in for Owens (would prefer Hibbard mind).

Australia: Genia is a class above anything else at 9 in the world at the moment. his decision making and acceleration around the fringes are as close to perfect as you can get for me.

The forwards did their work at ruck-time, they earned Oz that victory, and for all the talk of the welsh pack, it was beaten on Saturday, The Ozzies took the scrum out of the equation and out-tussled the welsh at the breakdowns.

I think both teams have more gears to go through, although I think Wales have the more they can improve upon. Someone (phillips im looking at you) needs to man-mark genia and scrag him(late hits are fine with me) and make him sure that hes going to get hit, and hard, everytime he has the ball in two-hands.

I'd like to see more O's in the forward pack, assuming the injuries are out for the next test I'd like to see:

1. Jenkins
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. Ian Evans
4. AWJ
6. Lydiate
7. Warburton (c)
8. Ryan Jones
9. Phillips
10. Priestland
11. Liam Williams
12. Beck
13. JD2
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

16. James
17. Owens
18. Charteris
19. Tipuric
20. Webb
21. Hook
22. Byrne

by Full Credit Mon 11 Jun 2012 - 13:28

To comfort and those others that have advocated hitting Genia late if need be, I understand the point you are trying to make but I doubt that's the way to go. Do you really want to risk losing a bloke for 10 minutes to the bin? I'm sure I don't need to remind you guys what happened at Cardiff the last time we played.

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