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Bearcat
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Oregonia
Dec 1999
time: 05:23
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How are the Eagles doing, if they are playing at all?
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:23
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quote:
Originally posted by ravagon
Something similar happened recently during the S12's didn't it? Don't remember the teams though. Windy conditions and the ball was blown off axis - led to a scrum for the other team (again IIRC) even though the penalty-takers didn't try to pick it up and run it.
Some sort of penalty imposed for not having another player steadying the ball ... ? |
You're right, I recall the same incident. I also recall the reference to the folly of not having someone steadying the ball. But, on the other hand, I've also seen the ball come off the tee - or the little pile of sand - and be replaced. This season, IIRC, there was also a time limit imposed on the taking of kicks, though I can't recall whether it was for penalties, conversions or both. I wonder if that law enters this equation.
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The English must really be on a high at the moment. Coming from behind to beat the Wals, particularly after having managed to hold off the AB's the previous week, has probably given them an even bigger boost than would a crushing win.  |
The bottom line, IMHO, is that England have come a hell of a long way over the last 3 or 4 years. They're a powerful, skilled team but, I think, with a couple of question marks. As I discussed with Havak in the other thread, there are almost two England teams on the field - forwards and backs - and the connection between the two can be immensely haphazard, and, sometimes, just about non-existent. On top of that, there seems to be a lack of strategy and coordination amongst the backs. These problems were on display against both the ABs and the Wallabies and will haunt them in matches against top class line-ups. Apart from that, I'm not sure to what extent playing at Twickers helps them. Winning against top class line-ups away is a very big test - as just about every team in the world knows.
Yes, their comeback against the Wallabies was admirable, but they had 63% possession over the course of the match and found themselves 15 points down midway through the second half. As Havak observed - they should have buried the Wallabies before half time.
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I just wonder if the pile of Havaks empties over the past couple of weeks has reached sufficient mass to perturb the mechanics of orbitting satellites.  |
I gather the CIA are preparing a report - based on satellite observation - to the effect that Havak is constructing a weapon of mass destruction in his backyard.
Truth be told, the pile has already caused the mass destruction of the chap slumped in front of the telly inside!
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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:23
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quote:
He was the only back who counted though |
Hard to agree with that, I think Cohen and Simpson-Daniel showed great promise. The Centres failed to impress yet again however.
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Missed a horrible obstruction from loittering players to, something that led to England getting 3 points |
Now given that yourself and Finbar have picked on this I have a right to point out that throughout the game he continually wagged a finger at the Wallabies for entering from the side (when he saw it that is) – long after he should have started using the yellow card for it. Balance that against 3 points and you got the better of the deal I think. 
Never mind. They are still favourites.
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the stats out of the game are extraordinary |
To say the least. I think your tackle ratio was something like 5:2. England lost no set pieces (restart not counted here). Crucially you lost only two line outs to Ben Kay. And that after Paul limped off as you pointed out. More tested second row pairs have suffered more at our hands so that was exemplary.
Your analysis is very detailed and it’s hard for me to fault much of it. This I liked
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Dan Vickerman steamrolling J**** in a clean-out warmed my heart just a tad, too. |
Part of the game will have the second rows bumping heads. The ‘old stager’ got right back up and back into position. I didn’t see a single hit on him that troubled him at all.
I did enjoy Gregan’s indecision as Cohen burst through towards the end, but that’s a bit picky of me – he had an excellent game and, afterwards, was unusually, well, ‘nice’ for want of a better word.
Eddie however was on good form with some classy quotes, the pick of which was “the great thing about next year is that it is a neutral venue for everyone – except us”
Stating the b******* obvious but doing it will style.
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George Gregan should be applauded for his decision not to take the penalty kick in the closing seconds of the first half. The try was a fitting reward. |
Actually I hated him for it. And putting oil on Wilko’s shoe was a bit low.
(kidding! It was nice to see a brave decision pay off)
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last night they not only took wrong options but seemed, at times, under pressure, not to have a clue |
It remains a massive cause of concern all right.
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There was offside and obstruction all over the place that Honiss missed |
Yes but he didn’t pick you up for either of those all game.
Don’t try to convince me that the Wallabies were the more ‘honest’ team in this game because that’s simply wrong. They were their usual accomplished Professional selves.
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You need someone - and maybe it's not your current coach - who can weld together the backs and the forwards |
I’m tending towards this point of view. Woodward has had a long time to kick Greenwood and Tindall into shape, it simply hasn’t happened. This is not to take anything away form what Clive has done for us. Five years ago we would not have been disappointed with wins over the ‘big two’ however narrow they were. But he has raised the bar for us and it needs to keep moving. I wonder if he has done all he can?
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and we can get our best players on the same paddock at the same time ... |
If our backs could use ball, if Stimpson had been full back and flattened Flatley, if wishes were fishes and all that?
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I watched some of it during the breaks in the England match. The Scots played very well - great passion - and the Boks looked like a rabble. Whatever ground they gained during the Tri-Nations seems to have disappeared again. |
I caught some of it during the odd burst of immense all consuming anger (now why did that happen to me Saturday?) I was really impressed with Scotland. The forwards out muscled the Boks and they played linked up rugby in a way so conspicuously absent with England. Very well done to them.
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Of course, with only one eye open, you missed J**** applying his boot to the back of a Wallaby player on the ground after the ball had moved on |
No I didn’t. Lie on the wrong side and you invite such hints not to do it again. SH refs ignore this little tactic so players will handle it off the ball. As long as he didn’t stamp on his head I have no problem with this – it will have made your player think twice about doing it again. What Vickerman did prevented quick ball and leaked three points not seven – cynical Professional spoiling – yellow card. Technically what Jonno did might warrant red but I would hate to see a player sent off for trying to stop his opponents taking the ****.
But Dawson yes you are right. Utter stupidity and I think the try was ample punishment for such a blatant act.
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Seriously, I was very happy with Vickerman's effort. Justin's too, for that matter. |
They performed really well.
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last night Honiss had obviously pre-determined to obsess about the lineout tunnel. |
It was weird wasn’t it?
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I know nothing more about the match than that |
Gelez missed a penalty that would have lowered Kiwi colours at the death. I can understand why Tamerlin is not too happy with that.
Wales may have beaten Canada but they were shocking in phases and Scott Quinell retired with this game. The ABs play them next weekend and it will be murder I think.
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the ball proved difficult to control because of the november dew |
Thinking on this it was very noticeable how poor the footing was at HQ – when you have Smith and Backy slipping over at the ruck then you have poor traction indeed?
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We had 37% of possession and had absolutely no right to get so close, let alone lead by 15 points midway through the second half. |
At which point Havak was looking for his long lost Scottish ancestry.
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I just wonder if the pile of Havaks empties over the past couple of weeks has reached sufficient mass to perturb the mechanics of orbitting satellites. |
As rare as it is I stayed sober Saturday, but I lost all my finger nails
Strangely the camp is not on a high – they are still talking of looking for the complete performance, and they are well aware that both those teams will trouble them more on the road. There’s a lot to work on, not least that seven tries in two games is more than they conceded and HQ in the preceeding ten games.
I think they are hoping to murder the Boks but they are talking it down as I suspect it will be a very passionate Bok team Saturday – lose to us and their entire tour is a bust after all.
It should be a no-brainer but, as England prove time and time again we can take nothing for granted.
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These problems were on display against both the ABs and the Wallabies and will haunt them in matches against top class line-ups |
Sadly I thought your summary of the situation was pretty spot on. Making progress but nowhere near a complete article yet. And playing at home does hamper us – but it’s become such a money spinner in the autumn that it is fixed firmly in place for as far as the radar can see.
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Truth be told, the pile has already caused the mass destruction of the chap slumped in front of the telly inside! |
A fair comment normally. Thank god I stayed sober this time – it would have called for the Malt whisky I suspect.
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LDiCesare
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La Ferté sous Jouarre France
Jan 2001
time: 05:23
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A few more comments on France-NZ match:
I think the ABs were more than lucky to get a draw. They played like they knew they were weaker, almost never attempting to attack but kicking far instead. This may have been a mistake on their part, as they had much less attack balls than the French and managed to get a try by Umaga when they did. Their first try was also a very nice piece of opportunity-grabbing by the prop. Sloppy defense around a lineout from the French.
On the other hand, France attacked a lot and managed to score very little, thanks to knocks-on, good AB defense and bad luck with kicks (two missed drop-goals, more penalties).
I think the rule about fallen ball when trying to kick is - if the kicker started running, then there must be a scrum. If he didn't start running yet, then he can place the ball again.
The good things were that Clerc totally ridiculed Lomu, the French lineout was excellent except once (which cost a try  ), and Traille is getting better and better as a center.
Note that the evenness of the score is all the more so when you look at the tries: One try out of a lineout on each side (one thanks to the French attack against a prop-less defense, one from the same prop that the French forgot to defend against, maybe they didn't know he had come back from the bin), one try from a back on each side. Both Umaga and Brusque's tries are very beautiful, and they are a bit like one another (except Brusque ended with two players on the back and still managed to score).
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
Hard to agree with that, I think Cohen and Simpson-Daniel showed great promise. The Centres failed to impress yet again however. |
Cohen is a real talent. Simpson-Daniel I'm not sure about yet. I might be getting my England backs confused, but I didn't see much of him against the ABs, and, on Saturday, apart from some quick footwork, generally got swamped in the hurly burly. At times, the centres seemed to be playing as flankers.
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Now given that yourself and Finbar have picked on this I have a right to point out that throughout the game he continually wagged a finger at the Wallabies for entering from the side (when he saw it that is) – long after he should have started using the yellow card for it. Balance that against 3 points and you got the better of the deal I think. |
Outnumbered and he still goes down fighting! General Havak Custer rides again!
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(restart not counted here). |
At how many restarts did we knock on, I wonder. 
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I did enjoy Gregan’s indecision as Cohen burst through towards the end, but that’s a bit picky of me – he had an excellent game and, afterwards, was unusually, well, ‘nice’ for want of a better word. |
That Dawson finished up Man of the Match was telling. I thought he was far superior to Gregan, showing much more initiative and variety. I can't blame this on George's 48 hours in the air between Tests. It's been a little while since George stamped some authority on a match and we're missing it. When he's stomping around dictating (by which I don't mean arguing with the ref), combined with varying his options, we do very well.
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Eddie however was on good form with some classy quotes, the pick of which was “the great thing about next year is that it is a neutral venue for everyone – except us”
Stating the b******* obvious but doing it will style. |
Eddie is feeling the pressure. Very crabby with the Australian media, accusing them of writing off both him and the team. The unfortunate thing is that this is the second dud tour for him. There have been mitigating circumstances both times, certainly, but games like that against the Irish the week before are just about impossible to forgive. And to come out one week later so vastly improved - in attitude, if not in some of the basic skills - is, ultimately, a real problem. Where was the attitude the week before?
What I can't fathom is why our skill levels have dropped. They weren't consistently good even during the local season. Our lineout has been a mess for this whole calendar year, yet I see endless footage of them practising lineouts at training. Rod Macqueen's teams' skill levels - particularly at lineouts - were always good. I'm not sure whether the problem is Eddie, the coaching staff, or both.
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Don’t try to convince me that the Wallabies were the more ‘honest’ team in this game because that’s simply wrong. They were their usual accomplished Professional selves. |
Did I claim otherwise? In fact, it was our professionalism - in every sense of the word - that got us so close on the scoreboard.
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But he has raised the bar for us and it needs to keep moving. I wonder if he has done all he can? |
Sometimes coaches do reach a use-by date. Or maybe he just lacks an overall vision. It's also possible, with the backs problem, that you need a good SH type in the management team - someone like a Kafer, brought up on the importance of backs, who lives and breathes and understands back play, who revels in creating and organising plays. In fact, watching on Saturday night, it occurred to me that the (England rugby x backs) equation seems to parallel the (England cricket x leg spin) equation - neither has much of a clue. I suspect that, back in Kafer's Brumbies days, they used to have competitions to design the most imaginative back plays.
Which reminds me! There was a wonderful comment from Poido during either the Pumas or Irish match. I forget which. After the scrum had been re-set for about the eighth time, Poido growled: "It's a dark science".
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No I didn’t. Lie on the wrong side and you invite such hints not to do it again. |
After the ball has gone? It's quite a different matter when the ball is somewhere nearby. Then, it can be claimed that you were aiming for the ball but missed.
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Thinking on this it was very noticeable how poor the footing was at HQ – when you have Smith and Backy slipping over at the ruck then you have poor traction indeed? |
Either everyone was wearing the wrong studs or there was something wrong with the surface. But - on TV anyway - it looked all right.
Last edited by finbar on 18-11-2002 at 17:31
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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:23
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quote:
At times, the centres seemed to be playing as flankers. |
Cohen is becoming a real predator. When I first saw him I thought him slow and ungainly. Might have got that one wrong. It’s a shame S-D did not get to show his real advantage – raw pace. If you can trawl up a copy of England-Barbarians from May you will see what Clive hopes he will become for England at test level.
I’m glad you picked the centres there. I was telling someone this morning that Tindall in particular was looking to drive the ball into your defence and set the ruck. It must have been game plan – but why???
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Outnumbered and he still goes down fighting! General Havak Custer rides again! |
Being outnumbered has never worried me. I have to keep the NH faith.
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At how many restarts did we knock on, I wonder. |
I’d like to see that stat. Quite a few I suspect.
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I thought he was far superior to Gregan, showing much more initiative and variety |
Perhaps most tellingly he was somewhat ‘naughtier’ as well? It was still stupid of him to put hands in your scrum though, he must have thought Honiss was the other side? His passing to hand was vastly improved on the NZ game, but then the forwards were giving him plenty of comfortable possession as well – he seemed to have more time than he got against NZ?
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Where was the attitude the week before? |
And there I think you have it – it was obvious by it’s absence. I don’t know how Eddie can counter it?
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I'm not sure whether the problem is Eddie, the coaching staff, or both. |
I couldn’t hazard a guess – but it is something they need to diagnose and cure it that is the case. It is not something silly like new sized balls the last season is it? I know the NH lads had a hard time adjusting to the slightly larger (yes really) balls they used in Aussie last summer.
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Did I claim otherwise? In fact, it was our professionalism - in every sense of the word - that got us so close on the scoreboard. |
I was just getting a pre-emptive strike in.
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that you need a good SH type in the management team |
I’m open to the idea. Know anyone it is worth us grabbing?
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"It's a dark science". |
Is that a mixed metaphor? An art can be ‘dark’ but shouldn’t a science be ‘complex’?
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After the ball has gone? It's quite a different matter when the ball is somewhere nearby. Then, it can be claimed that you were aiming for the ball but missed. |
It’s naughtier for sure – but it will happen if the player in question feels a clear message should be sent. And you know the player in this case occasionally feels quite strongly about sending such messages.
How did you rate Kay, his partner in the engine room. He is a very athletic lock, covers ground well and loves to carry ball up. Strangely on Saturday Jonno kept driving ball up the channel.
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Either everyone was wearing the wrong studs or there was something wrong with the surface. But -
on TV anyway - it looked all right. |
There must have been a lot more moisture in it than there appeared.
The problem with Mr Capp is that even if the game were Rugby not soccer it would also be L*****.
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I wonder if bringing Mehrtens into the team caused the difference? |
He whined at them so much they didn’t want to go anywhere near him perhaps?
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If another player had been steadying the ball against the wind, everything would have been all right. |
We live and learn eh?
Last edited by Havak on 18-11-2002 at 19:22
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
Cohen is becoming a real predator. When I first saw him I thought him slow and ungainly. Might have got that one wrong. |
I recall him from before but I can't remember which occasion. Did he play against us last year? Or come off the bench? Whatever, he didn't make a huge impression. Predator's a good word. Very strong, very quick.
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I’m glad you picked the centres there. I was telling someone this morning that Tindall in particular was looking to drive the ball into your defence and set the ruck. It must have been game plan – but why??? |
Mighty fine question. That's what I thought your forwards, et al, were for. It really just removes an attacking option from the arsenel. As Tamerlin said on the other thread, a centre should be able to cover defence as well as attack. My idea of the classic centre is someone like Timmy Horan at his peak.
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It was still stupid of him to put hands in your scrum though, he must have thought Honiss was the other side? |
Or he just took his chances with a professional foul. The Wallabies had the momentum, they weren't far from the line.
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His passing to hand was vastly improved on the NZ game, but then the forwards were giving him plenty of comfortable possession as well – he seemed to have more time than he got against NZ? |
I thought it was a far superior performance to what he showed against the ABs. He put himself into the game more, his passing was better - essentially, he was dictating. Of course, he had the advantage of 63% of the possession, but he utilised it. The problems - so to speak - arose after the ball had left his hands. I'm not sure how much he's to blame for that because I don't know whose responsibility it is to decide the options.
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And there I think you have it – it was obvious by it’s absence. I don’t know how Eddie can counter it? |
Well, something lifted them. I can't believe it was just the challenge of England at Twickenham. Who knows what's going on behind the scenes? Maybe the ridiculous injury toll and the parallels with last year's tour had been getting to them.
There are all sorts of theories being thrown around here - that Eddie has relied for too long on the Brumbie complexion he brought to the job with him; meaning support staff, reliance on certain players, and, most importantly, the Brumbie ethos of the team (players, coach, staff, etc) being one unit, making decisions together, and so on. This is part of that Brumbie mentality I've described before - all for one, one for all, united against all outsiders. I suspect those who support this theory are, in fact, wielding a stick against the Brumbies, and there are lots of people here, with very big sticks, ready to wield them at the first opportunity.
I suspect the problem has been a combination of injuries, poor form - with the injuries requiring out-of-form players to be picked - and several of the key players of relatively recent times reaching their use-by date in international footy. For example, Matt Burke is in the team for his goal-kicking; Dan Herbert was close to being dropped earlier this season until one great game saved him; and Patricio Noriega doesn't do enough and gives away far too many penalties. Add to that - Wendell Sailor is keeping a seat warm for a winger who can play rugby; Stirling Mortlock has been playing in a different position every week; and George Gregan still thinks he's playing behind a high-class pack.
I think we're due for a clean out - not en massse, but in certain key areas involving established Wallaby names - and I think the embarrassment of this tour will ensure that it happens. Eddie is publicly claiming progress, but I think that's PR.
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I’m open to the idea. Know anyone it is worth us grabbing? |
Kafer's there, he would be ideal. How many years left on his playing contract?
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Is that a mixed metaphor? An art can be ‘dark’ but shouldn’t a science be ‘complex’? |
I suppose it depends how literal we want to be. An art can also be complex. Poido was obviously opting for the imagery.
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How did you rate Kay, his partner in the engine room. He is a very athletic lock, covers ground well and loves to carry ball up. Strangely on Saturday Jonno kept driving ball up the channel. |
I saw Kay, but nothing really stood out. The locks seemed almost to cancel each other out in a way. They all did useful things.
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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:23
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quote:
Predator's a good word. Very strong, very quick. |
I think he came off the bench, Luger and Healey started on the wings last time out IIRC. He had personal problems this time last year if I have the timings right (his father was attacked outside a night club and died from the injuries a few weeks later – naturally the boys head was affected). Cohen has been a shoe-in since the six nations this year though and only injury will cost him that place for the foreseeable future.
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It really just removes an attacking option from the arsenel |
Good point. Tindall removed himself from the attack consistently. In fact the only creativity in attack came when our wings linked up I think? The more I think about it the more I would like to see a re-jig of our back line. There may be a Tigers bias (as I am picking the players I see in form) but Stimpson at full back I think – much more solid for the Boks biff machine. Robinson on the wing where he can relax and run properly . Simpson-Daniel at inside centre maybe as his fast hands and feet might work well there. And call in Ollie Smith at outside centre, he is a much more potent threat going forward than Tindall.
So two more Tigers in the starting line up. No bias there then.
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Or he just took his chances with a professional foul. The Wallabies had the momentum, they weren't far from the line. |
That might be being too kind to Matt. He does have brain-fades at times.
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I'm not sure how much he's to blame for that because I don't know whose responsibility it is to decide the options. |
I suspect Greenwood is forcing them from inside centre. He made some real howlers – the crossfield kick down Larkham’s throat for example.
No wonder Tigers shipped him out years ago.
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I can't believe it was just the challenge of England at Twickenham. Who knows what's going on behind the scenes? |
Well there is no doubt that there is bad blood between the teams. It was noticeable how both camps strived to be very nice after the game this time? If you watch the replay of that ‘try’ again from two years ago you will spot Matt Dawson shaking his fist and mouthing some very interesting words at your players. He wasn’t the only one That led to accusations of ‘arrogance’ (quite amusing if you think about it) and festering ill will that has lasted pretty much ever since. I can quite believe they can raise their game for us, but whether that is explanation enough? As you say only the camp knows for sure.
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there are lots of people here, with very big sticks, ready to wield them at the first opportunity. |
I think success breeds this. And Brumbies, whether we like it or not, have been very successful in the last few seasons.
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I think we're due for a clean out - not en masse, but in certain key areas involving established Wallaby names - and I think the embarrassment of this tour will ensure that it happens. Eddie is publicly claiming progress, but I think that's PR. |
Well thus far the Ireland game let you down. There was no lack of credit from last Saturday and that shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat them with. A poor game against Italy would be fatal however – but lets face it that will not happen.
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Kafer's there, he would be ideal. How many years left on his playing contract? |
I think he is due to re-negotiate this season. From what I gather he is fairly happy here, and I suspect unlike Pat he has got over his Wallaby itch at 30. I’d happily surrender him to England if it helps. Send Pat back to tigers and I’ll be doubly happy!
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Poido was obviously opting for the imagery. |
Frankenstiens lab?
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I saw Kay, but nothing really stood out. The locks seemed almost to cancel each other out in a way. They all did useful things. |
That’s fair enough. I was hoping you noticed how he picked your weak link in the replacement hooker and pounced on it?
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The ref didn't have a good game either - he missed about 3 blatant forward passes by the French |
Nor did he understand the offside laws from the little I saw (4 mins of ‘highlights’). I’ll let Tamerlin and LiDiCesare comment on which team they thought was encroaching there?
So we had one ref raining yellows and one issuing endless ‘final’ warnings. Nice to see good consistency in the refereeing then?
Wales are the last opponents for NZ then? They will hit you very hard in the pack – and offer very little anywhere else. I suspect you might put 50 on them.
Hold on two bits of trivia have popped into my head – firstly Josh scored two tries against Gloucester (not bad cover for when Backy and Moody are missing eh?). Secondly Jonno has an NZ U-21 shirt in his attic. Tigers farmed him to a season of NPC way back when he was a teenager and those canny Kiwis used the “if you are here you are a Kiwi” clause so popular at the time. He played (and beat I believe) Australia U-21 wearing the black. He waited some time to repeat that (RWC 95).
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
his father was attacked outside a night club and died from the injuries a few weeks later – naturally the boys head was affected |
I remember reading about that. Sad.
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Tindall removed himself from the attack consistently. |
Leaving aside the late hit on Larkham and the subsequent 3 points.
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In fact the only creativity in attack came when our wings linked up I think? |
That's about right. On the whole, the ball reached a speedster in a fairly ad hoc fashion and then it was on.
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So two more Tigers in the starting line up. No bias there then. |
I'll take your word for all those changes because I don't know. Do you think your backs practise together with your forwards? Do they rehearse plays? You can see the ABs and the Wallabies all getting into position preparing for their plays (even if some of the apparent starting points are blinds in themselves). I never get that impression with England.
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Well there is no doubt that there is bad blood between the teams. |
I suspect some of it might be a hangover from the Lions tour.
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Well thus far the Ireland game let you down. There was no lack of credit from last Saturday and that shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat them with. A poor game against Italy would be fatal however – but lets face it that will not happen. |
Fair point about Ireland, but the Pumas game was abysmal rugby. Yes, the Pumas did their best to drag everything down to their level, but it really was crap. And the reality is that only their defence and passion kept them in the England game. A team with only 37% of possession in a game has been well and truly stuffed somewhere on the field - if not in a number of places. I assume we will play the babies against the Italians. I can't see any other purpose to the game. Playing the best we have and creaming them will be meaningless. Playing the best we have and struggling will be death. Give the babies a chance to show what they've got.
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Send Pat back to tigers and I’ll be doubly happy! |
With that young Springbok now at the Brumbies, I suspect Pat Howard's days are numbered. Tuquiri turned down the Brumbies because of their back line strength and potential for lack of opportunity.
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That’s fair enough. I was hoping you noticed how he picked your weak link in the replacement hooker and pounced on it? |
At that point, I was in despair. Fair enough, Freier had to come on to replace Jeremy Paul, but why did his appearance have to coincide with so many lineouts? And as for sending on Matt Giteau in the crucial closing minutes? The kid was on a hiding to nothing when Chris Whitaker - experienced, cool head, great passer of the ball - was left sitting on the bench.
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He played (and beat I believe) Australia U-21 wearing the black. He waited some time to repeat that (RWC 95). |
When would that have been? Around 15 years ago? I must look up which - if any - of the Wallabies he played against.
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17-11-2002 22:46
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