Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18
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@nzzp said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Question for the thread in general: is the decline in AB quality linked to Wayne Smith stepping down at the end of 2017? 2018 onwards hasn't been great... seems to have been a steady decline in quality.
no. we just don't have the players any more. Our talent levels have dropped well away.
We were stupidly blessed for a long time, the quality of player we had, all at the same time, across the park, was quite fucking ridiculous.
What you see now are a group of players who are no better talent-wise than their opposition, so the margins become much much finer.
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
no. we just don't have the players any more. Our talent levels have dropped well away.
dunno if I agree with that.
Talent is there, but I am not sure the elite level coaching is upto it, and agree with @nzzp which you can probably tie some of the drop off with the lack of involvement of Smith, who was very technical.
I think the last 18-24 months, we just dont look as well coached.
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@taniwharugby said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
@mariner4life said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
no. we just don't have the players any more. Our talent levels have dropped well away.
dunno if I agree with that.
Talent is there, but I am not sure the elite level coaching is upto it, and agree with @nzzp which you can probably tie some of the drop off with the lack of involvement of Smith, who was very technical.
I think the last 18-24 months, we just dont look as well coached.
of course the talent is there, but there isn't a margin to the other side, i think it's pretty even. Which means coaching comes in to it. And that has been stale for ages.
But think back to the golden days, how often would a tight game change on the back of something outrageous from one of our champs? A big piece of play by Retallic etc. A Kaino hit. A Read carry and offload, Dan's drop goal. Ma'a beating 3 guys and chucking a 20m pass? Ben From Accounts suddenly beating 4 guys down the short side? Coaching is way easier when you just have to wait for the extraordinary talent to do something
Yesterday's game plan looked exactly like that, but who exactly was the guy that was going to pull it off? I don't see too many.
And that's fine, that is what test rugby is. But the coaching is now way more important than it was up until 2017.
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@booboo said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
@Hooroo said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Reiko gets the week off for that blunder. Nothing worse than a showboat all black.
Not sure that helps us win though.
Think he will have the message even if nobody says anything.
Lots of the greats have done it. I remember Cully dropping the ball while holding the ball in one hand once
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@Frank Take away PUJ and that would be my team too. A fire should be lit under Pat T and Karl T replaced by Lomax.
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Moody
Taylor
Ofa T
Whitelock
Tuipulotu
Frizzel
Cane
Sotutu
Smith
Mo'unga
ALB
Goodhue
Clarke
Bridge
B Barrett / J BarrettLomax
Coles
Karl T
Vaa'i
Savea
Perenara
R Ioane
McKenzie / J BarrettThe bracketing goes like this - if BB is fit then you don't need 10 cover on the bench, but if he's not, then you do.
Frizzel gets a chance to atone for yesterday but if he can't then I reckon he's a lost cause.
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@booboo said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
@Hooroo said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Reiko gets the week off for that blunder. Nothing worse than a showboat all black.
Not sure that helps us win though.
Think he will have the message even if nobody says anything.
Given ALB is the midfield replacement option, we might be better off all round.
When Laumape is back to full fitness it'd be bloody handy to have Laumape's running in the mid field, with Clarke and a (lesson learnt) Ioane out wide to pass to as well.
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@shark said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Moody
Taylor
Ofa T
Whitelock
Tuipulotu
Frizzel
Cane
Sotutu
Smith
Mo'unga
ALB
Goodhue
Clarke
Bridge
B Barrett / J BarrettLomax
Coles
Karl T
Vaa'i
Savea
Perenara
R Ioane
McKenzie / J BarrettThe bracketing goes like this - if BB is fit then you don't need 10 cover on the bench, but if he's not, then you do.
Frizzel gets a chance to atone for yesterday but if he can't then I reckon he's a lost cause.
my team would be pretty close to this
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@shark said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Frizzel gets a chance to atone for yesterday but if he can't then I reckon he's a lost cause.
that line is getting very long since Kaino left.
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@shark said in Bledisloe Two: Auckland, October 18:
Moody
Taylor
Ofa T
Whitelock
Tuipulotu
Frizzel
Cane
Sotutu
Smith
Mo'unga
ALB
Goodhue
Clarke
Bridge
B Barrett / J BarrettLomax
Coles
Karl T
Vaa'i
Savea
Perenara
R Ioane
McKenzie / J BarrettThe bracketing goes like this - if BB is fit then you don't need 10 cover on the bench, but if he's not, then you do.
Frizzel gets a chance to atone for yesterday but if he can't then I reckon he's a lost cause.
This selection is no different to last Sunday except that ALB starts. This looks more of rhe same to me.
