The hangover three

Problematic All Blacks winger, Zac Guildford, has finally hit rock bottom.While on holidays in the Cook Islands, it would be an understatement to say he enjoyed himself. With an erratic burst that has easily given the plot, script writers and possibly a new character to the Hangover director, Todd Phillips.

In extraordinary circumstances, it alleged that Guildford burst into the Trader Jacks bar in Avarua, completely naked, saturated and covered in blood . But the madness did not stop there, he went on to punch two patrons -- however, he did climb up onto the stage and apologize -- But the party didn't stop their for Guildford,  it is claimed that he is a ladies man as well, as he was spotted leaving the scene with five women. To top it all off, Guildford can't remember a thing. It is also rumoured that Guildford was spotted taking Jäger shots with Zach Galifianakis earlier that evening.

On a serious note though, it seems Guildford has a legitimate problem with alcohol and gambling. With a host of other signs and incidents that point to him having an addiction problem. One of these is his wild night after the All Blacks Tri-Nation loss to the Wallabies this year. It is said by many around Guildford, that this has all started since his father's tragic passing while he was playing in the under 20's world cup. With Guildford only being 22, it seems there is still time for him to turn it around. However, at this rate it is not looking good and this latest incident will test the All Blacks patience. As mentioned earlier, if of course rugby union isn't an option there may well be an acting role in the coming months.

Barnes non-selection critical to Wallabies demise

Quade Cooper struggled against New Zealand in the world cup semi-final

Quade Cooper, the 2010 Super 14 player of the series and Wallabies play maker, has certainly fallen short of expectation coming from the 2011 Rugby World Cup. His error-riddled performances against South Africa and New Zealand in the quarter and semi finals have drawn wide spread criticism. But, was he the reason the Wallabies were unable to go all the way to world cup glory?

There is no doubting that Cooper's performance against South Africa was well under par and his start against the All Blacks left a lot to be desired. However, I find it hard to lay the Wallabies' failures purely on the shoulders of Cooper. Australia were thoroughly out-played in their semi-final encounter by a superior line up, that of the All Blacks, and despite his blooper filled match against the Springboks they managed a win. While Cooper started slowly in the semi final, his second half performance was mostly sound as he attempted to spark some life back into the Australian attack.

The real short comings of the Wallabies World Cup campaign, I feel, remain in the hands of Robbie Deans who picked the out-of-sorts Cooper for these high pressure games. Berrick Barnes would have certainly got the nod for me ahead of Cooper following his quarter final performance. Barnes would have added solidity and consistency when needed most. He is a reliable play maker who works the percentages and guides the team with a territory based mind-set which would have been ideal for a close game at finals level in a world cup.

With this in mind, Cooper was not the only Australian player not to live up to the hype at the world cup. It appeared Will Genia struggled with slow ball and was placed under great pressure when trying to deliver the ball to his backs which led to numerous errors and dropped balls. The Australian scrum, while much improved, once again was exposed under pressure situation and was penalised on many occasions. The flare of the backs, in spite of its entertaining potential, lead to many handling errors and placed unnecessary pressure on the forwards to secure the ball when isolated continuously. With all these compounded variables I think it unfair to place the blame solely on the erratic and unconvincing Cooper.


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Wallabies World Cup Semi-Final Review

Richie McCaw leads the All Blacks to victory

No doubt Cooper struggled early and made some crucial mistakes in the first half. I must give him and the Wallabies credit for their fighting spirit when the going was always going to be tough. They were confronted with a far superior side and gave away possession when they needed to hold it most. This is a clear reflection of the fact they were up against a more than formidable opposition, not just to say that they weren't good enough.

And with that, the Wallabies 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign has come to an end. The only consolation I can see in their loss was the fact they were beaten by not only the better team, but probably the best. Regardless of this, I hope to see France take the title next weekend.

The tempo was poorly set by the Wallabies from the outset and New Zealand capitalised early with a try to Ma'a Nonu set up by a run down the right flank by Israel Dagg, one of the All Blacks stand out performers. With that New Zealand rolled on to victory 20-6 as Australia struggled to develop any momentum and break the defensive line.

Cooper's first half will be reflected upon negatively, I for one, couldn't see the justification in his selection following his performance against South Africa. I think Berrick Barnes would have been a far safer and more reliable choice to start at fly-half in such a pressure encounter. Will Genia struggled as he was placed under huge pressure at the base of the ruck and was left with slow ball to work with thanks to a great display of counter rucking from the All Blacks.

Overall I believe the Wallabies will be disappointed, they certainly had the potential to push the All Blacks further. However, they worked hard and a variety of small errors got the better of them. They'll just have to wait another four years before they get a chance at redemption.