Crusaders v Chiefs
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I think Codie Taylor has shown the ABs selectors that he's not quite prepared to hand the no. 2 jersey back to Coles. He had a massive 40 minutes. Very, very good!
Another great game from Scott Barrett, Will Jordan, Richie Mo'unga (who has found his kicking boots again), great cameo from Havili (brilliant pass to Taylor for his 1st try); Crotty and Goodhue are definitely the best midfield combo.
Good debut for Enari; good, quick passing. Sevu Reece had a good debut, too (without having seen more camera angles, I haven't seen enough to say more about that tackle on Alaimalo).
Hope Joe Moody's injury isn't too serious. Thumbs up for young Harry Allan, who had to play a lot more minutes than expected.
The Chiefs, what can you say. Disorganised bunch. I hate to say it, but I'm not sure Retallick is the right captain. I was listening to the radio commentary and they highlighted some of the decision-making that was off. (Example: going for a short line-out when a full line-out made more sense).
What they also need to address is the off-the-ball stuff. The radio commentators commented on a few things that happened. First example: at the end of the 1st half, when Mo'unga was slammed on the turf without the ball by a Chiefs player (it wasn't shown on tv); ref did nothing. Also in the second half, a Chiefs player pushing Billy Harmon's head to the ground, while he was already on the ground. I guess it's a sign of frustration, which is understandable, but they need to get it under control.
Best Chiefs players, IMO, Ardron and Alaimalo; great impact from Debreczeni when he came on.
I hope the Chiefs can get their act together; I hate to see a NZ team struggle like this. They have good players. Something is just off; very off. Mentally. Coaching. ????
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@Stargazer Good summimg up. I would add ALB to the handful of good Chiefs. The rest were bad. Very bad. Something is rotten Chiefs.
I don't know why the Chiefs form has fallen away so badly. I don't believe all those players could just suddenly play so badly and be so disinterested in the result and the team. Has to be coaching doesn't it? You just need to look at Razor and the Saders to see firstly what 1. Good Coaching 2. Judicious recruitment 3. Evidence of a gameplan 4. Strategy and tactics will do. -
It’s coaching - plus some recruiting issues too.
Whether it’s fitness, or strategy, or selection, I think most of the problems relate to a team who look like they just met, and don’t have any pattern of play. That’s on the coaches. But, have Cooper’s teams ever been strategically sound?
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Not in coaching (I think) but in players - Cane of course, and the forwards leader (Messam) and backs leader (Maori Jesus). My guess is that the existing culture and senior players got them through last year, but there has been no development for this year.
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Nothing like a game against the Chiefs to get your goal kicking back on track aye Richie. 5/6 not bad.
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@Cyclops I think the line-up against the Highlanders will give a better indication of whether that's the case. As Brad Mooar said before the game, they used this game to give opportunities to several rookies. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they're going to rotate Jordan and Havili.
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@Cyclops said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
Is Will Jordan now the number one fullback for the Crusaders?
Let’s not get carried away now. Havili still first choice. Reads the game very well.
The added bonus we have is that with Havili and Ennor in the XV we can select a specialist outside back on the bench (ie Jordan).
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Disagree. They'll rotate them a bit. But Will Jordan is the better player already of the two: faster, stronger, better hands.
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@Toddy said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
Sounds like Hammett may need to come in and clear out some of the senior players.
Absolutely primed for a Hammett intervention.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@Toddy said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
Sounds like Hammett may need to come in and clear out some of the senior players.
Absolutely primed for a Hammett intervention.
Even better, we might lure Scott Robertson home with the promise of Chiefs games at Blake Park and a post match surf at Clyde Street.
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