AB Depth Chart 2020
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Mounga not getting much love on here. Suspect it is more because of the team he plays for than his performances.... Just needs time in black so he can show Super form at international level. Getting thrown in the deep end by a desperate Foster & co in world cup year showed more of a coaching problem than a player problem I think.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in AB Depth Chart 2020:
Suspect it is more because of the team he plays for
Sigh.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in AB Depth Chart 2020:
Getting thrown in the deep end
It was a massive risk to throw a test match rookie 10 into the starting position at the world cup. It's the kind of thing that could ruin a player's confidence, but thankfully it looks like it hasn't.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack Yes. The coaches gave him way too little game time in 2018 and stuck with the Barrett-Dmac combo that didn't work instead. It was really odd. Then he's thrown into the deep in a RWC year and performed well for a rookie in most games. I'll never forget that awesome try-saving tackle on Cheslin Kolbe in the first RWC round! And somehow, some people, only seem to remember a RWC semi-final that was mostly lost in the forwards, and due to weird selection choices and a weak game plan from the coaches.
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Hard to forget a very blatant, very poor, front-on one-on-one miss early on that had pretty dire consequences
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@mariner4life it's funny, I have no memory of Mounga in that game at all.
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@Stargazer said in AB Depth Chart 2020:
And somehow, some people, only seem to remember a RWC semi-final that was mostly lost in the forwards, and due to weird selection choices and a weak game plan from the coaches.
You forgot the crap leadership from the senior players....
Ritchie looks one of those solid players who get better the more they play. He's a good foil to the more mercurial BB and gives us the option of switching players at 10.
And I'd def. want him taking the match-winning kicks rather than BB.
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Yes, there are plenty of good 6s, 7s and 8s in NZ right now, though untried at the highest level for most of them.
6 : Robinson, Grace, Jacobson (+ Frizell, Fifita, Boshier, Papali'i and Barrett though I think these last three are better wearing their usual jersey)
7 : Cane, Savea, Papali'i, Boshier
8 : Sotutu, Mikaele-Tuu, Ioane (?) -
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The Herald had a piece on why they thought NZ rugby wasn't getting any tall locks coming through but it was premium so I could read it. I am guessing they were claiming it's because of basketball?
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"All the franchises would agree that we don't seem to have a lot of depth at lock," Blues forwards coach Tom Coventry said. "Why that is, there's lots of reasons. The height of basketball tends to take our big tall men and they do a good job promoting their game."
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@nzzp said in Hurricanes v Crusaders:
@cgrant depth really improving, but we are missing that tall timber at 6 as a lineout option. Robinson possibly the best candidate in the lineout, but not sure the others are that good are they?
Fark Kaino left a hole
Between Robinson, Frizzel, Fifita, Grace and to a lesser extent Blackadder, hopefully we can come to rely on somebody.
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@nzzp said in Hurricanes v Crusaders:
@cgrant depth really improving, but we are missing that tall timber at 6 as a lineout option. Robinson possibly the best candidate in the lineout, but not sure the others are that good are they?
Not a 6, but Sotutu has been winning a lot of lineout ball
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@Duluth said in Hurricanes v Crusaders:
@nzzp said in Hurricanes v Crusaders:
@cgrant depth really improving, but we are missing that tall timber at 6 as a lineout option. Robinson possibly the best candidate in the lineout, but not sure the others are that good are they?
Not a 6, but Sotutu has been winning a lot of lineout ball
which is good, because Read was an important target for us
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I admit my bias at the beginning of this post, but
i absolutely believe that you cannot win rugby games with a poor lineout. The higher you go, the more important it is. If your lineout is suspect, you just get trapped in your own end, and eventually that field position deficit takes its toll.
It's why at test level i am so dead against dual opensides. You shorten your lineout (both jumper and lifter options) too much. And for what ever resaon you never make up that shortfall around the paddock.
Last year we were forced in to it because we had absolutely no one at 6. But by christ i hope this year we take a punt and develop a 6 and 8 that have a bit of height, and then just pick the best 7 at 7.
