Brumbies hold off Western Force

[BeeJay]

Force coach Richard Graham rued the 10-minute spell when the Brumbies crossed for their two tries early in the second half, saying the break in the Force's concentration ultimately cost them the match.

"For a large part of the game we played the way we wanted to play; we controlled the game," he said.

"But it was just that 10-minute period.

"I thought their breakdown work was good but we were probably a little bit slow."

It is a sad indictment on Graham that he says the boys played the way he wanted them to play. Boring one-out play, tight, lots of kicking - we kicked as much as they did and they've got a South African coach!

Our three best finishers were 11, 14 and 15. Nalaga needs to go searching for the ball (as Rex says in another post), but when the advantage line is broken and we have momentum, we have to pass it along the line!

I think Sharpie's work in the lineout was good but around the field he had a shocker, and gave away at least three penalties from lazy play.

We need a specialist 10. We need creative centres.

Trial Sheps at 10, and Cummins in the centres.

It'll be a long season. My concern is come the end of it, guys like Poey will have had enough, and move on.

Rant over.

[palitu]

yes, it was a boring match...

Smith was a blast last year, when he went searching for the ball... We need Nalaga to do that as well, and not wait for the last half of the season to do it.

Badger had a great run, when he had the ball he made meters, hold high hopes for him this season, and the centres were well and truely caught out of position for that set piece try, and then the wingers where out for the second try.

Good to see the forwards have a bit of guts and play like forwards, and Pek was everywhere, should be a good season for him too. Lynn looked good, and with our fetching back row, it is not a bad thing to have two big locks. Poor elvis had a not straight on his first throw, other than that not sure how he went.

Didn't recognise many of the replacements as they came on, though they didn't open the game up which is a positive.

Don't be disillusioned, once they they have played more they will be better. It was boring because of all the forward play, and the backs will come together!

Carn the Force!

[GIGS20]

yes, it was a boring match...

Smith was a blast last year, when he went searching for the ball... We need Nalaga to do that as well, and not wait for the last half of the season to do it.

Badger had a great run, when he had the ball he made meters, hold high hopes for him this season, and the centres were well and truely caught out of position for that set piece try, and then the wingers where out for the second try.

Good to see the forwards have a bit of guts and play like forwards, and Pek was everywhere, should be a good season for him too. Lynn looked good, and with our fetching back row, it is not a bad thing to have two big locks. Poor elvis had a not straight on his first throw, other than that not sure how he went.

Didn't recognise many of the replacements as they came on, though they didn't open the game up which is a positive.

Don't be disillusioned, once they they have played more they will be better. It was boring because of all the forward play, and the backs will come together!

Carn the Force!

Reds twice in the first five weeks, they won't be better soon!

[mudskipper]

Both teams will have to greatly improve... first half saw both kicking hoping the other would make a mistake... nonetheless a close result but the Brumbies rookies saw off the Force Wallabies in a tight match... Sharpie kept dropping the ball, I think he through he was a decoy runner... Brumbies did looked to be in more control than the Force...

[WF1964]

Reds twice in the first five weeks, they won't be better soon!

Dragon-slaying features in the 's history.

[GIGS20]

Dragon-slaying features in the 's history.

I'm as ocean blue as anyone, but I'm preparing myself for a hard season this year.


Happy to be wrong!

Anyway the only dragon we've slain convincingly is the Saders

[qld supporter]

Some of our senior players put us under huge pressure with handling errors and stupid lazy penalties. No inside runners giving options in attack. Timmid game plan kicking good possession away. Badger, fullback and front row went Well. The team tried hard didnt play at their best and still nearly won, a kick hitting the post from a one eyed concussed flyhalf being the difference at the death.
They'll get better.
Posted via Mobile Device

[travelling_gerry]

Would that be the pirate impression we saw on twitter this morning.

[Ecky]

1 through 8 were pretty darn good. 9 was ok. 11, 14 - 15 were also pretty darn good.

Then there's 10, 12 & 13............

And what's the actual game plan for the backs, anyway? If we have Naps on one side and Cummo on the other, how about we implement a game plan to have them lads inside te wingers to stand deep, run onto the ball, then pass it along?

It might seem radical, but it's worth a shot.

[jono]

or being the winners in on the 2nd or 3rd phase to change the angles and go back the way it just came from

[qld supporter]

Must of been watching another game Ecky.

[Ecky]

have

[Rex Messup]

You would have been impressed with the amount of penalties and shots for goal on the week end Ecky. 9 penalties got the Lions home too. The fans are just lapping that sh1t up

[Ecky]

Another point missed.

Onya Rex

[East n West]

I thought our locks were sub par. Especially in the last 20 mins of the game, they were passengers. Toby Lynn did the bare minimum as a lock. He didnt attack the breakdown, he pulled the handbrake on any time he got the ball and many times through the game he was hanging on the side of the breakdown having a rest. I thought we were lacking a few times in the scrum and I point to the last scrum of the first half where the brumbies drove the force scrum back 15 metres. Much of that has to do with 4, 5 & 8. Perhaps as a lock myself I am critical of these things but the force had a young lock on the bench that is taller and bigger than sharpe and lynn and the was not used by them. Phoenix Battye is the young lock I am talking about, I have watched him play for Force A and for Wanneroo where he has been the driving force in the engine room. I heard on the Samoan tour that he didnt take a backward step in both of the games they played against the Samoan World Cup squad ( a squad that beat the Wallabies into submission a few weeks earlier) and I think given the chance would step up and provide much more impact than Toby Lynn. I cant be too critical of Sharpe as he is a legend of the game but even he was slowing down in the last 20 mins of the game and fresh legs could have helped. Even if he had no impact on the game for the last 20 mins it would have been no different than what happened in leaving Sharpe and Lynn on.