Rugby Autumn Internationals
Discussion
....they're nearly upon us....so what's going to be the outcome?
Home Nations White-Washed?
Aussies to moan their way through each 80 minute game and come out victorious through their excellent kicking?
New Zealand to shoulder barge (and I mean that literally, because they are dirty a**holes) their way to victory?
Ireland to beat Australia?
Samoa to give everyone a fright unitil the second half?
England to make life hard for themselves by not going 100% from the first whistle? Victories against Australia and South Africa - losses against NZ and Samoa?
South Africa...gawd knows?
Home Nations White-Washed?
Aussies to moan their way through each 80 minute game and come out victorious through their excellent kicking?
New Zealand to shoulder barge (and I mean that literally, because they are dirty a**holes) their way to victory?
Ireland to beat Australia?
Samoa to give everyone a fright unitil the second half?
England to make life hard for themselves by not going 100% from the first whistle? Victories against Australia and South Africa - losses against NZ and Samoa?
South Africa...gawd knows?
OZ and New Zealand are both looking very strong right now. The Oz victory on Sunday was the worst possible outcome for the NH because now the All Blacks are thinking, "Hey we'd better sort outselves out because we're not invincible" and Oz are thinking, "Well we beat NZ so now we can take anybody on".
As for the Saffers, who knows?
Go team Wales
As for the Saffers, who knows?
Go team Wales
Well, Australia beat New Zealand at the perfect time, now NZ come over looking beatable as opposed to the virtually indestructable force they've looked recently.
That said, reality is England have no chance against them.
Australia look very strong, coming off a massive win with good momentum wont do them any harm either, they will be very hard to beat, especially if you dont close down their open play and speed.
South Africa, well, their staple players are nackered, lots of key injuries, but on the flip side a lot of young talent that looks ready to explode. It'll all come down to how they're allowed to play, my gut says they'll waste the young talent and go for a safe, closed in style of play, the standard run, thump, fall over, recycle, type rugby that NZ and Australia have taken advantage of recently. If England can play a more expansive game they could well win it.
That said, reality is England have no chance against them.
Australia look very strong, coming off a massive win with good momentum wont do them any harm either, they will be very hard to beat, especially if you dont close down their open play and speed.
South Africa, well, their staple players are nackered, lots of key injuries, but on the flip side a lot of young talent that looks ready to explode. It'll all come down to how they're allowed to play, my gut says they'll waste the young talent and go for a safe, closed in style of play, the standard run, thump, fall over, recycle, type rugby that NZ and Australia have taken advantage of recently. If England can play a more expansive game they could well win it.
ked.DJC said:
Will be interesting. England could make a few ppl sit up and take notice.
They need to be consistant.It doesn't matter if they don't win (not many people are expecting them to), but they need to be good, for 80 minutes, every game.
And discipline!
Without wanting to sound boring, they need to adopt the 'stick it up your jersey' approach of England of old.....ball retention and recycling. It may be boring, but the oppo' hate it, get frustrated and give away penalties.
At the end of the day, I don't care if England lose every game, as long as I get to see an Australian player spear tackled into the plant room below the Twickers pitch!
I can't see England doing anything more than beating Samoa and SA....I think the Aussies will be up for it to prove the summer was a fluke. My hope for England is that they actually find some of these young players that can make a position their own....I hope Cole will push on, Lawes will prove he's got it at the highest level and hopefully we can start getting the best out of Croft.
What absolutely staggers me about English rugby is that since the 2003 side retired we've had virtually no one come in and win 30 caps in his position and say he's the sure fire pick. Sheridan and Easter have in the pack and I suppose latterly Moody (but he's only just done that and he was on the bench in Sydney)...in the backs I can't think of one player that's claimed a spot for himself...Sackey did for a while I suppose.
What absolutely staggers me about English rugby is that since the 2003 side retired we've had virtually no one come in and win 30 caps in his position and say he's the sure fire pick. Sheridan and Easter have in the pack and I suppose latterly Moody (but he's only just done that and he was on the bench in Sydney)...in the backs I can't think of one player that's claimed a spot for himself...Sackey did for a while I suppose.
Injuries, simple as.
The English game/Prem is vastly more impact and conflict orientated than in the other leagues. The trouble with this is that finding space has become a little bit of a lost art, massive injury counts and a very attritional, risk averse game. It is also a nature of the beast though that such a competitive league produces massive defence orientated games and such an emphasis on the defensive impacts.
I do wonder what a back 3 of JSD, Foden, Ashton could spark though and I cant wait to see Cole, Lawes, Moody and Croft play together up front.
The English game/Prem is vastly more impact and conflict orientated than in the other leagues. The trouble with this is that finding space has become a little bit of a lost art, massive injury counts and a very attritional, risk averse game. It is also a nature of the beast though that such a competitive league produces massive defence orientated games and such an emphasis on the defensive impacts.
I do wonder what a back 3 of JSD, Foden, Ashton could spark though and I cant wait to see Cole, Lawes, Moody and Croft play together up front.
DJC said:
The English game/Prem is vastly more impact and conflict orientated than in the other leagues.
Don't agree with that - the Super 14 is brutal in comparison to the Prem'....I agree with the comments about getting a squad to play together without chopping and changing, reverts back to what I said about consistancy. Just because England lose one game, doesn't mean they should automatically change half the squad.
JCB123 said:
DJC said:
The English game/Prem is vastly more impact and conflict orientated than in the other leagues.
Don't agree with that - the Super 14 is brutal in comparison to the Prem'....I do wonder if we've just been going through a barren period with the players we produce in England.....a lot of very good players but very,very few you would honestly say have or had the potential to be world class.
JCB123 said:
DJC said:
The English game/Prem is vastly more impact and conflict orientated than in the other leagues.
Don't agree with that - the Super 14 is brutal in comparison to the Prem'....I agree with the comments about getting a squad to play together without chopping and changing, reverts back to what I said about consistancy. Just because England lose one game, doesn't mean they should automatically change half the squad.
In fact it is so far removed from being as brutal from the Prem as to be playing a different game. Nor is the New Zealand domestic game, but if you had said the Saffers Currie Cup stuff then I would be inclined to agree, that is a pretty brutal compt. The 14 is a different game entirely.
Did any of you watch the Currie Cup Final between Western Province and the Sharks? It and both of the Semi Finals were fantastic brutal games of rugby. There is some very exciting young talent coming through the SA system. Really hope those that have made it into the squad for the Autumn internationals are given the free reign to play the way they have been in the Currie Cup.
Thanks DJC, as a Sharks supporter I am in Currie Cup heaven at the moment. Young Patrick Lambie has been a revelation this season, highlighted by his hand off of Schalk Burger to get his 1st try in the Final. Willam Alberts could stop a runaway truck just by running into it the way he is playing at the moment.
JCB123 said:
Without wanting to sound boring, they need to adopt the 'stick it up your jersey' approach of England of old.....ball retention and recycling. It may be boring, but the oppo' hate it, get frustrated and give away penalties.
I have to disagree.England no longer have the personnel to play this type of game and, recently, when they have adopted this gameplan all that happens is they retain the ball for a number of phases, make literally no ground and then give away a penalty themselves for going off their feet, getting isolated or sealing off at the breakdown. All the opposition have to do is soak it up (fairly comfortably) and wait for England to make an error.
Even more so now with the change in the interpretation of the laws at the breakdown, England have to play the more expansive game we saw in the summer and move the ball away from the contact as quickly as possible. Especially important when they're facing the world's 2 best opensides in successive weeks. McCaw and Pocock will kill them if they keep it tight.
MG7 said:
JCB123 said:
Without wanting to sound boring, they need to adopt the 'stick it up your jersey' approach of England of old.....ball retention and recycling. It may be boring, but the oppo' hate it, get frustrated and give away penalties.
I have to disagree.England no longer have the personnel to play this type of game and, recently, when they have adopted this gameplan all that happens is they retain the ball for a number of phases, make literally no ground and then give away a penalty themselves for going off their feet, getting isolated or sealing off at the breakdown. All the opposition have to do is soak it up (fairly comfortably) and wait for England to make an error.
Even more so now with the change in the interpretation of the laws at the breakdown, England have to play the more expansive game we saw in the summer and move the ball away from the contact as quickly as possible. Especially important when they're facing the world's 2 best opensides in successive weeks. McCaw and Pocock will kill them if they keep it tight.
Love the autumn internationals, it gives us a chance to dream we're better than the southerners (but come badly unstuck year after year!)
As per normal my hearts says a Wales white wash of all the major rugby powers. Head says Australia will come out of the block flying and run us ragged in the first half, we'll miss all our lineouts and make life very hard for ourselves. 22-6 half time.
England will get trounced by the All Blacks, they hate to lose, especially against the Aussies, they'll be fired up like a scud up the backside. I can't nothing more than lots of pain for the red rose. Their centre combo this year is proper scary!!!! NZ by 20+
Ireland will try to match SA head on with the usual forward based stuff but feel they (along with the rest of the northerners) will be too rusty and lose.
disco1 said:
Love the autumn internationals, it gives us a chance to dream we're better than the southerners (but come badly unstuck year after year!)
As per normal my hearts says a Wales white wash of all the major rugby powers. Head says Australia will come out of the block flying and run us ragged in the first half, we'll miss all our lineouts and make life very hard for ourselves. 22-6 half time.
England will get trounced by the All Blacks, they hate to lose, especially against the Aussies, they'll be fired up like a scud up the backside. I can't nothing more than lots of pain for the red rose. Their centre combo this year is proper scary!!!! NZ by 20+
Ireland will try to match SA head on with the usual forward based stuff but feel they (along with the rest of the northerners) will be too rusty and lose.
Oh, and unless you're intending striding out with a number 1 to 15 on your back, please don't refer to Wales as 'we'...that's a footballerish thing to do.
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff