AB RWC squad
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@Bovidae although easier for them if the guys up front are doing thier jobs too, giving them the freedom to roam.
I expect if Rieko and BFA had played in that test they woulda cut capers too, but they didnt, and now the new kids on the block are the bright and shiny things.
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@taniwharugby I'd still bet on Ioane playing against SA, and I doubt the coaches are going to change their ideas based on one game. Everything flowed from the effort up front including the performance of the loose forwards.
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@Bovidae said in AB RWC squad:
@taniwharugby I'd still bet on Ioane playing against SA, and I doubt the coaches are going to change their ideas based on one game. Everything flowed from the effort up front including the performance of the loose forwards.
At least notice was served that he needs to up his game to keep his place. Complacency is not what you want at RWC time
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Interesting from stuff article
Hinton: This group's greatest strength is their explosiveness when the tight five delivers the platforms to operate off. With the loose trio's mobility, Aaron Smith's speed of delivery, the twin playmakers, a creative midfield and those brilliant finishers out wide they will put points up in a hurry when the game flows. Their potential Achilles heel comes when the big boys get strangled up front. Then those advantages get negated big time.
Outside of injuries or random red cards, that's my greatest worry. I can see Scott Barrett in at 6 Vs boks
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@Machpants said in AB RWC squad:
Interesting from stuff article
Hinton: This group's greatest strength is their explosiveness when the tight five delivers the platforms to operate off. With the loose trio's mobility, Aaron Smith's speed of delivery, the twin playmakers, a creative midfield and those brilliant finishers out wide they will put points up in a hurry when the game flows. Their potential Achilles heel comes when the big boys get strangled up front. Then those advantages get negated big time.
Outside of injuries or random red cards, that's my greatest worry. I can see Scott Barrett in at 6 Vs boks
So all of our fit locks will start in game 1 of the cup?
I think they will go with Whitelock and Barrett starting and Patty T for impact off the bench.
Jacobsen or Todd on the bench will be interesting.
To me we still need to dictate the way we will play. Boks will need to try and handle our fast paced game.
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@ACT-Crusader need to be able to impose the way we want to play on them first
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@taniwharugby yep, I agree. And yes all the locks starting Vs Boks, we can play all the rest of the pool with one lock, and a loose forward in the second row. Cos they are joke games, as proved last RWC when the coaches cared more about the midweek intra squad match, than the pool game - using one hand behind your back tactics.
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@Steven-Harris said in AB RWC squad:
@Chris-B I think the selectors need a boot up the arse that its taken 4 years to work out who there next number 6 was going to be after Kaino
Kind of difficult if there's noone suitably superstarish putting their hand up or existing in NZ rugby
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I saw on the 1014 video that recent world cup winning starting sides had only ever played together in that combination once prior to the final. What this tells you is it is rare that your top 15 prior to the WC will play in the final. It is highly likely injuries will happen and to a lesser extent bolters like NMS. Given our history of injured 10's and its importance in the game I see it as a major weakness and risk in the squad only having 2.
However the issue is in the last 4 years we have not been able to identify, train and keep a 3rd 10 so the selectors have decided it is better to have a potential star in Reece and a known quantity in JB than bring Ioane.
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@canefan said in AB RWC squad:
@chimoaus we started the 4th 10 in 2011 didn't we? There are no guarantees, and replacements are either 12 hours away in a similar time zone, or hiding out somewhere in Tokyo or Yokohama for the duration of the tourney
The flight time to get there isn’t the issue though. The main issue is having to rule RM or BB out of the tournament completely in order to use that replacement when potentially RM and/or BB would be good to go the next round.
It isn’t an extremely rare scenario that would see RM and BB pick up relatively minor injuries in the pool stages and be due back for the semi.
Then you are faced with ruling one of them out for good to bring in a real 10 or starting Jordie/Crotty/TJP in a quarter final against Scotland or Ireland.Stupid risk IMO. All for an extra option on the wing.
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@chimoaus said in AB RWC squad:
I saw on the 1014 video that recent world cup winning starting sides had only ever played together in that combination once prior to the final. What this tells you is it is rare that your top 15 prior to the WC will play in the final. It is highly likely injuries will happen and to a lesser extent bolters like NMS. Given our history of injured 10's and its importance in the game I see it as a major weakness and risk in the squad only having 2.
However the issue is in the last 4 years we have not been able to identify, train and keep a 3rd 10 so the selectors have decided it is better to have a potential star in Reece and a known quantity in JB than bring Ioane.
That’s not entirely true. They were breeding DMac as that next option and even used him.
There’s no doubt that if he were fit they would’ve taken all of Barrett, Mo’unga and DMac. The reality is that there are only so many players that can be tried.
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@ACT-Crusader They also had a look at Brett Cameron and judged him not good enough and Josh Ioane and judged him not really ready yet.
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@akan004 said in AB RWC squad:
If it ever got to a desperate situation where both our 10s are out of WC, I hope that they will decide to break protocol and get someone like Cruden or Sopoaga in.
Sops was awful for Wasps last season. Cruden is okay for Montpellier, but not the player he was.
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@sparky said in AB RWC squad:
@akan004 said in AB RWC squad:
If it ever got to a desperate situation where both our 10s are out of WC, I hope that they will decide to break protocol and get someone like Cruden or Sopoaga in.
Sops was awful for Wasps last season. Cruden is okay for Montpellier, but not the player he was.
Yeah but would still rather have a couple of experienced guys over players who have never played Test rugby before.
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@akan004 said in AB RWC squad:
@sparky said in AB RWC squad:
@akan004 said in AB RWC squad:
If it ever got to a desperate situation where both our 10s are out of WC, I hope that they will decide to break protocol and get someone like Cruden or Sopoaga in.
Sops was awful for Wasps last season. Cruden is okay for Montpellier, but not the player he was.
Yeah but would still rather have a couple of experienced guys over players who have never played Test rugby before.
If we get that far down I reckon they could bring in Ioane and they will play someone in the existing side as the 10
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