Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV
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@rembrandt Tamanivalu did skin Julian on the outside during the game. A little jink and go. Not a lot of play seemed to go his way, and Naholo is demonstrating to all that going looking for work is the expectation.
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@pakman said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@pakman What are you doing there? A reply to nostril with nothing in it and then a reply to yourself :).
Fat finger syndrome!
Hmm, I think maybe I should be insulted.
Anyway, back to musing on controversial positions. I daresay the problem is not at 12, (everyone and their dog wants to play there) but at 13. Crotty is now un-Crotty like. Fekitoa has run off with his accountant to new enriching pastures, and ALB has been, ah, not outstanding but solid or even stolid.
Enter the out of left field possibility, we now have some good wing options and one of the wings has apparently said he prefers centre.
Ione, come on down..
(TSF reaches for flamethrower).. -
I as per usual will now enter way too late my pathetic observations on the game.
Once Moli lay on the ground no one could move him. Luatua proved a point or three.
I have never seen a bigger bogan womble in a beanie than JTA, lump of a prop (but is he, technically, too tall?)
BB still doesn't seem to take control of the game, or is that just his style?
I don't know how Harris could get a try, every other moment ended badly when the ball got to him. Was he there for scrummaging? I don't see what else..
SB is a good lock but seems to have trouble asserting himself physically, would he be better as a utility lock?
How early was Kaino affected by his injury?
Savea has a weird stutter and mexican arm wave that
a tells people when he is about to try go for a carry or a tackle
b breaks his own momentum
c forces him to be extremely upright
d turns the noble position of openside into a windmilling Sideshow Bob.
As to halfbacks, maybe T. J. Perenara should be in the backline as everything outside of stock halfback requirements (like reliable passing) he does with great athleticism.Oh and Naholo was great. Romano v good. Our midfield was well contained but some sweet passes. I hope Fifita doesn't borrow more running/turning techniques from Quade Cooper.
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@nostrildamus said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@pakman said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@pakman What are you doing there? A reply to nostril with nothing in it and then a reply to yourself :).
Fat finger syndrome!
Hmm, I think maybe I should be insulted.
In the words on Nigel Owens, 'There was nothing in it'!
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@mn5 said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@nepia said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
I'm finding it weird the down on Tamanivalu crowd, I've never been a fan (he should be playing for Fiji - and now he's a bloody Crusader
) but I thought he went pretty well. Barely got any ball in space but always made a few metres. Better than the guy he was marking who showed no ability to beat a man either - yet a cursory watch of Tamanivalu this year would show he can beat a man (as can Savea when he's on form - I think "Jules" form is what puts Seta ahead of him).@nostrildamus Sadly Moala seems to have completely dropped out of the running. But, he didn't have a stand out season so that's to be expected.
I find it weird that a guy who has managed 3 tries and done extremely well at test level at times has completely fallen out of the running as the legend of Charlie Ngatai just grows and grows.
Ah, but George made the mistake of playing regularly!
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@pukunui said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
ALB has been pretty rubbish this year. Not blaming it all on him but he is a contributing factor in the disjointed, stuttering backline. Hopefully Goodhue is an upgrade.
I have long term concerns for ALB , like his smarts and skills,
But concerned about his physical attributes ,
might end up a bit of a waddler before he is too old , but hope im wrong
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@kiwiinmelb said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@pukunui said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
ALB has been pretty rubbish this year. Not blaming it all on him but he is a contributing factor in the disjointed, stuttering backline. Hopefully Goodhue is an upgrade.
I have long term concerns for ALB , like his smarts and skills,
But concerned about his physical attributes ,
might end up a bit of a waddler before he is too old , but hope im wrong
I agree and the word 'waddler' sums up ALB performances so far this year...he has lost a yard or two of pace and we have not seen him reach the levels of last year.
C'mon Jack we need you to show us what you can do in Black!
Unfortunately I can't see him be given decent game time as Shag likes to drip feed the newbies initially, 5mins per game at a time . -
well, if the noises coming out of France are to be believed, they are in a bit of a shit state (more than normal) so is likely to be a fairly green looking French line-up, if it turns out to be the case, maybe he will get his chance?
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@taniwharugby I watched the Montpellier v Clermont Auvergne Top 14 clash yesterday, and honestly both teamsheets read like a first and second string NZ/PI/SA player list. Still can't figure out how France can put out anything like a meaningful national xv while there is such an influx of foreign players in their domestic league. Also Players seem to put on so much weight they are barely recognisable. The game went at a snails pace with forwards only hitting every 4th ruck - both backs and forwards were like browns cows meandering back into position I struggled to recognise Nemani Nadolo who although scored 2 tries, looked like he'd added Nikki Minaj's butt to his own. Fritz Lee has bulked up alright but not in a good way. Must be all that bread and cheese, Whoever was claiming Toeava would walk back into the ABs must have been dreaming as he just looks old and slow...
Having said tthat, Cruden was by far the best of the NZers on show, he controlled the game with assured and skillful ease and was running freely - no bandages on that troublesome knee. We are sure going to miss him at the Chiefs, and he would have been more than handy for the ABs right now. Can't help but think we should have tried harder to keep him and TKB. -
@crash said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@taniwharugby I watched the Montpellier v Clermont Auvergne Top 14 clash yesterday, and honestly both teamsheets read like a first and second string NZ/PI/SA player list. Still can't figure out how France can put out anything like a meaningful national xv while there is such an influx of foreign players in their domestic league. Also Players seem to put on so much weight they are barely recognisable. The game went at a snails pace with forwards only hitting every 4th ruck - both backs and forwards were like browns cows meandering back into position I struggled to recognise Nemani Nadolo who although scored 2 tries, looked like he'd added Nikki Minaj's butt to his own. Fritz Lee has bulked up alright but not in a good way. Must be all that bread and cheese, Whoever was claiming Toeava would walk back into the ABs must have been dreaming as he just looks old and slow...
Good description of most Top14 rugby I've seen.
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@crash said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
@taniwharugby I watched the Montpellier v Clermont Auvergne Top 14 clash yesterday, and honestly both teamsheets read like a first and second string NZ/PI/SA player list.
You do realise that the teams were missing their internationals, who had been called up for national duties, don't you? So for that reason alone, Clermont had to miss 8 (French) players. That team also has 11 players in the injury ward, three of them long-term (including Camille Lopez and Greig Laidlaw), and one player suspended. So they had to put a lot second and third stringers in their line-up, including two amateur players from their development team.
I agree that French Top 14 rugby is a different kettle of fish, and that not everyone likes watching it or appreciates it (generally, I find it much to slow), but if you're going to make negative comments about teams, at least do it with a bit of knowledge of their circumstances.
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@stargazer said in Pommie BaaBaa & Froggie XV:
if you're going to make negative comments about teams, at least do it with a bit of knowledge of their circumstances.
It's a fault of their own making. Surely with such an injury issue and International duty, scrambling together a team would rely on more French players.
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@antipodean I don't understand what you're saying. Those 8 internationals have been called up for France. The players they fielded were already in their squad or development squad. Why does it matter what nationality they have?
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@stargazer better for French rugby?
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@taniwharugby I was commenting on the remark about the clubs team sheets, not the quality of the French national team or French rugby in general.
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@stargazer but that is what I think @antipodean was saying that you said you didn't understand.
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@taniwharugby Maybe I should have asked @antipodean "What is a fault of their own making"? Having many players in the XV de France? Having many injuries? Having to field many second stringers and two amateur players as a result of all those missing players? If you're missing approx. 19 first choice players (= incl. a lot of French players), isn't it unavoidable that they have to field a lot of 2nd choice players (and 3rd choice players is some positions)? How is that a fault of their own making? And why would they have to rely on more French players if they're fielding more 2nd or 3rd choice players? It all depends on the players they have in their squad (and development squad). I don't know what nationality those 2nd or 3rd choice players have, but I don't see why it matters for putting names on the club's team sheet.
My initial response wasn't about the state of French rugby and their national team, because I agree that a (big) part of the problem is the influx of a lot of foreign players. I was solely responding to the comment about the team's line-ups and the way they played in this particular game.
