The Upside of Winning Ugly

[Rex Messup]

Now that Australiais the new "England" of world rugby, we must explore the positives of winning the penalty goal way

i) In days gone by, we didn't have a goal kicker good enough to win rugby tests. We can now shoot out with the most boring teams in world rugby (of which we are now the most boring of all)

ii) The good thing about winning despite playing so badly and seemingly plucking games out of the fire.......is belief. The team is learning to win. They are building belief that if they hang in there they will prevail. This is an important mindset to develop.

The Rex plan

1. sack Deans. This style of rugby is unsustainable. The Australian public won't support this team through the turnstyles. The performances against France, Italy and wales were as boring and uninspiring as anything rubgy has produced...ever

2. Hire Link - Link is a proven performer. he seems to be a good manager of people and developing peoples strengths and managing around their weaknesses = great leader!

3. Cooper back to 10.

4. Beale is 10Kg too heavy. he is a skinny kid in a fat body and he's lost his zip. Beale has to be given a KPI. If you turn up to wallaby camp above weight x (eg 85Kg), you won't be selected. Get you fat @ss training and get off the p1ss. He has a clear goal. He has a clear expectation. If you weigh 100g over 85Kg, we will not select you.

5. Beale is not a 10

6. Get Phipps out of the wallaby program. He is the worst 9 this country has had

7. Lets get some attacking backs. Put Mccabe at 15. His defence is fantastic and he is good under the high ball. His crash balls from 12 won't win us rugby games. England proved you have to score 35 points plus to beat the allblacks. The wallabies did quite well this year in limiting them tries but we don't even look like scoring a try. You have to be great defensively but unless you score 35 points, you won't beat the allblacks very often.

8. Pretty happy with the pack. They are competing well despite a few hiccups here and there. We have great forward depth now..........better than any time in wallaby history. The dilemma is how do we get Pocock and Hooperin the same team? Does Pocock develop into an 8? It was useful to have Pocock back. He plays hard on the ball and won some fanatstic turnovers against Wales that Hooper wouldn't have done. Hooper brings an attacking edge to our game. he is fast and explosive from his beach sprinting days. He is a great go forward man that can spark an attack by getting the team on the front foot.

9. We will need a massive ball carrying forward in 6 who is also great in the lineout to play Hooper and Pocock.

The season is over. Sharpie got to go out a winner. It was great to see the big fella holding some trophies on his swansong after some lean times for the wallabies and the Force.

Jees it was ugly rugby on this tour. Something has to change. It's hard to watch

[normie]

McCabe at fullback? He needs to learn to pass the ball first. The opposition will simply kick it to him and await the inevitable collision. Otherwise, Wing attack plan R is good.

[palitu]

McCabe played fullback in super rugby didn't he? I like Barnes at FB as he is solid under the high ball, and can kick. However this last game has destroyed my vote for him. He didn't counter attack once.

I recall seing McCabe with a great counter in Super Rugby, and he broke the line well. perhaps that's where crash ball is good, against a staggered defensive line. It'll only work if he is solid under the high ball and can clear fairly well as well.

Rex, I agree, drop Phipps.

[Hansie]

Rex - I disagree.

It's the laws that make for boring rugby not Deans. Test Rugby is boring because stakes are too high for losses. Look at the gnashing and back stabbing, excuses and critiques coming from NZ after their first loss in 20 games.

Link will be forced to play the same defensive orientated game plan in test rugby as Deans does.

Change the laws as follows;

1. Bring back rucking - the ball is being slowed down far too often in the tackle and Ruck area, a few well placed studs on the arm, hand or leg protecting the ball will stop that.

2. With far more athletic players today, make the field 10m wider and 20 meters longer.

3. Get back to the point that when scrum was called, players must be on the mark and ready to engage as a pack within 3 seconds, if not, slower team loses the ball and quick tap must be taken. If fake injuries are used as a method to slow down scrum engagement, yellow card for cynical play.

[Happy]

2. With far more athletic players today, make the field 10m wider and 20 meters longer.

[jono]

Not against a wider field in general. Same thought occurred to me a while ago. But I think there would be a lot of grounds requiring some fairly extensive remodelling if this was the case
Posted via Mobile Device

[zed]

Fullback in todays game have to have wingers pace. McBain does not have wingers pace. He has Ray Martin pace.

Beale is a 10 and can play there well. That's where he has played 90% of his rugby. It doesn't help his game having Phipps there. But yeah we will miss Cooper (the player not the person) and I think let the dust clouds settle and then the ARU should give QC a buzz and have a chat. QC at 10, Beale back to FB, JOC at 12.

[GAFFA]

Fullback in todays game have to have wingers pace. McBain does not have wingers pace. He has Ray Martin pace.

Beale is a 10 and can play there well. That's where he has played 90% of his rugby. It doesn't help his game having Phipps there. But yeah we will miss Cooper (the player not the person) and I think let the dust clouds settle and then the ARU should give QC a buzz and have a chat. QC at 10, Beale back to FB, JOC at 12.

McCabe ran down the Argi Winger in the RC and save a try in doing so after giving up about 10m his speed is just fine. (I cant beleive im sticking up for McCabe i think all our problems started when Deans made him our 12)

[zed]

McCabe ran down the Argi Winger in the RC and save a try in doing so after giving up about 10m his speed is just fine. (I cant beleive im sticking up for McCabe i think all our problems started when Deans made him our 12)

Yeah ok he's quicker than Ray Martin. But he's no Israel Dagg. I'm sure he would do fine at 15, but having serious gas, just gives your backline an extra dimension.

[WFDom]

Saw McCabe play a few games for the Brumbies as full back.

Scary the way he'd catch a ball deep and then just accelerate in to contact. It was like watching the first 10 seconds of Origin 1!

That boy has got no thought for self preservation once he crosses the chalk. A trait that I have massive admiration for. I can't remember the last time I saw him come off with out a head wound!

He's deffo a few croissants short of a continental brekky!

[Alison]

Fullback in todays game have to have wingers pace. McBain does not have wingers pace. He has Ray Martin pace.

Beale is a 10 and can play there well. That's where he has played 90% of his rugby. It doesn't help his game having Phipps there. But yeah we will miss Cooper (the player not the person) and I think let the dust clouds settle and then the ARU should give QC a buzz and have a chat. QC at 10, Beale back to FB, JOC at 12.

I have no doubt that Cooper will be back. I hereby bet all of my vCash $$$ on him signing with the ARU sometime between 9 and 16 Feb 2013!!

[zed]

I have no doubt that Cooper will be back. I hereby bet all of my vCash $$$ on him signing with the ARU sometime between 9 and 16 Feb 2013!!

Am I out of the loop or do you have inside knowledge?? Or is this just pure speculation!

[travelling_gerry]

I see the dark clouds of a vGFC approaching and the vCash eased from you all to aid the Greeks.

[Alison]

Am I out of the loop or do you have inside knowledge?? Or is this just pure speculation!

No inside knowledge; just rapier-sharp cynicism and a woman's uncanny ability to read the runes!!

[PerthGirl]

Hooper for 8? he's fast explosive