@sparky 4 things I noticed watching the first half.

1. Bunce was a fun defender at 13

2. AB lineout wasn’t particularly good. Thank god lifting was legalised

3. John Timu had a siege gun boot at 15

4. Grant Fox is overrated . He was diabolically bad in the first 40 mins, aside from his up and unders (which were v good) and of course his place kicking. Tactical kicking was poor, option taking poor. Ability to release his backline? Not so much.

As it goes, the current day ABs would do well to mimic the 93 side in picking a defensively sound, kick chasing, functional backline with the ability to crank up the pressure on their opposites. It would allow the superstars up front to use their talents better

@sparky said in Boks v Wobblies I:

@antipodean said in Boks v Wobblies I:

I can't remember a worse five-eighth performance. Libbok was dreadful.

I can.

Pat Howard (aged 19 and one year out from being in a team coached by his mum) for the Wallabies against the All Blacks in Carrisbrook in 1993.

With his first touch of the ball, he stepped back into a channel where Michael Jones and Frank Bunce were waiting with very predictable results.

One of the Aussie Props (Ewan McKenzie?) wandered up to him as he was getting up from the floor, "don't do that again, kid."

It didn't get much better.

I was there that day. The terrace gave him heaps all afternoon. Poor bastard couldn't do a thing right

@stodders said in Boks v Wobblies I:

@sparky Grant Fox is overrated .

Nah, that was Fox in his twilight. He played that game and a Test against Western Samoa before retiring.

In the Test before, he'd kicked brilliantly and been the calm director in a decider test win against the BILs at Eden Park. He hit a cool as you like goal from 50 metres out at Lancaster Park to win Test One.

He was very, very different indeed to the "run and gun" First Fives we've largely had post Carter. And he didn't tackle much.

But his reading of the game, his vision, was very, very special. So was his ability to impose his will on proceedings.

At his best, in 1987-9, and behind the dominant pack we had at the time his passing was outstanding. Some of great miss-out passes for Joe Stanley, Terry Wright or John Kirwan to run on to were poetry.

Most of all, he was a winner. He fucking hated losing. At one stage during the eras of great All Blacks and Auckland dominance in the late eighties he went more than four years without losing.

Apart from Dan Carter, I'd say he's the best All Black First Five I've seen.

@barbarian said in Boks v Wobblies I:

If your a Boks fan I don't think you should be that disconsolate. On rewatching the game, they had the game on their racquet but were undone by a series of poor tactical decisions and more importantly skill errors.

Watched the second half. SA had a mountain of penalties from scrum, stole a massive amount of lineout ball, but just couldn't get the ball over the line. Lots of errors.

Fair play to Aus, they really stayed at it. You could see when they went in front the whole team lifted and started carrying like madmen. Belief is real in rugby - channelling my Mexted 'momentum'

@nzzp said in Boks v Wobblies I:

@barbarian said in Boks v Wobblies I:

If your a Boks fan I don't think you should be that disconsolate. On rewatching the game, they had the game on their racquet but were undone by a series of poor tactical decisions and more importantly skill errors.

Watched the second half. SA had a mountain of penalties from scrum, stole a massive amount of lineout ball, but just couldn't get the ball over the line. Lots of errors.

Fair play to Aus, they really stayed at it. You could see when they went in front the whole team lifted and started carrying like madmen. Belief is real in rugby - channelling my Mexted 'momentum'

"The ebb and flow of psychic energy ... "

@booboo said in Boks v Wobblies I:

@nzzp said in Boks v Wobblies I:

@barbarian said in Boks v Wobblies I:

If your a Boks fan I don't think you should be that disconsolate. On rewatching the game, they had the game on their racquet but were undone by a series of poor tactical decisions and more importantly skill errors.

Watched the second half. SA had a mountain of penalties from scrum, stole a massive amount of lineout ball, but just couldn't get the ball over the line. Lots of errors.

Fair play to Aus, they really stayed at it. You could see when they went in front the whole team lifted and started carrying like madmen. Belief is real in rugby - channelling my Mexted 'momentum'

"The ebb and flow of psychic energy ... "

"Can you hear me Murray?"

"No"

@sparky That's fantastic. That one piece of play though... on what planet is Howard holding on? Nobody is over the ball!?

Not to mention the AB 6 just flying off his feet from the side.

Just home town stuff, disgraceful, will start petitioning World Rugby #justice4Pat

@barbarian Pat moved to midfield and got his revenge a year later when the Wallabies took back the Bledisloe in Sydney on the night of THAT George Gregan tackle of Jeff Wilson.

He never really became an established Wallaby, but was part of the Brumbies team who won the Super 12 with Eddie Jones and had a decent spell at Leicester too.

He then went on to become a High Performance Sports administrator, including a time as High Performance Chief for Cricket Australia.

Shane Warne called him a muppet: https://www.theroar.com.au/2013/01/29/warne-calls-pat-howard-a-muppet/

He's involved with the Australian Sports Commission and preparations for Brisbane 2032 these days.

Howard was extremely well regarded by Leicester.

@pakman said in Boks v Wobblies I:

Boks are beatable. Main strike weapon will be maul.

this post actually aged very well.

Harry Wilson is the kind of 8 we need.

@Frank said in Boks v Wobblies I:

Harry Wilson is the kind of 8 we need.

Enthusiastic but limited?

@Frank said in Boks v Wobblies I:

Harry Wilson is the kind of 8 we need.

He's a hardworking, eager, blunt weapon that can be very effective when coached in the right direction. Which seems to be happening at the moment.

Great feet and pace. Won't run through many brick walls but won't stop trying. He burned a few smaller men for pace on the weekend.

Which makes me wonder if the Boks were putting in 100%.

Hanse Cronje?

His support play is so underrated. Scores way more tries than he should, just by reading the play and being in the right place at the right time.

@pakman said in Boks v Wobblies I:

Hanse Cronje?

@barbarian said in Boks v Wobblies I:

His support play is so underrated. Scores way more tries than he should, just by reading the play and being in the right place at the right time.

I got confused for a minute

@pakman said in Boks v Wobblies I:

Howard was extremely well regarded by Leicester.