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
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6 Aug 2010, 13:20 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-194: yes though he may dispute it tackles is not immune from targeting refs, he has aired his slanted views on Barnesy on a number of occasions
6 Aug 2010, 13:21 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-199: If that is the criteria for champs then we lucked out with our Whine Brigade.
6 Aug 2010, 13:29 pm
Judgment reserved in Div case
2010-08-06 13:23
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Peter de Villiers (File)
Cape Town – Judgment has been reserved in the SANZAR disciplinary case against under fire Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.
De Villiers was facing misconduct charges for a statement he made on Australia’s Fox Sports Rugby Club programme on July 21 and appeared before South African judicial officer Jannie Lubbe in Cape Town on Friday at 09:00.
However, judgment was deferred shortly after 12:00.
According to SANZAR a statement will be issued this weekend, with a result expected early next week.
6 Aug 2010, 13:29 pm
6 Aug 2010, 13:32 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-202: How so?
6 Aug 2010, 13:36 pm
BLAH BLAH BLAH
6 Aug 2010, 13:36 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-205: If you want men of honour as RWC champs then the Bok Whinging Fraternity have let us down.
The unwritten rule is you ca complain if you win and be quiet if you lose. We broke that rule.
We broke it at the highest level. Not surprising though, the blame game is part and parcel of effective management strat in SA thee days. Not to mention a ‘Captain’ who slings mud at people in his book before he’s even retired.
Poor show, led by small men in tight trousers.
We are not upstanding, worthy winners any more than the Suarez’s.
6 Aug 2010, 13:39 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-205: wow, and you berate me… look back on this thread chump and see how bad you are… got the rant out of your system?
the fact you are crying that Barnes was right, when you know NZ got calls in that 1/4 just as bad as SA have this 3Ns, says it all…
and here you were acting all better then me, when in reality youre just as bad..
nice!
6 Aug 2010, 13:46 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-207: its a good thing it is unwritten, listen i dont even agree with them slanging the ref, i never have and never will, but i will highlight cheating ways by teams, so if you say that bemoaning the fact that we want a fair playing field and the intent to go out and cheat like the Saurez AB’s do as the same, then i dont know what to say to that really
6 Aug 2010, 13:49 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-208: it must be a terrible hollow feeling knowing your beloved Saurez AB’s go about and actively cheat huh Saurez Poppa? my team might be crappy right now and they might be dirty but they are no cheats
6 Aug 2010, 13:50 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-209: did the ABs instruct the ref not to YC McCaw?
Did the SA ref call it as he seen it? or is he under the spell of the NZRFU and POB too?
Has R.Deans called a conspiracy after his team lost?
is every other team in world rugby cheat free?
6 Aug 2010, 13:50 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-209: We can want whatever we want but the Senior Guys in the Team, coaches and Captains and Presidents need to keep a lid on it.
Imagine if the Pope said he wasn’t so sure about all this G.O.D. stuff.
6 Aug 2010, 13:53 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-210: not at all Mac, in every sport players push the boundaries, is it the ABs fault the ref didnt blow his whistle? or are you insinuating bribes like suarez Cronje??
6 Aug 2010, 13:54 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-211: We all cheat, we all break the rules.
Refs make bad choices, in the RWC semis Tintin got it wrong and the 3 NH chaps we shocking these last 3 SA tests. They really were not great.
Who cares, that is sport. If SANZAR had any brains they would want the best refs, especially for the major contributing country in terms of monies.
Don’t listen to them, I don’t agree with much you say, but the Whine Country SA has become is an embarrassment enough thanks.
6 Aug 2010, 13:58 pm
its McCaw that will have to explain one day, not me ..lol
6 Aug 2010, 13:59 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-211:
so are you saying its ok to purposefully got out and cheat and take out defenders as long as you get away with it Saurez poppa?
i would say every other team in the world does not go to the lengths of the filthy Saurez AB’s, they dont even get up to 0.5% of the cheating they purposefully train for.
6 Aug 2010, 13:59 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-214: I agree, we all DO break the rules, in life as well as in rugby..
its not often you and I agree, but I will pay you respect for your attitude through this all…I know Im guilty of over-reaction, its a human thing… its the thought that this is systematic by the refs and the ABs that riles though..
we all want the best refs, and I can see the conflict of interest with POB at the helm, but to think POB or the NZRFU has power over Irish refs… stretches things a fair way..
6 Aug 2010, 14:04 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-216: so you have proof they train for it? thats a quantum leap..
what about suarez semenya (sp?) did she/he train to cheat?? serious question..
no, then what about the blood capsule saga? the suspension of your beloved bakkies in the lions series (I guess that was the suarez ABs influence too)..
the french try in the 95 final, many would say it was a cheating decision that it wasnt awarded? the fact the game went underway at all, could that be construed as cheating??
yep, its only the Suarez ABs…
6 Aug 2010, 14:05 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-217: MacToogie is not bemoaning refs, they got the calls wrong but im not harping on about them, im harping on about the purposeful behavior and cheating tactics implemented by that filthy lot dressed in the fitting black jumpers, they are a cancer right now that need to stopped lest we end up like football with no soul.
6 Aug 2010, 14:05 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-217: Indeed it does.
POD isn’t my favourite chap, never has been even as a ref. Even when I lived in NZ and supported the ABs. Just not my taste.
But yep, the conspiracy theories are pretty huge, made all the worse by our officials.
I would imagine a kiwi coach and president stepping down after saying things like that. Imagine Henry saying that he’s ‘give the game to the Maoris’ or the ‘Boks are cheating and bribing’.
Awful. True SA rugby fans just want to remember to forget this and watch something else.
6 Aug 2010, 14:07 pm
you know Mac, SAs problem…
in all seriousness,
you guys miss Doc Craven..
quality leadership…
would Doc have let it get this far or put up with the entire conspiracy/cheating/clown debacle?
methinks not!!
6 Aug 2010, 14:10 pm
Louis Luyt!!!
6 Aug 2010, 14:10 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-218:
you look at those clips and tell me that those bodies in the offside weren’t premeditated, go on try and show me that it was by accident
Hahahaha, yes the Boks actively gave way to the french so they could make a drive for the tryline, your logic in that one is, as you are, idiotic.
Bakkies is dirty play, not cheating, and as i’ve said i know they are dirty
So there Saurez poppa, consider yourself informed
6 Aug 2010, 14:12 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-221: as usual off topic, i have yet to say there is a conspiracy, the jury is still out on that one, focus laaitie.
6 Aug 2010, 14:15 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-220: very very ordinary ref… wrong man for the job IMO, but Ive thought that since he appointed barnes (told ya I was human)
the conspiracy theories fly in the face of what was good about Bok/AB rugby… it was and still is the measure IMO…
I think a kiwi coach and president would be forced to step down if they did something like this.. kiwis may be one-eyed, but were not australian
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-219: the whole armband saga, what did that do for rugbys soul? and are we just really seeing a continuation of that very saga??
6 Aug 2010, 14:16 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-221: So do you believe that the players thought up this systematic cheating on there own or has GH coached it into them?
6 Aug 2010, 14:19 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-223: I cant be bothered looking at clips Mac, your insistence is enough satisfaction for me… funny how the worm turns huh?
so youre the authority on what is accident and what is fact? Ill have to remember that, just for future clarification..
pass the tissues please?
6 Aug 2010, 14:19 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-225: oh glory, like talking to a brick wall, how is that cheating? i love Saurez AB and bok tussles, but at the moment the Filthy ones are implementing a premeditated game plan that is not in the spirit of the rivalry that exists between the 2 teams, you have yet to answer my question Saurez Poppa, tell me after seeing that footage that you believe that the Saurez AB’s are not doing those things on purpose?
6 Aug 2010, 14:20 pm
@Airwell(Airwell)-226: whats it matter, you guys are using it as the excuse for why your dominant team hasnt performed, rather then do a bit of truthful soul searching..
so please continue, it sure is entertaining..
6 Aug 2010, 14:22 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-227: exactly what i thought you would say, that jsut proves that you know they are cheating.
thanks for that confirmation.
you can say what you like about the Boks, hard, physical, dirty, whiners, out dated, slow, clowns, 49-0 whatever, but they do not cheat
6 Aug 2010, 14:23 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-228: well, I have to discount Smits cheating by maintaining his grip on the arm of Franks, after that I didnt watch it because I knew it was biased..
So you mean to tell me you believe GH spends an hour with his forwards each day instructing them how to cheat??
you have officially now slipped below me… well done..
6 Aug 2010, 14:24 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-228:
If you Okes want to take a dump in the 3N Cup before sending it home, you better hurry.
NZ only need 1 bonus point tomorrow.
6 Aug 2010, 14:25 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-230: pull the other one Mac, every team cheats…
the simple fact you deny this means you are deluded… have another sherry old man..
6 Aug 2010, 14:27 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-229: We lost because we did not have a balanced side and like I know watching these teams play for many years its allways close and the ABs deserved to win. But it does matter btw if you are a true rugby supporter you cannot encourage systematic cheating in the sport so please give us your opinion it would be interesting from a AB supporter perspective.
6 Aug 2010, 14:28 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-229: ok seems i have to explain it again, sad how slow these Saurez kiwis are, listen closely Saurez poppa so you know where we stand..
Even if all that cheating was caught by the ref and blown by the ref, the Boks would still have lost, they would never have won the games with their defence being what it is, with their selections as well as their lack of execution of their game plane, ok so now that we have established that the net effect of the match would still be a loss for the Boks even if the cheating was caught, this does not justify the tactics implemented by the Filthy Saurez AB’s
6 Aug 2010, 14:31 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-232: And you Cane do you believe it is coached by AB the systematic cheating?
Poopa does not he thinks it is endemic like drug use in cycling and the AB players are just more clever than the other teams
6 Aug 2010, 14:32 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-235: I see you havent answered any of my questions..
did Semanya TRAIN to cheat?
did R Deans complain about conspiracy after his team lost?
while you may have a valid argument, its the manner in which you guys are presenting it thats all wrong, cant you see that?
do you want the situation where after every rugby test someone will put out a video pointing out the other teams cheating? is that good for the SOUL of rugby as you so cling to???
6 Aug 2010, 14:33 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-235: Well said by a true rugby lover.
6 Aug 2010, 14:33 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-231: i do believe it, it is too orchestrated not to be coached, choreographed for each breakdown situation, show me footage as damning as that for the Boks or any other team in the world, come on, even your own neighbours are saying so, only not in as many words as the Saffas, where there is smoke there is fire son
6 Aug 2010, 14:34 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-237: The only difference this video seems to show a well rehearsed well implemented systematic cheat not ref mistakes.
6 Aug 2010, 14:35 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-230:
“…….. but they do not cheat.”
Come on Toogie…..
Since when have Eye-gouging, biting, elbowing,kneeing in the back, head butting, poisoning, etc,etc, etc,eyc, been in the rules.
6 Aug 2010, 14:37 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-237: What its worth Semanya imo did train to cheat she/he knew there was something wrong and we have no way of knowing if Deans went through the channels complaining maybe he had the video made?
6 Aug 2010, 14:38 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-239: well thats your belief… if thats how you feel..
look back over last years 3Ns, tell me the Boks were squeaky clean at the breakdown, if you can do that without flinching, then I guess youre too far into the whole conspiracy vibe..
6 Aug 2010, 14:38 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-237: are you saying she is a cheat? is it her fault she is possibly genetically different to others, by the way she has been cleared by the governing body, so that argument is invalid.
and hell yes they should highlight every cheating aspect as they do for citing, you dont want them to do it as you know the filthy Saurez AB’s would have no players left, all you showing is that you condone the cheating, simple as that, if i saw the boks doing that i would be telling them off about it on here as well, but yet you seem to accept it, says plenty about your character Saurez Poppa
6 Aug 2010, 14:39 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-241: Susie again. So in your opinion bok players are coached to eye-gouge etc. because AB players are been coached to cheat imo.
6 Aug 2010, 14:41 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-241: none of the eye gouging and head butting was premeditated going into those matches, thats how, i can accept it if its unintentional or heat of the moment from any team and player, but over three games at almost every ruck and maul, that is cheating over and done with and cannot be disputed
6 Aug 2010, 14:41 pm
@Airwell(Airwell)-242: but according to Mac its only the Suarez ABs that are trained to cheat… thanks for clearing that up
@Airwell(Airwell)-240: so did you see Smit pulling Franks by the arm? I realise the video is damning, but that was plain for everyone to see yet no one acknowledges the fact..
and if I had the capabilities, Im sure I could produce a video of any team and their “cheating”
6 Aug 2010, 14:42 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-244: yes I am… she/he knowingly went into the contest..with the backing of the SA authority..
seems systematic cheating is endemic..
6 Aug 2010, 14:44 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-241: and your team forces those incidents with your cheating, the knee to McCaws head in the irish game, McCaw’s continued cheating on the deck, headbutt??? Cowan’s pulling Bakkies back, CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT just because the refs are instructed to penalise the reacting player doesn’t mean the victim of the assault is innocent of cheating
Filthy Saurez AB’s
6 Aug 2010, 14:46 pm
@MacToogie(MacToogie)-249: careful mate, the pacemaker seems to be on racing at the moment..
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