Planet Rugby Forum

Based on what your team's shown at the int'l stage, or how the clubs have conducted themselves, are you confident going into the next tour on the yearly calendar, that being the November internationals ?

PLEASE DO STATE YOUR COUNTRY, we don't all follow where each one of you're from.

Assuming we have any unbroken players to field in it, reasonably

My team:

France: We're going to smash the All Blacks in both games. I'm most confident in our garçons

Los Pumas: 0 / 3.

We might beat Italy if we're fortunate ...

I think Beale back is making a difference. So who knows. 50/50 confidence wise.

Boks 3 from 4

Can’t recall when NZ last lost a EOYT match in the IRB window? ie non exhibition match.

Think 2012 was an exhibition match ?

So going to say ABs to win all official IRB matches once again.

For the exhibition match this year, we should take the baa baas, if we bother and have a second row and stomach linings intact.

Jensrsa wrote:Boks 3 from 4

I admire your optimism.

I can see us running into serious trouble in all of our games. We're going to be critically low in confidence and beating Ireland first up is going to be a huge task.

EOYT

Autumn Internationals for Wales is the usual fayre i.e. shite

- Loss
- Win
- Loss

The win against Georgia to be scrappy as we throw in some strange team set-up. Then use the result to justify playing with nothing new whatsoever.

Scotland are missing some key personnel and some are only returning slowly from injury but still hopeful.

Samoa - Win. Must win for the coaching staff really. They have been given an easy time for losing in Fiji but back to back loses to PI teams would be seen as poor.

NZ - Loss but hoping to show some competitiveness in this game. I assume the ABs will rotate players in but will still have too much. Scotland don't get to play the ABs all that often so hoping we can be competitive before the inevitable defeat.

Australia - Scotland have a reasonable recent track record of playing well against Australia and they will be targeting this as another chance to beat them. I imagine the Aussies will be up for it so not much more than 50/50 on Scotlands chances but it will hopefully be a good game.

Scotland have some injury concerns/issues going into the AI's.
Loose head - First 4 choices are not fit. At least two of them but possibly all will miss the AI's.
Hooker - Brown only just back from injury, should be up to speed by AI's.
Second Row - RGray out of the AI's, JGray only just back available for Glasgow selection but should be ok for selection.
12 - Dunbar who is seen as the defensive leader is out of the AI's. Looks like a Taylor/Jones partnership which should be pretty handy.
15 - Hogg in a race to be fit for the 1st round of Euro games. If he misses those then it is a big call to stick him into the AIs. Hopefully fit.

Loose head is the main worry the options 5th choice onwards are guys who just aren't ready and/or not up to it.

assfly wrote:

Jensrsa wrote:Boks 3 from 4

I admire your optimism.

I can see us running into serious trouble in all of our games. We're going to be critically low in confidence and beating Ireland first up is going to be a huge task.

Boks can't beat Ireland in Dublin atm. The level of coaching between Schmidt and Coetzee... just incomparable. They should beat France but the latter have dormant potential and they usually do okay during November Tests so you just couldn't tell right now. France could "accidentally" beat SA, dead serious about that word. They'll get Italy easily and then Wales is about a 50/50.

Puma wrote:Los Pumas: 0 / 3.

We might beat Italy if we're fortunate ...

Yeah, I'm afraid it's looking like a 1/3 for certain.

CrazyIslander wrote:I think Beale back is making a difference. So who knows. 50/50 confidence wise.

Aus can't lose in Cardiff, but can't win in Twickenham. Scotland is a 50/50...unfortunately they don't have Paris on their schedule this year.


Big D
Seems it's always one prop position that's decimated by injuries with Sco. Last few times it was TH, now it's LH. My God, do Scotland even have 5 professional LH props ?!


Sad to notice the best teams don't have a worthy match this year. Eng are good and at home and not losing to any of those three, while NZ have their easiest EOYT in many many years. Hopefully for them not too easy, we've all seen how they consider November as holidays.

Hang on, New Zealand are playing France on Sat 11th, then again on Tue 14th, then up to play Scotland on Sat 18th?

What do they think this is, a Lions tour? ffs

For Scotland, it's more or less what BigD said. Assuming Gray the Younger and Hogg are back, there is a lot of class in the team with the exception of LHP where the injury crisis is scary.

Samoa should be a win and the Australia game is a 50/50 as always.

The big one is NZ. Because of Scotland's current world ranking and NZ's AI schedule (France the week before and an unofficial midweek game against a France XV in between, plus no game on the 25th as far as I can tell) I'd expect the ABs to rock up at Murrayfield with something close to their best team for a change. Predicting a Scotland win (for the first time in history) would therefore be madness - but still...this Scotland team can play with the best, NZ have looked untouchable one week (Aus away, SA at home) and vulnerable the next (Lions series, Aus at home, even Arg at home) - if the stars align it could be a real humdinger. Unfortunately for Scotland, in a tight match there's only going to be one winner as NZ are peerless when it comes to getting a result. To beat them, you basically have to be out of sight with 20 minutes to go and I can't see Scotland do that even with my most Saltire-tinted glasses on.

So - beat Samoa well, close loss to NZ that 'old Scotland' would be proud of but 'new Scotland' won't be, and then hopefully another win over Australia to wrap things up.

Best thing about it is I'll be at Murrayfield on the 18th with my two sons to watch the AB game. Loved it 3 years ago, when I only took my oldest - this will be the first big international for my second son. Happy days.

Italy could make its first ever EOYT slam, our teams seems to have confidence and fitness this season, who knows if they can transfer that into the Azzurri jersey.

But we can loose to FIJI and deflate to a miserable winless autumn too...

Dork Lard wrote: Big D
Seems it's always one prop position that's decimated by injuries with Sco. Last few times it was TH, now it's LH. My God, do Scotland even have 5 professional LH props ?!
.

It is very thin, there is one who is the likely starter with recentish international experience but is definitely no higher than 5th in the pecking order. Behind that we have a couple of young pups (including one who can play both sides well), a couple of older past it or never was types (Grant and Traynor (now in Tigers A team)), Edinburghs 4th choice LHP who has an ok start to the year but don't see him as an international and a THP who used to be a LHP.

Very testing. But has to be said it was similar last autumn with 2LHPs and Nel on the TH side and the lads did fine.

Wales lose against Aus obviously
Win by less than ten against Georgia
Lose against SA.

Different year, same abject shit.

Soundbite, same as the last 20-30 years: “we’ll learn from this”

About the NZ Test in Scotland, the AB have a veryyyyy favorable, pretty vacantly schedules EOYT. They should send a first team to Murrayfield, it's not like they've got a bigger Test all November.

dargotronV.1 wrote:Hang on, New Zealand are playing France on Sat 11th, then again on Tue 14th, then up to play Scotland on Sat 18th?

What do they think this is, a Lions tour? ffs

Playing France only counts as half a Test. So they fill in the other half during the week. simple arithmetic.

Big D wrote: It is very thin, there is one who is the likely starter with recentish international experience but is definitely no higher than 5th in the pecking order. Behind that we have a couple of young pups (including one who can play both sides well), a couple of older past it or never was types (Grant and Traynor (now in Tigers A team)), Edinburghs 4th choice LHP who has an ok start to the year but don't see him as an international and a THP who used to be a LHP.

Very testing. But has to be said it was similar last autumn with 2LHPs and Nel on the TH side and the lads did fine.

Yes, if you've got a dominant rock at TH it'll often make up for a mediocre LH on the other end in the scrum, it's sth you'll see often when Slimani is holding his own at TH. And scrums aren't as important anyways in the very current game, as opposed to just 2-3-4 seasons ago.

tafano wrote:Italy could make its first ever EOYT slam, our teams seems to have confidence and fitness this season, who knows if they can transfer that into the Azzurri jersey.

But we can loose to FIJI and deflate to a miserable winless autumn too...

Yes for Italy it could be the grande heroic Tour where they again smite the mighty Springboks in a greater yet effort than the last in Rome...or they could just ship 40 vs Fiji in that first Test.

Plato'sCave wrote:Wales lose against Aus obviously
Win by less than ten against Georgia
Lose against SA.

Different year, same abject shit.

Soundbite, same as the last 20-30 years: “we’ll learn from this”

Wasn't it better to be fkng shite during the Autumn but then win a 6N subsequently in retrospect though ?
(I know... "well now we're shit at both").

Dork Lard wrote:

Plato'sCave wrote:Wales lose against Aus obviously
Win by less than ten against Georgia
Lose against SA.

Different year, same abject shit.

Soundbite, same as the last 20-30 years: “we’ll learn from this”

Wasn't it better to be fkng shite during the Autumn but then win a 6N subsequently in retrospect though ?
(I know... "well now we're shit at both").

It’s better to be good in both. But yes we are shit in both. Deservedly so.

Boks are playing Ireland, France, Italy and Wales.

We should lose all.

clydecloggie wrote:For Scotland, it's more or less what BigD said. Assuming Gray the Younger and Hogg are back, there is a lot of class in the team with the exception of LHP where the injury crisis is scary.

Samoa should be a win and the Australia game is a 50/50 as always.

The big one is NZ. Because of Scotland's current world ranking and NZ's AI schedule (France the week before and an unofficial midweek game against a France XV in between, plus no game on the 25th as far as I can tell) I'd expect the ABs to rock up at Murrayfield with something close to their best team for a change. Predicting a Scotland win (for the first time in history) would therefore be madness - but still...this Scotland team can play with the best, NZ have looked untouchable one week (Aus away, SA at home) and vulnerable the next (Lions series, Aus at home, even Arg at home) - if the stars align it could be a real humdinger. Unfortunately for Scotland, in a tight match there's only going to be one winner as NZ are peerless when it comes to getting a result. To beat them, you basically have to be out of sight with 20 minutes to go and I can't see Scotland do that even with my most Saltire-tinted glasses on.

So - beat Samoa well, close loss to NZ that 'old Scotland' would be proud of but 'new Scotland' won't be, and then hopefully another win over Australia to wrap things up.

Best thing about it is I'll be at Murrayfield on the 18th with my two sons to watch the AB game. Loved it 3 years ago, when I only took my oldest - this will be the first big international for my second son. Happy days.

Please can we at least see a competitive performance against NZ. We haven't played them in ages (though we are starting to creep back onto their radar). I can't stand to watch another collapse like we saw v England.

Depends on whether Thurrock's number 7 is ruled fit or not

As always Wales lack of creativity gets shown up against SH competition. I suspect it will be

Week 1: Australia smash an over cooked Wales. Wales has the position, Australia has the Tries.
Week 2: Wales should smash Georgia, but will make hard work of it.
Week 3: Wales just more roadkill under the All Blacks locomotive. Kiwis especially pumped up against Gatland because of the Lions result
Week 4: Actually Wales has a good chance against South Africa.

Doc Rob wrote:

clydecloggie wrote:For Scotland, it's more or less what BigD said. Assuming Gray the Younger and Hogg are back, there is a lot of class in the team with the exception of LHP where the injury crisis is scary.

Samoa should be a win and the Australia game is a 50/50 as always.

The big one is NZ. Because of Scotland's current world ranking and NZ's AI schedule (France the week before and an unofficial midweek game against a France XV in between, plus no game on the 25th as far as I can tell) I'd expect the ABs to rock up at Murrayfield with something close to their best team for a change. Predicting a Scotland win (for the first time in history) would therefore be madness - but still...this Scotland team can play with the best, NZ have looked untouchable one week (Aus away, SA at home) and vulnerable the next (Lions series, Aus at home, even Arg at home) - if the stars align it could be a real humdinger. Unfortunately for Scotland, in a tight match there's only going to be one winner as NZ are peerless when it comes to getting a result. To beat them, you basically have to be out of sight with 20 minutes to go and I can't see Scotland do that even with my most Saltire-tinted glasses on.

So - beat Samoa well, close loss to NZ that 'old Scotland' would be proud of but 'new Scotland' won't be, and then hopefully another win over Australia to wrap things up.

Best thing about it is I'll be at Murrayfield on the 18th with my two sons to watch the AB game. Loved it 3 years ago, when I only took my oldest - this will be the first big international for my second son. Happy days.

Please can we at least see a competitive performance against NZ. We haven't played them in ages (though we are starting to creep back onto their radar). I can't stand to watch another collapse like we saw v England.

Yup realistically that game is all about performance.

Good to hear Dell might be back this week or next for Edinburgh.

le chat wrote:Depends on whether Thurrock's number 7 is ruled fit or not

That made I larf

England: Would be confident except I have a nagging feeling Eddie will be PARTICULARLY lively in the press in the run up to the Crims and we'll lose

Jensrsa wrote:Boks 3 from 4

Could also very well be 1 from 4. Or hell, we've lost to Italy before....

eldanielfire wrote:As always Wales lack of creativity gets shown up against SH competition. I suspect it will be

Week 4: Actually Wales has a good chance against South Africa.

Yes agreed, in one line that's Wales' problem against the Southern sides. You'd think in theory either they'd slow down the game, defensively smother and pound in the scrum the Wallabies - or - they'd be overrun by the Aussie/NZ quickness and confused by their skill-based Rugby and sure enough it's the second. It's no coincidence they still haven't got over their Wallabies losing streak (since 2008 !!!) but have their Springboks streak. I think they've got a good chance against those Boks as well. They too attack a lot now, but aren't at all as inventive/unpredictable with their offensive schemes (as say Aus and NZ).

Frodder wrote:EOYT

Autumn Internationals for Wales is the usual fayre i.e. shite

- Loss
- Win
- Loss

The win against Georgia to be scrappy as we throw in some strange team set-up. Then use the result to justify playing with nothing new whatsoever.

Frodder knows

Doc Rob wrote:

clydecloggie wrote:For Scotland, it's more or less what BigD said. Assuming Gray the Younger and Hogg are back, there is a lot of class in the team with the exception of LHP where the injury crisis is scary.

Samoa should be a win and the Australia game is a 50/50 as always.

The big one is NZ. Because of Scotland's current world ranking and NZ's AI schedule (France the week before and an unofficial midweek game against a France XV in between, plus no game on the 25th as far as I can tell) I'd expect the ABs to rock up at Murrayfield with something close to their best team for a change. Predicting a Scotland win (for the first time in history) would therefore be madness - but still...this Scotland team can play with the best, NZ have looked untouchable one week (Aus away, SA at home) and vulnerable the next (Lions series, Aus at home, even Arg at home) - if the stars align it could be a real humdinger. Unfortunately for Scotland, in a tight match there's only going to be one winner as NZ are peerless when it comes to getting a result. To beat them, you basically have to be out of sight with 20 minutes to go and I can't see Scotland do that even with my most Saltire-tinted glasses on.

So - beat Samoa well, close loss to NZ that 'old Scotland' would be proud of but 'new Scotland' won't be, and then hopefully another win over Australia to wrap things up.

Best thing about it is I'll be at Murrayfield on the 18th with my two sons to watch the AB game. Loved it 3 years ago, when I only took my oldest - this will be the first big international for my second son. Happy days.

Please can we at least see a competitive performance against NZ. We haven't played them in ages (though we are starting to creep back onto their radar). I can't stand to watch another collapse like we saw v England.

Prescient, CC!

Chuckles1188 wrote:Assuming we have any unbroken players to field in it, reasonably

We're in South Africa.

I'd be pretty peeved if we couldn't rout them, what with the utter shambles they are currently.

EDIT: Oh these internationals, not in June.

Wendigo7 wrote:

Chuckles1188 wrote:Assuming we have any unbroken players to field in it, reasonably

We're in South Africa.

I'd be pretty peeved if we couldn't rout them, what with the utter shambles they are currently.

EDIT: Oh these internationals, not in June.

EOYT is End of Year Tests.