All Blacks 2021
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I hope one thing and that's they're not going to use the first squad for some odd Brett Cameron type of selections. I only want players in it that really deserve it and would have a good chance of being selected for the second squad as well if it wasn't for some senior or injured players returning. Don't want "for old times' sake" selection like the Bus, either.
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Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.
I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.
Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.
Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.
Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!
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@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:
Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.
I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.
Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.
Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.
Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!
I’m totally on board with this idea, and think they need to start giving him really high quality coaching, because he’s relatively new to rugby and it often shows with some of his silly decisions. He’s a weapon though , so if we invest in him now he could be ready for 2023.
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@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 Exactly.
Jonah wasn't ready when we first picked him - and then he was.
The other problem is that sending him back to NPC won’t tell us anything new, and might slow him down because he can get away with not developing additional tools, plus some of those silly decisions won’t hurt so much, and the coaching can be very iffy (especially looking at Auckland’s current issues).
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@gt12 If Fozzie is picking a sort of development squad for the first tests, then you've got to think it would be madness not to at least have him in that.
What's interesting to me is how different the styles of Rayasi and Leicester are. Leicester pretty much seeks contact and fights to stay on his feet and set a target. Rayasi much more elusive, but when he's tackled he seems to go to ground pretty easily. Hopefully we can develop some hybridized versions.
Of course, a challenge with Rayasi is that he's so big that, unless they're well positioned, defenders struggle to get their arms around him properly and are just brushed aside.
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@nostrildamus Seems like most places are listing Rayasi at 105kgs now - but, last time I looked (probably last year), he was billed as more than that and I recall bigger than Leicester.
Anyway, big enough!
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@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus Seems like most places are listing Rayasi at 105kgs now - but, last time I looked (probably last year), he was billed as more than that and I recall bigger than Leicester.
Anyway, big enough!
Rayasi is more a finesse type winger despite his size. He loves the draw and pass, no look offload, getting in between two defenders. Leicester is more your bully-boy type, drag two defenders hanging off you for an extra 5 metres type.
If there’s room for both, great let’s have both.
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 said in All Blacks 2021:
he’s relatively new to rugby
Hmmm... you sure about that?
Not as sure as I was!
Must be my reading some bad intel or getting things mixed up, as I was pretty confident, but a quick google shows he gave up rugby for basketball after already being an academy player, rather than being into Basketball through high school (and therefore having a lot more to learn).
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@gt12 said in All Blacks 2021:
@machpants said in All Blacks 2021:
If we look at this and think about where we'd be with SL if we had such a result, what do we imagine is likely to happen?
The immediate effect would have been to turn a $34m loss into a $51m one. 50% growth!
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
The tight five selections for the next squad seem pretty locked in now (Moody is out), except for 3rd tight head prop.
Props
Karl Tu'inukuafe
Aidan Ross
Alex Hodgman
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
?Second best TH scrummager in NZ is Mafileo. I'd be quite pleased to have him and Nepo with Lomax or Ta'avao as third TH, and play Karl T, Ross and Ofa at LH. Blues and Chiefs have had most impressive scrums recently.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
@duluth If he has been a bit injured all season then that would explain the drop off in his performance. Agree that Patrick Tuipulotu looked sharp yesterday. Worth his place in the squad if fully fit. If not there's Vaii or PPP.
Not sure if numbers will permit, but I'd like to see both PPP and Vaa'i in wider training squad.
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I wonder whether the likes of Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith really need to be involved in the forthcoming Tonga and Fiji tests. All have played big minutes in Super Rugby this year. I'd rather give them some recuperation time so that they are good to go for the Rugby Championship and the October/November tests in Europe.
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@pakman said in All Blacks 2021:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
@duluth If he has been a bit injured all season then that would explain the drop off in his performance. Agree that Patrick Tuipulotu looked sharp yesterday. Worth his place in the squad if fully fit. If not there's Vaii or PPP.
Not sure if numbers will permit, but I'd like to see both PPP and Vaa'i in wider training squad.
I wouldn't be surprised to see 5 locks named in the main squad with some rotation in the home tests. Parkinson will get to impress via the Maori. Lomax could also be part of that squad to guarantee playing time.
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@bones Yeah never been on the Ennor bandwagon myself. Think a few solid domestic seasons is what he needs.
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