Wallabies v South Africa - Live scores Durban 23/8/08

[robyn <3]

brownies turn is around the corner. seeing as this test is not as vital, why shouldnt we selet him out on the paddock for this one? id much rather have him choke against the boks this weekend rather than against the allblack in 2 weeks. when a player is not completely outstanding, other people should get a look in. palu has had a great super14 but recently with the wallabies, hes been pretty average. doing some crazy things at scrum time!
every single player on that field should be FIGHTING to keep their spot, not just crusing along in the jumper for goodness sake! i except a major wakeup call when the team is released...

[waratahjesus]

saying Palu is cruising along is just basically saying you dont understand the game im sorry, im not personally attacking you, but Palu has a job to do on the field, number 8 is a position that requires alot of hard work if you dont have a platform going forward at scrum time.

he is playing well, there is nothing cruisy or missing about his play, his numbers and abilities cant be questioned on what he is putting in!

[BLR]

how can you rate brown ahead of palu unless your being extremely one eyed?
rown is a good super 14 player, doesnt mean he is a good international!
Palu is a machine!

Palu has not played one single good game for the Wallabies, he cannot step up, name one game where he played anything like he did for the Tahs? Brown is needed at least for one game as Palu can't play up to the standard we need in a Wallabies number 8.

ELV's needs faster players especially the back 3. Brown is quicker than both of them.

Hoiles is quicker, he's playing inside centre when no one else has been able to for gods sake, however he is too lightweight I'd think.

[waratahjesus]

Palu has been solid all season! watch him int he second half from last saturday, he was awesome, but he didnt make any flashy run so i guess he went missing!

what a load, he steps up week in week out, he is doing the hard yards, someone has to, Palu is world class, Brown has proven himself to be Western Force class, im not saying brown doesnt have it in him, but he isnt the wallabies number 8, because Palu is the best number 8 in the country!

[The EnForcer]

Not sure I would say Palu has been solid all season but he did play well last Saturday. If he was more consistant then I would be happy for him to have that spot as his own but I'm afraid he's not proved that yet.

[waratahjesus]

i think he has proved it, the problem is still as it always has been, we cant get a front row out of this country at the moment that stacks up against the big boys, if the scrum was more solid palu would have a much easier time and make a heap more metres, but the scrum doesnt set a platform and he has to do alot of dirty work!

it doesnt look flashy but he is getting through a ton of work!

[BLR]

Solid is all well and good WJ but most professional players are relatively solid. I have let it be known that I want silverware above all else, so I want the players who can do so. Palu is solid but would he be remembered in ten years as a great Wallaby player? I don't think so, people will remember him as solid. Brown hasn't had a chance but has shown by his improvement the last few years that it is possible for him to become a very good player if given the chance. Palu on the other hand? He's been solid.

Palu is a huge islander who doesn't use his best asset to play the game, it's like if Lote tried to go all twinkle toes on us or if George Smith and Phil Waugh didn't pilfer the ball. When Lote was dropped last year to 'gain speed' it would have served as a wake up call that maybe he needs to up his game, and to his credit he has. Palu on the otherhand has been untouchable in recent years, with the excuse being that despite Hoiles setting the field alight most times he was on the pitch he was too lightweight. Now Palu has a genuine competitor in Brown, so why not play him? I said at the start of the Wallaby season Palu has earnt his place and I don't think Brown will get a place if Palu manages to keep playing to his Super 14 standard, he hasn't done that so it's time to play Brown. Brown would be desperate to impress, while Palu will be desperate to get back into the squad. It will add fire in the belly of both of them and in the end, no matter who becomes our number 8 for the future it will make both of them better players.

[waratahjesus]

he cant play super 14 standard becuase there is a ton more room in super 14 than there is at international level!

no one plays super 14 standard at international level!

Palu has about 10-15 kilos on brown doesnt he, if hoiles is to light i dont think brown is the answer! brown is sitting on about 100kg isnt he, so he weighs less than waugh and smith?

[waratahjesus]

RugbyWA

[waratahjesus]

Wycliff Palu :: NSW Rugby - The Home of the HSBC Waratahs

[The EnForcer]

he cant play super 14 standard becuase there is a ton more room in super 14 than there is at international level!

no one plays super 14 standard at international level!

Palu has about 10-15 kilos on brown doesnt he, if hoiles is to light i dont think brown is the answer! brown is sitting on about 100kg isnt he, so he weighs less than waugh and smith?

If you're gonna argue read the damn post properly!

[waratahjesus]

20 kilos on him and a bit taller, i dont think in a battle of the two 8's you would want brown taking the ball off the back of the scrum against the boks!

[waratahjesus]

If you're gonna argue read the damn post properly!

i did, just one eyed fanaticism about brownm the guy is 100kg, he is a flanker, he aint an international 8!

[BLR]

i did, just one eyed fanaticism about brownm the guy is 100kg, he is a flanker, he aint an international 8!

Considering a few months ago I was universally denounced for some of my critical views on Brown I don't think so. I was accused of being Grumbles Growden for gods sake.

20 kilos on him and a bit taller, i dont think in a battle of the two 8's you would want brown taking the ball off the back of the scrum against the boks!

As I said in my post, Palu doesn't even use his weight like he should be doing so it is essentially a null point. If he threw himself around like he should be doing then the weight would matter more. At the current stage Palu is huge, is solid but doesn't play anywhere near the level a man of his size should be. Brown on the other hand is smaller, has grown in ability in leaps and bounds in recent years, was in great form in a virtual test match against the NZ Maori and has spent a long time on the sidelines hungry for game time. How can you say he is not international standard if he has never been given a shot? By your reasoning Burgess should surely have never been given a chance.

Plus, did you read my overall reasoning to bring in Brown, it was very fair and balanced.

[waratahjesus]

no, he is not international standard because of his size!

if you watched the game on saturday we got hammered, we retained the ball but we rarely went forward off phase play, at the set pieces palu was given the job of recovering from our pack being pushed backwards. he was more than solid he was actually great in setting up a new platform and getting quick ball, running off the back of a scrum with little space is a thankless task and i dont think dropping 20 kilos in weight is the answer, all our forwards got bullied on saturday night!

im not knocking brown he has talent, but being 100kg doesnt lend itself to hitting up a ball on ones own no matter how good your technique may be!

he will get there one day (better suited to flanker), but with the team as it is i dont think he should get a run this year, november is more suited to blooding new players, we need to stick witht he combination we have in the hopes of winning the tourn were in!