Bledisloe II: Is it time for a Mike (Cheika) drop?

[cashead]

After a dominant second-half display, the All Blacks already have a firm grasp on retaining the Bledisloe Cup. The Wallabies now have an uphill battle in beating the All Blacks at Eden Park (where it took an extraordinary and unusual intervention by a referee and assistant ref - i.e., a total bullshit call which World Rugby and Brett Gosper are conspicuously silent on - to end the win streak with a wet fart of a draw) where 1. the All Blacks are undefeated since 1994, 2. the Wallabies haven't won in 7 years (3rd place game at the 2011 RWC against Wales) and 3. haven't beaten the All Blacks since 1986 (Only two Wallabies squad members were even alive when this happened. Tatafu Polota-Nau was all of one and three months old, and Sekope Kepu was a whopping 7 months old). What we saw was that despite the strides made by the Wallabies in their series loss to Ireland*, there's still a considerable gulf between the two teams at the moment, which can only be closed once in a blue moon.

This has prompted predictable calls to drop Cheika, but the real question is: who else is there?

*Regardless of how much the Wallabies had supposedly progressed, the fact that they still lost two tests at home should not be overlooked either. If you think that a team that has "looked good in defeat" has even a snowball's chance in hell against a team that has continuously held the world no. 1 ranking for just about a decade and two consecutive World Cup wins in that time, you're delusional.


All Blacks team to play
1. Joe Moody
2. Codie Taylor
3. Owen Franks
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Liam Squire
7. Sam Cane
8. Kieran Read (Captain)
9. Aaron Smith
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Waisake Naholo
12. Ngani Laumape
13. Jack Goodhue
14. Ben Smith
15. Jordie Barrett

16. Nathan Harris
17. Karl Tu'inukuafe
18. Ofa Tuungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Ardie Savea
21. TJ Perenara
22. Damian McKenzie
23. Anton Lienert-Brown

Wallabies squad
1. Scott Sio
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Allan Ala'alatoa
4. Izack Rodda
5. Adam Coleman
6. Lukhan Tui
7. Michael Hooper (Captain)
8. David Pocock
9. Will Genia
10. Bernard Foley
11. Marika Koroibete
12. Kurtley Beale
13. Reece Hodge
14. Jack Maddocks
15. Dane Haylett-Petty

16. Folau Faingaa
17. Tom Robertson
18. Sekope Kepu
19. Rob Simmons
20. Pete Samu
21. Nick Phipps
22. Matt Toomua
23. Tom Banks

[morepork]

RETALIKA/NOSFERATU!

[cashead]

I wonder if it's worth making a sneaky bet that Owen Franks will finally score his first test try this weekend, on his 100th test.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

I wonder if it's worth making a sneaky bet that Owen Franks will finally score his first test try this weekend, on his 100th test.

Theres a bit of me now doesn't want to see him ever score a test try so he becomes a complete one off for evermore.

[zer0]

With you there. He's ~60 minutes away from greatness. If he finds himself in danger of scoring then i hope he just off's it to Retallick or someone.

[J Dory]

Teams up:

15: Jordie Barrett
14: Ben Smith
13: Jack Goodhue
12: Ngani Laumape
11: Waisake Naholo
10: Beauden Barrett
9: Aaron Smith
8: Kieran Read
7: Sam Cane
6: Liam Squire
5: Sam Whitelock
4: Brodie Retallick
3: Owen Franks
2: Codie Taylor
1: Joe Moody

Reserves:
16: Nathan Harris
17: Karl Tu'inukuafe
18: Ofa Tuungafasi
19: Scott Barrett
20: Ardie Savea
21: TJ Perenara
22: Damian McKenzie
23: Anton Lienert-Brown

[cashead]

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised with Laumape starting. He and Goodhue combined well last year against that France XV team the All Blacks played. I suppose Hansen and Foster want another look at it. With Crotty out for as long as it'll probably take, why not give Goodhue an extended run?

[Spy]

That's probably my only slight beef with the team, in that I'd have preferred to have seen Lienert-Brown start ahead of Laumape. ALB played pretty well last week, and he's more a like-for-like substitute for Crotty.

Also, maybe we could just keep the vice-captain and one of the best fullbacks in the world in his preferred position. Poor old Ben always seems to be the one who gets moved to accommodate some one else at 15. Stick Jordie at 14, and see how he goes there.

Irrelevant quibbles, really, as we should win regardless.

[cashead]

I don't really see it as "Ben Smith on the wing." The guy's got a roving commission (have a drink every time he pops up at second receiver, and he'll be the last thing you remember before you wake up in another country), and it's really more a case of having dual fullbacks. As for ALB, I'm not fully convinced he's fully progressed since his break-out year of 2016. That doesn't make him a bad player, the guy'll do a job for you, but I like Laumape/Goodhue as a combination due to their contrasting strengths.

[Spy]

As for ALB, I'm not fully convinced he's fully progressed since his break-out year of 2016.

Some truth in that, although one could make exactly the same statement about Laumape. Fair to say, probably, that there isn't a clear-cut winner, only preferences.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised with Laumape starting. He and Goodhue combined well last year against that France XV team the All Blacks played. I suppose Hansen and Foster want another look at it. With Crotty out for as long as it'll probably take, why not give Goodhue an extended run?

I think Goodhues there to stay, he looks the real deal. Very very good at doing the ordinary things extroadinarily well.

[cashead]

Sam Cane may have picked up a knock. Matt Todd is unavailable because he’s in Japan, so if Cane is unfit, we may see Dillon Hunt get a call.

[morepork]

Non spaz stream....pleeeeze

[Lizard]

Good luck. SkyGo was spazzing during the Black Ferns' game.

[rowan]

It's the Beauden Barrett show!

[Lizard]

Points before and after half time. Again.

[morepork]

Savea fucking Pocock right up.

[zer0]

So, assuming both conversions went over, we'd have had more points disallowed then Australia actually managed. On that, disappointed not to get the half century. But it's ultimately neither here nor there.

I particularly enjoyed the full frontal assault, Crusaders style, try to open the second half. Would like to see a bit more of it at times, and glad it was Moody who crashed over and sacrificed himself to enable O.Franks to attain front-row apotheosis.

[Lizard]

In the Bledisloe matches so far, aggregate first half score is 19-13 to NZ. Second half aggregate is 59-12.