Wallabies v Fiji: Will This Be...
June 8th 2007 07:48
...a bit like a bula* in a China shop.....?
Will The Wallabies trample all over the valiant Fijians? Again.
Or will the Fijian Island Warrior spirit rise....and stay...for the duration?
Fiji hasn't defeated the Wallabies since 1954 but....these 2 teams have been pooled together for the World Cup and will use this match to test each other out before they meet again in September.
Fiji is considered a 'second tier' Rugby team.
The Wallabies are 'first tier'.
This is the 3rd match in the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.
Date and Venue:
Saturday June 9th, Subiaco Oval, Perth,
Kickoff:
8pm AEST, 6pm WA.
Telecast times:
- LIVE on Channel 7 in Sydney and Brisbane from 7.30pm AEST.
- Delay telecast in Melbourne and Adelaide on Channel 7 from 11.30pm (local time).
- *Delay in Perth on Channel 7 from 10.30pm (local time).
- LIVE at 7.30pm AEST on Fox Sports 2
*How ridiculous and funny is this??? the match is played in Perth yet Perth fans won't get to watch it on TV until later on in the night...sounds like a John O'Neill type decision...well, I don't know that for a fact but it could be okay?
Right...let's check out the squad...and yes, that is code for 'let's see if Stephen (sigh) is playing"...which I am very surprised about actually.
I did think that the Coach would want to 'rest' him (....I'd like to arrest him...grrr.... whoops... damn...am sleeptyping again...) but obviously this is a more important match than they're letting on, due to the World Cup pooling.
I do have a very soft spot for Fiji. These guys are brilliant at Rugby...albeit at Sevens. They ruled the Hong Kong Sevens...so much so that one year that they won (and I think they had won consecutively for a few years), a public holiday was gazetted and celebrated. Awwwright....my kind of country!
Unfortunately, although they produce excellent Rugby players*, they don't produce team stamina so they don't last the distance.
They show flashes of brilliance and exciting play, still gee-ed up by their pre-match war dance, the Cibi (like the haka but more intimidating, pronounced 'thimbi') but they fizzle out before half-time.
*No international team is complete unless they have a Fijian player
eg. Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs and Wallabies), Jone Tawake (Brumbies) and Joe Rokocoko for some insignificant team who think they're All that, from NZ.....
The Wallabies:
Major changes to the Forward pack....yet another brilliant example of stupidity by the selectors.
Lock Dan Vickerman is the only one to keep his place.
Happy to see Al Baxter in the front row but oh god...or at least a moron selector...please tell me why Matt Dunning aka Pudding is there. All he does is grunt and go nowhere and he doesn't even do that fast.
And Phil Waugh is Captain?
....because...why?...Paris Hilton was in jail at the time of selection so they decided to choose the next worst candidate?
Okay...that's a bit harsh.
How about....Paris Hilton was unavailable at the time so they chose the next available and useless blonde?
Where the hell is Wyclif Palu? Where is Rocky Elsom? Where is Nathan Sharpe?
Oh, that's right. They've been shipped off to South Africa for next week's match.
Post coming up.
As I sighed earlier, Larkyum is playing.....but not the whole match.
The one thing everyone likes to do is play rough with Larkham.
Yes, I'm no exception.... but in all seriousness, this is a problem.
Casual observers of the game do not realise how many hits Larkham takes. The opponents primary objective is to take him out so it is with some mixed relief that I and other Rugby fans and The Wallabies will be feeling....that Larkham won't be playing the full 80 minutes.
Great. There goes my Rugby night.
Fact is, playing Larkham against Fiji and their Island warrior players is a "major gamble", especially with the "important tests" coming up...The TriNations...The Bledisloe.
....but apparently, the selectors believe
Great. There goes my Rugby season.
Brilliant news though....Gregan is back as Lord of the Scrumhalves! yayyyyyy!!!!!...and why the hell is he not Captain instead of Vice Captain?
Cannot believe they dumped last week's fantastic debut-winger Digby Ioane for Lote Tuqiri. I guess it's the Fiji thing to do.
Also cannot believe that Mortlock is on the bench.
He really should have been rested. The man is not looking well.....but he's still Vice Captain.
Interesting to see Scott Staniforth (#12) and Adam Ashley-Cooper (#13) on start-up. Staniforth has been out injured and if anything, he should be on the bench but I guess they want to test the combination...
We'll see...
(numbers denote positions on field and not calibre nor quality...except Larkham really is the Perfect 10....and Matt Dunning would be minus gazillion if this was the case...)
The Forwards:
1. Matt Dunning, 2. Adam Freier, 3. Al Baxter, 4. James Horwill, 5. Dan Vickerman, 6. Mark Chisholm, 7. Phil Waugh (c), 8. David Lyons
The Backs:
9. George Gregan (vc), 10. Stephen Larkham, 11. Lote Tuqiri, 12. Scott Staniforth, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Drew Mitchell, 15. Julian Huxley.
Reserves:
16. Stephen Moore, 17. Benn Robinson, 18. Stephen Hoiles, 19. George Smith
20. Sam Cordingley, 21. Sam Norton-Knight, 22. Stirling Mortlock (vc).
Fiji:
Some good players to watch....although the team has not been in good form.
Their Captain Alifereti Doviverata at #8, Henry Qiodravu at prop #3 and Apolosi Satala at flanker #6 should make the big difference in an otherwise very inexperienced squad, especially the Backs.
This will be a very telling match.
*bula - Fijian word for Hello
Will The Wallabies trample all over the valiant Fijians? Again.
Or will the Fijian Island Warrior spirit rise....and stay...for the duration?
Fiji hasn't defeated the Wallabies since 1954 but....these 2 teams have been pooled together for the World Cup and will use this match to test each other out before they meet again in September.
Fiji is considered a 'second tier' Rugby team.
The Wallabies are 'first tier'.
This is the 3rd match in the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.
Date and Venue:
Saturday June 9th, Subiaco Oval, Perth,
Kickoff:
8pm AEST, 6pm WA.
Telecast times:
- LIVE on Channel 7 in Sydney and Brisbane from 7.30pm AEST.
- Delay telecast in Melbourne and Adelaide on Channel 7 from 11.30pm (local time).
- *Delay in Perth on Channel 7 from 10.30pm (local time).
- LIVE at 7.30pm AEST on Fox Sports 2
*How ridiculous and funny is this??? the match is played in Perth yet Perth fans won't get to watch it on TV until later on in the night...sounds like a John O'Neill type decision...well, I don't know that for a fact but it could be okay?
Right...let's check out the squad...and yes, that is code for 'let's see if Stephen (sigh) is playing"...which I am very surprised about actually.
I did think that the Coach would want to 'rest' him (....I'd like to arrest him...grrr.... whoops... damn...am sleeptyping again...) but obviously this is a more important match than they're letting on, due to the World Cup pooling.
I do have a very soft spot for Fiji. These guys are brilliant at Rugby...albeit at Sevens. They ruled the Hong Kong Sevens...so much so that one year that they won (and I think they had won consecutively for a few years), a public holiday was gazetted and celebrated. Awwwright....my kind of country!
Unfortunately, although they produce excellent Rugby players*, they don't produce team stamina so they don't last the distance.
They show flashes of brilliance and exciting play, still gee-ed up by their pre-match war dance, the Cibi (like the haka but more intimidating, pronounced 'thimbi') but they fizzle out before half-time.
*No international team is complete unless they have a Fijian player
eg. Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs and Wallabies), Jone Tawake (Brumbies) and Joe Rokocoko for some insignificant team who think they're All that, from NZ.....
The Wallabies:
Major changes to the Forward pack....yet another brilliant example of stupidity by the selectors.
Lock Dan Vickerman is the only one to keep his place.
Happy to see Al Baxter in the front row but oh god...or at least a moron selector...please tell me why Matt Dunning aka Pudding is there. All he does is grunt and go nowhere and he doesn't even do that fast.
And Phil Waugh is Captain?
....because...why?...Paris Hilton was in jail at the time of selection so they decided to choose the next worst candidate?
Okay...that's a bit harsh.
How about....Paris Hilton was unavailable at the time so they chose the next available and useless blonde?
Where the hell is Wyclif Palu? Where is Rocky Elsom? Where is Nathan Sharpe?
Oh, that's right. They've been shipped off to South Africa for next week's match.
Post coming up.
As I sighed earlier, Larkyum is playing.....but not the whole match.
The one thing everyone likes to do is play rough with Larkham.
Yes, I'm no exception.... but in all seriousness, this is a problem.
Casual observers of the game do not realise how many hits Larkham takes. The opponents primary objective is to take him out so it is with some mixed relief that I and other Rugby fans and The Wallabies will be feeling....that Larkham won't be playing the full 80 minutes.
Great. There goes my Rugby night.
Fact is, playing Larkham against Fiji and their Island warrior players is a "major gamble", especially with the "important tests" coming up...The TriNations...The Bledisloe.
....but apparently, the selectors believe
....Larkham needs another run after missing the first Test against Wales. But he will still only play about 50 minutes against Fiji, before being replaced by Sam Norton-Knight.
....however Hobiteau (Matt Giteau) is likely to take over as flyhalf if Larkham gets injured during the Tri Nations.Great. There goes my Rugby season.
Brilliant news though....Gregan is back as Lord of the Scrumhalves! yayyyyyy!!!!!...and why the hell is he not Captain instead of Vice Captain?
Cannot believe they dumped last week's fantastic debut-winger Digby Ioane for Lote Tuqiri. I guess it's the Fiji thing to do.
Also cannot believe that Mortlock is on the bench.
He really should have been rested. The man is not looking well.....but he's still Vice Captain.
Interesting to see Scott Staniforth (#12) and Adam Ashley-Cooper (#13) on start-up. Staniforth has been out injured and if anything, he should be on the bench but I guess they want to test the combination...
The selectors also know that if they are going to give their new centre combination of Scott Staniforth and Adam Ashley-Cooper the best chance to excel, they must spend some time outside the experienced halves combination of Larkham and George Gregan.
Australia's biggest problem is getting proper back-up at halfback, five-eighth and inside centre, and selectors are using this Test to gauge whether Staniforth is up to Test standard at inside centre.
Australia's biggest problem is getting proper back-up at halfback, five-eighth and inside centre, and selectors are using this Test to gauge whether Staniforth is up to Test standard at inside centre.
We'll see...
(numbers denote positions on field and not calibre nor quality...except Larkham really is the Perfect 10....and Matt Dunning would be minus gazillion if this was the case...)
The Forwards:
1. Matt Dunning, 2. Adam Freier, 3. Al Baxter, 4. James Horwill, 5. Dan Vickerman, 6. Mark Chisholm, 7. Phil Waugh (c), 8. David Lyons
The Backs:
9. George Gregan (vc), 10. Stephen Larkham, 11. Lote Tuqiri, 12. Scott Staniforth, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Drew Mitchell, 15. Julian Huxley.
Reserves:
16. Stephen Moore, 17. Benn Robinson, 18. Stephen Hoiles, 19. George Smith
20. Sam Cordingley, 21. Sam Norton-Knight, 22. Stirling Mortlock (vc).
Fiji:
Some good players to watch....although the team has not been in good form.
Fiji has played three games in the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup so far this season with indifferent results. It lost 8-3 loss to Samoa in the first round, came back from a half-time deficit to beat Japan 30-15, before being trounced 57-8 by the New Zealand B team - the Junior All Blacks in Suva last week.
Their Captain Alifereti Doviverata at #8, Henry Qiodravu at prop #3 and Apolosi Satala at flanker #6 should make the big difference in an otherwise very inexperienced squad, especially the Backs.
This will be a very telling match.
Go The Wallabies!!
*bula - Fijian word for Hello
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Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Bula Dusk
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
I agree with Ash...... Figi is so beautiful
Mis
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
(apologies for replying to you both in the same...um... breath)
Yes. Fiji is incredibly beautiful....and I recall your Fiji sunset post Ash...I think that was the first time I had ever commented on your blogs.
...but this is a Rugby mad country!!
They don't take the beauty that surrounds them for granted though.
They play Rugby everywhere...yes...even underwater!
much warmth to you both
Dusk