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[LDiCesare]

Dupuy was replacement scrum half for the BO for several years. He was barred by Yachvili but he's a good player. I can't comment much because I haven't seen him a lot. He's certainly not the same class as Ellis, but I remember him as someone able to give some pace to the game and kick, in game or at posts. Not international class but a good player. Definitely a good backup I would say.

[Havak]

Thank you for that

I was concerned that he was second choice to Yachvilli – but then I doubt BO would keep a bad player on the books for four years.

Great performance by the Wallabies Finbar – summed up for me just before half time when Sharpe wrapped up and turned Matfield at the line out (!)

A strangely muted showing from the Bok pack – and the most open tri-nations in years. I still think the ABs are a class apart and it’s theirs to lose – but if anyone is going to turn them over it’s this Wallabies mob. You can still close the Wallabies down significantly by targeting their tight five – but is the AB tight five of sufficient class to do that? The ABs will certainly target Burgess – doesn’t matter how good that back line is (and it is good) if the ball they are getting is poor.

I have a strange feeling about the autumn you know – I suspect the Wallabies and Boks may both lose at HQ.

Italy bidding for the RWC? As a co-bidder to France perhaps. As O’Neil says with their acute business acumen the IRB are pricing future tournaments so that only France or England have any chance of sole hosting them.

On a different note:
"We want the most commercially attractive competition - our goal is to retain the best talent," said New Zealand Rugby Union chief Steve Tew.

"We can't hide from the economic engines of French and English rugby."

That is a tough goal he sets himself – I wish him well.

Cheap shots don’t get any clearer than that – why
wasn’t he cited?

[finbar]

Indeed. It was plainly visible on the replay during the match. And now it has cost Mortlock his spot this week. Concussion. Going to hurt the Wallabies badly. Do I hear John Smit bleating about foul play?

The two ferocious AB Tests had obviously taken it out of the Boks. It will be different next time.

The silly thing about Steve Tew's words is that he - and SANZAR - think that enlarging the S14 and introducing a six-team finals series will improve the standard, hence help to stem the flow of players to the NH. It's not about standards, chaps. It's about money.

[Joe Kick Ass]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7516692.stm

[finbar]

What does that all mean?

[Havak]

What does it matter - it's the Junior code so of no interest to me whatsoever.

[finbar]

Silly Mr Rabeni.

[Havak]

The guy is surely a genius.

Can you imagine the defence? "I thought the ban was just from the 15 man version".

I suspect he will be quietly let go next May - this is the last year of his contract I believe.

[finbar]

You said this Wallaby mob could beat the ABs, Havak. I will never doubt your judgement again.***

For how many years will the Lauaki for Braid replacement haunt Graham Henry? Not that Braid was great, apart from some excellent work just before he was replaced, but five handling errors in about 15 minutes by Lauaki must be some sort of record. Of course, as soon as Lauaki came on for Braid, the AB's only scavenger, Deans brought on Phil Waugh to partner George Smith. Deans 1; Henry 0.

Dan Carter aside, the ABs were ordinary, despite 78% possession in the first half. Some wonderful off-loading was sunk by poor handling elsewhere. Nonu resorted to his old dumb ways. The Wallaby forwards stood up, yet again, the back row in particular. How the ABs missed the skipper. More than the Wallabies missed Mortlock. Ryan Cross did enough to earn his place. A slack period after half time aside, the Wallaby defence was again excellent, including some wonderful defence from the 10-12 combination. Berrick Barnes is maturing very nicely.

There are certainly better signs about the Wallabies under Robbie Deans. In the past, the Wallabies have often fallen in a hole in the second half in matches such as today's. They fought hard. Against 78% possession, they tackled their hearts out. And they showed confidence - and trust in each other - in attack. It hasn't been the case for a long time.

Dreadful ref. The ABs defence were miles off-side for most of the match and the tackle-without-the-ball - right in front of the ref - should have been a penalty try to the ABs.

And I'm sure more is going to be heard about the AB half-back farce. The ABs seemed to think that a half-back, already replaced, can return to the field, as props can if required for scrums. He can return after a blood bin, but not if he's been replaced. Ellis had been replaced. We shall see.

*** Until next time.

[Havak]

A thoroughly enjoyable game. I'm reluctant to dwell on it too much (lest Andydog appears to smack me down)but I think your point about skippers is spot on - the ABs did lack on field leadership today. As well as a decent pair of lock forwards I would say - the ugly new Wallaby lock (Horwell?) was the pick of the bunch - even above that Bok who also had a good game.

There was a clearance from Giteau late in the first half where no less than three ABs were already behind the Aussie scrummy before he passed the ball from the base of the ruck so I tend to agree with you about the ref.

Then again Elsom's arrival at the double team tackle on the AB scrummy was, um, just a little late perhaps?

[finbar]

Andydog would have to agree they were leaderless and shapeless the further the game went.

I watched the replay last night. And why not? Apart from being hammered at the breakdown, the ABs under the existing structure are stuck with relying totally on Dan Carter for kicking. Nonu at #12 is always going to be what he is - a bash-through merchant. If it works, fine; if not, like yesterday, he almost becomes a liability. Like yesterday. Either way, it robs the ABs of an alternative to Carter. They're going to have think about either Stephen Brett or Stephen Donald at #12. Brett isn't in the squad and I'm not sure why. He plays outside Carter at the Crusaders, they combine well, and (from memory) is a right-foot kick. There might be a question about his defensive capabilities. Donald is a #10. Not sure how much #12 he has played. But watching Giteau and Barnes (left and right) kicking so well, and watching the AB reliance on Carter, the comparison was stark.

[finbar]

Stumbled on a replay of the 1995 All Blacks-v-Scotland WRC QF last night. Nine tries in the AB victory 48-30. Ah, the innocence of it all. Sports science and computer analysis of opposition strengths and weaknesses hadn't reared their heads. Just go out there and hurl the ball around. Few of the tries would have been scored in the modern game - well, Jonah would have scored his in any generation - because defence didn't seem to occur to them. You've never seen so many turnstiles spinning in the breeze. Still, I was reminded that Scotland did, once upon a time, have a couple of decent players.

Interesting times ahead for rugby, L***** and even the AFL in Australia. A chap called Sonny Boy Williams, apparently a good L***** player, has walked out on his five year contract with L***** club the Canterbury Bulldogs. Despite never having played rugby, Toulon have offered him a fortune for two years. Naturally, the Bulldogs and the L***** parent body, the NRL, have taken it badly. They're taking him to court. With a mighty good case, you'd think.

But Sonny Boy - I'm not sure whether that's his first name, or Boy is his middle name - is no fool. If he's taken to court, he will respond with a challenge to L*****'s salary cap provisions, long known, legally, to be a restraint of trade. But never tested in court because of a sort of understanding between all parties that salary caps are thought to be essential to the good of the game - any game - in terms of an even competition.

The thing is, rugby and the AFL also operate salary cap provisions. If the L***** version is sunk in court, the flow on is inevitable.

Interesting times.

[Havak]

But surely Western Force already worked around any salary cap with the way that Giteau was remunerated?

Salary caps are restraint of trade - Union here lives in the same fear that it will be legally tested.

Menawhile in France Toulon continue to make a mockery of the concept of limited finances within our sport.

[classical_hero]

You are allowed to have 3rd party deal, since the maximum that any team can give to a player is $110,00 IIRC.

@dfinbar, I like how you do not spell out League. It took me awhile to wonder what you were saying.

[finbar]

I do the same for that round-ball game called S*****.

The Western Farce's third-party deals via the failed Firepower could hurt them in a big way. I read today that if clubs or players received payments from Firepower while Firepower was trading insolvent, they will have to repay the money to the company (Firepower) liquidators.