All Blacks Squad for France
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So, I think this French side is going to be better than people think. The TAB have them at 10-1 outsiders, witha 24.5 head start to teh ABs.
I, for one, am not convinced by this.
We are seeing this season and last season the effect of the NH drain on players. Think about who would be starting if we didn't have the pressure on players heading away - locks aside, you'd have Charlie F in the front row, Luatua and Vito at the back, TKB at 9, Tom Taylor (and others) at 10, and then Piutau headlining a back division. To be fair, you coudl probably pick some veterans like McAlister or Toeava as utilities.
This AB 15 looked good, but the bench was weak. Now I think the 15 looks moderately good, with a very weak bench.
Lazy 20 on the Froggies? Seems like smart loss insurance ...
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@nzzp last time they tipped us up they were at $7 and i hedged. If they are at $10 it would be mad not to!
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@nzzp last time they tipped us up they were at $7 and i hedged. If they are at $10 it would be mad not to!
2009 is fresh in my memory. We won the second game in taht series by a squeak from memory
Edit: http://www.allblacks.com/Fixtures/2009
27-22 France in Test 1
14-10 NZ in Test 2. I remember BBBT having a monster game that day, but it's been 9 years, so I no longer trust my brain... -
and i've just whacked $5 on the Frogs @ $11 head to head. That's unreal money given our injuries!
I don't really expect to get that back, but not a bad hedge
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@mariner4life Reasonable advice - I've just done the same.
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But the news was a lot brighter on the rest of the All Blacks' walking wounded, with Hansen confirming it was hoped Sam Cane (abdominal strain), Jordan Taufua (calf), Jack Goodhue (hamstring), Sam Whitelock (concussion symptoms) and Ryan Crotty (concussion symptoms) would all be available for selection after missing chunks of time with their franchises.
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@tim I found this bit interesting as well:
They are not sure of the extent of Retallick's absence through the injury yet, but have removed him from the equation for the first week at least. Veteran Crusaders lock Luke Romano (for Sonny Bill Williams) and impressive Highlanders second row Tom Franklin (as cover for Retallick) have both been drafted into the squad to bolster their stock of big men. Experienced Crusaders No 7 Matt Todd has also been called in, essentially to cover for some "soreness" being felt by Hurricanes openside Ardie Savea in the wake of their 30-14 defeat to the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.So Todd brought in to cover for Ardie, not Cane.
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I prefer Todd over Savea myself. I still haven't seen what Savea offers apart from fresh legs off the bench, seems highly visible but generally ineffective but maybe I have missed his work in tight..
I think I also prefer Todd for a bench position now. -
@nostrildamus I don't think Todd has been as good as he was last year. There was a definite gap between him and Savea that isn't there this year.
Defensively the two are close but on attack the two are miles apart.
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@pakman said in All Blacks Squad for France:
Starting XV?
Moody (F)/Taylor/Franks (F)/Whitelock (S)/Barrett (S)/Cane/Squire/Whitelock (L)/Smith (A)/Barrett (B)/Crotty/Goodhue (Jack)/Ioane (A)/Naholo/Smith (B)
Bench: Harris/Tuinukuafe/Tu'ungafasi/Todd/Fifita/TJP/Barrett (J)/ALB
Not sure if Fred Moody or Frank Franks are better than Joe and Owen.
And I'd prefer Rieko to Akira as a winger.
More seriously I essentially agree with that XXIII with the exception of your back reserve: Swap out ALB for DMac. We need specialist 10 cover. I know it's current trend to hate on DMac and to prefer Mounga, but I'll swim against that tide.
Midfield cover from Ioane
(A)(R) and Barrett (J). -
@toddy said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@bones Ardie has more meters, more passes, though less offloads.
An example of Todd's lack of form compared to last year - he's more than twice as likely to knock on than Brad Toaster for hands Shields. Just let that sink in.
Savea’s Style is effective at Super Rugby level, but completely ineffective at Test level. He’s too small, get pushed back and he avoids tackling to go for a turnover.
There is a reason he only gets to come on as a sub against tiring defences. Cane and Todd should be 1 & 2, screw this super sub bullshit.
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@kirwan I don't disagree with your comments regarding Savea at test level. I just think Todd's form this year didn't warrant his selection in the initial team. Last year was a different story.
Todd's handling errors alone point to him being off. Hopefully the ABs can help him lift his game.
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I’d much prefer a back three of
11 Ioane
14 Naholo
15 B. SmithB. Barrett drops back quite a bit anyway, so we always have 3 or sometimes 4 players behind the ball for the counter. That’s two kicking options. We don’t need a third on the wing. Even if we do, both Ioane and Naholo have shown they know how to clear it.
J. Barrett is a good bench option for fullback/wing/midfield cover.
