So Australia beat AB pretty convincingly, what now?

Question

Are we the "team to beat" or are we still "lucky"?

Answer 1

No aussie isn't the team to beat.  They didn't even win convincingly.  There game play was quite average, they were just very fortunate we made alot of unforced errors.  Just wait till Richie comes back.  We just played a really odd game that day.  That isn't like the all blacks.  I reakon the team to beat is South Africa.  Remember neither we or the aussies have played in their country yet!  They will be hard to beat on their own soil.  As for all the dagger throwers on this forum Please, I don't think the all blacks will miss you guys as supporters.  They need TRUE KIWI SUPPORTERS behind them!

Answer 2

Australia will go onto win but not with out a fight from the Boks and the AB's. But I think the AB's and the Boks still have a chance.  But I'm going for Wallabies

But I'm an England supporter and can't stand them and don't like the Boks after 07 so I'm going for the AB's

Answer 3

Australia are clearly the team to beat, because they are unbeaten.

Tri-nations championships have little to do with luck.

Sore losers and those with excuses will say Australia is the lucky country. Fact is Australia have won two out of two.

Winning in Dauckland and Africa will be a touch harder, but not impossible, and yeah, right now you would have to be the best team in the world - only as good as you last game, enjoy while you can, there was only one man more pissed than me watching last nights game; Mr R Mc Caw,  - like playing against a 20 man team when Ritchie is on the paddock - and he'll be back.

Answer 4

This is the one that Aust wanted to win.  They wanted to say "up yours NZ, we have Deans"  Still, a win is a win and I guess Australia will take it.  I still believe that Deans is over hyped.  So is SA.  They must be the most ober hyped team of any sport in the world right now.  the only "true" player in the SA team is Matfield.

Answer 5

I thought the game was very close... But the Wallabies took a couple of oppotuntities that paid off... and the ABs couldn't recover. It could've gone either way.

  Anyway, it makes for an interesting Tri-Nations and Bledisloe, "IF" Aussie lose the next game. It will be 1 loss and 2 wins to Aussie and NZ. Then both have to face SA at home.

Answer 6

Not sure you're the team to beat but you're certainly not lucky. Australia's performances this season have come from a lot of hard work and some great coaching, that said you still have to prove yourselves away from home.

Answer 7

First of all, congrats.

It wasn't luck, it was superior ball handling skills and superior intelligence. That drop goal was brillant. Bit I still think SA are the team to beat. If Aus had played away and won perhaps, but although SA have lost 2 won 1, we have 1 an away game. And everybody knows how formidable the Boks are at home. So I still think the Boks are the team to beat, but the Aussies are 2nd no doubt. However, Deans may wanna help them work on those giant gaps they keep leaving...

Answer 8

Firstly, I thought it was a great game of rugby. Two world class teams prepared to run the ball from anywhere in the park which resulted in a fantastic spectacle for fans from both sides of the ditch and seven tries. You wont find that stuff going on anywhere else. Although it is early days for Aussie and Robbie Deans and they havent played away yet it looks as though they are at the beginning of something really special, it pains me to say that being a All Blacks fan. But Aussie have some real talent and now a quality coach who can capitalise on it. May the best team win.

Answer 9

I sense a bit of over confidence by the wallabies and their fans. Remember it is ONE game. Im amazed at the reaction of the aussie press and rugby commentators. Its like a reaction that they have just won the world cup here and now they are predicting the wallabies to easily sweep aside both the Springboks and allblacks and become favorites in 2011. It reminds of the overconfidence that has plagued the nz rugby public for years which at times made them falter under pressure.

They should keep their feet firmly on the ground as they still have to win 3/4 bledisloe games to win it back and the potentially the tri nations.

As for the game Australia deserved to win. My allblacks just played poorly with a poor game plan and were well beaten on the day. Its just one of those bad days at the office and it happens in sport. Its was interesting to watch. Its like the only way to beat the allblacks now it to use an allblack brain-Robbie Deans. Fight fire with fire.

I just hope graham henry will change his tactics now that robbie deans is there. Whats even more alarming is the effect of having the top tier allblack players overseas. this is why the NZRU has to change its eligibility rules.

This is an interesting period for NZ rugby with a growing number of positions that is lacking depth and international experience and its showing when they play against tougher opposition. In saying that I would rather go through a bad year of Nz rugby in terms of loses now that to have it close to 2011.

Howevre I dont think Australian are the team to beat-yet. There are plenty of games left in the tri nations including the games in the republic before we can make a bold prediction.

In other words this years tri nations will be wide open. Australia will and can earn the 'team to beat tag' IF they win both trophies. I just think its jumping the gun a bit too far just after this victory.

Answer 10

I thought that the Wallabies would win, but not by 15 points. I think that more people in NZ didn't think the Wallabies would win because of past performances, and the fact is that you can never really know until the teams play. I can remember in 2003, the majority of people in NZ thought the All Blacks would lose to Springboks in SA, because of their mediocre performance against England before that. But they ended beating the Springboks 41-16!

I think that the All Blacks will get the wooden spoon this year. But I suspected that months ago. They are a shadow of the team they were in 2005-2006. They have lost depth, passion, pride etc.

What really riled me last year was why they were given the white hot favorites tag. Trust me it was not bestowed by many people in NZ - there was plenty of discontent directed at  Graham Henry before the WC. The resting of players at super 14 time - it is such a tough competition that the players needed this preparation. Also, the constant wholesale changes by Henry nearly every match. I think that rotation is fine within a certain context for strengthening depth, but Henry was doing it up til the WC quarterfinal against France! I've heard that great test sides are forged around establishing consistent combinations so it can build belief and knowledge in each other player's game.

I think that Robbie Deans is a fab coach and I suspect that there may be low morale in the AB team because of Henry's reappointment.

My guess is that the Wallabies are the team to beat this year!

Answer 11

I take it one match at a time, but I am still proud of the Wallaby's effort. It was a good game but the AB's were not up to their usual standards.Considering the newspapers yesterday ran a story about a poll taken in NZ asking the kiwis who they would support in the match & over a quarter of the population answered Australia, will this now blow out to three quarters of the population? Just asking, lol.

Answer 12

Australia have proven to be very resilient and under Deans they have a very shrewd coach.

They will play a different game since they expect the AB's to retaliate.

Deans have proven successful with the Crusaders by being able to implement a variety of game plans effectively.

He will bring that self belief and ability to the Wallabies.

I expect a much more direct game with big players running the #2 channel. Nonnu have been found wanting especially in the second half if he had to defend a lot in the first half.

It will also give them opportunity to create quick second-phase ball with quicker loose forwards that are more effective on the ground.

I expect a lot less kicking in the Auckland test.

A close contest with a Wallabies taking it in the end.

Answer 13

I think the ABs will be a different side next week, thats not to say we shouldn't beat them. They had lost their captain and flanker while we had lost our captain and centre. It must be said both replacements played splendidly. It is obvious though that the Wallabies cannot continue to give away so much possession. In the first half possession was 72% for the Blacks and 28% for us. It got better in the second half but still nowhere near 50%.

We play and defend well but we cannot continue to expect to win games with so little possession.

Answer 14

I think as long as you give constructive chriticism that is OK But if you are going to chritisize replace it with something-- better if possible I have rowed a bit and there is the saying "the crew or team that stays together wins together" It works in all sports  ;this rotation thing doesnt work  You build combinations  and rotating doesnt do that

Answer 15

Hopefully we lose again so the NZRU can see what a big mistake they made letting robbie go

And yes i have been a all blacks supporter my whole life

And hopefully we have a ref or a touch judge that can pick up when a guy is tackled without the ball when he has a good shot at scoring

Answer 16

Still lucky. If Ryan Cross had been sent off and New Zealand had been awarded a penalty try, It would have been a New Zealand win.

No surprise Craig Joubert was the ref. The most biased ref in the game.

Answer 17

Wallabies v All Blacks, Eden Park, 2 August 2008.

Thats whats now.

Answer 18

Lucky.

Had the ref actually awarded the penalty try and Lauaki not come on the ABs would have won.

It would have been 26-24 and Lauaki would not have been there to wave Elsom through for his crucial try so that's 14 points.  

The big thing was that Lauaki killed any sort of momentum the ABs tried to build, at the time of the match when the ABs usually lift the tempo and run the opposition into the ground. Which should have happened given the amount of defending the Aussies had to do.

Answer 19

Wat now??? Bring it.. lol Nahhh.. i honestly havent seen the game.. no point i guess.. I'm guttered.. but hope the AB's can get some momentum going next week otherwise we suck.. was there a haka done?? if so.. obviously the haka wasn't scary enuff.. lmaoo stoopid bois.. lol

Answer 20

Well...if you win next week then you can shake the lucky tag.....Aussie played better on the day.....but I still don't think you're the team to beat...beat South Africa at home and then you can say that.....

Answer 21

Just you wait till we get McCaw back and we play at our home grounds.

Answer 22

0oo mann so those aussie won ayy, STINK!!!.....0oo well we'll win the nxt round

Answer 23

No not lucky at all. NZ was terrible and there game plan was unbelieveably bad. Graham Henry should be shot.

Just when you thought our national game couldn't get any worse (after the WC2007) they let Robbie Deans go!!!!!!!!

Go Aussie.

Answer 24

"One swallow does not make a summer" but two wins, back to back, cannot be dismissed either. It would be most unfair to consider the Aus wins against the Boks (current world champs) and AB's (world chumps since 1987) as "lucky".

So we are back to blaming the Ref, are we (Matty D and others)? Forget feeble minded excuses from one-eyed individuals! These were deserved wins exposing the soft under-belly of the opponent - well thought out and well executed, better still.

However, it is too early to consider Aus "the team to beat". The acid test will be how the perform away in the Republic and, of course, here in Kiwiania. That will be the true mark of a great team and "one to beat". Somehow, I think that this may not be too far away!

Answer 25

Still haven't played away.  Let's chat after a couple of away games.

Answer 26

I'm really gutted that New Zealand doesn't have that many LOYAL AB's supporters. I feel sorry for anybody that's involved in the AB's because if they win we say they should have won by more or the opposition scored too many...and when they lose they are suddenly put in the firing line, the coaches are stupid and you think you could do a better job.  The game on the weekend: We need to accept that Aussie played better then they've played in a long time and that caused us to make a whole heap of mistakes...the SAME mistakes in a short space of time. I believe the AB's will be fine. It's a tough competition and it's only going to get tougher in S.A but we have to start realizing that every good team loses and the AB's are a good team...so let's get behind them and encourage them to play well instead of shooting them down every time they lose...

Answer 27

I support the Wallabies 100% & still think we need to win the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe Cup if we want to be known as the "team to beat". The way Robbie Deans is coaching so far, I do believe Australia have a really strong chance of winning the trophies back.