AB EOYT 2018
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@no-quarter said in AB EOYT 2018:
@mariner4life fair call. I think A Smith struggled against SA (well the whole team did, but he wasn't helping). TJP probably more suited against them and I think potentially Ireland as well given I can see our pack taking a bit of a beating in that match. I don't think A Smith has really recaptured his pre-toilet form, at least not consistently.
TJP on the other hand has definitely been on an upward curve.
I said at the time A Smith was terrible for the first 50 minutes, but he actually came good, and was the spark that started us going (some kicking accuracy really helped). Then TJ came on was perfectly what we needed
It's easier to be on an upward curve from a low base...
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@machpants said in AB EOYT 2018:
I reckon we'll lose the Ireland test, they'll be too tired and Ireland have the ability to smoother the ABs, otherwise we'll win the other four
Get fucked!
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@machpants said in AB EOYT 2018:
I reckon we'll lose the Ireland test, they'll be too tired and Ireland have the ability to smoother the ABs, otherwise we'll win the other four
We finished over the top of them in Dublin the last time they were fired up. Was a great test.
If we bring our A game, we win. Same as every week. The challenge is getting up for it, week on week.
They've got Italy and then Argentina as warmups. Goign to be tasty!
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Yeah if we bring our a game, when we the last time that happened? Boks in North harbour or maybe first lions test? ABs have been flat track bullies, really, and crap against smothering defence teams - Ireland are much better than the boks at that. I agree the a game will beat anyone, but we were supposed to bring that in SA...
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@machpants IReland still need to turn up with thier A game too.
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@taniwharugby said in AB EOYT 2018:
@machpants IReland still need to turn up with thier A game too.
I'll just leave this here.
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@nepia said in AB EOYT 2018:
Stocks will rise:
Akira Ioane: After all the other AB loose forwards aside from Read and Papalii are mass injured like the Royal Family being wiped out in the John Goodman movie King RalphJohn Goodman made a movie about Caleb?
...and Zara?
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@kirwan said in AB EOYT 2018:
Most concerned about Ireland. If we bring our cute game plan they could feed off our mistakes like in 2013
Yeah their pack, especially back row, will be a match for ours and they have decent enough backs. Murray is probably out so that weakens their halves. Will be a tight game I reckon.
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@machpants said in AB EOYT 2018:
I reckon we'll lose the Ireland test, they'll be too tired and Ireland have the ability to smoother the ABs, otherwise we'll win the other four
Taylor and Whitelock aside, the rest of our first choice forwards have not played a lot of footy over the last couple of months and should be pretty fresh. I don't think fatigue will be a factor this time around.
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If Akira was almost certain not to play and he has on-field work ons that the selectors have told him about, then I reckon him playing for the Maori makes a lot more sense than holding tackle bags.
Surprised a lot more hasn't been made of the completely left field selection of Cameron. I'm pretty ignorant of his potential but would've thought there were at least 2-3 guys ahead of him.
I picked Papalii as an AB after watching him play like the only Blues player that cared late season. Seems like a well rounded and versatile player, but perhaps more importantly one with a bit of mongrel and hunger too. Leadership potential?
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I reckon with Cameron they're playing the long game. Yes there are better players but only because of experience, maybe they see his future being brighter then those currently ahead of him. So maybe for next rwc cycle. Just a guess tho haven't noticed him at all.
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@booboo From the article below:
Before secondary school, Cameron played in the junior grades for the Marist Rugby Club, but was then committed to playing for Cullinane College.
His final season in the Cullinane 1st XV was in 2014 when he left school for Lincoln University in Christchurch where he made an immediate impact, playing for the Canterbury provincial team.
Cameron came of age in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, making an assured performance in the semifinal in just his third provincial outing for the red and blacks, as Canterbury marched to the Mitre 10 Cup title.
Cameron first came onto the national radar in 2014 when he was plucked from Whanganui's small Cullinane College and named in the inaugural New Zealand Schools training squad.
The all-round sportsman was already well known in Whanganui, having played age-grade rugby.
Last season he was in the New Zealand Universities squad to tour Japan, but only had one game before being injured.
Looking at the allblacks dot com website, he wasn't named in the 2014 NZ Schools squad. Found another site with the teamlist of NZ Schools Barbarians of that year, and he isn't on that list either.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12143237
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@mariner4life TJP is a beast defensively and we’ve needed that more so this season that the last couple. Smith has been exposed defensively and has missed a lot more tackles than we would want.
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I wish TJP would learn to kick off both feet though.
I think the commentators pointed out that Argentina always kicked off to the left corner as they knew TJ would always pass back to his 10 for the clearance on that side meaning they gained an extra 10m on the resulting lineout. -
@crucial said in AB EOYT 2018:
I wish TJP would learn to kick off both feet though.
Is there a good example of someone who actually learned to kick off the other foot this late in the game?
Even if he was competent now I can't imagine his max distance on a clearing kick or accuracy box kick is going to be close Beaudens' max minus 10m.
Would be nice to have the threat, but seems impossible.
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@stargazer said in AB EOYT 2018:
@booboo From the article below:
Before secondary school, Cameron played in the junior grades for the Marist Rugby Club, but was then committed to playing for Cullinane College.
His final season in the Cullinane 1st XV was in 2014 when he left school for Lincoln University in Christchurch where he made an immediate impact, playing for the Canterbury provincial team.
Cameron came of age in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, making an assured performance in the semifinal in just his third provincial outing for the red and blacks, as Canterbury marched to the Mitre 10 Cup title.
Cameron first came onto the national radar in 2014 when he was plucked from Whanganui's small Cullinane College and named in the inaugural New Zealand Schools training squad.
The all-round sportsman was already well known in Whanganui, having played age-grade rugby.
Last season he was in the New Zealand Universities squad to tour Japan, but only had one game before being injured.
Looking at the allblacks dot com website, he wasn't named in the 2014 NZ Schools squad. Found another site with the teamlist of NZ Schools Barbarians of that year, and he isn't on that list either.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12143237
Looks like a young Merhts in that pic
