All Blacks 2021
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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 he was a talented high school baller nonetheless.
A few highlights here
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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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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
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.
Yeah I agree. This is the perfect time to blood young talent.
And it may make the games slightly fairer...
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I like ennor (not claiming he should be an AB yet), sometimes i wonder if he suffers from being the crusaders, he might stand out a bit more in one of the other teams
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 haha yeah I played with and was coached by his dad, Fritz and Salesi were down running around at most 7s trainings in the summer, fair to say they lived rugby!
I remember he turned out for Scotland in a bowl final at a 7s tournament many years ago after Fiji had been eliminated. What the fuck was up with the rules in those days ?
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