Green and Gold Rugby - the Aussie Rugby Site

We're (sort of) moving!

2008-11-24T08:05:00.003Z

Dear astute rugby officianado,

Over the next couple of days we're doing a bit of a move to another server and blogging application (Wordpress). This is to give us more flexibility and features in the group wanging on department.

The domain name will be the same www.greenandgoldrugby.com so if it disappears or goes apeshit for bit, then just come back a little later.

Matt

Editor in Chief of GreenandGoldRugby.com.

PUMP UP!

2008-11-24T07:55:00.004Z

By Moses

Three weeks into the November tours and Southern Hemisphere strength is proving all too strong for the Northern Hemisphere teams. It's important to note that these games are being playing in their backyards, under their interpretation of the ELV's that we haven't played under before, and in front of their packed out and partisan stadiums.

South Africa now head home undefeated, New Zealand face a pitiful England to complete their Grand Slam, and Australia need to repeat their RWC pool match victory against Wales in Cardiff to finish their tour undefeated. A real shame we're not playing Scotland as a grand slam could be a real option for us as well.

Should the 6 Nations tournament be viewed as a second tier competition? The highest IRB ranked competing country is 5th, and given the performances so far this year it's hard to justify the supposed strength up north. We're used to beating them when they come down our neck of the woods in June, and sure they make excuses about sub-strength squads, but in my book they are just that - excuses.

Wallabies vs France Player Ratings

2008-11-23T17:57:00.010Z

Here are my thoughts on the Australia player ratings vs France at Stade de France on Saturday. See what you think.

Rating scale at bottom.

15 Drew Mitchell Not perfect, but looked a lot more like a fullback than AAC has this year. Some nice kicks 6

14 Peter Hynes - Another solid game in defense, but still not seeing the attacking threat. 5

13 Adam Ashley Cooper - Finally playing in position and looking like it! Great run to set up Moore's try. 6

12 Stirling Mortlock (C), Any time you question the big guy, he comes back to rub your face in it. Always made yards and put a lot of work in defence 8

11 Digby Ioane Now that's more of what we're looking for in a winger! Sure, a couple of headless chook moments, but that's because he was moving at a different pace to the rest of the backline. Really hustled. 7

10 Matt Giteau, I'm now convinced he's playing as an out of position 12, but what has steadily improved over the tour is his positional kicking. Some great touches in that department. What we're still missing though is the set up of the backline. Is this just Larkham hangover or a real deficiency? 6

9 Luke Burgess, On the basis of the first half he would have got 3. If you're gonna pull the pill early out of the ruck, with no blockers formed, then you can't spend time changing your mind or running to no-one. If in doubt, ship it. However, in the 20 he had after half time he addressed this somewhat, Hynes' try being a direct result. 4

8 Wycliffe Palu, the big boys in the pack had a great game on the ball. Big Cliffy made yards with every touch, irrespective of the situation 7

7 George Smith, just a yard behind the pace at the breakdown, but still made an impact around the field 6

6 Dean Mumm, gets stuck into the dirty stuff and is a great option in the line-out. Could do with imposing himself a little more around the park. 6

5 Nathan Sharpe, another stand out performance from the reformed seaguller. Hitting rucks, making tackles and runs in closer to the action rather than out on the wing. Almost single handedly took on the French pack in the first half 9
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

4 Hugh McMenimen, liked his dynamism around the ruck. Have big questions about him at lock in the scrum though; things seemed to solidify when Chisholm came on . 5

3 Al Baxter, his side of the scrum seemed pretty steady. Handy at the ruck. 7

2 Stephen Moore, line-out had a bit of a wobble to start with which we could well have done without. Still dynamic in defense and ball in hand though 7

1 Benn Alexander, the weak link in the scrum, which is tough for a second professional start in rugby, but the truth. Could see his 'dynamism' around the park, but far more interested in a solid platform 4.

Bench:
Chisholm - scrum shored up on his return 6
Kepu - not much time but still got pinged for dropping one. 4
Vanilla Gregan - kept it simple and sharp 6.

Rating system:
10 - A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 - Man of the match worthy performance
8 - Outstanding
7 - Good game, great in parts
6 - Solid performance
5 - Average - ho hum
4 - Below par
3 - Had a bad game
2 - Tell your story walking pal
1 - A complete joke.

France vs Wallabies; score, pixelated review & fuzzy stats

2008-11-22T21:45:00.006Z

France 13 - Australia (and David Skrela) 18

It was ugly as hell (and that might have been because it seemed like I was watching it underwater through a snow blizzard on an intermittent webstream) but stuff it, it was a win.

I get the feeling there will be plenty to pick apart when I get to see a decent version sometime tomorrow, for starters:

There's kicking for territory and then there's just feeding the french back line with up and unders. Is this really our new gameplan?
Wrong team to dick the front row around with
Since when did we become bitches under the high ball?

Should David Skrela not have had his biggest melt-down since the RWC last year, we would have easily been toast. He kicked one from six penalty attempts.

The method to our kicking madness was that yet again the Wallaby defence was awesome, forming a brick wall on the half way line that the French struggled to ever get past.

What was puzzling about the kicking game though were the inroads we were making through the middle of the field, yet again spearheaded by Mortlock (or was it Moore or even Palu...? hard to make out...)

The second try was an absolute peach of powerful running and quick phase recycling. I have a feeling the first was as well, but could only see a Wallaby coloured blob that I'm told was Moore get over from about 5m out.

So at last the Wallabies win one of those tight games that they'd got into the habit of losing. The fantastic news is that it means Australia has now won 3 back to back tests on the road. The first time since 2000, which was also the last time we won in France. The game might have been ugly, but these facts will look like Scarlett Johanson with her ankles behind her ears to Deans and his men, and to me.

Click to enlarge:

Wales vs New Zealand, England vs South Africa, scores & reviews

2008-11-22T18:59:00.006Z

Wales 9 - All Blacks 29

Full marks to Wales for doing the best stare down of the Haka (especially this new choreographed production) I've seen. They refused to move and made the ABs turn first. Nice.

This aggression carried on into the first half where Wales played some great rugby and were unlucky to go into the sheds only 9-6 up. However, the Kiwis did two things to turn the game around in the second half:

Go back to the simple stuff. The Welsh just couldn't get their hands on the ball for the second half
Ditch Jimmy Cowan. Instant improvement. If he concentrated on his game as much as looking pissed off he'd do OK. As it is he just looks like a twat and got hammered for some of the worst scrum feeding I've seen

Notes for next saturday: The Welsh scrum didn't do anything special, not living up to it's hype. Shane Williams and Lee Berne are pretty tasty though. To be watched. Stephen Jones had a great first half. They're still not fit.

England 6 - Springboks (can we say that?) 42

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe. It goes from bad to worse for the poms, and the level of their shitness seems to be directly linked to just how badly Danny Cipriani plays. They could just do nothing right today, in any facet of the game. Johnson has a long, long way to go.

Can the magic continue? France v Wallabies Preview

2008-11-19T22:45:00.006Z

Four days on and the smile still hasn't left my face. But can the magic carry on?

The beginning of this century was the last time the Wallabies beat the French at home. Outside of Word Cups, before last weekend Australia hadn't won two away games in a row since 2004, and hasn't won three since 2000. You can see why Antipodeans is so keen to talk about 'backing up' wins
and should he notch another one up here, then this band of Wallabies will definitely be rising above the 'historical blip' status in terms of stringing wins together.

We haven't seen much of the real French team since the Six Nations early this year, and ominously they seemed to have served up their pre-requisite shite games over the last couple of weeks. We all know there is no more unstoppable attacking force than French when it all 'clicks' for them, and so I think this game is a potential ambush for Australia.

Add to this the performance last week. Yes, it was great and said "we can do this". But so did the Capetown win before JoBurg in the Tri-Nations. I also wonder what it means as far as recovery is concerned - that was one tough test match.

Again I think Giteau's boot is going to have a lot to do with this one. The forecast in Paris over the next few days isn't good and a night game will ensure, a chilly night (7 degrees), greasy ball and soft turf. Expect another slug fest. If we win it, it wont be by much

Mortlock hit on Flutey

2008-11-19T20:37:00.000Z

Here's a replay of Stirling Mortlock's crunching tackle on Riki Flutey. With these touch judges he was lucky not to be penalised, but it would have been worth it the lift it gave the team.

Also in this sequence is Cross' impressive turnover, and an example of one of those little no-where runs that Burgess made a habit of last Saturday.

Robinson smashes Vickery

2008-11-19T16:56:00.002Z

Here's a birthday present I got today, from Cecil B. De Moses as it happens. One of the best I got (and there were a few good ones in there!)

Wallabies vs France Teams

2008-11-18T13:42:00.004Z

Here are the teams for Australia vs France this Saturday at Stade de France.Robinson gets a rest with Alexander at loose head and Kepu on the bench. Palu's back at 8 after his rampage at Twickers and Brown's injury. Chisholm hits the bench, MMM replaces him and Mumm steps into blindside. A good pack but a risk at loose head?

For France Ellisalde is out following his coathanger from the PI's last week and Captain Caveman Chabal comes in at Lock.

Wallabies
15. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Peter Hynes
13. Ryan Cross
12. Stirling Mortlock (C)
11. Drew Mitchell
10. Matt Giteau
9. Luke Burgess
8. Wycliff Palu
7. George Smith
6. Dean Mumm
5. Nathan Sharpe
4. Hugh McMeniman
3. Al Baxter
2. Stephen Moore
1. Ben Alexander

Run on reserves:
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau
17. Sekope Kepu
18. Mark Chisholm
19. David Pocock
20. Sam Cordingley
21. Quade Cooper
22. Digby Ioane

France
Maxime Midard; Julien Malzieu, Benoit Baby, Yannick Jauzion, Cedric Heymans, David Skrela, Sebastien Tillous-Borde; Imanol Harinordoquy, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Thierry Dusautoir; Lionel Nallet (capt), Sebastien Chabal; Nicolas Mas, Dimitri Szarzewski, Lionel Faure

Replacements: Benjamin Kayser, Benoit Lecouls, Romain Millo-Chluski, Louis Picamoles, Julien Tomas, Damien Traille, Alexis Palisson

Australia v France – Historical Notes

This is the 39th Test between teams representing Australia and France, dating back to the inaugural meeting between a touring New South Wales side and France in Paris in 1928, which the visiting side won 11-8. This match was awarded Test status by the ARU. In total, Australia has won 20 matches and France 16, with two previous draws.
Nineteen Tests have been played between the two nations on French soil with France having won 12 to Australia’s six, while one was drawn.
France has won the last three clashes on home soil, with Australia’s last success an 18-13 win at Paris in 2000.
The most recent match between the two teams – at Brisbane in July – saw Australia record its highest winning margin against a French side, in posting a 40-10 victory.
To celebrate the bi-centenaries of Australia and France in 1988 and 1989 respectively, the French Rugby Union donated the Trophée des Bicentenaries to be played in perpetuity between the two countries. The trophy is a bronze sculpture featuring two players in a tackle. Although the trophy dates from 1988, it was first contested in 1989. Australia won the Trophée des Bicentenaries in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and earlier this year.
The record for the most tries by an Australian player in a Test against France is two. It is shared by six players – including Stirling Mortlock and Ryan Cross, who will both feature again in Saturday’s contest. Cross scored his double during the Brisbane Test earlier in the year. Only David Campese (with five) has scored more tries for Australia against France than Mortlock, who has three.
Flanker George Smith will tie George Gregan and David Campese for the second most Tests played by a Wallaby against France, by earning his 10th cap.

Wallabies vs England Video Highlights

2008-11-18T08:16:00.003Z

Not great highlights, but worth it for the hit by Cliffy on Cipriani at the end.

Wallabies vs England player ratings

2008-11-17T18:46:00.005Z

Here are my thoughts on the Australia player ratings from the momentous test at Twickenham on Saturday. Tally with what you saw?

Rating scale at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper Everything was OK, except for the kicking. Still not a fullback. 4

14 Peter Hynes - Not seeing the gas or sparkle a winger should have. Couldn't get around Croft the England blind side with 10 yards gap. 4

13 Ryan Cross - Like Hynes just seemed flatfooted and took the wrong options. Still a few questions in defense, although made a good turnover. 4

12 Stirling Mortlock (C), His demolition of Flutey, whether running over him or putting the Kiwi on his arse summarised the manful performance he put in. Led from the front including a cameo long range kick. 8

11 Drew Mitchell Yet again looked the better of the back 3 with some intelligent long range kicking backed up with good kick chase and defense 6

10 Matt Giteau, my sense is that there's a certian disappointment with Giteau's performance around the place, but when you think about it, what else could he have done? His defense was outstanding (including the try saver on Mears), his push pass made AAC's try, he turned them around with his kicking and slotted seven from eight. 8

9 Luke Burgess, Another guy who's copped a bit, but in this claustrophobic game he fronted up and wrestled with the rest of them including tackles, turn overs and fielding kicks. Still polish to come though. 6

8 Richard Brown, didn't have the same power onto the ball today that he did in his other games 5

7 George Smith, again the breakdown interpretation didn't suit his game, but his workrate was outstanding (20 Tackles, 7 Ruck/Maul, 6 Runs) 7

6 Hugh McMenimen, finally started to see his dynamism, especially hitting the ruck and applying pressure (18T) 6

5 Nathan Sharpe, Unbefµckinglievable. What a turnaround. From prime seagull to mr hitman. Charge downs, picked up and offloaded the lineout ball that led to the try, was everywhere, most pleasingly around the ruck and hard stuff. Line-outs and restarts excellent. I don't know how he was walking at the end (20T, 13RM, 7R). Even though the two Cipriani breaks went past one of his shoulders he still gets 9

4 Mark Chisholm, keeps improving and is getting more and more acquainted with real work. 7

3 Al Baxter, If you look at my description of a "10", then you have to say this is one. He monstered the monster, physically and mentally for him and the team. That picture of Sheridan, where he's trying to look nonchalant after being pinged for collapsing, with chalk and blood seared over his face, is worth 1000 words. This could well be the biggest turning point in Aussie rugby for nigh on ten years (13T) 10
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

2 Stephen Moore, line-out superior, scrum superior, tackled himself to death (15T, 2RM, 2R) 10
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

1 Benn Robinson, is this guy still officially a rookie? Incredible. He's a star. 10.
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

Bench:
Palu - took his role back in the team. Great runs, great hits (11 of them including the peach on Cipriani) 8
Mumm - forced a turnover with a great hit on Mears. Managed to rack up 7 tackles in his time on the field. 7
Rest of bench - Not enough time. While I like the idea of keeping continuity in a game, Dingo pushed it a little far.

Rating system:
10 - A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 - Man of the match worthy performance
8 - Outstanding
7 - Good game, great in parts
6 - Solid performance
5 - Average - ho hum
4 - Below par
3 - Had a bad game
2 - Tell your story walking pal
1 - A complete joke.

Wallabies scrums from Twickenham video highlights

2008-11-17T07:17:00.005Z

Here are the scrums from Australia vs England at Twickenham. Enjoy.

Thanks to Cecil.B de Moses

It was fascinating with the radio feed from the ref at the ground ('Ref-link'). I'm not sure how much of it you got over that twat commentator on the Aussie feed (where was he from?)

At every other breakdown you could hear Smith shouting "Release, release!" as he stood over the ball. He had a chat with Jonkers during one of the pommy penalty attempts where he brought this up. Jonkers had a chuckle and said "sometimes you win them George and sometimes you lose". On another day Smith would have forced 4 or 5 penalty turnovers. The baying Twickenham crowd (who were already pissed off with the ref) would have exploded if Jonkers had. I wondered if that was partly behind his comment.....

Something else that was really clear through the ref link was where the problems in the scrum were. Very early on Moore brought to Jonkers attention that the poms were pulling back after engagement. The TJ Brycie Lawrence also spotted Vickery tugging Robinsons bind about the same time. Jonkers picked up on both of those and was warning the poms.

The clincher was the scrum in their 22 on our own ball which was steady and got a nudge on. After that it was clear who could keep a scrum up and who couldn't.

England vs Wallabies Twickenham Score, Review, Photos

2008-11-15T09:39:00.013Z

England 14 - Australia 28

There is only one test match I've been to that felt better than that, and it was the 1991 World Cup final. What a game. What a vindication.

In world sport there can't have been many who have carried the stigma that Al Baxter and the rest of the Aussie forward pack has carried for the past three pus years. We've all been guilty of heaping it on him and, and none more guilty than the Pommy press. This week it's been at fever pitch.

What a way to answer it. Front row shenanigans can be confusing, but watching the game first hand and listening to the ref by radio, it was very fucking clear what happened today. The Aussie scrum not only matched the self vaunted Pommie eight, it smashed it.

There were two tight head scrums today, both won by the men in gold. The second, in which Australia literally ran over England was right in front of me. It was the culmination of a number of scrums in which it became increasingly obvious that far from it being the Aussie pack hiding their inadequacies, it was the men in white who were fragile.

Within three packdowns Jonkers and his assistant refs had picked Vickery for tugging Robinsons bind and most importantly the whole England scrum for pulling back after the hit. So much for all the bitch tits whining from Stephen Jones et al about Australia's 'nepharious tactics'. Once England found they couldn't trick the ref into penalising the Wallabies as per popular wisdom, they had nothing. Literally.

In a bitterly ironic opposite to the 2005 game, both Vickery and Sheridan eventually left the field physically shattered, leaving Baxter and Robinson victorious and undefeated to the end.

As my old man said afterwards:

"We could have lost the game, I couldn't care. To see those two tight heads was all I wanted."

It wasn't just the scrum in which the Wallaby pack excelled. Restarts, line-outs and most of all defence were all met with a complete disregard of personal safety. The hits I heard through the ref-link were unbelievable. Chisholm, Sharpe and Palu (when he came on for a fantastic cameo), put in massive tackles phase after phase, without let up.

Twenty minutes to go and most of the players looked out on their feet, I'm not sure I've seen internationals so spent. Yet the big hits continued. They wanted this, more than I've seen a Wallaby team want another game since a semi-final in 2003.

Many aspects were far less than perfect. Most notably the tactical kicking. Save two, it was embarassing.

But what gave me a smile almost as wide as the scrum's dominance, was the constant ticking over of the scoreboard from pommy penalties. How fitting it was to see the country that brought us the Woodward/Wilkinson penalty machine and the the most vociferous objections to the sanction ELVs hoisted on their own pitard (a.k.a fucked with their own dildo). Giteau chip kicked us on throughout the match with a regularity that kept 80,000 poms quieter than I have ever heard them.

No, it didn't make for the most beautiful game. But hey, they're the rules the north wants to defend. And when in Rome......

But here's the thing that's most satisfying of this whole win. It was built on the grit of a forward platform that any side who want a shot at greatness must have. The frilly bits Australia can do, it's a few positional changes and a few passes going to hand. But the forward performance we saw today was one that could well enable greatness.

What a day

A few photos from my crappy iPhone camera below (did I mention I was there?):

Scores: 0-3 Giteau pen, 0-6 Giteau pen, 3-6 Armitage drop, 3-9 Giteau pen, 3-12 Giteau pen, 8-12 Easter try, 11-12 Cipriani pen. 14-12 Cipriani pen, 14-15 Giteau pen, 14-18 Giteau pen, 14-21 Giteau pen, 14-26 Ashley-Cooper try, 14-28 Giteau con

England: D Armitage; P Sackey, J Noon, R Flutey, U Monye; D Cipriani (T Flood 71), D Care; (H Ellis 66); A Sheridan (M Stevens 34-42), L Mears (D Hartley 70), P Vickery (M Stevens 64), S Borthwick, T Palmer (S Shaw 64), T Croft, T Rees (M Lipman 64), N Easter (J Haskell 59).
Australia: A Ashley-Cooper; P Hynes, R Cross, S Mortlock, D Mitchell; M Giteau, L Burgess; B Robinson, S Moore, A Baxter, M Chisholm (D Mumm 65), N Sharpe, H McMeniman (T Polota-Nau 79), G Smith, R Brown (W Palu 45).
Referee: M Jonker (South Africa).

Wallaby history and Eddie Jones

2008-11-15T08:50:00.007Z

Eddie Jones has made history by talking sense twice in the last seven days. First in the Times, giving his match preview and picking the back row to be an edge for us.

The second, a great article pointed out by Bobas in the Independent, goes through in depth how Australia has managed to clearly dominate world rugby with only 40 of us playing it. It's too long and probably illegal to put it all here, but there were a couple of good points he makes about the talent pool, and why expanding the S14 for Aussie teams over time is so important:

"In Australia, there are four professional teams [until pretty recently, it was three], each offering 30 or so full-time contracts. It means there are only seven or eight possible candidates for each Wallaby position, including first-season rookies, the majority of whom aren't really in the running.

There are 16 elite teams in Australian rugby league and 18 in Aussie Rules. In union, there are four. Below those Super 14 teams, there are possibly five clubs who might play at the standard of the Second Division in England. If you were a keen young sportsman, where would you concentrate your efforts? In England, if you fall short of expectations or fail to fulfil your potential at one club, there's always the chance of a contract elsewhere. In Australia, that chance doesn't exist."

There was another interesting article this week as well on Rugbyheaven called Truth of Twickenham Revealed, in which Ewen Mckenzie and Ben Darwin decided to 'put the record straight' on the infamous uncontested scrum debacle of 2005 at Twickenham.

The two ex-wallabies point out that no two props can hold a scrum together on their own, because if you re-look at the footage (photo attached):

We have a midget backrow - Smith, Waugh and Roe
One of them, Smith at 8, has dropped off the scrum to play 9
You could drive a bus through the middle of the locks - Sharpe and McMenimen - which the Poms did

As McKenzie said:

"It was like bringing a knife to a gun fight"

So there we have it. Baxter and Dunning are actually great props. We'll find out today.

I finally watched the second half of the Italy game last night and you know what, I reckon there was a lot positive there. Some very good rugby, royally fµcked by the last pass every time. And the eyeteyes tackled their nuts off as well.

I know I'm desperately searching for it, but if a few of these passes stick and Link and Darwin are right, then just maybe today........

"why isn't mark gerrard in the test squad?"

2008-11-14T11:41:00.004Z

OK, own up. Who's typed the above 16 times into Google this week, linking it each time to here?

I don't mind, or disagree. But WHY? :D

It all makes sense to him

2008-11-14T00:27:00.003Z

He's not a hobo.

He's our second row.

Seriously

Australia vs England test preview

2008-11-13T17:20:00.006Z

If you're looking for a completely level headed assessment of the Wallabies chances at Twickenham on Saturday, you've come to the wrong place. It might not be the bias you'd expect though. My problem is that I've been burned too many times.

This century Australia has lost 4 out of our 5 encounters against the poms at Twickenham, and I've been there for them all.

Having declared my bias, here goes.

As usual everyone looks towards our backline as an edge over the traditionally one dimensional poms. Undoubtedly there's talent in it, but right now when I look at our backline I see a 12 at 10, a 13 at 12 and no 15 anywhere. We've no tactical kicking game to speak of, so should the forwards start going backwards there's no plan B.

The England backline showed good counter-attacking power on saturday, especially through their back three ignited by Care at 9. But we're yet to see what they can create on attack and I'm not sure Flutey and Noone are the guys to do it. It could be though that Brian Smith is sensibly playing to his strengths and decided they don't particularly need it.

This brings us to the much vaunted show-down (or as the pommy press would have it - "smack-down") between the packs. The wanging on about our dodgy front row has reached fever pitch (from both hemispheres) but what really lost us the RWC QF last year wasn't the scrum, as much as the breakdown.

ASSUMING the scrum has improved enough to avoid yellow cards and deliver our own ball, it's the work at the breakdown that's even more important. I expect Smith and Brown to win the race, and should MMM, Sharpe and Chisholm get off the wing and stuck into the dirty stuff, Burgess should be able to deliver some quality ball that even an out of place 13 can bulldoze onto.

Watching the 20 stone Census Johnston come out even with Sheridan last week gave me some hope, but reading what his scrummaging team mate at Sale and international prop Stuart Turner has to say doesn't help:

"He doesn't do half-measures. Scrummaging against Sheri ruins your body, I don't recommend it.
The most important thing about a scrum is the hit, getting a good position against your opponent and hopefully gaining a bit of momentum. Sheri does well at that because his athleticism and size make him so quick across the gap, he's on to you straight away. But he's also one of the few people you can think you've got in a weak position after the hit, but he will still be able to wrestle his way back and lift you up, because he's so strong. You can't relax against him ever.”

It's no exaggeration to say that this will be the defining moment of Al Baxter's career. It's surely his make or break moment with Antipodeans.

Looking at the progress and situations of these two teams I'd say that Australia has closed the gap a little on the England pack, but that even with their young guns, the England backs have similarly closed in on the makeshift Wallaby back-line. I believe this is going to make it an extremely close game and under the half-baked ELVs the place kickers' form will have a big influence on the result.

The average scoreline of all Twickenham Cook Cup games this century turns out to be 24-20 to the home side with two tries a piece. With no Wilkinson and a better forward performance, I believe we can bridge this gap, but only just. Australia by 1. Please.

Most hated rugby team?

2008-11-13T09:35:00.005Z

Which nation is the international hate figure of world rugby?

Is it South Africa with Bakkies Botha as their poster boy?
Is it the Kiwis with their annoying win record and ignorance of breakdown laws?
Is it England with their traditional cluelessness with the ball in hand?
Or is it the unpredictability and arrogance of the French?

Nope. I reckon it's us, Australia.

There I've said it.

Growing up, it was simple. There were the bad guys in black like Richard Loe, and the good guys in gold like Michael Lynagh. We had Rod McQueen's understatement and Ealesy balanced out that lovable rogue Campo. Australia were the one team that challenged New Zealand's strangle-hold at the top, and do it with running rugby.

Early 90's England thought Australia was great as well. We were the smiling friendly guys living under perpetual sunshine in Neighbours. The Wallabies were talked about in the same reverential breath as the All Blacks.

But that's long gone. In Pommy, and I suspect world eyes (shit, we even get traditionally booed at the HK sevens), what we see as banter, they've come to see as cock-sure arrogance. It probably started with Campo in '99, got ramped up by Eddie Jones until '06, and was carried on by O'Neill and Tuqiri at the RWC last year. Ricky Ponting hasn't helped things along the way.

If you're winning, you can get away with a lot. But we haven't been. And what's been even sweeter for the previously downtrodden, is the nature of the losses - weakness in the most manly area of the game - up front.

I believe this is a key source of the insanity and intransigence of the norths ELVs refusal. As in all wars that escalate out of proportion, both sides see themselves fighting a greater evil. The south against faceless old school tie pompous conservatism, the north against a dodgy dealing south bent on re-creating rugby league to re-assert their dominance.

John O'Neill is the lightening rod for the Norths venom as to date he's kept up the modern Aussie tradition of not going quietly. So we Australia now cops all this as well. Do you see any Kiwi heads above the parapet?

If you give a shit, the good news is that the answer to these problems is in place. Perhaps because he's not originally Australian, Aussie Robbie doesn't go for the verbals. It's been hilarious watching the press doing their best to stir ahead of Saturday's game, so far without ammunition. If he can put this together with some actions that speak louder than words, then who knows. Maybe we can be the second most hated team in world rugby?

Wallabies vs England Teams

2008-11-11T22:56:00.001Z

Here are the England and Australia teams to face each other this weekend.

Australia
Adam Ashley-Cooper; Peter Hynes, Ryan Cross, Stirling Mortlock (C), Drew Mitchell; Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess; Richard Brown, George Smith, Hugh McMeniman, Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm, Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson.

Reserves: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Matt Dunning, Dean Mumm, Wycliff Palu, Sam Cordingley, Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane..

England team: D Armitage (London Irish); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), R Flutey (Wasps), U Monye (Harlequins); D Cipriani (Wasps), D Care (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), T Palmer (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), M Stevens (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), J Haskell (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester).

Quade Cooper try for Wallabies vs Italy, Padova

2008-11-11T02:55:00.003Z

Here's a 'different' take on video highlights of the Australia vs Italy test on the weekend. Only really covers the Cooper try. Nice effort from Mr Mullet, although calls for a starting spot at 10 are a little premature. Check out Mortlock's hit on the centre defender. Hilarious how he then feels compelled to then run away from the incident...

England vs Pacific Islanders - Australian perspective

2008-11-09T23:42:00.005Z

Poms vs Wallabies - crunch day approaches. What does the run out England had against the Pacific Islanders last Saturday tell us about it though?

The bad news (or good news if you're a pom)
It was a 5 try to 1 win for the men wearing soccer players kit. So any hopes of a 'new team set up' shmozzle are out the window for starters. England have had a knack of taking a bunch of guys excelling in the Guiness Premiership or Euro Cup, and turning them into chumps. Against the PI, to a man they at the very least put in a solid professional performance.

And there were a bunch who showed more than that. Rees (7) and Easter (8) are hitting their international stride. While I'd put Rees a step behind Smith for speed to breakdown, he brings more impact and physicality. Easter is a pommy Palu with more nouse and footballing ability. The hooker Mears has a touch of Jeremy Paul about him, with a few more kgs.

The tight 5 found yards whenever they wanted them, but didn't monopolise the ball. Halfback Danny Care was almost Burgess like in his speed of ball clearance and nose for an opportunity, but more accurate with the pass. Clearance speed at the breakdown is a factor that England tend to forget to the relief of the rest of us, but with Care in the chair, it looks like his natural game. As we all know, big boys coming onto quick ball is lethal.

And the big boys aren't limited to the pack. Essentially the back 3, in terms of size and pace, are 3 Lote Tuqiris - the debutant 15 Armitage having a man of the match performance. Against the PIs, out was the ponderous pommy side to side predictability, and in was dangerous open field running from taps, turnovers and kicks.

The good news
They have props for centres. Flutey and Noon are big boys (there's a theme here...) but didn't show the agility to get through a hole. I also wonder about their defence against a stepper like Giteau. Mortlock would worry them less.

For Cipriani, read Beale. Talented no doubt (for chissakes, check out his girlfriend) but it's early days for the wunderkind. The PI's only try came from a charge down on a kick he could have made 3 times over.

Wingers. Ball in hand they look dangerous. But ball over or behind them? This does rely on the Wallabies having a kicking game though.....

Speed to the breakdown. Smith, or even Pocock should have the edge here. Latu did a great job. As we know though, this is very ref dependent.

The PI scrum not only held up, it milked a few penalties..... wishful thinking?

Wallabies vs Italy; score from Padova

2008-11-08T15:54:00.004Z

Italy 20 - Australia 30.

I haven't seen the game as yet as no-one showed it up here, but by all accounts it was a pretty piss poor effort. Perhaps a few who saw it could give an opinion?

Italy 20 (14)
Tries
Mirco Bergamasco
Goals
Andrea Marcato (2pg 1dg)
Luciano Orquera (2pg)

Australia 30 (14)
Tries
Lachlan Turner
Quade Cooper!!
Goals
Stirling Mortlock (1pg)
Matt Giteau (5pg 1c)

Adam Ashley Cooper at fullback?

2008-11-06T21:42:00.005Z

From what I've seen written about the place (including by Pedro just a few minutes ago!) there's fairly universal bewilderment about Antipodeans' persistence with Adam Ashley Cooper at 15. No doubt he's a fine 13 or winger, but the aimless kicking verges on the disastrous. So why is he still there?

With the Honkers match, I reckon I've just started to understand where Deans is trying to get to with the back 3

It's to do with the kick returns - a place where the 'Saders have been so strong over the years. Instead of relying on a Latho to field the ball at the back and pull something out of his arse by way of reply - man on man, or kicking - Deans has the back three line up right across the park as the pill is taken.

So then what we see, a la Honkers, is Hynes or AAC throwing wide passes across the back to find the holes and space for pacey ball runners like AAC, Mitchell, Hynes or Cost-a-lote to run through. Getting a kick chase together is tough enough, covering the width of the pitch almost impossible. This is one of the few chinks left in moden defenses .

In theory, this approach makes kicking and positional skills less important than pace, step and swerve. Although if you could go for all, you would (Latho come back!).

It's also no doubt that we're still a way off in being able to implement this tactic effectively, but the first signs are there.

I think this is why he's staying with AAC - the length of the field runs he can do as a natural runner when working with two others across the back. If it isn't, then I'm buggered if I know.

Makes sense?

Wallabies vs Italy Teams Padua

2008-11-06T07:42:00.005Z

Below is the Australia team to play Italy in Padova this weekend. Why we're announcing teams later than any other team in the world, I'm not sure, because this squad of 22 has been leaked accurately over the past 3 days.

On the positive side, it'll be fascinating to see Barnes at 10 - where there's a growing consensus he should probably swap with Giteau. Also good to see Turner and Ioane get run outs. It will be interesting to see if watching rugby videos has made Tahu a better defender.

However, in the pack, where we know the Eyeteyes are strong, has a few worries about it. First off - no specialist second rowers. While losing Sharpe on current form is no blow, MMM hasn't made a good fist of lock yet.

Even more worrying is the front row. Ben Alexander (pictured) hasn't started a professional game of rugby in his life, yet runs out. He's backed up by Sekope Kepu on the bench who has no caps. But that's all right, the whole thing's anchored by Matt Dunning.......

On the bench, O'Connor and Cooper are potential debutants, and could find themselves right in the thick of it should this game go the way I fear.

Deans is certainly rolling the dice. Maybe this team is designed to confuse Mallet by giving him too many targets to aim at?

Wallabies vs Italy

15. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies)

14. Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs)

13. Stirling Mortlock (Brumbies) captain

12. Timana Tahu (NSW Waratahs)

11. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds)

10. Berrick Barnes (Queensland Reds)

9. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs)

8. Richard Brown (Western Force)

7. Phil Waugh (NSW Waratahs)

6. Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs)

5. Hugh McMeniman (Queensland Reds)

4. Mark Chisholm (Brumbies)

3. Matt Dunning (NSW Waratahs)

2. Stephen Moore (Queensland Reds)

1. Ben Alexander (Brumbies)

Run on reserves:

16. Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs)

17. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs)

18. Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs)

19. David Pocock (Western Force)

20. Matt Giteau (Western Force)

21. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds)

22. James O’Connor (Western Force)

Referees for Wallabies Euro Tour

2008-11-05T08:22:00.005Z

(Most) refs are people and therefore never perfect. Also, the better you play, the less their performance matters. However, the display on Saturday in Hong Kong from Alan Lewis was a turd of such heinous proportions that it's not only floated a media stink, it's also prompted me to check out who the officials are for the rest of the tour.

To nip the accusations of "one eyed aussie" in the bud, here's the summary of Lewis' performance from a man who has equal hate for both Australia and New Zealand, Stephen Jones of the Times.

It was disfigured to a large degree, however, by the endless resetting of collapsed scrums and also by a remarkable assault on Australia by referee Alan Lewis, who took nearly 70 minutes to penalise New Zealand’s notorious play at the breakdown. That is a record which may never be beaten.

For all the good it may do I now read that John O'Neil has complained to IRB ref supremo Paddy O'Brien about just how crap the Irishman was. Our only hope here, as pointed out by Leg Break is that he's a serial "equalizer". The last time he'd reffed the ABs they ended up with 3 yellow cards. Maybe we're in for some love vs Wales.

I only know that because I hoofed out who'll be reffing the rest of the matches and stuck em below. Inspire any other causes for concern? By memory Brycie and Joubert weren't bad this year and most importantly aren't that little prick Kaplan. Steve, "look at me" Walsh for the pommy game though......

8 Nov - Italy v Australia, Padova
Referee: Bryce Lawrence
Touch judges: Craig Joubert, Marius Jonker

15 Nov - England v Australia, Twickenham
Referee: Steve Walsh
Touch judges: Bryce Lawrence, Tim Hayes

22 Nov - France v Australia, Paris
Referee: Craig Joubert
Touch judges: Chris White, David Changleng

29 Nov - Wales v Australia, Cardiff
Referee: Alan Lewis
Touch judges: Dave Pearson, Romain Poite

3 Dec - Barbarians v Australia, London
Referee: Chris White
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes, Stuart Terheege