Bledisloe II
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@kirwan said in Bledisloe II:
@nepia said in Bledisloe II:
@shadowtrooper said in Bledisloe II:
@taniwharugby said in Bledisloe II:
given Cane has had alsmot as many head knocks as Crotty, maybe we need to look at leaving him out for a period too?
So that slots Savea firmly in the drivers seat (looked a bit more physical than normal last night too, although against a beaten Wallaby pack) but who is the next 7 off the ranks?
I'm leaning towards Papali'i.Worth a go IMO, he's into everything.
But, he's behind fern favourite and God on earth Blake Gibson in the Auckland pecking order!
Dalton will play six while Gibson is fit. He’s a beast, and is a massive pest on the field, into everything.
Out of the two of them, I have no doubt Dalton will be an All Black. Gibson needs a run without injury to have his shot.
Yeah, he's looks the business - and Auckland have a pretty good starting trio at the moment, easily the best in the NPC.
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@mn5 At international level they'll tackle you every time if you are slow and not agile. Being stronger doesn't help. You need to get the opponent into a weak position.
Otherwise a guy like Ben Tameifuna could merely roll through people (and he's actually quite quick for a big boy).
Hence Ben Smith, hardly a monster, can break tackles. And Franks can't.
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Not sure where to post but Conor Murray possibly out for the Autumn series (Munster have signed Alby Mathewson). That’s the Irish game plan up in smoke if true, the alternative 9s are nowhere near the same class.
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@bovidae said in Bledisloe II:
Maybe it comes down to the quality of the coaching, the reverse of what we see in RL where there is a dearth of good NZ coaches. Individually, Aust has some world class players but can't seem to get the best out of them, on a consistent basis.
I'm still picking them to beat SA in Brisbane.
I think thats the Aussies biggest problem.
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Had a chance to watch the full game last night. Some thoughts.
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Is there a better player on the planet right now than BBBR? All the kudos went to Barrett but jeez Brodie was immense and his range of impact is incredible. Ripping, jackaling, smashing, clearing, subtle passing, stealing lineouts, ball running (close and wide), offloading
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I think Pocockwomble was hard done by with the (unintentional) neck roll by OF but any other whinging about getting bashed at rucks is just whinging. To me it is a combination of his style and timing that results in getting smashed at rucks. There was a good reason why GOAT had a long career and that's because he adjusted his play to be smarter and worked out when he would be effective or just endanger himself. Warburton has had to retire and has specifically pointed to his body not lasting being a ruck target. You put it there and it will get hit.
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Looking at the possible top team shaping up for RWC 2019 we are well on the way to getting the spread of experience, depth and youth that has worked in the past. We now have 3 centurions in the pack and possibly 3 more that will be in the 70/80 zone. Added to that AS/BB/BFA will all add lots of caps to the backline irrespective of the midfield combo and back three mix. You could easily write down a RWC squad barring injury now which is a great place to be compared to many other teams.
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Noddy Lynagh made a good point during the build up to the game in the UK. He was basically saying that it is those surrounding Cheika that need closely looking at along with the structure he brings as a coach (similar, I guess to the Blues situation). Does he have a system where selections, analysis and tactics get questioned and challenged by his coaching team? Are the right people in place? etc
It always appears to me that Cheika states his analysis and everyone else (including players) falls in behind. Watch the difference between a Wobblies Presser and an ABs one. Shag will often make a general observation and then say 'we will look to see if that was an issue' whereas Cheika has already got to the conclusion and others then parrot him. In doing so he is seemingly ignoring reasons why the things he sees happen (such as fitness levels, unbalanced lineout etc) -
@crucial said in Bledisloe II:
Noddy Lynagh made a good point during the build up to the game in the UK. He was basically saying that it is those surrounding Cheika that need closely looking at along with the structure he brings as a coach (similar, I guess to the Blues situation). Does he have a system where selections, analysis and tactics get questioned and challenged by his coaching team? Are the right people in place? etc
It always appears to me that Cheika states his analysis and everyone else (including players) falls in behind. Watch the difference between a Wobblies Presser and an ABs one. Shag will often make a general observation and then say 'we will look to see if that was an issue' whereas Cheika has already got to the conclusion and others then parrot him. In doing so he is seemingly ignoring reasons why the things he sees happen (such as fitness levels, unbalanced lineout etc)Given he has a below .500 record since 2015 RWC, you’d better have the defensive talking points ready to go when fronting a press conference.
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This post is deleted!
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Best Aussie performance of the Bledisloe series
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@hooroo said in Bledisloe II:
@chris-b said in Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in Bledisloe II:
Naholo looks to be finding his feet properly at that level now which is good news.
Fatties all pretty good, squire (!?) and bbr (as usual) in particular.
As others have pointed out - Naholo has struggled to reproduce his Highlander's form for the ABs, but I think after picking up a couple of good tries last week, he's starting to believe that he belongs in the team. Previously, I reckon he's maybe been a bit over-awed.
Squire's probably been a bit harshly judged at times for not being a ready-made replacement for Kaino. Tough gig - replacing perhaps the best ever AB blindside. Needs to grow into the role and seems to be coming along quite well.
Squire was outstanding. More than happy for him to call 6 'his'.
Have to agree. His best game in black on Saturday.
He's slowly but steadily grown into the 6 spot and looks a key part of a settled loose trio.
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For anyone wondering how the Aus defence coach stats look, he has worked miracles to concede 25.86 pts a match against Tier One countries since joining the set up. Nearly got to 30 last year.
That's far worse than the numbers he got shit for with the Tahs.
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@mn5 said in Bledisloe II:
@sammyc said in Bledisloe II:
@mn5 said in Bledisloe II:
@pakman said in Bledisloe II:
@cyclops said in Bledisloe II:
@rancid-schnitzel said in Bledisloe II:
I liked Moody's try. Showed great strength. Very unheralded player, but does a shit load of work in tight and hits like a train.
That was a great try. Hope Owen Franks watches some replays, look what can happen when a big strong prop hits the ball at top speed.
In Owen's case that's 3 mph though?
Again, for a guy who is very possibly the strongest bloke in the team his lack of power as a ball carrier is baffling.
It’s not baffling if you understand basic physics....he’s almost certainly the slowest in the team.
Kinetic energy = 1/2 mass x velocity squared
Well yeah but he also loves his Olympic weightlifting and that builds explosiveness like nothing else.
According to CrossFit clips he trains for explosiveness? Not sure he controls his body position well when he takes contact. If he could incorporate Ardie's positioning things might change.
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Noticed Franks never seems as effective against Sio. Seems Sio pulls slightly back at engagement meaning Franks can't get any weight on without risk of being pinged for early engagement.
Seem to recall NTA has previously commented that this is typical LH shenanigan, so disappointing we haven't managed to overcome it.
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@pakman This might be a controversial call but I believe Laulala has overtaken Franks as our no 1 tighthead. I think he is at least as good as Franks as a scrummager and is a lot better around the park. If they select Laulala ahead of Franks when he returns, it will be interesting to see if they choose to go with Franks off the bench or discard him from the 23 all together as there are other players who offer more impact when they come on.
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@akan004 I'd like to see him play some rugby before making that call. I'm a fan but a number of posters raised concerns about his defence when he was playing. As awful as Franks' propensity to drop before the tackle is, he offers a shitload around the park in terms of defence, breakdowns and distribution. Plus hasn't been such a penalty magnet so far.
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@akan004 said in Bledisloe II:
@pakman This might be a controversial call but I believe Laulala has overtaken Franks as our no 1 tighthead. I think he is at least as good as Franks as a scrummager and is a lot better around the park. If they select Laulala ahead of Franks when he returns, it will be interesting to see if they choose to go with Franks off the bench or discard him from the 23 all together as there are other players who offer more impact when they come on.
Franks I don't think is an option off the bench he starts or he's not in the 23
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@wreck-diver it's 5 years ago, but he did a pretty fucken good job off the bench against Ireland!
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@bones said in Bledisloe II:
@wreck-diver it's 5 years ago, but he did a pretty fucken good job off the bench against Ireland!
I just think at this stage in his career he's a starter and our 1 tight head.
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@akan004 said in Bledisloe II:
@pakman This might be a controversial call but I believe Laulala has overtaken Franks as our no 1 tighthead. I think he is at least as good as Franks as a scrummager and is a lot better around the park. If they select Laulala ahead of Franks when he returns, it will be interesting to see if they choose to go with Franks off the bench or discard him from the 23 all together as there are other players who offer more impact when they come on.
Hasn’t the guy been injured for 12 months, so how does he suddenly leap frog Franks?
