Landers v lions

Cantab79

Luke Whitelock played his best ever Rugby in last year's ITM Cup. As you'd expect, he is improving as a player as he gets older and gains experience.

Crash

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Siam" data-cid="564213" data-time="1457771372">
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Impressive the way the Highlanders have got so much out of "ordinary" or discarded players. True definition of a team culture
 
Dixon(s) Evans Pryor Edmonds Geldenhuys Ainley as examples
 
Blues spend 5 years wondering what's going wrong when the answer is staring them in the face <strike>2000 </strike> 1429 clicks away. Reduce all the media shit, stick with a first XV and adopt swannies as official game day apparel :)
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I noticed that.
Bloody excellent thinking.

Crash

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="564224" data-time="1457776971">
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I think the younger Dagg with X factor in attack , was a much leaner lighter player , 
 
No stats to back it up , but I remember him playing for the highlanders built like a greyhound , he was quick then and could step , 
 
He looks a bigger heavier player now, and seems to have lost that agility he had, 
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It's called age or is it marriage :whistle:

Crash

Really like the way the Landers are varying their play currently,
Did their homework on the Lions from last week, with grubbers and kicks in behind the defence, and just good old fashioned D up front.
But its the gritty, and dogged attitude I'm loving the best.

SammyC

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Cantab79" data-cid="564334" data-time="1457828459">
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Luke Whitelock played his best ever Rugby in last year's ITM Cup. As you'd expect, he is improving as a player as he gets older and gains experience.
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by his "bet ever rugby" I assume you mean he played OK.
 
Joseph has definitely worked on the dynamic side of his game which has always been missing

taniwharugby

Apparently Pryor may be out of the next match with concussion after getting Tecklenbergs shoulder in a dangerous clearout, Tecklenberg has been cited.

Bones

I doubt it's coincidence that Luke is all of a sudden playing better footy once he starts actually being a white lock.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="SammyC" data-cid="564412" data-time="1457899875">
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by his "bet ever rugby" I assume you mean he played OK.
 
Joseph has definitely worked on the dynamic side of his game which has always been missing
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In inimitable Whitelock fashion he looks at least 35 already. I doubt he'd have much trouble buying a crate of Speights if he lost his drivers license.

mooshld

Another very good game from Fekitoa as well putting his hand up early in the season. His acceleration in this game was quite astounding either on broken play or coming up for a spot tackle on defense. If he keeps this up will be hard to ignore.

cgrant

Can someone give me a link to watch the game ? Thanks a lot.

Milk

Fekitoa just seems to be this dense ball of fast twitch muscle that goes full speed for the whole game. You'd think he'd be the ideal bench player to spark something against tiring defenses... if it wasn't for the fact he'll play that same speed for the full 80 minutes so you may as well start him. I suppose his main issue is that his backline needs to adapt to his aggressive defensive lines, that and his distribution game.

Bones

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="564766" data-time="1458055329">
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Fekitoa just seems to be this dense ball of fast twitch muscle that goes full speed for the whole game. You'd think he'd be the ideal bench player to spark something against tiring defenses... if it wasn't for the fact he'll play that same speed for the full 80 minutes so you may as well start him. I suppose his main issue is that his backline needs to adapt to his aggressive defensive lines, that and his distribution game.
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Which is getting better, he's started to bring in some nice touches handling wise, I think he's definitely got the ability, it's just he's so comfortable at doing the head down, run hard option, I think it's good he just keeps that on high repeat, makes it good to allow him to ease the other bits in as he progresses and keep defences guessing. His play recently has feature a couple of nice passes as he approaches the defensive line which has resulted in plenty of space outside him.

Siam

Yeah he looks good at this stage. he also looks quite psycho around the eyes
 
Hoping Wayne Smith equips him with a few more options though as that "tuck the ball under an arm and try to beat the man on the outside" (off first phase ball) will get found out pretty quick at international level.

kiwiinmelb

I think the interesting part about Fekitoa is where you play him , 
 
Is he a 12 or a 13 ? I know he mostly plays 13 , but sometimes I feel he would make a better 12 once he learns how to play there

Bones

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="564805" data-time="1458063381">
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I think the interesting part about Fekitoa is where you play him , 
 
Is he a 12 or a 13 ? I know he mostly plays 13 , but sometimes I feel he would make a better 12 once he learns how to play there 
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I'd like to see him stick to outside - get used to the defensive channels there, he's really learning to time his defence well too. No reason why 12/13 can't interchange on various different offensive plays.

Milk

Until Nonu and Smith, didn't we typically have the hard ball runner at 13 anyway, and the distributor at 12? That said, I think Nonu was a better kicker than Smith so maybe that's why.

No Quarter

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="564810" data-time="1458065451">
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Until Nonu and Smith, didn't we typically have the hard ball runner at 13 anyway, and the distributor at 12? That said, I think Nonu was a better kicker than Smith so maybe that's why.
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Yeah I think Nonu's kicking game made him a better option there - not that he had to use it fuck all with the likes of Carter / Cruden and Dagg in the backline.
 
Also, I have heard Carter say he always felt much more comfortable with Nonu on his shoulder as he provided a great bail out option in heavy traffic if the kick wasn't on.
 
Nonu really did reinvent the 12 position.

Crucial

Having a ball carrier at 12 certainly opens up our room to attack. Just holds the defence enough to look to create space.
I think back to the Mauger/LukeMc days when the 3/4s would only ever have 1/3 of the width to work with.
 
I'd like to see a Fekitoa 12/Ngatai 13 combo at some point. Just to see how it would go.

reprobate

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="564810" data-time="1458065451">
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Until Nonu and Smith, didn't we typically have the hard ball runner at 13 anyway, and the distributor at 12? That said, I think Nonu was a better kicker than Smith so maybe that's why.
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nonu was the distributor. just happened to be a big fluffybunny as well - his long passing game came well before his kicking.

taniwharugby

only really been the past couple of seasons Nonu has had an accomplished kicking game, and it made him pretty much the complete 12 IMO, up there as one of the very best.

The Silver Fern

Landers v lions