Bledisloe II
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@hooroo I'd say I cover the chilli and the culinary :smiling_face_with_open_mouth: . One of the things I find fascinating is exactly what @antipodean is referring to. The progress you see over time. Following players over the years. Both individual players from school or age grade, as well as categories of players (women's rugby as a whole).
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I'm happy to watch various levels of rugby and accept that there will be a variance in skill, size, power etc, but with women's fifteens it's too big a decrease in all facets to make it a good watch. I mean by Crikey the Aussies didnt attempt goals because they didn't have a kicker and our kicking out of hand and for goal is probbaly equivalent to U13s.
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How the fuck to the Wallabies approach this weekend? They turned up settled and well prepared, at home, and got flogged. They know we will get better after the weekend, but they have to come to NZ and play.
Both their set piece were in complete disarray
They have lost the outlet for most of their points over the past couple of years
Their attack rarely troubled our defensive system even when they dominated the first half an hour.What does Cheika and the senior players say in the early week meetings? You can't just erase years of mental demons that were once again brutally rammed home on Saturday.
Unlike last year, where they were caught on teh hop, and their system wasn't up to the early play by the ABs, this year their set up started very well, but they couldn't keep it up for a half, let alone 80 minutes. They put in effort, they just weren't good enough. That is so much harder to fix. Is their only hope for us to have another off day, but even worse?
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How the fuck to the Wallabies approach this weekend? They turned up settled and well prepared, at home, and got flogged. They know we will get better after the weekend, but they have to come to NZ and play.
Both their set piece were in complete disarray
They have lost the outlet for most of their points over the past couple of years
Their attack rarely troubled our defensive system even when they dominated the first half an hour.What does Cheika and the senior players say in the early week meetings? You can't just erase years of mental demons that were once again brutally rammed home on Saturday.
Unlike last year, where they were caught on teh hop, and their system wasn't up to the early play by the ABs, this year their set up started very well, but they couldn't keep it up for a half, let alone 80 minutes. They put in effort, they just weren't good enough. That is so much harder to fix**. Is their only hope for us to have another off day, but even worse?**
That and be a dead rubber - which will likely ruin my Japan trip this year.
But next week, no chance, we don't often get complacent at Eden Park.
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@nepia said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How the fuck to the Wallabies approach this weekend? They turned up settled and well prepared, at home, and got flogged. They know we will get better after the weekend, but they have to come to NZ and play.
Both their set piece were in complete disarray
They have lost the outlet for most of their points over the past couple of years
Their attack rarely troubled our defensive system even when they dominated the first half an hour.What does Cheika and the senior players say in the early week meetings? You can't just erase years of mental demons that were once again brutally rammed home on Saturday.
Unlike last year, where they were caught on teh hop, and their system wasn't up to the early play by the ABs, this year their set up started very well, but they couldn't keep it up for a half, let alone 80 minutes. They put in effort, they just weren't good enough. That is so much harder to fix**. Is their only hope for us to have another off day, but even worse?**
That and be a dead rubber - which will likely ruin my Japan trip this year.
But next week, no chance, we don't often get complacent at Eden Park.
if we were flawless, they probably had a better chance. But that first half is probably going to galvanise the side. That and not wanting to lose on EP.
Unless, as i said, the ABs have stopped respecting the Wallabies. Which you could almost understand.
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Their set piece will be drastically better and with more possession, they'll be able to apply more pressure. I don't think the All Blacks were particularly brilliant and it' much easier to defend at the beginning of tests because you aren't physiologically under pressure like you are in the second half.
The question isn't the players so much, it's why you persist with Nathan Grey's defence coaching. Or some ex Sydney club rugby player as a forwards coach.
If Sio and Tongan Thor are available, their scrum will be better. They really need to go away from not selecting an 8 at the back of the scrum.
After Sydney last year everyone was writing them off and they almost stole it in Dunners.
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@antipodean if included Arnold and Folau Fainga'a would help their lineout too.
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@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
Their set piece will be drastically better and with more possession, they'll be able to apply more pressure. I don't think the All Blacks were particularly brilliant and it' much easier to defend at the beginning of tests because you aren't physiologically under pressure like you are in the second half.
The question isn't the players so much, it's why you persist with Nathan Grey's defence coaching. Or some ex Sydney club rugby player as a forwards coach.
If Sio and Tongan Thor are available, their scrum will be better. They really need to go away from not selecting an 8 at the back of the scrum.
After Sydney last year everyone was writing them off and they almost stole it in Dunners.
Their set piece should be better, but will it improve enough. We raped and pillaged their lineout. Even a drastic improvement only gives them half of their lineouts. And how will it improve when they will still have short lifters and 2 genuine targets? Oh, and substandard throwers? That's asking a lot in week. Especially when they also need a lot of scrum sessions.
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
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The wallabies may be better,
but there is no reason to suggest we wont be better as well , particularly with our start .
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@kiwiinmelb said in Bledisloe II:
The wallabies may be better,
but there is no reason to suggest we wont be better as well , particularly with our start .
we will absolutely be better. And they have to know that as well.
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
Pick one open side - there's a good reason every other nation has done that for a century. Isi Naisarani or anyone else his size, throw in Jordan Smiler as a stopgap measure.
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@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
Pick one open side - there's a good reason every other nation has done that for a century. Isi Naisarani or anyone else his size, throw in Jordan Smiler as a stopgap measure.
pffft hahaha
there is no way they aren't picking Saint David, his breakdown turnovers in their own 30 are the only thing keeping the score respectable. And the other one is the captain and highest paid player.
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
Pick one open side - there's a good reason every other nation has done that for a century. Isi Naisarani or anyone else his size, throw in Jordan Smiler as a stopgap measure.
pffft hahaha
there is no way they aren't picking Saint David, his breakdown turnovers in their own 30 are the only thing keeping the score respectable. And the other one is the captain and highest paid player.
Not based off of Saturday's evidence.
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@nzzp said in Bledisloe II:
@shark said in Bledisloe II:
Midfield couldn't be any more straighforward for mine; keep the combination that went so well for 68 minutes on Saturday night.
In the outside backs, I think the selectors will probably think their next-best player is J Barrett so I'd expect to see him at FB and Smith and Naholo on the wings.
Mate, I disagree. I think an SBW/Goodhue midfield would be the shot. Goodhue looks to me to have nailed the 13 slot with his defence and decision making, and I reckon could look the business outside Dubya. Also, SBW at 12 opens up space for Barrett and inside runners -- see Test 1 Lions for a great example of this.
as an aside, anyone know where someone could get their hands on a video of test 1? Tests 2 and 3 are on youtube, but I'm blowed if I can find a copy of the first test match. Err... asking for a friend?
Trouble with SBW is how long he will be there before injury strikes. Like Crotty he can never make an entire season. Great to have him on the bench but maybe start someone who isn't an even chance of getting injured? Obviously my dream of Jordie playing at 12 isn't shared by the head honchos but I reckon ALB looked the goods.
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
Pick one open side - there's a good reason every other nation has done that for a century. Isi Naisarani or anyone else his size, throw in Jordan Smiler as a stopgap measure.
pffft hahaha
there is no way they aren't picking Saint David, his breakdown turnovers in their own 30 are the only thing keeping the score respectable. And the other one is the captain and highest paid player.
I'm aware of that, my point is it doesn't work. They're horribly compromised.
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@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe II:
How can they select a #8 when they are fully committed to the two opensides? And who is the #8 they can bring in?
Pick one open side - there's a good reason every other nation has done that for a century. Isi Naisarani or anyone else his size, throw in Jordan Smiler as a stopgap measure.
pffft hahaha
there is no way they aren't picking Saint David, his breakdown turnovers in their own 30 are the only thing keeping the score respectable. And the other one is the captain and highest paid player.
I'm aware of that, my point is it doesn't work. They're horribly compromised.
no shit it doesn't work. it didn't work when the wallabies first tried it 16 years ago.
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The Springboks regularly pick no true openside and seem to get away with it.
Opensides can win lineout ball. McCaw did regularly, and he's hardly the only one. Hooper could be lifted. I know height is an advantage, but timing is more important. At least the threat of a throw to the back?
Or are their hookers too poke to do that?
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@chester-draws said in Bledisloe II:
The Springboks regularly pick no true openside and seem to get away with it.
But they're the opposite; big men who can carry and nearly everyone of them is a lineout option. It's practically the opposite problem.
