Highlanders vs Blues
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Highlanders have named a defensive midfield , by leaving Matt Faddes on the bench, although I'm slightly concerned about Tei taking on a much bigger SBW. While Blues fans may be happy with their forward pack, I can see the Highlsnders dominating there and disrupting ball to the Blues flashy backs. I'm going to say Highlanders by 12 to 18.
Daniel Lienert-Brown
Ash Dixon (cc)
Siate Tokolahi
Jackson Hemopo
Tom Franklin
Liam Squire
Dillon Hunt
Luke Whitelock
Aaron Smith
Lima Sopoaga
Tevita Li
Teihorangi Walden
Rob Thompson
Waisake Naholo
Ben Smith (cc)
Liam Coltman
Aki Seiuli
Tyrel Lomax
Dan Pryor
Elliot Dixon
Kayne Hammington
Fletcher Smith
Matt Faddes -
@southernmann said in Highlanders vs Blues:
While Blues fans may be happy with their forward pack, I can see the Highlsnders dominating there and disrupting ball to the Blues flashy backs. I'm going to say Highlanders by 12 to 18.
Don't sit on the fence - back your team!
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@kiwimurph I just can't see the Blues getting a lot of decent ball to play with. I also don't believe Bryn Gatland's style fits in with the rest of the Blues backline.
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@daffy-jaffy said in Highlanders vs Blues:
James Parsons is flanked in the front row by All Black scrummaging powerhouse Ofa Tuungafasi
Haha
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Collins is a FB version of Hadleigh Parkes imo - a decent whack of rugby nous and decent skills, but utterly lacking in pace. Vision doesn't do you much good if you can't drop the hammer (or give it full fucking jandel) and take that gap!
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@kiwimurph said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@sammyc ?
Scrummaging powerhouse is a bit of an exaggeration
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@sammyc said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@kiwimurph said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@sammyc ?
Scrummaging powerhouse is a bit of an exaggeration
Not when your loosehead prop in previous seasons has been Sam Prattley....
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Happy enough with the tight five, it's what I would have picked.
The inexperienced loosies are all ok players but the chances of them all adapting to this level quickly are slim. Taramai had a few chances last year and couldn't replicate his NPC form, he needs to improve.
I would have been tempted to start GCT on the blindside and had 2 loosies on the bench.11-14 is good
Collins. Yuck. Maybe he got the nod because in its in Dunedin? But more likely it's just because the coach who cannot be criticised is a retard.
A lot depends on Gatland's form. He was shitty in the warm up matches. Fingers crossed that some of Pulu's passes are accurate.
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Looks like our usual 4-6 point loss against fellow NZ opposition is coming up to start the season off. Pretty average looking side we've put out with the injuries we have but at the same time it's good to see some North Harbour boys get a go after a good Mitre 10 cup.
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@booboo said in Highlanders vs Blues:
So ... Nanai. What's his downside?
Must have quite a big downside given he's missing out to a glue player.
If you read the article it's about communication. Can be pretty key in some setups and you have to balance out what he may do in a possible opportunity against being more organised during most of the game.
As an ex player at top level in 12,13 and 14, T will have strong ideas about what he wants in communication from the back.
Factor in the stress at 10 and I can understand the reasoning. Whether the decision is correct will play out. -
@crucial The problem is this exact same approach failed in the NZ derbies last year. Collins lack of athletic ability got exposed in NZ derbies - Blues got away with it against the Aussie teams but not so the NZ derbies.
I just think the balance of the backline is off. Gatland has next to no running threat (he's 3rd string for a reason), SBW and Moala have distribution limitations and Collins is a carthorse at the back. I can't see the two All Black wingers getting the ball in any space.
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Umaga made the same comments about Collins last year and he barely played in pre season. Does that mean he's happy with what he saw last year??
Also Collins is hardly some experienced older head. I think you would get the same attributes from Duffie at the back but with a significant quality upgrade.
Nanai is at his best on the wing where being a ball hog is less of an issue.
