TheGrandstand.net

No concerns with McCalman anyway. If we could find a good No 8 we would have a great back row with great depth.

Apparently Higgy Bottom hasn't got the match fitness that BMC has, so I reckon a fair call made, he did well as a baa-baa. Higgy can wait until the TN is well and truly out of reach before he gets a sympathy test.

Good win by the Wobblies last night, downing the Boks 30-13. It almost looked like the team of old. A standout performance by Pocock was one of the main highlights. His try saving tackle on Habana was a turning point in the game. O'connor also had a good game although his kicking under pressure needs improving. Cooper (along with two Boks) was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle. I'll be disappointed if they suspend him over it. As far as i could see, there was'nt much in it.

No comments here on the Aus/SA match from our three Rugby afficianados?

Very entertaining match (well refereed as well, excepting for the pause tween "pause" and engage". and the need to have control over that) and prolly the best alround game I've seen the Wobblies play for some time. Sure, they weren't very polished at finishing of attacking moves, but their strength at the breakdown (both in attack and defence) was a major improvement on how things often are against the other two trinationers. They created enough opportunities to have gotten themselves a bonus point (and the AB's would have done so), and their defence will be placed under much more pressure next week, but a heartening performance nonetheless.

Standouts for me were Elsom, Genia and Pocock. Even Quade (is that short for Qualude?) Cooper looks to be settling into his role, I reckon that we will always have the wild passes and choices coming from him, but he is looking steadier. Scrum looked pretty solid.

Owing to the paucity of TV choices, once 'Doc martin' was over I was allowed to watch "the football"! Will have to take mrsT out for dinner tonight and spare me watching 'Mastercook Cock-up'!

Pocock was very lucky not to get 'carded' with a stint in the bin, but, Yes, a "More Guts" performance from all - and not before time.

Sorry, been busy.

A nice all-round win with everyone contributing. For once I don't think I could have picked a player who didn't perform as well as he should have. A couple of mistakes (f'rinstance Quaade bursting through with Meringue on his outside and holding the pass too long and then throwing it into touch).

I think all three yellow cards were justified, a softer line could have been taken on the dangerous tackles, but the ref was consistent, which is all you can ask for.

There's still a lot of improvement required before Australia can be confident against the All-Blacks, but at least 2 of the three games are at home.

I was 11 days old last time the Boks beat the Wallabies in Brisbane. I'm glad the streak continues.

That's fine, I wasn't whinging, just surprised.


Cooper gets two games. Didn't read anything about the other two.

Quaade banned for 2 weeks for his dangerous tackle. Options are Barnes to flyhalf or (Fox suggests) Anthony Faingaa to in-centre and Gits to fly.

Fourie banned for 4 weeks (3 Tests) for his dangerous tackle, so again with the consistency (although if I found out the panel was KiwiI'd smell a rat).

The other card was a professional slowing-the-ball-down penalty so no suspension.

In other news, Diggers re-injured his shoulder in training and is gone for the year.

I had trouble watching this game as we had visitors so only got to peak in now and then but everytime I looked South Africa seemed very poor around the ruck this surprised me they where pretty good at this part of the game I thought is it a result of rule changes, personnel or what?

Must admit I thought the tour concept would really have been a big advantage for the Boks but seems to have had the opposite effect on them.

Apart from the one preceeding yours

Bad luck for Cooper. As i said, there really was'nt much in it. Two weeks seems a bit OTT.

I have renovations going at the moment so time is at a premium. A great win for the Wallabies but the Saffers looked a shadow of their former selves at the breakdown. Good to see Burger get landed on his arse by Mumm or Sharpe at one stage. A very good game by Horne I thought, Giteau back to a more confident game, not Quade's best game but fair, the forwards superb. Some underperformers such as Mumm and Mafu were fantastic in tight, Pocock played a McCaw-like game; right on the edge of the laws, Rocky was great in the loose but I hope he doesn't kick again, Brown was good in tight and the scrum while not as good as last season wasn't an abomination. AAC was very solid at the back and it was a good move to switch he and JOC.

That kick was awful, wasn't it! LOL!

Having had time to cool off a bit, I reckon the punishment was fair. I'd rather see a hard line taken than see blokes get snapped necks. Not like the Mungos who can find any excuse for not suspending players for illegal and/or dangerous behaviour...

I've also reviewed the performance and decided the player that performed worst was Jimmy 'Meringue' O'Connor. A dropped high-ball and being in the unfortunate position of having three or four try-scoring opportunities blown before being handed the ball so it looked like it was his fault (one was kind of his, Elsom running wide and JOC not cutting in-field, forcing Elsom to attempt to kick). But his tackle on Matfield made up for it.

From all reports it's going to be Berrick straight into flyhalf for the two matches against the All-Blacks. Kick and re-form, kick and re-form... Might even work.

Cooper appeal to be heard tomorrow.

Gits to flyhalf, Barnes to in-centre. I have reservations, hopefully with some excellent ball from Genius, Gits will have some room to create. Barnes probably to be more effective against Nonu in defence, so it may be the right move. Unless Gits starts to panic, then maybe move Barnes to flyhalf in attack, and quickly to in-centre for defence.

The Brothers Faingaa both on the bench.

I don't know if insipid is the right word for the Wallabies last night, or whether calling them insipid is too kind.

The best I can come up with is "The reverse Campese." Long periods of inadequacy interrupted by occasional glimpses of brilliance.

I got the impression that the Wallabies have decided "the All-Blacks can't beat us every game, if we keep turning up eventually we'll win one." Problem is, the Kiwis intend to keep playing very well and winning.

Apart from the double charge-down tries, it was pretty much all Black from the kick-off. Wallabies couldn't win the restart ball or even steal the Kiwis ball. The Blacks had a bonus point before half-time, including scoring one while they were a man down.

The most frustrating thing for me, Cap'n Rocky goes up to complain the Kiwis were slowing the ball down when the Wallabies had a penalty. "I'll look at it." says the ref. The next time there was a penalty to the Kiwis, Rocky himself knocks the ball away and concedes 10 metres. Ref says next player goes to the bin, and sure enough, D*ckhead Mitchell obliges, conceding a second yellow (red) in the process.

The loss of Cooper wasn't the difference. The professional attitude the All-Blacks brought, and the amateurish one the Wallabies matched them with was the difference.

Okay, Pocock may have scored a try, only two people really know (Him and Ruchie, and I'll bet they never agree on it). Beale may have run and scored if only the ref hadn't pulled the game up for a non-knock on, but once again the Wallabies failed to score a bonus point.

If the Tri-Nations table does not read "NZ 20, Aus 4, SA 0" this time next week, I'll change my avatar to the leaping Springbok for the remainder of 2010. If you're a professional gambler, put your life savings on the All-Blacks to win the TN. You'll get odds of about $1.02 now, and they'll shorten in a week to make it not worth your while.

The major difference between the two sides is consistency. The AB's can keep their intensity for the whole 80 minutes whereas the Wobblies play in fits & spurts. The game could have been closer if it wasn't for, yet another Ref, that thought the game was all about him. One sure try & potentially another one was disallowed by bad calls from the Ref but even so, the AB's had the game won by half time.

More the touchie then the ref I reckon Big Dog he was over reacting to everything the so called lifting tackle by the All Black was an absolute joke

the red card for tapping the ball inconsistent with earlier rulings but Aussie captain complained he did penalise earlier had to cop it that he took that advice

Richie & Pocock were both top shelf

Rocky went up and complained, the ref said he'd keep an eye on it, penalised Rocky himself next time it happened, called captains over and said "next one ends up on the sideline." Guess which d*ckhead who only played because of injuries was the next offender? He only got a red because he'd already had one yellow, and like socc-er-football, two yellows equals a red.

I see what you're saying but in this case I can't fault the ref. It was a bit like the Titans-Broncos match where the commentaters were absolutely baffled when Mat Rogers was sin-binned for lying on top of a tackled player. Obviously they were too busy talking about Sunday's match, the Footy Show, the Sunday Footy Show, the Sunday Roast, whatever new show was starting that week, Jarryd Hayne or how hard it is to drive around Brisbane, and missed the part where the ref called The Fresh Prince over and said "too much lying on the tackled player, next one gets 10."

I know no comeback they wanted him to look at that area of the game he did I agree with the penalty.

Last nights game proved my point on mandatory punishments a penalty or another 10 in the bin was alright but send off was over the top but the ref had no choice or discretion on what he could do there and it wasn't just that one although most obvious lots of minor things that should be short arm etc where penalties because a failure of law makers not the referee.

My only real concern with the refereeing was the touchie coming in for dangerous tackle against the all blacks that was a joke not worth the effort. had he got a number the referee would of had to put him in the bin for 10 that is a disgrace.

Yeah, but that first yellow was an absolute joke.