Bledisloe #2
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@Nepia said in Bledisloe #2:
So, the Sunday morning thread read isn't nearly as much fun when we win comfortably.
So my random thoughts on the game:
So I think I was correct in thinking we haven't been playing direct this year, however in this must win match we played really direct and smashed them up in the forwards. I think the TWM must be disappointed they had to play direct in this match as I think they were saving it for the cup finals themselves. We also massively tidied up our defence, although TBF last week we just had so little ball that we had to make so many tackles that we were always going to miss a few.
There seems to be a bit of a loss of perspective on the wings. Yes they both played well (Reece especially played better than I thought he would in defence and without the ball, Bridge as I expected) but it's impossible to make a comparison between this week and last week - last week the forwards played like fairies and the backs suffered because of it (and they were down to 14 for 40 minutes) and this week the pack kicked arse and the wings benefited from decent front foot and counter attack ball. I think Ioane would have carved up just like Bridge did last night with that extra space. Can't believe some are genuinely suggesting he'll be dropped.
Coles is getting shit but I thought he played well outside of his yellow and getting a yellow for dumping a mouthy halfback out of a maul which we were dominating isn't too bad in the scheme of things.
The loosies were awesome. Savea spent the first 40 minutes emulating his brother on the wing (the good version, not the fatty version), dare I say it very Fifita like, then spent the second 40 in the middle more making tackles and hitting rucks. I wonder if that was the gameplan. Also, we may as well just give Ardie the number 8 jumper. He's playing 8, Read is playing 6 and Cane is playing his brand of hard tackling 7 for 60 minutes until they bring Todd on. I still don't get Todd, good rugby player, but 3 7's in the team just seems overkill.
Patty T stood up and didn't get himself red carded so that's a bonus. Whitelock had a new haircut, he doesn't quite look like the missing link as much anymore, and that coincided with his best test of the year.
Beaunga is starting to gel I reckon. I was generally worried when Mo'unga came off injured. Not for the game, BB could easily slot into 10, but for the RWC. Thankfully it looks like it's not serious. SBW and ALB were both good. Smith ran the game well, like he used to.
JB still worries the shit out of me, even though I thought he was decent, but he still looks like he's 30 seconds away from doing something stupid. I guess I have to trust he'll come right like DMac did (who copped far worse from some posters than JB does for arguably less stupidity).
White looked shit this week, Genia looked good when he came on. The number 6 who changed his name was awesome last week, he was terrible this week. My non regular rugby watching Aussie mate picked up how bad he was early in the game and then spent the rest of the game shouting at the screen to get him off. Kervei was irrelevant without as much ball as last week and O'Connor was just left to tackle all day. Beale had his worst test in a while.
Agree with pretty much all of this. Re White, Genia, A Smith, it all just reinforces that the backs can't do a damn thing without a pack that fronts. And man did ours this week, Aside from Coles stupidity (even if you don't think the throw was dangerous, to do it off ball after a warning was as is idotic a thing as I've seen in a while), they were amazing to a man. Lineouts not perfect, but the scrum was immense, the maul defence was perfect, and the breakdown dominance was superb. I'm one of the guys who had written off Read as being past it - fuck did he prove me wrong. As others have mentioned, his eyes!!!
I think SBW did enough to get the 12 jersey, and if JG is back, that means ALB to the bench and Crotty out of the 23.
Worried about the lineout still, more lack of jumpers than Coles throwing. But that's not terminal with the time available.
I'd probably still revert to BB at 10 and BS at 15, but I'm less alarmed after this week. I def want BS on the bench if he's not starting - BS, ALB and TJ can cover the full backline.
Agree the wingers got a better ride than last week (after my earlier post that they'd have no chance to shine with the mess inside them (:face_with_stuck-out_tongue: ). I think Ioane is a better player than Reece still.
Last thought - I thought Jordie took every chance tonight, and looked the part. But fuck me he has way too much hair.
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@Victor-Meldrew that shot they showed of the AB changing room at HT both BB & RM had alot to say, so that to me shows a good environment where a relative newby can come in and speak and people listen.
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@voodoo said in Bledisloe #2:
Last thought - I thought Jordie took every chance tonight, and looked the part. But fuck me he has way too much hair.
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Ritchie has also been in the AB environment for a couple of years thanks to TWM's policy of "getting to know players".
Seems a smart policy.
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@taniwharugby said in Bledisloe #2:
@voodoo said in Bledisloe #2:
Last thought - I thought Jordie took every chance tonight, and looked the part. But fuck me he has way too much hair.
:smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat: :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat: :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat:
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@Nepia said in Bledisloe #2:
The loosies were awesome. Savea spent the first 40 minutes emulating his brother on the wing (the good version, not the fatty version), dare I say it very Fifita like, then spent the second 40 in the middle more making tackles and hitting rucks. I wonder if that was the gameplan. Also, we may as well just give Ardie the number 8 jumper. He's playing 8, Read is playing 6 and Cane is playing his brand of hard tackling 7 for 60 minutes until they bring Todd on. I still don't get Todd, good rugby player, but 3 7's in the team just seems overkill.
Excellent post. Couldn't agree more regarding 7s.
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@Stargazer said in Bledisloe #2:
Three 7s in the squad makes totally sense if they intend to play one of those guys at 6 in the finals.
It does if you look at what game they are going to unleash WC time I don't think we have seen half of it yet.
2 play makers,Mobile props has been mentioned and 2 open sides.Pretty sure where we are headed Plan wise. -
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@Yeetyaah If you read that article, other people got stuff thrown at them, too, and it appears to happen more frequently, not just at this game. I don't think it has anything to do with us being "sore winners". What I take from this is that there's a group of Eden Park regulars who are behaving like ferals, whoever is playing. They should get stadium bans.
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Yeah it's pretty shit. If you are in the South Stand at Hong Kong late in the day, you are going to get beer thrown around but Eden Park should be better.
This was the bit of the article that got me though:
"The Wallabies will name their 31-man World Cup squad on Friday in Sydney."Firstly a Friday, FFS, but the whole thing is obviously fake news as Cheika will surely name 32.
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Another Monday on the Fern, another day of post-Bledisloe pain.
At 60 minutes with the scoreline at 24-0, I thought we had actually played OK. Our attack looked pretty good, and had just been let down by a few key execution errors - the last pass to Hodge, Lealiifano's kicking, etc.
The game was closer than the scoreline suggested, though we still weren't the better side.
But then the last 20 minutes were pretty horrible. The less said about them the better.
What it showed was the Wallabies aren't as good as Bled 1, and the ABs aren't as bad. We've got one or two games in us, so I'd think the 2015 scenario may be best case - play well when we need to and hope the draw falls our way.
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@barbarian said in Bledisloe #2:
Another Monday on the Fern, another day of post-Bledisloe pain.
At 60 minutes with the scoreline at 24-0, I thought we had actually played OK. Our attack looked pretty good, and had just been let down by a few key execution errors - the last pass to Hodge, Lealiifano's kicking, etc.
The game was closer than the scoreline suggested, though we still weren't the better side.
But then the last 20 minutes were pretty horrible. The less said about them the better.
What it showed was the Wallabies aren't as good as Bled 1, and the ABs aren't as bad. We've got one or two games in us, so I'd think the 2015 scenario may be best case - play well when we need to and hope the draw falls our way.
All Blacks great first 10 but only got 3, then Aus dominated for 10 but missed their 3 (or 6). Then the Mo'ouga basically intercept and the quick follow up.
Sliding doors .....
Aus could knock anyone out of the RWC is my take away, but I don't think they can win it. Lacking some composure, but if it all clicks watch out. But it can't all click for 3 consecutive hard weeks.
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@barbarian was still 3-0 as we entered the 29th minute, Aus had been on top for the period form about 9 or 10 mins to no avail, then Mounga got a try....this is when things started to change.
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@Machpants said in Bledisloe #2:
Yeah I've seen bottles, often full, chucked at every game I've been at for years. Welly or Eden park, all the same. Dickheads who can't handle their booze are everywhere
aussie i sit next to at work said he had 4 twats sit next to him that were hammered before the start.. spent prematch screaming 'cheikas a cnut' in front of a bunch of kids.. had no shirts on for entire match (no issue just evidence of how hammered they had to be!).. and spewed on the seats in front of them at half time and just gave him abuse the entire match.
after the inane bollicks i see people get booted for at cricket i can't beleive they didn't get kicked out. Or that people just sat there and took it!
