England vs All Blacks
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@bovidae said in England vs All Blacks:
Bridge is a left winger so is competing with Ioane for the same position.
Maybe Robertson will do us a solid and play him on the right? Or maybe Dagg will come back from his easy rugby in Japan in sparkling form?
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@no-quarter said in England vs All Blacks:
Which would be unbelievably dangerous!
Though for whom, would be the question.
To paraphrase Prince, that backline looks a bit ready to party like it's 1999!
Somehow get all our most dangerous players in there!
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@chris-b said in England vs All Blacks:
@no-quarter said in England vs All Blacks:
Which would be unbelievably dangerous!
Though for whom, would be the question.
To paraphrase Prince, that backline looks a bit ready to party like it's 1999!
Somehow get all our most dangerous players in there!
The unknowns are Rieko at 13 and DMac at 11. Wouldn't want to start with that, but if the game is opening up a bit...
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@chris-b said in England vs All Blacks:
@nepia Tana could play Rieko on the right - after all he's promised not to play him at second five so he (Tana) is going to need another outlet for his "creativity"!
Yeah, but the Crusaders have ground to make up with NZ for the shameful antics of Dingo Deans who put franchise before country.
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@hooroo said in England vs All Blacks:
@bones said in England vs All Blacks:
@paekakboyz said in England vs All Blacks:
@duluth good question, but three things jump out. With a disclaimer that I'm a DMac fan.
- Height
- size re defending and making dominant tackles, especially for line defense and covering.
- risk that we get caught out in our structures in broken play if he's been involved earlier or has a floating mandate etc.
Which would all apply to NMS and yet have never been questioned when discussing him
And Dmac is strong in the tackle too. We aren't really known for our wingers ever being consistent power tacklers. Naholo doesn't even bother tackling...
Jonah was always good for a massive spot tackle provided the ball runner hadn't stepped him.
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@nepia A year away from the ABs?
Probably. I think he's still got some learning to do around positional play, etc.
He would need to burst onto Super rugby like a latter-day Christian Cullen to make it the RWC2019 - but, the thing is... he might be good enough to do it!
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@chris-b Given he's a fullback, it shouldn't be too difficult a transition.
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@frye said in England vs All Blacks:
@snowy said in England vs All Blacks:
@bovidae said in England vs All Blacks:
The phrase I associate with Andre Watson was "if you are on the ground all you can do is breathe".
Yep. Coined the expression "lazy runner" too I think? Ali Williams v Boks? Was a lock IIRC. Pissed me off at the time because he really meant offside but in those days a retreating player was usually considered onside if retreating. Set a precedent for a law interpretation.
Actually a good one, that players must stay out of the way if they aren't in a position to be involved with the ball / player legally. That's just my memory of it, but does show the evolution of the way rugby is played and hence the changes being made to the touchline, for example, which opens up the opportunity for the player to do something clever / athletic and we get the ball in play more.For a curmudgeonly prick I actually like some of the changes.
Norm Maxwell I thought.
Gary Whetton was the master at this. Often seen wandering back onside with his arms in the air between halfback and 1st 5 just as the ball was available.
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@nepia said in England vs All Blacks:
@chris-b Dagg and Bridge can share fullback and right wing - Havilii seems a bit of a busted flush on this years form. Jordan a year away maybe?
These guys at Rugbypass are really rating Jordan - also some interesting insights into Ta$man's offensive system!
Analysis: How Tasman are transforming Will Jordan into the next great All Black fullback
Jordan is a fullback with the complete range of skills, scorching speed, and best of all - has prescience when it comes to finding a gap or the try line.
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The selectors are sort of being squeezed by the fact we have a bunch of options at 10,12,13 and 15. And one winger.
So it kind of does feel a little like the 99 scenario of trying to find a place for all our best players. But at least this time everyone is being played in their best spot.
So while i would much much prefer to have DMac off the bench with 20 to go, right now it probably suits us best to have him starting. Add in that Barrett is basically guaranteed 80 minutes, and that means it's Mounga that misses out, and it's not like he isn't making every post a winner as well.
The case could be made for starting Barrett at 15, but i am less sure of that after watching him "defend" the English openside on the weekend.
Or we buck all conventional wisdom and have a 4-4 bench split...
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@bones cause everyone is too busy talking about how slow(er) he is!! I don't see any of those areas as unique to DMac, but he was the focus of the conversation, and lets be real he's in the mix for 2019 whereas NMS isn't. Unless we see at least a couple of extra yards of pace come back for Nehe.
@Bovidae I'm not as sold on the you are 'only' a right or left wing, or that it applies equally for everyone. I get that players can have limitations with kicking, or have played the majority of their time on one side or the other. But I suspect Bridge could do a job on either wing if needed. Maybe that's what we need to test out?
@Duluth totally agree that we should be still pushing to find our final squad and strategies for the bench. I'm really excited about what the 2019 super rugby season might turn up, particularly for some of the new guys that have put their hands up. But I think we would have already seen DMac on the wing (actually, has he had a run there?? hmm
) by now if that option was on their radar. Doesn't mean it won't happen, maybe against Italy? -
@antipodean nah bro they go straight to centre
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@paekakboyz If the Crusaders don't play Bridge on the right wing why would the ABs?
He would need to be tested at SR level first.
), although I got to the bottom and saw it was the same outfit who created that idiotic rating system ... so now I'm in two minds on what to think of it!
