All Blacks 2021
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@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:
@arhs said in All Blacks 2021:
Don't know how Lomax stayed in ahead of De Groot and Ross. Otherwise as expected for me
Because Lomax is a TH, and De Groot and Ross are LHs?
The squad has 4 tightheads and two looseheads in it. It looks like they're probably playing Tu'ungafasi out of position to keep Lomax around.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
@mackerzzzz said in All Blacks 2021:
What a surprise. Always stick with your tried and tested right🤨!. Lomax, TJP, Bridge & Ennor should count themselves very lucky.
De Groot, Ross or Moli above Lomax.
Christie or Hall or Drummond or Roe above TJP.
PUJ or Nankivell above Ennor.
Rayasi or Nareki above Bridge.See that wasn't hard. Not a specific crack at you @sparky but I hate posts that boil down to "not that guy", without saying who is better.
Are the props you named TH or LH? And fair enough if either as mentioned there's only two special is LHs (although both Ofa and Angus play, or at least havw played, both sides.
Think you're pushing it a bit with Drummond and Roe.
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@kiwimurph said in All Blacks 2021:
@sparky Ennor is back too - i'd like to see him tried on the wing.
I see both Reiko Ioane and Ennor as Wings who can play Centre, not the other way around.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
@bovidae said in All Blacks 2021:
I can understand Bridge still being in the squad but serious questions will be asked if he starts in Auckland. Good to hold some tackle bags though!
We not massively blessed with a depth of talent on the Wing beyond Reiko Ioane, Sevu Reece and Will Jordan. I think Rayasi and Nareki would offer a bit more threat than Bridge but both are untried at Test level.
If they can show form or fitness, I'd be tempted to recall either Caleb Clarke or Julian Savea for the EOYT.
I wonder if there has ever been any serious thought to playing DMac on the wing with a roving licence? Little wingers have done well in the past and he has the speed and elusiveness. Would be prone to getting bundled into touch though. He must have been shuffled there in a test before?
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
Christie or Hall or Drummond or Roe above TJP.
They'd all be stopgaps until Fakatava is available. Roe not even close, and too green.
PUJ or Nankivell above Ennor.
PUJ can't get starts at the Canes; Nankivell isn't a wing/centre.
Rayasi or Nareki above Bridge.
Maybe, but both are a bit overhyped by the media on the basis of a number of good games amidst some average games. Let them show some consistency in performance. Nareki is also too similar too Reece IMO.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
If they can show form or fitness, I'd be tempted to consider recalling either Caleb Clarke or Julian Savea for the EOYT.
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@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
I wonder if there has ever been any serious thought to playing DMac on the wing with a roving licence? Little wingers have done well in the past and he has the speed and elusiveness. Would be prone to getting bundled into touch though. He must have been shuffled there in a test before?
A few years back when Hansen was coach DMac often ended the match on the wing. I've never seen him play there for the Chiefs.
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@bovidae said in All Blacks 2021:
@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
I wonder if there has ever been any serious thought to playing DMac on the wing with a roving licence? Little wingers have done well in the past and he has the speed and elusiveness. Would be prone to getting bundled into touch though. He must have been shuffled there in a test before?
A few years back when Hansen was coach DMac often ended the match on the wing. I've never seen him play there for the Chiefs.
Just started looking back and in 2017 against Argentina Sopoaga came off the bench to 10 with BB shifting back to 15 and DMac moving to wing. He scored in the corner soon after.
EDIT: Same player movement the following week against SA.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
Moli can play both sides but is he fit?
You can count the total number of games Moli has played this year on one hand. One game off the bench for the Chiefs, and the rest have been club games and the recent Ta$man pre-season match.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
PUJ over Ennor for me. With the added advantage he isn 't always injured.
It's a shame but the UJ brothers are the definition of always being injured so not sure they have the added advantage in that department.
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@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
@bovidae said in All Blacks 2021:
@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
I wonder if there has ever been any serious thought to playing DMac on the wing with a roving licence? Little wingers have done well in the past and he has the speed and elusiveness. Would be prone to getting bundled into touch though. He must have been shuffled there in a test before?
A few years back when Hansen was coach DMac often ended the match on the wing. I've never seen him play there for the Chiefs.
Just started looking back and in 2017 against Argentina Sopoaga came off the bench to 10 with BB shifting back to 15 and DMac moving to wing. He scored in the corner soon after.
EDIT: Same player movement the following week against SA.
Also the winning try against SA in Cape Town that year came from DMac when he had shifted to the wing. My memory really is fading.
Back to the point then, if we wanted JB at 15 in a game where his kicking would be valuable, why not DMac at wing? It's a better option (proven) than the other way around.
In other words DMac makes a better winger than Jordie. -
@crazy-horse said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
PUJ over Ennor for me. With the added advantage he isn 't always injured.
It's a shame but the UJ brothers are the definition of always being injured so not sure they have the added advantage in that department.
Aren't you thinking of his brother? Who wasn't mentioned here? The matchup is surely between PUJ and Ennor in terms of who is more often injured and I'm not convinced PUJ would win the battle over most likely to be a foodbill.
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@nostrildamus Unfortunately, PU-J can't even get starts at the Canes anymore (Jason Holland trying to justifying Billy Proctor's long-term contract by picking him ahead of PU-J). PU-J has a long history of injuries, just like his brother, but not the last two seasons.
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@kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2021:
and theyve gone with the "inside backs" naming thing we've seen in some of the NPC team namings
In the picture only. Also "centres" instead of midfielders or midfield backs.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
PUJ over Ennor for me. With the added advantage he isn 't always injured.
de Groot over Lomax sure but I thought Lomax was strong in the mauls etc, it was Ta'avao I would question. Better scrummager than Lomax?PUJ?? I a Canes man, but still have yet to see why he is so loved by so many, he a very good super player, but so far that's it.
I think De Groot should be left to play NPC for season than sit on bench. -
@booboo said in All Blacks 2021:
@mackerzzzz said in All Blacks 2021:
What a surprise. Always stick with your tried and tested right🤨!. Lomax, TJP, Bridge & Ennor should count themselves very lucky.
And your alternatives?
Given the rest of the squad:
De Groot, Cristie, Fianganuku & either Nankivell or Rayasi
They all have more to offer than the current lot
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@dan54 said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
PUJ over Ennor for me. With the added advantage he isn 't always injured.
de Groot over Lomax sure but I thought Lomax was strong in the mauls etc, it was Ta'avao I would question. Better scrummager than Lomax?PUJ?? I a Canes man, but still have yet to see why he is so loved by so many, he a very good super player, but so far that's it.
I think De Groot should be left to play NPC for season than sit on bench.i wonder if Southland had a word, i know theyre short of front rowers
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@gt12 said in All Blacks 2021:
@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
I know it is a large squad but I am left underwhelmed by the selection of Tyrell Lomax, TJ Perenera, Braydon Ennor and George Bridge.
Adequate journeymen at Super Level but I can't see any of them pulling up trees at Test level.
I don't get the Ennor love at all except that his continued unavailability means that he isn't getting a chance to show how average he is.
Like Bridge he's a good Super player that is made to look better by being in a good team.I don't think he should be there, but I guess he is seen as a similar type of player to Roane - covers 13 and both wings, so perhaps in the selectors eyes it could be that they want to put some time into developing him. If Roane were to get injured tomorrow, I assume that he would be the player for the 23 jersey (as ALB covers 12).
That's the best I've got, because on actual form I don't see why he is there.
You nailed it exactly.
Foster as good as said that when Ennor was selected he mentioned Ennor and Reiko as centre/ left wing cover. -
Blues halfback Finlay Christie will remain with the All Blacks for the first Bledisloe while Perenara continues his return with Wellington.
"Joe Moody isn't in line for a final clearance to get back into the heavy stuff until the end of this month which means his reintroduction will definitely be through Canterbury. That enables us to keep George Bower. I would imagine Moods will probably need two or three rounds of NPC but we'll have to wait and see on the medical report.
"Ethan de Groot is unlucky to miss out. He was very impressive as a young prop we're delighted with his progress and I was really happy with his game on Saturday. Whilst he's missed out on this particular squad, we certainly believe there's going to be ample opportunity for him later this year."
Taukei'aho will, however, remain with the All Blacks while Aumua plays for Wellington in his return from the concussion he suffered in the opening test against Tonga.
"We were delighted with Samisoni at the weekend, how could you not be? But at the end of the day it wasn't Asafo's fault he was injured and couldn't play. We feel he warrants a chance. He needs a bit of game time as he's had some time off so while he'll come into camp, he's another guy we're keen to play in round one of NPC to get his timing back before we bring him back in."
Ennor was named in the All Blacks original 36-man squad but did not feature after undergoing emergency appendicitis surgery. He, too, will play several games for Canterbury before stepping up to the test arena.
"He's been running and training reasonably well. He starts his return to rugby next Monday. We'll use up to the first three rounds with Canterbury because he had a late introduction to Super Rugby with his knee injury the year before and only played five games before coming to us and then he had his appendicitis so we think the right thing to do is spend some time with us but then go back to Canterbury and get some minutes under his belt."
Foster explains ABs squad selections - and the unluckiest player to miss out