Nick the Aussie on Bledisloe One
I've calmed down a bit now, having had to go pay $430 to get my daughter's macbook fixed after she spilled water on it last week.
That whole process - forking out money to Apple - was more enjoyable than watching Williams referee.
And before you get going: I completed my field test with NSW Rugby and am an accredited ref so I come from a position of knowledge on this. So... yeah... suck my balls all of you armchair fucking refs
As an introductory note: how AFG missed that foot on the line will forever be a mystery. You make a living out of this Angus. The lines are nice and straight. Stick your fucking flag up. Does it make some kind of cosmic justice thing when Ioane refuses to mess up his hair while dropping the ball later? No. It does not.
Some refs - a lot of the French ones - just let players sort it out, mostly. Sometimes that can looks weird, but then they make a decision and you figure they're just keeping the threshold for intervention high i.e. they don't want to be the star attraction. Sometimes the decision made is a head scratcher but you sort of accept French people are weird and move on.
Williams tends to avoid decisions whenever he can - even when it is blindingly obvious that a decision needs to be made. In the first half Mounga gets rid of the ball and a full second later Wilson absolutely clatters him - right in front. Williams sort of puts his arm out and then does nothing. Just gets on with things. Multiple tackles from both teams go high - not dangerously so, but potential for escalation which should be ruled on early to set a marker - and he does nothing.
He rightly pings Tupou for being a shitwit at ruck time (twice ) because it is well past the back of the ruck when he finishes trying to piss off Aaron Smith (a noble pursuit). But I counted at least three times for each team where a cleanout happened from the side of the ruck and did zero.
Penalises Koroibete for going off his feet when no AB was contesting the ball, then lets it go for another Wallaby player in the same situation and says nobody was contesting the ball
Of course, there are the big ones - the biggest of which is probably the two scrums later in the second half where Alalaatoa hands out a complete reaming to Karl T (who packed at an angle, pushed at an angle, and got folded into an angle on the ground), and tells the Wobs "you're not getting it", then does Sio for exactly the same thing at the next scrum. What were the fucking ARs doing while Alalaatoa was introducing Big Karl's forehead to the turf?
I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the referee review. It isn't easy - I know that from personal experience even at my gumby level of refereeing. But there are head scratchers and then there is out and out inconsistency that leads to incompetence.
EDIT: oh and the 2 short arms against Australia for going early at scrum time? Every fucking ref knows that the second one is a penalty you tit.
All that said: you'd have to say that is a fair result in that NEITHER team deserved to win.
Wallabies lineout and ruck work was bad. The backline had a couple of flashes running that short side, but were given a mountain of possession and achieved very little with it prior to the rain hitting. The scrum was inconsistent (even if Ofa gamed the ref into giving some short arms), and the work off the back of said scrum was ponderous.
White's long passing game was sub-par but his running was good. Option taking from Toomua was often poor. JOC was solid but not spectacular. I thought Paisami was workable and Daugunu was rocks and diamonds - that offload to DMac when he made a break was crap, but he skinned the defender a couple of times with pace and a bit of good work from his inside men. Forward pack was OK bar the lineout - I thought Matt Philip and Harry Wilson were very good on the carry.
Overall surprised Wallabies were still in it despite operating a couple gears lower than the ABs. But our handling seems to have improved bar a couple of absolutely howlers (that set move before halftime).
Speaking of whom: handling errors must have been killers for you guys. I think ?9? in the first half alone? Very much NOT like an AB team and you'd have to say the crucial one was the dropped ball over the tryline. Sorry Rieko but the game is about more than your hairstyle getting messed up, sunshine.
When they had the ball, the decision making was rapid and generally accurate from Smith but everything else was a bit meh. Besides the first try they didn't really execute a backline move with precision and there wasn't much first phase attack that really stood out. Defensively very good which you kind of expect these days.
Sam Cane was a fucking monster and easily MOTM for me. The number of times he saved the collective arse of the national pride was sublime. Honourable mentions to Harry Wilson on debut.
Both teams will be better for it, but I think barring injury we'll see an unchanged Wallaby side in Auckland while the pressure will come to bear on Foster over what he picked for today and it'll put a laser focus on what he picks next week.
The issue for AB fans is this: after a close game against the Wallabies (or * gasp * a loss) they're used to their team absolutely smashing them next time. So it is a cliff face of expectation, and I know someone like Cane will relish that.
Foster? Not so sure.
@ACT-Crusader said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@rotated said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@ACT-Crusader said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Congratulations Fozzie. You did something Henry or Hansen didn’t achieve and that is lose the first Bledisloe match against a new Wallabies coach.
Henry got one over Connolly and Hansen got one over McKenzie in their first outings though. If Fozzie has the chance to match up against another Aussie coach I'll be stunned.
The leader in the clubhouse for worst first year is Laurie Mains' and Fozzie ain't off to a good start
He doesn’t have a losing %
#silverlinings
We don't have a fixture against NSW scheduled we can lose either like in 1992. So that's another #silverlining.
(Watch them schedule one now midweek while they are there for six weeks for TRC)
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Changes I'd like to see:
BB at 10
JB at 12
Goodhew at 13
Ioane and Clarke on the wings
Jordan at fullback
Robertson as coach.
Good luck with the last one. Far too slim.
@Kirwan said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Best part for the Wallabies from that press conference was they have a coach that doesn’t blame the refs. When asked about the try where Reiko was out, he basically shrugged and said it was part of the game.
I’m concerned they got the better coach listening to them both.
Love this, the Clown would have lost his shit over that. RIoanes try could have been awarded, its swings and roundabouts, they could have prevented the try in other ways, blaming the ref or single moments is pointless.
@MN5 I did notice Fozzie had inherited more than he bargained for from Hansen.
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@MN5 I did notice Fozzie had inherited more than he bargained for from Hansen.
Was Hansen coaching or Fozzie..?
@antipodean said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@MN5 I did notice Fozzie had inherited more than he bargained for from Hansen.
Was Hansen coaching or Fozzie..?
I was referring to his substantial girth, not the playing style 
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Our set piece saved us in that game, we stole plenty of lineout ball and got a number of scrum penalties. We also got a number of crucial penalties with Oz on our line. If Oz can fix their lineout and cleanout better we could be in a lot of trouble. I thought White was excellent with his sniping runs. Their wingers ran hard and fast, kind of like if we had Clarke and Reece/Ioane.
I didn't think the problem was our forwards, we gave away a lot of possession and some errors on D.
I do wonder if Fozzie knows any other way apart from the Hansen way considering that is the only environment he has been in for ages. I would have loved to have seen how the AB's would have played under Rennie.
Based on that performance he's a poor man's late 2019 Hansen. I was expecting more physicality and precision, but it was the same "let's wait until they make an error and then score on the counterattack" tactic that proved so effective in Japan. I really hope he turns it around but jesus that was one of those "worst fears come true" games.
@Kirwan said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Best part for the Wallabies from that press conference was they have a coach that doesn’t blame the refs. When asked about the try where Reiko was out, he basically shrugged and said it was part of the game.
I’m concerned they got the better coach listening to them both.
You're not the only one
'We got the better coach': RA chairman's barb at Ian Foster
The pre-Bledisloe Cup war is raging on with Australia continuing to fire shots at All Black coach Ian Foster ahead of today's clash.
Some thoughts
Cane shouldn't be in front of haka, his mouth is too small.
Pat T and Ofa still have question marks about their ability to start tests.
Clark and Sotutu need to start. Lomax looked good in the closing minutes as well.
RM was really out of sorts (was it a tight 5 problem?), need to start BB.
Nick White was allowed to snipe again.....sigh..... has anyone in the coaching box seen the games last year. Why is he given so much space yet again? Shit coaching!
All that said: you'd have to say that is a fair result in that NEITHER team deserved to win.
Wallabies lineout and ruck work was bad. The backline had a couple of flashes running that short side, but were given a mountain of possession and achieved very little with it prior to the rain hitting. The scrum was inconsistent (even if Ofa gamed the ref into giving some short arms), and the work off the back of said scrum was ponderous.
White's long passing game was sub-par but his running was good. Option taking from Toomua was often poor. JOC was solid but not spectacular. I thought Paisami was workable and Daugunu was rocks and diamonds - that offload to DMac when he made a break was crap, but he skinned the defender a couple of times with pace and a bit of good work from his inside men. Forward pack was OK bar the lineout - I thought Matt Philip and Harry Wilson were very good on the carry.
Overall surprised Wallabies were still in it despite operating a couple gears lower than the ABs. But our handling seems to have improved bar a couple of absolutely howlers (that set move before halftime).
Speaking of whom: handling errors must have been killers for you guys. I think ?9? in the first half alone? Very much NOT like an AB team and you'd have to say the crucial one was the dropped ball over the tryline. Sorry Rieko but the game is about more than your hairstyle getting messed up, sunshine.
When they had the ball, the decision making was rapid and generally accurate from Smith but everything else was a bit meh. Besides the first try they didn't really execute a backline move with precision and there wasn't much first phase attack that really stood out. Defensively very good which you kind of expect these days.
Sam Cane was a fucking monster and easily MOTM for me. The number of times he saved the collective arse of the national pride was sublime. Honourable mentions to Harry Wilson on debut.
Both teams will be better for it, but I think barring injury we'll see an unchanged Wallaby side in Auckland while the pressure will come to bear on Foster over what he picked for today and it'll put a laser focus on what he picks next week.
The issue for AB fans is this: after a close game against the Wallabies (or * gasp * a loss) they're used to their team absolutely smashing them next time. So it is a cliff face of expectation, and I know someone like Cane will relish that.
Foster? Not so sure.
@akan004 said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
I thought the big work on after the semi was to improve our physicality. We looked even less physical than last year.
That and having a clear game plan would have made a big difference
@NTA said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
All that said: you'd have to say that is a fair result in that NEITHER team deserved to win.
White's long passing game was sub-par but his running was good. Option taking from Toomua was often poor. JOC was solid but not spectacular. I thought Paisami was workable and Daugunu was rocks and diamonds - - I thought Matt Philip and Harry Wilson were very good on the carry.
Agree totally, whilst I wanted the win I thought the draw was a fair result. Yes, Wilson appears to be a player who just makes meters, perhaps he has that skill of knowing where to be. Daugunu appears to be a great find. I am actually really looking forward to next week to see how both teams respond. If Rennie and team can keep it close or win then you would have to say the future looks very bright.
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@akan004 Aaron Smith said in the post-match interview that the ABs didn't get to the ruck fast enough; the Aussies were way faster. That caused some of the problems for him and Mo'unga, denying them enough time. He said that he and RM should have used their kicking game more ...
Not sure that would have worked with this weather, but I also thought the ABs looked at bit slow at times (compared to the Aussies).
You mean putting up some bombs in a swirling breeze to put pressure on their inexperienced back 3 wouldn't have been a good option....?
@broughie said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus white does snipe whereas our guys tend to shovel the ball wide too much.
Yep we are very predictable when it comes to point of contact
@mofitzy_ yeah. Only 3 breakdown turnovers clearly not enough for an ab fullback.
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
@Machpants said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
At least stuffs rating have some semblance of reality, don't look at the heralds, averaged 6 or 7 of ten!
Edit. Don't look at rugby pass, minimum is 6 most are 8, what fucking game were they watching?
Player ratings are meant to be just that. Not a reflection on disapointment over the overall team.
Cane deserves way more than a 6. That was a seriously impressive performance.
@junior said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@akan004 said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
I thought the big work on after the semi was to improve our physicality. We looked even less physical than last year.
That and having a clear game plan would have made a big difference
Isn't "just run about a bit" a good gameplan?
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
Yeah, can someone tell me how the Bledisloe works with 4 games. Can we technically draw 1 more and lose 2 and still retain it. Don't the Aussies have to win 3 to win it? Or do we have to win at least twice?
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
Yeah, can someone tell me how the Bledisloe works with 4 games. Can we technically draw 1 more and lose 2 and still retain it. Don't the Aussies have to win 3 to win it? Or do we have to win at least twice?
No - if there are 2 draws and 2 Wallaby wins, it is ours, 2-nil.
@chimoaus just have to win the series outright - which is why the draw is as good as a win for us (away from home no less).
Now we only need to win two to win the Bled.
@Machpants said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
At least stuffs rating have some semblance of reality, don't look at the heralds, averaged 6 or 7 of ten!
Edit. Don't look at rugby pass, minimum is 6 most are 8, what fucking game were they watching?
Paul Cully gives Sam Cane the same rating as Ardie Savea? Are one of you fluffers this clown in real life?
@NTA said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
Yeah, can someone tell me how the Bledisloe works with 4 games. Can we technically draw 1 more and lose 2 and still retain it. Don't the Aussies have to win 3 to win it? Or do we have to win at least twice?
No - if there are 2 draws and 2 Wallaby wins, it is ours, 2-nil.
The Bled is three games. I'm unsure if it is determined by points difference in the event of a draw and a win apiece or if the holder keeps it.
@antipodean said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@NTA said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
Yeah, can someone tell me how the Bledisloe works with 4 games. Can we technically draw 1 more and lose 2 and still retain it. Don't the Aussies have to win 3 to win it? Or do we have to win at least twice?
No - if there are 2 draws and 2 Wallaby wins, it is ours, 2-nil.
The Bled is three games. I'm unsure if it is determined by points difference in the event of a draw and a win apiece or if the holder keeps it.
Oh right - next week then the 31st.
@antipodean said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@NTA said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@chimoaus Aren't the tests against the Aussies in Australia also for the Bledisloe Cup?
Yeah, can someone tell me how the Bledisloe works with 4 games. Can we technically draw 1 more and lose 2 and still retain it. Don't the Aussies have to win 3 to win it? Or do we have to win at least twice?
No - if there are 2 draws and 2 Wallaby wins, it is ours, 2-nil.
The Bled is three games. I'm unsure if it is determined by points difference in the event of a draw and a win apiece or if the holder keeps it.
Ok so if we win in Auckland we retain it then I assume.
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
There's a 4th Bledisloe after the 31st
7 November is the 4th Bledisloe.
Ok, so the Aussies could lose next week and if they win their 2 on home soil they get the Trophy 2-1
@Crucial said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@Machpants said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
At least stuffs rating have some semblance of reality, don't look at the heralds, averaged 6 or 7 of ten!
Edit. Don't look at rugby pass, minimum is 6 most are 8, what fucking game were they watching?
Player ratings are meant to be just that. Not a reflection on disapointment over the overall team.
Cane deserves way more than a 6. That was a seriously impressive performance.
Fake news to quote one American President.
@nzzp said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
Still little better rugby watching than the Mallard Stand.
Only the Millenium Stadium comes close.
@chimoaus said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe One: Wellington, October 11:
There's a 4th Bledisloe after the 31st
7 November is the 4th Bledisloe.
Ok, so the Aussies could lose next week and if they win their 2 on home soil they get the Trophy 2-1
Yes. Drawn series, holder keeps it, but Ozzie have to win next 2 of three games. Thus a draw as good as a win for Oz, cos if they lost this they'd have to win the next three. Now they only have to win 2 of the next 3, same as us
Conversely a second draw counts as a win for us, then we only have to win one of the other two games, haha
So much anger in here! Wasn't this entirely predicted? We are ALWAYS sloppy 1st up, always. And with some average selections and a heap of new combinations, it was always going to be a struggle. New lock combo, new loose forward combo, new 12/13, new back 3. What the fuck did we expect?
But it doesn't matter, we are going to bring the physicality back! Look out for the mighty Ardie comin' at ya! Here comes Patty T with a cheap lazy shoulder to let you know who's boss!
Lots of folk here giving Smith kudos, and while I'd admit he wasn't bad, I certainly didn't think he was great - 1st half especially he seemed to revert to that late-career half back trait of taking 2 steps before passing. And why the fuck is it so easy to identify that kicking high in that breeze is a good tactic after 90 minutes of rugby but its impossible for you or Richie or the coaches to think of before/during the fucking match???
Frustrating week, predictably so in hindsight.
That Cane bloke looks like one for the future though, could be world class one day