France v All Blacks
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ASmith seems to have left his form back in that Christchurch toilet, he needs to stop throwing his arms up to attract the refs attention and pay attention to what is going on around him instead. He threw a shitty pass along the ground and almost cost us when he didn't catch on to the Frenchie who fly-hacked that ball out of the ruck. Lucky our scrambling defence was up to it for most of the match.
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@mariner4life said in France:
I think Barnes has been excellent
If by "excellent" you mean "hasn't had an absolute howler but is still not getting as much right as he should and is kind of inconsistent sometimes but not too bad on the whole and certainly better than Peyper last week" then yes.
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@Stargazer said in France:
I really respect Kaino, but I think they need to find a long-term replacement asap. He looks like he's falling apart. I'd rather see guys like him retire before they break down completely. And they need to try more guys than Dixon and Squire.
I'd like to see Luatua there
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@Billy-Tell said in France:
Thought Barnes was fine myself one of his better tests.
Damned with faint praise
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@ACT-Crusader Didn't think so, but impossible to tell from Paddy comms. Thought SB was good. Whitelock really seemed to stand up in second half. Saw a bit of Oz-Irish. Must say we could do with a limpet like 7 such as Pocok -- we just don't seem to challenge for turnovers at the mo. Leads to making masses of tackles.
First three attacjs by France we had three t/os. First Todd, not sure second, Sam third.
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@Stargazer said in France:
I really respect Kaino, but I think they need to find a long-term replacement asap. He looks like he's falling apart. I'd rather see guys like him retire before they break down completely. And they need to try more guys than Dixon and Squire.
I'd like to see Luatua there
I'd like them to look at Luatua, A Ioane, Taufua and Shields.
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@Billy-Tell Our midfield lacks punch too. It was always going to be a big drop from Nonu/Smith though. Here's hoping that SBW is back to his best next year.
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@Stargazer Taufua seems much too small to be an 8 or 6 at test level. Fifita seems a better bet.
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@Tim I still think he should be considered. He has shown both in SR and for Counties this year that he has the biggest engine and work rate of them all, runs fast, and can play at 8 well. I wonder whether they'll have 3-day camps again in the weeks before the SR break. That would be a good opportunity to call up all these players and have a closer look at them in the AB environment.
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With the crack down on high(ish) tackles, and increasing likelihood that a tackle that slips up, or when the player falls into it will lead to a YC/RC, should we be adapting our defensive style?
The dominant tackle that drives the player back is less easy to execute if you are making a real effort to tackle lower - say the waist area versus chest. The waist tackle will also allow more offloads. So do we start tackling lower, looking to put the ball carrier on the ground and re-employ a fetcher?
Yes - I've always been a fan of the poacher, terrier-like nose to the ground style. We need to develop a dominant tackling style as well though to stop momentum and offloads. -
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We're in a great position with out locks. Both starting locks are right at the top of the tree yet play so differently to eahc other. Scott Barrett offers somethings else yet again, a Retallick/Whitelock hybrid with a bit of extra pace?
Happy to be very wrong about S Barrett. Didn't think he was ab material, but he's looked great each time he's come on.
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@Billy-Tell said in France:
Thought Barnes was fine myself one of his better tests.
I assume you are ignoring letting someone score a try from a quick tap that wasn't tapped and was well ahead and to the side of the mark he never made?
Typical WB. He can do a really good showing but randomly allows something like that. -
Pretty frantic game. French were a big step up from when we smoked them in the RWC.
Thought Barnes started well but lost the plot a bit. Players flying in off their feet all game then pings Ardie. TJP being taken out by an offside player then pinging ALB. Also thought the last penslty they kicked for the obstruction was pretty harsh.Agree with others. Should have kicked those three points with 9min to go. Scrum was struggling already and they were never going to score two tries but could easily have scored one and kicked a penalty that Barnes had randomly decided to blow.
Thought Dagg, Savea and BB were the best of the backs. Some good runs by Savea and was great to see him actually take that catch then put Dagg away rather than dropping it.
Like what i have seen from SBarrett. He is the find of the tour. Ioane not bad either.
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A slight feeling of dissatisfaction but over ridden by a hearty feeling of "a win's a win and thanks for a great year lads, enjoy your break and we'll come up with something a bit different in'17"
Frogs played bloody well. I was looking at things to whinge ala last week but at halftime could only conclude that the french were playing good rugby.
I've never laughed at a rugby incident but Beaudy's intercept had me howling. Nervous release of anxiety I'd say, but christ what blow that was. Using EOS idea of imagine if the jerseys were swapped, I could feel for the french supporters
Getting sick of watching my team defend for what seems to be 75% of a match. We gotta change something for next year because there ain't a rosy future in relying on scramble defence and playing out the phases like we've done lately.
Suspect we've kept a few things up the sleeves, which is quite Shag'esque. Ain't we got a close quarter offload game around the fringes of a ruck?
Same with strategies for a rush defence - which France did well- all we use now is the chip, and I get it but it's only good for a wee bit of territory and turning them around, not for regaining possession.
Barnes is a cock. reffed ok for sure but is a cock.
2 glaring annoyances are making up your own rules when a player is in front of the kicker at kick off you can't just "coach" the fluffybunny not to interfere. No, the action is a scrum on halfway which we should have had.
Also when tackled and down on the ground the laws express that the tackler will release. FFS Wayne and others, that doesn't mean the tackled player can just get up and keep cunting running!!! or worm along the ground like an epileptic during a monsoon thunderstorm. Fuck that nonsense gets on my wickAny way we can graft Nuggets pass onto TJ?
Read, you lost me a fair bit when you couldn't see the reasoning behind an 11 point lead with 5 minutes to go. we don't like seeing our players hoof the ball out on the siren in an act of pseudo submission. That's what happens when you forget the lessons of 100 years of AB rugby - when in front, keep accumulating the easy fricken points.
ALB and Crotty tackled well all night. Beaudy just stays at 1st 5 as much as we can, i.e. no starts for the others while BB is fit.
Todd is better than Savea. Get fucked, he just is
I also get warm stirrings when watching our defensive lineout
When did we attack around the fringes of a ruck last? Surely we can do that from time to time
Are we tired or were the other Rugby Championship teams just fucken crap?
Finally, well done boys in black. You'll agree there's a lot to work on but you've made me bloody happy this year, domestic violence in our house has plummeted and you've done yourselves bloody proud. Have a great holiday
But, we flush the funny and move onto those Lions pricks and 2017 eh?
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@Crash also think it is no coincidence that our play has suffered since A Smith's form has gone, his speed is integral to how this AB team play...as good as TJ is at what he does, Aaron Smith is the key to unlocking our play.
