Just watching 2nd half. Always thought Maloney is a dickhead..."Carlo Tizzano former Waratah now happily calling the Western Force home" :jerk:
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Just watching 2nd half. Always thought Maloney is a dickhead..."Carlo Tizzano former Waratah now happily calling the Western Force home" :jerk:
Thought Kuenzle was great, but MOM?… come on???
If Joe Schmidt doesn’t know the name Carlo Tizzano after last night I’ll be very surprised
Yeah, I wasn't saying Kuenzle was a bad pick, only that you could have thrown a bucket of paint into the changeroom and gave it to anybody who had paint on them.
It'll be a matter of opinion who gets it from there.
You could put up Ryan Coxon, who put in a massive shift looking after a scrum that was seen as underperforming against a scrum that the media has called one of the best in the competition (both assessments bullshit IMHO, but here we are)
You could have given it to Potter who made 15 look easy and was an attacking threat all night
I think Kuenzle and Tizzano have been ably covered
Hamish Stewart was immense in both attack and defense, he would have been a worthy candidate
Nic White proved that Tate McDermott is a long way from the best 9 in Oz and would have been a decent pick
Jeremy Williams owned their defensive lineout in his short stint, while he likely didn't have enough minutes to actually in it, it wouldn't be an unreasonable one to consider.
Sam Spink was hard as concrete
Tom Horton was ..... well F@ck it, he was Tom Horton, enough said?
Tim Anstee finally had the game we've all wanted out of him and, assuming he can repeat it will make Wells' return a roll of the dice
In fact the entire backrow (even the replacements, since we lost Harris early) made what the media have been calling the 2024 Wallaby backrow look inaccurate and pedestrian, anybody in that troupe could be it.
Ben Donaldson outplayed Tom Lynagh for probably 70 of the 80 minutes.
Depending upon whether you favour backs or forwards, toughness over elusive running, dominance over your opponent or whether you prefer the dirty, unnoticed work over the flashy point scoring stuff, you could make a case for every player to take it out.
I'm no less happy with Bayley getting it than anyone else.
Did he? I can't say I noticed him too much at the game, he's not listed at all on Tazz's attacking stats list is relatively low down on the defensive stats list too. Certainly wasn't a bad performance, and likely better than a typical Wells performance, but I've got high expectations for him and would've liked to have seen him but in a real standout performance to really ensure he keeps his spot in the 15.
What's the word on Harris - has he done a serious injury?
rugby.com.au Team of the Week
7 Force Players! If I recall correctly, a record.
Unfortunately 3 of them currently (tempt you yet Sam?!) ineligible for Wallaby selection.
1. Angus Bell (NSW Waratahs)
2. Mahe Vailanu (NSW Waratahs)
3. Santiago Medrano (Western Force)
Medrano brought the type of form that saw him selected 33 times for Argentina on the weekend against the Reds.
He lifted for the occasion and had Peni Ravai’s number at scrum time along with some great work around the ruck to ensure Nic White fast ball.
4. Tom Franklin (Western Force)
Franklin caused the Reds constant pressure at the breakdown and played a key role in the win.
He was perfect with his defence whilst stepping up at lineout time when Jeremy Williams departed early.
Franklin also crossed for his first try in Force colours when he ended up with the ball amid a mass of bodies on the line
5. Fergus Lee-Warner (NSW Waratahs)
6. Rob Valetini (ACT Brumbies)
7. Carlo Tizzano (Western Force)
Tizzano was a man possessed as he ran rings around the Reds at the breakdown.
He was full of energy and a sheer menace at the breakdown with a pair of turnovers in the first half.
The flanker looked to have found his way over the line in a mess of bodies on the goal line, but the try eventually went to Tom Franklin. He wasn't denied in the second half, palming Ryan Smith and racing away for the try.
8. Charlie Cale (ACT Brumbies)
9. Nic White (Western Force)
A real tough decision by White just edges out Wallabies teammate Tate McDermott.
The two halves went at it all night and whilst McDermott’s work stopped the game from being a blowout, White was more controlled in the winning performance.
He was great with his delivery and popped up when needed for a great try to halt a Reds comeback.
10 Noah Lolesio (ACT Brumbies)
11. Corey Toole (ACT Brumbies)
12. Hamish Stewart (Western Force)
It was a masterclass from Stewart in the midfield against his old side.
He shut down Hunter Paisami and their threatening midfield with some picture-perfect defensive reads along with winning a key turnover.
It just put him ahead of Tamati Tua, who was one of the Brumbies best
13. Sam Spink (Western Force)
Spink’s return was invaluable to the Force as he powered them to the win.
He threatened with ball in hand and made some key tackles to guide the Force to victory
14. Bayley Kuenzle (Western Force)
Kuenzle has found a home on the wing for the Force.
His combination with Donaldson and Harry Potter was crucial as he showcased the pace to score a double.
He broke four tackles on the night to go with a team-high 72 metres off just five carries.
15. Tom Wright (ACT Brumbies)
I didn't pay much attention to the brums match, but I reckon tom wright was pretty lucky.
I thought he had a typical on off day, but I guess I wouldn't be surprised if he'd done some amazing stuff I didn't see