Blues 2018
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From the main squad, extended training squad, and players known to be training with the Blues, the following (who are not unavailable due to AB commitments) are not in the squad for the Chiefs game:
Mafileo
Smith
CobbParsons
Apisai
MouldsScrafton
Gibson
PryorGjaltema
JohnsonOf those, Gjaltema is fourth halfback, and Smith and Cobb are the seventh (and backup hooker) and eighth props, and Johnson is out for the season.
Parsons and Gibson had shoulder surgery in the off-season, and Scrafton had his early in the NPC season. Gibson is expected to miss the first few rounds, and I'd imagine Parsons might miss some too. Haven't seen him in training pics. Hopefully Scrafton will be available from the start - he's been in training pics from before Christmas.
I am wondering if they are using this game to decide on a fourth hooker to cover for Parsons, rather than having an injury crisis.
IIRC, Pryor had off-season surgery too, but has been training with the team, so am hoping that he, Scrafton, and Parsons are being eased back in, and will be available in round one.
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@tim said in Blues 2018:
I am wondering if they are using this game to decide on a fourth hooker to cover for Parsons, rather than having an injury crisis.
They have a lot of hookers in the extended team. Wright, Eklund, Olsen and Adrian Smith has been training with Blues too.
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Based on the above, I am hoping that the team for the opening round will be:
- Hodgman
- Parsons/Moulds
- Tu'ungafasi
- Tuipulotu
- Scrafton
- Kaino
- Pryor
- Ioane
- Pulu
- Perofeta
- Ioane
- SBW
- Moala
- Nanai
- Duffie
- Moulds/Apisai
- Manu
- Tamoaieta
- Cowley-Tuioiti
- Taramai/Papalii
- Nock
- Gatland
- Faiane/Collins
Midfield is really tough to pick. I wouldn't be surprised to see Faiane at 12, Ioane at 13, Collins at 15, with SBW on the bench.
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@tim Yeah, midfield will be tricky to figure out. Can't say I'm keen on the SBW/Moala midfield though - a bit too Warrenball for my liking.
Unless Moala is performing really well, I'd like to see Moala used as mostly an impact bench option this season.
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@tim said in Blues 2018:
@dice Do you prefer SBW/Ioane or Faiane/SBW?
That's a hard one, because I think both can get good results for us, but I'm not sure I want to move Rieko off the wing yet, just because he's on fire out there.
I do like the idea of SBW at centre with Faiane at 12, because SBW's best plays last season often came in the wider channels where he could get more one on one situations and he could easily get his arms freer for offloads. With his declining explosiveness, he's finding it harder to get the linebreaks and offloads at 12 with more bodies around him, but out wider, he's still a big mismatch.
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@dice plus if you have SBW @13 and Ioane @11 to defend, is probably a tougher prospect that knowing you just need to tackle MOala at 13.
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@taniwharugby said in Blues 2018:
@dice plus if you have SBW @13 and Ioane @11 to defend, is probably a tougher prospect that knowing you just need to tackle MOala at 13.
'Just tackling' Moala is easily said than done. He's got a cutting edge on and off the field.
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SBW edges Moala for vision and distribution imo. Sonny looked to have gained a bit of pace but extra gas at centre is awesome... if you get the other core skills covered. I hope some of the younger midfielders get a sniff.
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Blues boss Tana Umaga expects most of his troops - but perhaps not Stephen Perofeta - to be injury-free by the start of Super Rugby action. Kirkpatrick is also currently hurt but likely to be fit and firing imminently. He listed forward Ross Wright as a player who impressed against the Chiefs. -
So given what the injury news, and the performances in the first preseason game, what are we thinking?
I'd say that Ruru will be on the bench, and Papali'i and Renata pressed their cases.
Questions that spring to mind about the forward pack:
Who will start at Loosehead prop? Will Hodgman be preferred for his work rate, with Manu's scrummaging used against a tiring pack, or will they want the best scrum right from the start?
How are the hookers looking for match fitness? Hard to say who will be available to play 60 mins, and who will be preferred on the bench.
Who will partner Scrafton at lock? I suspect that the superior lineout ability and match fitness of Cowley-Tuioti will see him start, with Tuipulotu eased back off the bench.
Will Gibson be fit enough to start at 7? What about Pryor?
Will Kanio be ready to start, or will Tupou (or perhaps Ioane with Taramai at 8 )?
Who will be the loose forward reserve?
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11991048
There is another interesting aspect to this season for Umaga. He is set to be more hands-off on the training pitch this year as he tries a more "director of rugby" role rather than a pure head coach role.
The newly arrived Ben Afeaki will be trusted with the scrum, with Steve Jackson again in charge of the forwards and Alistair Rogers the team's defence. Potentially the big change will centre on the team's attack, with former skills coach Dave Ellis taking over the role from Umaga.
