Bledisloe 2
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@chimoaus said in Bledisloe 2:
@nzzp said in Bledisloe 2:
So, we're rebuilding, we miss Charlie, and Ofa better get a lot better soon or we're basically screwed. Could he be the first proper blind spot for the coaches?
Dixon?
He's gone.
Ofa has been around for ages. I think the problem is probably a lack of better options though.
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@antipodean said in Bledisloe 2:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe 2:
@antipodean best rugby podcast going. Sensational listening.
Agreed. Worth listening to.
Great stuff. What stage of grief was that? White hot fury?
Something I do have an issue with is this complaint that the players don't have heart. I don't believe that. I think they trained the hardest they could and genuinely gave it all out there. They simply aren't good enough, skilled enough or coached well enough to compete on an even footing. You'd think after 6 weeks in camp these guys would be pretty slick and familiar with eachother, but there was no evidence of that on Saturday.
Running up hills holding hands or carrying logs makes compelling viewing, but you can put the greatest Spartan warrior team of all time against a half-decent rugby team and they'll still get destroyed. The basics aren't there, nor are the tactics or structure.
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The guys on rugger matrix ( Aussies ) are critical of cheika in his tactical approach,
They say his answers are all about fire and brimstone , we have to play like mongrel dogs etc , but very little nous .
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Akira Ioane and Hames have been called into the ABs camp (together with NMS, Moli and Havili who were part of the original squad). Hames is a logical inclusion due to the fact that Crockett is out. Akira's inclusion is more surprising. Will he be on the bench on Saturday ?
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Blindside flanker Jerome Kaino is still dealing with personal issues. Akira Ioane has joined the squad as cover.
"We are just giving him (Kaino) his own personal space at the moment, so Akira has come in in the meantime," Foster said.
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@chimoaus said in Bledisloe 2:
@nzzp said in Bledisloe 2:
So, we're rebuilding, we miss Charlie, and Ofa better get a lot better soon or we're basically screwed. Could he be the first proper blind spot for the coaches?
Dixon?
He's not still in the squad though...
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@Crucial said in Bledisloe 2:
Sad thing is that this could conceivably bring the end of JKs AB career. Not directly due to what he has/hasn't done but because he has opened the door widely for others and if they don't think he has his head in the right place they won't use him.
Yeah I think you're right. They were clearly going to start transitioning in the new guy anyway.
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@Crucial said in Bledisloe 2:
Sad thing is that this could conceivably bring the end of JKs AB career. Not directly due to what he has/hasn't done but because he has opened the door widely for others and if they don't think he has his head in the right place they won't use him.
yeah I thought of that during the game when squire was tearing it up ,
this might be it for Jerome.
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I asked the question right after reading Lions series about what the future held for JK, not because he was out of form, but it was noticeable that there was a drop off in the usual intensity and accuracy that we've seen from him.
He's been an excellent player and getting through the Lions series was reportedly an important milestone given his personal disappointment in not making the 2005 squad.
But Hansen and co have been keen on Squire for a while and whilst he may not have started tests in the Lions series, had he been fit I think he would've been our bench option for sure and someone that could've been a very important piece.
I reckon the transition has probably happened and Squire will be our main blindside throughout the RC.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Bledisloe 2:
I asked the question right after reading Lions series about what the future held for JK, not because he was out of form, but it was noticeable that there was a drop off in the usual intensity and accuracy that we've seen from him.
He's been an excellent player and getting through the Lions series was reportedly an important milestone given his personal disappointment in not making the 2005 squad.
But Hansen and co have been keen on Squire for a while and whilst he may not have started tests in the Lions series, had he been fit I think he would've been our bench option for sure and someone that could've been a very important piece.
I reckon the transition has probably happened and Squire will be our main blindside throughout the RC.
I don't recall a drop in intensity from Kaino.
My over riding memory of JK from the Lions series was that he wasn't on the field enough and it really hurt us. Game 1 he was subbed very early, probably because he had only just come back after a long injury break. Before being subbed he was part of a dominant forward display.Game 2 he was subbed after 25min when SBW had a brain explosion. IMO that subbing was one of the main reasons we lost that game.
Game 3 he got a yellow card for a pretty tame tackle and it was around that time things turned to shit and the rest is history.
Lets see Squire back his good game up with more good performances and a string of games without getting injured before we announce Kaino is done.
Remember Richie got written off plenty of times but kept proving people wrong. -
@pukunui said in Bledisloe 2:
Game 1 he was subbed very early, probably because he had only just come back after a long injury break. Before being subbed he was part of a dominant forward display.
I think he was subbed early because they were being cautious about a possible head knock.
At the ground, I noticed he was flat on his back after a collision and my initial thought he was out cold.. then he jumped up and looked ok. Thats when he was subbed.
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In third test we had good seats at end ABs defended in first half. Great view of JK in beast mode manhandling Lions loitering with intent. In particular, Itoje got monstered several times when trying to sneak around the corner.
My suspicion is that the main reduction in effectiveness is slowing down and thus taking longer to get to breakdowns from open play, but not something I've actually noticed.
Squire is uncompromising and looks full of running, but Wombats are another league to Lions.
Boks will be where things get interesting. -
Squire was pretty effective in previous outings for the ABs, so it wasn't so much a surprise that he took advantage of poorer opposition on the weekend.
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Kaini will be a valuable member of our next World Cup campaign, issue is the balance in back row to beat more complex defence (like England). Cane is a workhorse while Read and Kaino offer a similar producr. Ardie is a point of difference but Squire has x-factor if needed. You need the x-factor to win a World Cup!
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