Italy vs All Blacks
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@tim said in Italy vs All Blacks:
@mariner4life Seems weird to play Read again, or is this an admission that they didn't pick a backup number 8?
He got on the wrong flight and ended up in South America.
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Confirmation of the side:
They wasted a chance to look at Papali'i at 6. There was some reports earlier in the week that Savea was carrying a few niggles so maybe that forced the decision. Ardie to play as long as he can and Papali'i to come on at 7?
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@taniwharugby said in Italy vs All Blacks:
@kiwimurph yeah a few players that shey shoulda run with, they have gone back to lazy Fifita when you have a workhorse like Papali'i, Mounga deserves a start, also think think yhey shoulda tried ALB-Goodhue in the mid-field!
Amen brother.
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Is this about tough games on the trot, plus a challenge to guys like Read to improve from last week? I get Hansens point about their trip of playmakers but Jodie at wing is odd imo. Unless they see him and DMac swapping about a shitload or something. Would have loved to see laumape and goodhue starting, but ALB at centre will def create options.
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They like Jordie and want to see if he can play wing in ABs system. They don;t see him as a midfielder or ten unless emergency, but still want him to be pushing for inclusion in the 23 - that means more position coverage 'paraphrase from another article'
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Powder is officially dry fellas.
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Precisely what the fuck do they think they are going to learn about Fifita in this game that they don't already know? Huge missed opportunity to see Papalii start at 6. If there were concerns over injuries to loose forwards then have Fifita on the bench.
Also agree that it is a missed opportunity to see Richie start at 10 with BB at 15. Could have even put Dmac at 14. One thing this does point to though is that there is 0% chance of Richie overtsking BB before the rwc.
Yet another midfield reshuffle is frustrating too. Surely a good chance to see Goodhue and ALB together. Instead the guy who was left out gets a chance to come back and confuse things more.
Wing selections appear strange at first viewing but it will actually be good to see if Jordie can play there in that 2nd fullback role. Naholo makes sense when you consider the minutes Ioane has played this season.
Good to see Coles back starting.
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Jordie Barrett on the wing? Disappointing not to see Papalii start at 6 or 7. Fifita should not be a starting All Black.
Sticking with the BB/DMac two play makers again? I hope it creates some play this time.
Rapidly losing faith in these selectors.
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@rapido said in Italy vs All Blacks:
Argh. Waste of an opportunity to see Mounga at 10, Barrett at 15 and Papalii at 6.
This.
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Why Why Why start their Special Athlete instead of Paps?
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@shadowtrooper it's only Italy, we dont need to hit any rucks or any of that hard forward work.
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Wow, just seen the squad list; geez, that's disappointing.
I agree with @pukunui and others, several missed opportunities. Mo'unga, Papali'i on the bench, and Jordie on the wing, WTF?
If BB gets injured just before or during the RWC, you'd want Mo'unga to have a more starts under his belt. Currently, of his 8 tests, he has only started against the Argies and Japan. This was the perferct game to give him another one.
While we probably get to see the Mo'unga at 10 and BB at 15 combo at some point in the 2nd half, it would be good to see how it works when they start with that combo and to give it more than 20 minutes. Another option that would be interesting - for the lesser games - is Mo'unga at 10 and Dmac at 15, with BB coming off the bench. Instead they stick with their "plan" of BB-Dmac starting.
TTT starting next to Mo'unga would have been interesting, too.
I also would have preferred a start for Papali'i. The young lad has potential and I would have liked to see more of him in black, especially because who'll play at 6 next year is far from certain (it's the position in the squad with the biggest question mark, together with the 20 jersey). Hopefully he gets more than 10 minutes.
And Jordie at 14; they don't see him as a 12, not as a 10, and don't want to start him at 15 because of that BB-Dmac combo. If we've reached the point at which we have to select Jordie on the wing, solely to give him game time, I know for sure that it will be better to have Bridge in the squad next year than Jordie. Then they wouldn't have to move Naholo to 11 either.
Also disappointed not to see an ALB-Goodhue combo in the midfield. This selection just seems to have been made to give players game time (Fifita, Laumape and Jordie in particular).
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@pukunui said in Italy vs All Blacks:
Precisely what the fuck do they think they are going to learn about Fifita in this game that they don't already know? Huge missed opportunity to see Papalii start at 6. If there were concerns over injuries to loose forwards then have Fafita on the bench.
Vaea or Vaia?
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If we rewind 4 years there were similar concerns and issues being raised by fans, commentators and posters on here about performance and selections.
That 2014 EOYT many were concerned that we just scraped past England with basically a first choice squad. Then when some “left field” selections were made against Scotland the cries got louder. Slade on the wing, McCaw at no6, Vito starting, even Fekitoa at centre was hotly disputed (calls of him being a flat track bully). It was a pretty disjointed game from what I remember.
To me there are plenty of similarities this year with 2014.
