TRC: Pumas v All Blacks
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Surely Fifita can now be classified as a failed experiment? He’s too loose, can’t tackle, has bad hands and gives away stupid penalties. Also, what’s happened to Frizell? He was the form 6, I thought. Jacobsen went well, though. Clearly a better option than Fifita.
You wonder what Jordie would have to do to play himself out of the squad. Best back three options are Rieko, BFA, Bridge/Ennor. I guess they need Jordie’s boot but he needs to learn to catch it before he can kick it .
Who do people think will start the Wellington test?
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@MrDenmore said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
Surely Fifita can now be classified as a failed experiment? He’s too loose, can’t tackle, has bad hands and gives away stupid penalties. Also, what’s happened to Frizell? He was the form 6, I thought. Jacobsen went well, though. Clearly a better option than Fifita.
You wonder what Jordie would have to do to play himself out of the squad. Best back three options are Rieko, BFA, Bridge/Ennor. I guess they need Jordie’s boot but he needs to learn to catch it before he can kick it .
Who do people think will start the Wellington test?
Frizell wasn't in the travelling squad to Argentina because of a knee injury. I don't think it was serious, so he might be in consideration for the next test.
IMO, they should have selected David Havili instead of Jordie. Havili had a great SR season and also has a great boot. It's weird that the coaches explicitly recognised that when the squad was named, but preferred Jordie because he's "more versatile" (because he can also play on the wing ... well, he proved that, didnt he?).
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@MrDenmore I’m thinking the 23 will look like this: 1. Moody 2. Coles 3. Franks 4. Rettalick 5. Whitelock 6. Cane 7. Savea 8. Read 9. Smith 10. Barrett 11. Ioane 12. Crotty 13. Goodhue 14. Bridge 15. Smith Reserves: 16. Taylor 17. Tu’ungafasi 18. Ta’avao 19. Barrett 20. Jacobsen 21. Perenara 22. Mo’unga 23. Leinert-Brown
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I watched the game this morning already knowing the result and having read the comments on here.
I don’t think Jordie was quite as bad as it is being made out on here. His errors were largely the same ones his team mates were making. However, apart from one nice kick he didn’t do much else positive.
Not the performance of someone fighting for a RWC spot. Living on his “versatility” at the moment.
Lets hope Bridge lives up to the hype he gets on here or we have a few headaches in the back 3.Surely Fifita has run out of chances now. Other alternatives need time now. For me Cane, Savea and Read has to be the number one combo unless another 6 forces their way in. You can’t tell me that combo is unbalanced but starting Fifita in Reads place is fine.
Overall the team performance, at least with the ball, looked like what we have seen the last few years. Disjointed, static and confused during any sort of phase play, slightly better on counter attack and still too many shitty attacking kicks in the name of unlocking the rush defence.
Again i think this all goes back to our obsession with the individual brilliance of BB and Dmac over the last few seasons. Putting other guys in space seems to be the 4th or 5th option after a chip kick, cross kick, attacking the line or shovelling a shit pass to a flat footed team mate who is trying to work out what you are doing.
Bring on 10. Mounga 15. BB 14. SmithPumas were pretty rubbish also.
Getting a B side, playing poorly, first game of the test season, at home, after the bulk of them have been playing super rugby together and they still didn’t really look like winning it. Maybe they DO treat these games as friendlies. -
@Canes4life pretty sure Hansen has ruled out a Cane/Savea 6/7
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@Canes4life said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
@MrDenmore I’m thinking the 23 will look like this: 1. Moody 2. Coles 3. Franks 4. Rettalick 5. Whitelock 6. Cane 7. Savea 8. Read 9. Smith 10. Barrett 11. Ioane 12. Crotty 13. Goodhue 14. Bridge 15. Smith Reserves: 16. Taylor 17. Tu’ungafasi 18. Ta’avao 19. Barrett 20. Jacobsen 21. Perenara 22. Mo’unga 23. Leinert-Brown
Hansen and co. have already said that they're not considering the option of starting Cane, Savea and Read all at the same time, so I'd be surprised if they go for that backrow. If fit again, they may start Frizell at 6. If he's not fit, they may give Jacobson the start; risky, but Fifita may not have enough credit left for another start.
I also expect Taylor, as the incumbent, to start in the 2 jersey, unless they want to ease him back in, via the bench.
Crotty and Scott Barrett are still injured. I'm afraid that they'll name SBW at 12 if he's fit. I'd prefer ALB and Goodhue as the starting combo in the absence of Crotty. I'd also prefer Laumape over SBW on the bench. I keep on wondering whether guaranteed All Blacks selection is a clause in his contract, which NZR agreed to, to keep him in rugby and in NZ.
Against an opponent like SA, they might start Perenara instead of Smith. It will be interesting to see how much they trust Bridge. Enough to give him the start, or will they be tempted to move BFA to the right wing and give Jordie another chance, but at fullback? Jordie is their love-child after all.
If the coaches hadn't been so obsessed with the "Dmac is a 10" project and its successor "BB and Dmac starting combo" project, Mo'unga might have had more game time last year and, especially, a few more starts. If that had happened, this SA test would have been a good game to test him in the 10 jersey in a big game, but because he's had so little game time in black, that probably won't happen.
I'm looking forward to this next test against South Africa, with almost a first choice squad available.
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@Billy-Tell said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
@sparky said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
The highlights:
Think you posted wrong there. The video shows the anthems then the Ref blowing full time.
Pretty much the highlights
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@booboo said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
@Billy-Tell said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
@sparky said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:
The highlights:
Think you posted wrong there. The video shows the anthems then the Ref blowing full time.
Pretty much the highlights
Whoosh
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@Billy-Tell oops
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Yes please - Laumape, Ta'avao.
No thanks - Fifita, Jordie.
Undecided - Reece, Coltman.
Fifita, just why? With the bevy of options we have, we opt for a flake.
Jordie, so frustrating. That boot would be absolutely invaluable, but those moronic moments way too costly. Have to laugh that it's the coaches fault for trying to tell him what to do. Shag you idiot look you made him step out of the 22 and hoof it out on the full!
Reece, didn't get many chances, but certainly didn't look as dangerous when he did. Nice stop on Matera was it?
Coltman farken hell, bit more oomph on the throw fella.
Ta'avao and Laumape made their cases solidly I think. Hunger, workrate, impact.
Savea was outstanding. A Smith with some fantastic defensive work.
Think people aren't considering the bigger picture when moaning about game plan/style in the first game of the season, away, against a team with little disruption and good defensive abilities.
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If this is the last we see of JB and Fifita for this year then it will have been worth it. Both are young enough to get better but would be a complete waste to not give other guys more time before the RWC. Bridge is one guy who definitely needs a few games. Would like to see Savea at 7 with Read at 8 also. The game(s) they give Mo'unga the 10 jersey will be interesting, if he plays as good as he has been recently then there is a real conundrum, albeit a good one.
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The game plan was appalling I thought. With no threat of any go forward up the middle, the Argies just fanned across the park. The constant shoveling on by Smith / Barrett was just ineffective shit with no go forward. The lack of ommff up the middle and a lack of a tactical kicking game has been a problem for a while in my opinion. Last Nth Hemisphere tour was a prime example.
Fifita caused me further balding yesterday (something I seriously don't need more of). How does he get anywhere near a black jersey I have no idea. When Jacobson came on we were back to 15 against 15.
Didn't think Jordie was bad. With the Argies allowed to spread out at will it just wasn't a game for outside backs. Absolutely no space anywhere. Big fan of ALB but yesterday he had a brick wall in front of him.
Ardie has to start somewhere. -
