NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry)
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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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@tim said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
Another thing about Akira this season is that he switched from 6 to 8, where he's been playing wider. Last year at 6 he was tighter, and hitting more rucks and making more fringe tackles.
I can't remember last year too much because I only started noticing the detracting goalpost moving during the Super comp this year.
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@Nepia Thats a pretty fair analysis, and echos something Sumo said on his podcast about Akira. Apparently the AB coaches back themselves to get the best of players and want players in the environment to improve their games.
The example he used was Mounga, who has plenty of workons in his game, but they want him in the environment to iron those out and get him up to Test standard.
So why don’t they back themselves to do the same with Akira? They do with Fifita, Hemapo, Frizzle, Whitelock, Ofa, Scott And Jordie Barrett.
All players they have gaps in their game but are getting game time to improve.
Except with Akira, who has been delivering in a dysfunctional SR team for two years and has now won his team a premiership.
Handled right Akira will be unstoppable at Test level. Imagine the fear from the opposition with that freak running from the back of a rock solid AB scrum?
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@nepia It was very noticeable that Auckland (best defence in the competition) stationed him in the wide midfield (typically outside Manu) almost all the time on defence. Not going to make nearly as many tackles out there, but is going to shut down a lot of space.
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@kirwan It reminds me a bit of Laurie Mains not wanting to pick Zinny because of 'his' reasons and it took Fitzy and Robin Brooke to convince him to pick him. Then three years later Mains was organising side deals/employment to keep Zinny in the team.
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@nepia said in NPC Final - Auckland vs Canterbury (free entry):
@kirwan It reminds me a bit of Laurie Mains not wanting to pick Zinny because of 'his' reasons and it took Fitzy and Robin Brooke to convince him to pick him. Then three years later Mains was organising side deals/employment to keep Zinny in the team.
It’s almost exactly the same. Even with the Pene/Whitelock limited player comparison and who they play for.
Same crap used be written about Brooke’s defence as well.
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What with the Auckland vs Canterbury player debates and their win yesterday a decent superrugby season should be enough to make me despise them again.
This was only six months ago
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/103358560/auckland-rugby-is-now-too-bad-to-hate
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@nepia which, IMO all adds up to there being something else to the whole sorry saga...and yea we get sick of the speculation, but thats all we have.
Is it something off field, has he done something in camp that lead the coaches to believe he will be a bad choice regardless of his on field play?
Be interested to get some of his data from the stats they have access to, cos I cant see it telling us a huge amount different to what we know already.
Even if he is a tool, he is such a talent that it'd be good to get him immersed in the environment, point out what dickheadedness things he is doing so he can choose to change them or not.
Wile it is not out of the question for him to make the RWC squad, the way these coaches operate means it will take something pretty special from him to leap frog however many players they have pegged ahead of him...or they all get injured.
