Crusaders v Blues
-
First full match I’ve seen in ages.
First half was a mixture of awful and brilliant. Crusaders defense the brilliant, Blues communication the awful. They created space but barely used it.
Second was much higher quality. Blues should have won it if not for brain farts. They were well
On top with excellent plays by Sotutu and Lam. Ioane looks like his brain has left for Leinster already. Barrett shows glimpses of old but then some bang average stuff.Crusaders are brilliant on defense but seem a bit clueless with the ball. Be glad to get the points, but only some brilliant scrum power got the win for them.
JOC is much better than their starting 10 but really seems to be enjoying himself. The old man in me is really happy for him, I think his ego issues when young were poorly managed and he just looks really settled. Good on him.
-
Is it me or does Segner look bigger this year ?, thought his lineout work was first rate
-
Crusaders- Lio-Willie continues to impress. Havilli is influencial. Will Jordan is developing his kicking game. Noah Hotham is showing he is in the AB mix. T. Williams is becoming a legend. Newell is becoming a AB bomb squad essential. The Crusaders pack is different with Taylor there.
Blues- actually impressed with Angus and Hoskins tonight. Showed their AB (or past) credentials.
Was hoping Shalfoon(?) would impress but thought the young Blues lock was just as good. -
I would be finding a way to have JoC starting if I was the Saders.
-
@frugby seems a lack of smarts and inability to read a game.and adjust to what is required.
Too many of the poor.decisions seem almost as if they are part of a game plan.
-
You have got to give Rob Penny and his coaching group his dues for keeping Fletcher Newall on the paddock for the entire 80 minutes , 2 very impactful moments at scrum time in the last 10 minutes
We are often critical of coaches who make pre arranged subs but on this occasion common sense prevailed -
@Steven-Harris said in Crusaders v Blues:
You have got to give Rob Penny and his coaching group his dues for keeping Fletcher Newall on the paddock for the entire 80 minutes , 2 very impactful moments at scrum time in the last 10 minutes
We are often critical of coaches who make pre arranged subs but on this occasion common sense prevailedYeah 100% you would have to think without Newell who demolished the young Blues TH those last 2 penalties would not have been won.
The reserve prop was Sykes - Martin a LH being tried as a TH. -
@taniwharugby said in Crusaders v Blues:
@frugby seems a lack of smarts and inability to read a game.and adjust to what is required.
Too many of the poor.decisions seem almost as if they are part of a game plan.
I don’t think they were ,Penny did say at HT the Crusaders were playing too much in their half and needed to adjust to play in the right area of the park.
It seems some players didn’t take that in and still played to much in their own half.
There was also a stiff breeze the Crusaders were playing in to in the 2nd half which was hard to kick out of the 22. -
@Chris I was talking generally rather than specific to this game
-
@Steven-Harris said in Crusaders v Blues:
You have got to give Rob Penny and his coaching group his dues for keeping Fletcher Newall on the paddock for the entire 80 minutes , 2 very impactful moments at scrum time in the last 10 minutes
We are often critical of coaches who make pre arranged subs but on this occasion common sense prevailedLet's see how Newell's season plays out.
-
@taniwharugby said in Crusaders v Blues:
@Chris I was talking generally rather than specific to this game
ok fair enough.
-
-
So, the Blues have more AB backs than can fit on the park in Christie, Barrett, Ioane, Telea, Clarke, Perofeta, Plummer. And yet AJ Lam is their best back?
Lio-Willie played well, but he's just another in the small-medium sized loosie category. I wouldn't mind him making the ABs in itself, but not unless we drop some of our 6 or so incumbents who are the same size. -
@brodean I thought for a game that Newall needed to make an impact he more than nailed it .
There’s no reason why he can’t take this form into the last several weeks
Best game I have seen from Angus Ta’vao in a very long time -
@reprobate said in Crusaders v Blues:
So, the Blues have more AB backs than can fit on the park in Christie, Barrett, Ioane, Telea, Clarke, Perofeta, Plummer. And yet AJ Lam is their best back?
Half of the ones you mentioned may have already mentally packed for overseas.
-
-
@nostrildamus said in Crusaders v Blues:
@reprobate said in Crusaders v Blues:
So, the Blues have more AB backs than can fit on the park in Christie, Barrett, Ioane, Telea, Clarke, Perofeta, Plummer. And yet AJ Lam is their best back?
Half of the ones you mentioned may have already mentally packed for overseas.
Maybe, but he was better than just about all of them last year too.
