NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry)
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@Crucial does have a point about Akira, and I say this as someone who is in Team Akira. Remember back to Hansen's criticisms of Luatua, it was mainly about workrate, or lack of it in their eyes.
We can all argue about how players are used by their teams but clearly at the moment there are parts of Ioane's game that the AB coaches want improved before he gets his chance.
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Canterbury started well and Auckland looked nervous. They also didn't react well to Jacksons offside line. It took until the second half for Auckland to realise they could push the offside line too
Cantab fans should be asking questions about the selections this year. 10/12 has not functioned and the the good backs from 13-15 don't get enough ball.
The balance is wrong in the forwards too, Romano is the only genuine ball carrying option. They lack a Nasi Manu type of player.Speaking of Aucklands pack I thought there were dominant after that first 33mins. Finishing the game with 62% possession 65% territory and the Cantabs had to make twice the number of tackles that Auckland made. We beat them up and the points followed.
After the horror start it was 26-9 for the rest of regular time and the only blip was the Cantab try in extra time.In the final 67mins it was 6 tries to 1
The question was just if the hole was too big. A better selected Cantabs side would have done more damage when they had the advantage..
Choat has stood up well for a guy with very little experience. Ioane and Olmstead were immense, Seu had a hell of a match off the bench. Plummer easily out played his opposite (hopefully his normal goal kicking form returns??). TJ Faiane's form continued and he was so clam as captain.. so many strong performances under pressure
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@kirwan said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
FFS, that’s a new low. Now he has to improve his body language?
I prefer he keeps performing goal line turnovers, holding up mauls, scoring try’s from the scrum, etc,etc
You know, being a great rugby player.
Next we’ll be talking about facial expressions, oh wait he’s been criticised for that too.
Yeah, yeah.
Instead of the kneejerk reaction why don’t you address the point which is that if the AB selectors are watching a group and one possible is looking very different to the others in the attitude they are conveying they may add that to the others questions they have about them.
I love the dynamics Akira brings to a game when he is involved and would love to see him do well in the ABs. I’m simply suggesting a reason why the selectors are a bit cold on him and, I feel that is the case, can understand where they are coming from.
I recall many on this board making similar comments about Sivivatu’s apparent disinterest at times in games. -
@duluth said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
They question was just if the hole was too big. A better selected Cantabs side would have done more damage when they had the advantage..
Yeah - they definitely should have got on the phone to Hansen and got him to free up Mo'unga and Crotty.
A sudden call up that took Akira out of play, as well - and that's the ball game!
/bittermode
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Some players suit captaincy. TJ Faiane appears to be one of these. Since he took over the captaincy his form was sensational. He has really matured during this Mitre 10 Cup. He lead from the front and the team followed him. He kept Auckland in the game in the first half. With the injuries he has had he is finally delivering on the hype. Well done that man!
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George Bridge on the momentum change in the game:
"But guys like Akira Ioane came back on after his [first-half] yellow card, was pretty fired up and got some pretty good carries under his belt. They were getting a lot of momentum from that and managed to score points from there."
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@tim said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
So two former Wellington rugby players managed to get these underachievers to perform?
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@jegga said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@tim said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
So two former Wellington rugby players managed to get these underachievers to perform?
Particularly ironic given their performance at the pointy end of the season. 1997 Canes, I'm looking at you boys
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@nzzp said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@tim you literally can't buy that level of support. I'm convinced it helped theteam lift and stay in the contest.
One of loudest, most passionate crowds I’ve been in. Was great to experience.
Up until 3pm I wasn’t going to go because I figured the kids didn’t want to sit in the rain. Then the youngest asked to go and when it started raining and they opened the other stand they demanded we sit in the front row in the monsoon.
Both kids are still talking about it and are keen to go to more games. Exactly what they were trying to achieve with free entry.
Hell, I’m considering season tickets again, after a long break.
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@crucial said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@kirwan said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
FFS, that’s a new low. Now he has to improve his body language?
I prefer he keeps performing goal line turnovers, holding up mauls, scoring try’s from the scrum, etc,etc
You know, being a great rugby player.
Next we’ll be talking about facial expressions, oh wait he’s been criticised for that too.
Yeah, yeah.
Instead of the kneejerk reaction why don’t you address the point which is that if the AB selectors are watching a group and one possible is looking very different to the others in the attitude they are conveying they may add that to the others questions they have about them.
I love the dynamics Akira brings to a game when he is involved and would love to see him do well in the ABs. I’m simply suggesting a reason why the selectors are a bit cold on him and, I feel that is the case, can understand where they are coming from.
I recall many on this board making similar comments about Sivivatu’s apparent disinterest at times in games.It's kind of understandable @Kirwan's reaction though don't you think?
Basically with Akira we've had reason after reason for why some aren't fans of his - and fair enough each to their own. But the goalpost moving has been a sight to behold. It's basically gone like the following since the early rounds of Super Rugby this year (and most of my fluffing of Akira started after I started casting a critical eye over things even though I was already a fan):
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Akira is lazy. Except, he had a huge workload in Super rugby, and on a stats by stats head to head on players who play a similar game to him (one who was trumpeted a lot before injury in Taufua and one who came from nowhere to make the ABs - nope not the Tongan but the Magpie in Evans) he kicked their arse. Ok, time for a goalpost move.
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Akira has ill discipline and is niggly. Except, his discipline isn't worse than a bunch of current ABs, there's two guys who are way niggly in the ABs but because one of them is our best player and the other is when fit our best hooker they get a pass. These two even get lauded for their niggle. Even setting aside the niggly aspect, Akira doesn't actually get penalised or yellowed that often anyway. Ok, time for a goalpost move.
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Akira doesn't make many tackles. And especially compared to Whitelock. Except, he was one of the top tacklers for the Blues. There were also multiple games where he pulled off try saving tackles when the Blues were under the pump. Whitelock plays in a Super team they kicks from hand and makes lots of tackles. Hunt made more tackles per game than any openside out there no one uses that one stat to advance him over Cane, Todd and Savea. Ok, time for the big goalpost move.
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Akira doesn't toil away in the rucks. This a bit mythical (it's hard to find useful stats about it) but it's the big one for the Akira detractors. But, let's say this from the start, getting caught up in rucks is not the best way to use Akira, any coach who advocates this as a plan must have rocks in their head. It's like advocating using Owen Franks as a ball runner over a ruck clearer outer/scrummager (oh, I forgot him in the niggle/discipline list too). Even so, in last nights game there were at least 3 occasions (IIRC) when Akira's ruck work gave Auckland an advantage. I find it strange that if this such an issue to the coaches that they don't back themselves to select him and then fix it in camp.
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So now we have Akira v Whitelock and 'Whitelock was so much better' in the final from some. Akira has a poor first half by his standards (and if anyone argues with that comment then clearly their bias is off the chart). But, he was dynamic in the second half when his team finally had some ball and field position. I'm surprised some fans would rather have the guy on the losing team who has a one dimensional style of play, that to his credit he does really well, rather than the guy who turned the game for his team. And let's remember Akira's team won and without him they wouldn't have been in a position to win.
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So now we have @Crucial's comment on how Akira looks on the field. I kind of understand where he's coming from re: the selectors. What I don't get in this is why the selectors don't select him and then back themselves to get the best out of him. They can see the style of game his Super team wants him to play and if they want him to play different bring him in and get him playing that style. If he fails then, then he fails. Because, this is exactly what has been done with Frizell (and Hemopo). They saw something they liked in him, and then backed themselves to get the best out of him despite the fact his coach only uses him as a bit part player (and Hemopo is used in a completely different position).
So that was a much longer thesis than my intention - stupid Sydney weather emulating Palmerston North and being crap has meant I'm chilling out inside getting angrier rather than hanging out in the sun.
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@jegga said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@tim said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
So two former Wellington rugby players managed to get these underachievers to perform?
Don’t forget Lavea and Ted.
Although from the sounds of it Alama is responsible for building the team culture, and getting the passion back.
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@kirwan said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@jegga said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@tim said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
So two former Wellington rugby players managed to get these underachievers to perform?
Don’t forget Lavea and Ted.
Although from the sounds of it Alama is responsible for building the team culture, and getting the passion back.
During the Canes implosion of 2011 the Hammettuer regularly would go on the radio on Saturday after a game and lay into the players, and then Ieremia would go on on Sunday and walk back Hammett's comments. I always felt sorry for Ieremia (even while putting the boot into him for being part of that organisation at that time) so I'm glad he's managed to carry on his coaching career.
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