Preview: All Blacks vs Wallabies
6 Aug 2010
JON CARDINELLI says the All Blacks will beat the Wallabies this Saturday to secure the Tri-Nations title.
After that mauling in Melbourne, the Wallabies will be hurting. Don’t underestimate the damage that 49-28 loss did to their psyche. Christchurch beckons, and another figurative and literal beating is likely.
Their forwards were outmuscled at the Ethiad Stadium, and this week, the benching of Stephen Moore won’t help their gainline or set-piece aspirations. The Saia Faingaa selection may add to their mobility, but mobility means nothing when you’re losing the battle at the collisions and scrums.
Will Genia isn’t as potent behind a losing pack and was well watched by the defence last week. The Wallabies are also missing Quade Cooper’s ingenuity and running threat in the flyhalf channel. Matt Giteau doesn’t take on the opposition defence like Cooper, and it’s because of this that the All Blacks have had an easier time of stifling the Aussie surge.
Some call it cheating, New Zealanders call it mastery. Richie McCaw will continue his dominance in this year’s Tri-Nations, ruling the breakdown in spite of the plucky David Pocock. That Australian back row aren’t done any favours by the five up front, and as a unit, they are lacking balance. Richard Brown has been a poor ball-carrying option thus far, and will be smashed backward once again.
Anthony Faingaa was impressive in the Super 14, but is in for a difficult Test debut in Christchurch. The All Blacks forwards should have the upper hand, and Dan Carter is in sublime form. Carter’s catalytic distribution should allow Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith to maximise their running talents, and the Wallabies’ new midfield of Faingaa and Adam Ashley-Cooper will find them difficult to contain.
The All Blacks are in rampant mood, and whether the game stays tight or grows loose, they should win comfortably. They’ve been brutally effective when they’ve retained possession or when probing for territory. If the Aussies kick poorly or concede the ball at the breakdown, the awesome All Blacks counterattack has the class to convert opportunities into points.
I called the All Blacks to win by 10 last week, a prediction that may have come to pass had the Wallabies finished the game with 15 men. This week, the All Blacks are at least five points better for starting at home. It’ll be a fourth straight win in the competition and secure them the Tri-Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup.
Prediction: All Blacks by 15
All Blacks – 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Benson Stanley.
Australia – 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c),5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Benn Robinson.
Subs: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Cameron Shepherd.
442 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 » Show All
6 Aug 2010, 10:30 am
@Airwell(Airwell)-150: cheating
6 Aug 2010, 10:31 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-136: How’s this for a dream scenario…..of course it would never happen but we can fantasise….
The AB’s fall into their usual coached structure of obstruction and spoiling ball. Two flankers ruck a kiwi 3 metres backward. Yellow card for one. Next ruck, Suarez falls over and lies all over the ball (of course frantically signalling that he JUST COULDN’T HELP IT. He gets rucked right f***g out of there. Whoops. Now what? Ok ref puts down a marker, second yellow. Next breakdown, prop rucks the s***t out of Ranger. uh-oh…..red card! hehe…..and again. And again. Now the game is reduced to the farce that it is. Would send a bit of a message wouldn’t it?
Very childish fantasy, I know, but one can dream….;)
6 Aug 2010, 10:31 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-147: they are still a bunch of filthy Saurez’s, its exactly the same a footballers diving all the time, blatant cheating, play hard and play fair
6 Aug 2010, 10:32 am
@JockBok(JockBok)-148: Oops, sent too early by mistake. I meant to say that oddly enough, with you getting away from the 3N, SA, Aus and NZ are all represented at the Tattoo this year
6 Aug 2010, 10:35 am
@Atreides(Atreides)-152: i was thinking the exact same thing, end up with 9 men on the field cos they ruck the **** out of the blokes, who needs a frikken armbands, make the studs do the protesting
6 Aug 2010, 10:36 am
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-143: @JockBok(JockBok)-142: LOL you know what guys, i am of the belief that the whole reason Haggis was invented in the first place is to make sure that nothing was wasted. Over the years it’s become a source of national identity, but there’s still no disguising the fact that it’s the parts of a cow or lamb that really should be fed to the dogs.
So, with that in mind, I’m going to stick to the better parts until the meat shortage gets to the point where I can either not afford or get hold of the good stuff.
And yes, I’ve obviously tried it, I’m just not emotionally invested enough to search high and low for that one dish of haggis cooked just right that it’s actually palatable
6 Aug 2010, 10:36 am
@JockBok(JockBok)-148: will it?
sadly i am simply passing through edinburgh. arrive in the evening and leave in the morning.
have been before so not too sad but if the blackwatch will be at the tatoo i must get in touch with a mate of mine, he is a colonel in the blackwatch now.
6 Aug 2010, 10:36 am
@JockBok(JockBok)-154: did you go to the SA Tattoo last year?
6 Aug 2010, 10:38 am
@Airwell(Airwell)-145: That’s true. All the publicity has surely shone a spotlight on the issues, now they have no option but to police those areas a bit more closely….
6 Aug 2010, 10:40 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-156: Hahahahahahahaha, wuss, all those parts are pretty good eating bar the lungs, tripe is always nice, a sheep heart, kidney and liver stirfry in cream??? awsome stuff, vlermuis, skilpad? man i miss working in the butchery
6 Aug 2010, 10:42 am
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-160: Yeah, ok I’ll concede the odd dish like skilpaaitjies etc, but i draw the line at Haggis or Affal/Tripe…….
6 Aug 2010, 10:46 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-161: Its all in your head mate, its like asking you to spit into a glass of water then drink that same water, most people wouldnt do it, lol anyways, enough of that, you gonna make me wanna go home and cook some up……… and my wife has told me that that would be clear grounds for divorce lol
6 Aug 2010, 10:47 am
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-158: I’m afraid not. I know they hold it in Joburg but have never managed to get up there. I would love to go, tattoo’s are very close to my heart. Reminds me of my favourite uncle who used to take me to the Edinburgh Tattoo as a kid. I’ve been a few times, last time in 1997 I think.
I went to Wynberg High about 2 years ago for a pipe band afternooon, a few bands from around the country were there and it was really nice. I’ll need to try and get to the tattoo one year.
Funny thing is, sad thing about leaving Scotland was my son gave up his bagpipe training due to not finding a tutor in the Cape. I really tried, but it just never worked out. He’s 16 now and not interested anymore, he plays electric guitar
6 Aug 2010, 10:50 am
I wonder if Brendan Cannon also thinks Bob Dwyer is a clown? Got to love the Aussies, tune us hectically for whining and now they are just all jumping on the band-wagon. A 180 turn around in the space of 1 game against the All Blacks.
6 Aug 2010, 10:51 am
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-160: Lol, I used to sneak two MacSweens haggis in my hand luggage at Edinbugh airpot but it’s now pretty impossible. Last year I got them confiscated but lucky I had a couple of tins in my case.
At hogmany, my wife scoops out gemsquash and fills the skins with haggis, tatties and errrr, gemsquash (close enough). That usually gets the non adventurous ones trying it. Then they always come back for more.
6 Aug 2010, 10:54 am
Hmmm, I’ve got to go to a meeting now. Why does work always get in the way of a good chinwag?
6 Aug 2010, 10:55 am
@JockBok(JockBok)-163: There is a brilliant guy who is PM of the Cape Town Callies, if you want i can get you guys in touch. the PM of the band i play for organises the tattoo each year, i just missed the cut as i had just moved up to JHB when it was on, so im keen for next year.
i think i was at that gathering at Wynburg, its the roaming cape gathering that alternates between PE, EL and CT, the bands from inland dont go because it falls on the Easter weekend.
6 Aug 2010, 11:04 am
ABs by plenty
6 Aug 2010, 11:16 am
I say it once, and I will say it again.
I want a Scot who’s single and kilt-wearing and NOT 92 years old.
6 Aug 2010, 11:20 am
@rangerman(rangerman)-117: oh no, don’t you dare! Black Panther possesses something called “blog gravitas” plus you run the risk of being branded a ‘poor loser’ and goodness knows what that’ll do to you reputation
on this blog! 
6 Aug 2010, 11:30 am
This Bullshit about New Zealand cheating is a load of ****…You guys don’t have the balls to except your team just haven’t been up to it…ffs…the only reason you guys won last year was we had Donald in the team and that sure was a total disaster …god I hope he never gets back in:(
Your team selections really suck at the moment..but hardly not fixable…really if they fix that there shouldn’t be much in between SA and NZ…
6 Aug 2010, 11:34 am
@rugby4eva(rugby4eva)-171: oh but you’re wrong! Poppa said it’s because the referee was cheating!
6 Aug 2010, 11:38 am
Transformation its actually why its true…very sad on both sides…
6 Aug 2010, 11:50 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-169: shhhhh Dawn, this is not Keo match makers, this is Keo rugby
6 Aug 2010, 12:06 pm
@rugby4eva(rugby4eva)-171: No one said we would have won the games R4E, every Bok fan knows the shortfalls of our team but that doesnt change the fact that the Saurez AB’s are a bunch of filthy cheats, go look at youtube at the clip and tell me honestly that something funny isn’t going on.
i have harped on about how bad our selections were, how bad our defense is and how ineffective some players are, now im harping on about the cheating Saurez AB’s
6 Aug 2010, 12:19 pm
The ABs aren’t cheats. The refs ALL agree on that. And the refs are the sole judges of fact — not crybaby fans who are bad losers.
6 Aug 2010, 12:20 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-176: ‘The refs ALL agree on that’
get their personal opinions did you?
6 Aug 2010, 12:24 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-176: the refs are controlled by who? a Saurez New Zealander, they want the Web Ellis so bad they are infiltrating their filthy cheating ways into every aspect of the game to ensure that it goes their way next year.
6 Aug 2010, 12:29 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-128: I chose to close the gap between the article and the noun to create additional coolth.
6 Aug 2010, 12:32 pm
175. MacToogie(MacToogie)
Stop whinging…except the fact your team havn’t been playing well at the moment..even this will change (hopefully not too soon).
That video is just more conspiracy theory….how many more will come out before the baby gets it’s milk bottle lol
6 Aug 2010, 12:37 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-178: The refs are the SOLE judges of fact. They’re in charge. They’re not wired up to an Oberkommandant telling them when to blow the whistle. And the IRB refmeister has to come from somewhere — he can’t be a Martian. In Paddy we all have a very experienced test ref. Even SA’s own uberwhistler, Andre Watson, has been in complete agreement with Paddy O’Brien’s — and the three different test refs — assessments in all four tests so far.
There’s absolute consensus in refereeing circles.
The only whining and grizzling is coming from the fans of the defeated ex-champions who are staring down the deep, dark barrel of a humiliating 3-0 blackwash and the return of that dreaded yet familiar wooden spoon.
6 Aug 2010, 12:41 pm
@rugby4eva(rugby4eva)-180: all we want is a fair hard game, and the Filthy Saurez AB’s just refuse to play fair, my definitely know my team is sub-par right now, its a fact, but its also a proven fact that Saurez AB’s are filthy cheats, if the convicts allude to it it must be the gospel i tell you.
6 Aug 2010, 12:46 pm
Saurez? That guy was a hero!
His instinctive handball may have earned him a penalty and a red card — the proper punishment for a handball in the penalty area — and all the Ghanaian bozo had to do was the easiest job in soccer — kick a penalty from 6m out.
If he’d done his job, Ghana would have won. But he choked, and so Ghana lost.
It’s not Suarez’s fault that he got a terminal case of the yips at the moment critique.
But Suarez pulled his team — and his conntinent — out of the jaws of defeat.
That man deserves a DB. Give that man a Bell’s.
6 Aug 2010, 12:47 pm
Continent.
6 Aug 2010, 12:47 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-181: in Paddy we have someone who publicly compromised his neutrality by apologising to his favourite team, the only time he has ever broken protocol.
If you’ve watched the youtube video, you’ll know it’s not just some SA fans who are complaining, it was made by an Australian.
Anyway, I don’t think the ABs are cheats, you’re right to say the refs are the sole judges of fact and if they don’t deem them to be cheating then that can’t be argued with.
However, the refs are in a compromised position when it comes to NZ. If they take a stricter line with the ABs at the breakdown they are vilified like Barnes or publicly criticised by POB so why would they make their own lives more difficult? Bottom line, POB should be move on to allow the refs freedom of expression they need to ref fairly.
6 Aug 2010, 12:47 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-181: i havent been whining about the refs, all i want to highlight is the filthy cheating ways of the Saurez AB’s, if there is enough noise made by enough people it will force the refs to watch out for the cheats.
and what do you expect the refs to come out and openly criticise each other in the media, thats pretty naive on your part Saurez Tackler
6 Aug 2010, 12:50 pm
Saurez = a bloody South American hero! Good choice of words!
6 Aug 2010, 12:50 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-183: in jest or not, this comment just perpetuates how filthy cheating mentality the rugby culture has in Saurez NZ, hell we all know you cant get the Web Ellis any other way right
6 Aug 2010, 12:53 pm
Kicking up a bleat only makes you — and all of Yarpiedom — look like crybabies. The refs will give the Boks extra-careful scrutiny and be so pre-occupied with what they are doing that they’ll miss the infringements of their opponents.
Tough if you’re a Bok. Sweet if you’re not.
6 Aug 2010, 12:55 pm
‘yarpiedom’
6 Aug 2010, 12:55 pm
If the ref says you haven’t cheated, then you haven’t cheated.
That’s all there is to it. He’s the SOLE judge of fact.
Don’t like it? Play tiddlywinks then.
6 Aug 2010, 13:03 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-191: well hopefully all the attention will put a huge spotlight on the Saurez AB’s cheating ways tomorrow morning, Kaplin is the best ref in the world and i hope he isnt intimidated by Saurez O’brien.
6 Aug 2010, 13:04 pm
Tackler you might think you are cool , but in fact just another idiot,
I remember you crying and whinning like a baby during the world cup 2007
and hiding from here after 2009 whipping you got
as for us being yarpies?? hell ur just a sheep shagger wannabe
why wannabe?? because i dont even think a decent sheep would look at you
i guess you one of the wankers that get off from giving people **** online
its kinda sick you know
6 Aug 2010, 13:05 pm
BH good day mate
you remember old tackler crying foul after the last world cup??
little wet drip is all he is
6 Aug 2010, 13:11 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-194: i reckon that call was pretty good by Barnes, was the best thing for the tournament, for all the tricks aus and Saurez NZ tried to sabotage the boks they deserve to be left crying at the post match interviews
6 Aug 2010, 13:14 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-195: lol true
and aussie are trying the same trick with pocock
damn bunch cheats the lot of them
6 Aug 2010, 13:15 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-195: Just ask Earl Hickey, he will tell you straight how unforgiving Karma is, and the Saurez AB’s will get it when it counts most.
6 Aug 2010, 13:15 pm
love the way old tackler tries to act the non whinger , when he is a whinger of note
he is one of those mari biscuit kids
6 Aug 2010, 13:20 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-196: it was a brilliant call by Barnes, the world doesn’t want to see cheaters as world champions, they want to see guys who are dedicated, guys who overcome adversary, the guys who withstand all moral and immoral attacks, they want to see the good guy triumph, and we all know what category the Saurez AB’s fall into.
6 Aug 2010, 13:20 pm
Anyone know what has happened with Die Groot Whinger De Vidiot after this morning’s sanzar meet?
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.