Written 31 August 2016
New Zealand 29-Australia 9.
There is really nothing one can write that is new or original about the All Blacks vs Wallabies encounter last Saturday. Hansen and his coaching staff tick every box, Cheika is an oaf, NZ take every penalty kick at goal, Barrett is brilliant but an inexcusably poor place-kicker. Who in his right mind would kick the ball to an amazing counter-attacker like Ben Smith? Answer: Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley and anybody under pressure, who cannot think of anything else to do. Barrett kicks equally well off either foot; Cooper hasn’t bothered so was trapped on ‘the wrong side’ and gave away a try. So what’s new? Pathetic!
It’s easy to see I’m fairly sick and tired of repeating this sort of thing week-in week-out. But I love the matches. What a great game rugby is today. The All Blacks have set the bar so high I can’t see anyone reaching it. But there just has to be more detailed and intelligent thinking on the part of the South Africans and the Australians. As we saw last Saturday, Hourcade and his Argentinian squad are thinking and planning with great perception and skill.
A few points:
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Read Archie Henderson’s rugby column in The Times; he sees things I don’t;
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What was Coles doing punching into a ruck? Plumb dumb; and Justin Marshall, on air, tried to justify it. What’s his IQ?
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the All Blacks have the infantry, the artillery and the cavalry; the Wallabies have the cavalry but no heavy artillery and erratically led infantry;
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how on earth did the Australians give away 6 penalties in 7 minutes in the second half?
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Folau is a great attacker without adequate support;
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are the Wallabies fit enough?
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Genia may be a better scrumhalf than Phipps but the latter is a striking all -round attacker; he’s everywhere.