Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour
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The roof is open
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@sparky said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@machpants I'm a big fan of Akira Ioane. I think he has been our best player this year as a whole and has the potential to be world-beating come the 2023 RWC World Cup.
You are right, he was less effective againat the Boks but slight fluctuations in form happen. What there is no denying is his raw power.
Sure he's been great, but he's really got points to prove after boks. He needs to apply that power versus big packs, same as the entire ABs team really!
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@berniescorner said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
The roof is open
Confirmed or just the rumour it is open for covid?
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Think having RMo come off bench will be interesting, I see him as someone who will cut loose against a tiring defence, a little like DMac, he does tend to run crossfield at times looking for holes etc. Can't say I too upset with team, perhaps would like to see TJ get his passing act together a bit more than he has, but nothing to scream about.
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@sparky said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@machpants I'm a big fan of Akira Ioane. I think he has been our best player this year as a whole and has the potential to be world-beating come the 2023 RWC World Cup.
You are right, he was less effective againat the Boks but slight fluctuations in form happen. What there is no denying is his raw power.
Only thing I can think is that he either has a niggle or has flatlined on his numbers.
The loose mix while not bad at all is a bit odd given the stated desire for adding power to that area. A relatively lightweight 6, an 8 that gets metres from fighting his way forward rather than sheer dominance and a 7 whose form seems to have dulled a little.
Is this just part of the management of players toward the last two tests? -
@dan54 said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
Think having RMo come off bench will be interesting, I see him as someone who will cut loose against a tiring defence, a little like DMac, he does tend to run crossfield at times looking for holes etc. Can't say I too upset with team, perhaps would like to see TJ get his passing act together a bit more than he has, but nothing to scream about.
He will look better running off Weber's distribution than TJ's
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@sparky said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@machpants I'm a big fan of Akira Ioane. I think he has been our best player this year as a whole and has the potential to be world-beating come the 2023 RWC World Cup.
You are right, he was less effective againat the Boks but slight fluctuations in form happen. What there is no denying is his raw power.
I thought maybe it was just starting to happen just before the Boks , just looked like his intensity levels were starting to drop a tad ,
But credit where it was due , he did set some high standards prior to that and was a bit of a revelation ,
The competition for loose forward spots is an interesting one as we move forward , creating some real depth there
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@sparky said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@bones said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
Would prefer Reece to start, but I have a feeling this game might suit Jordan, no idea why... just please stop the awful errors.
Jordan needs to sort out his defensive issues before he can be considered for the RWC knockouts. But for a high-scoring game, under the roof in Cardiff with Rees-Zammitt out for them, Jordan the Gasman is the man.
I'm not as concerned about his defence as I am about his high error rate, many of the kind that would see Jordie/DMac/Rieko effigies being burned in the street.
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@sparky said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@machpants I'm a big fan of Akira Ioane. I think he has been our best player this year as a whole and has the potential to be world-beating come the 2023 RWC World Cup.
You are right, he was less effective againat the Boks but slight fluctuations in form happen. What there is no denying is his raw power.
Been really impressed at how he's matured in the last year and hope he can kick on and fulfil his potential. It's one selection Foster has got right but he looked a bit flat against the Boks for some reason, IMHO, so perhaps needed a break?
There's a heck of a lot of depth and competition at 6/7/8 but I think Akira probably best placed to nail down the 6 jersey.
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Wow - look at all those Mako boys in there!!! Steve Tew didn't see that coming a decade ago!
(Don't lose to Wales, boys).
I'm surprised to see Blackadder, TJ and Jordan starting - and Lomax on the bench.
I'm not that thrilled about the loose forward combo - individually, three good players - but, to fall back on the Rodney description - it looks a bit like three 7.5's to me. Hopefully, Fozzie's not going to learn another lesson the hard way.
TJ picked on the back of a long combo with Beaudy?
I thought this one would be Sevu's turn to start - Will would get Italy and then they'd pick their man for the last two. For now, at least, looks like Will has his nose in front.
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LOL Blackadder ahead of ioane. Will be mental gymnastics on this forum explaining that one. The obvious answer that blackadder has played better recently will probably be down the list.
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@akan004 said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
How many chances does TJP get, it's ridiculous.
Would have liked to have seen them give Quinn Tupaea a go at 12 against a good midfield. The rest of the team I'm happy with.
I reckon having QT on the bench is a big pointer to a plan to get him on for decent minutes. With Reiko on the wing there is no other need for a midfield reserve.
Probably a reward and chance to build on his good outing last week.
IMO Havili needs to be the squad's allround cover man. There to fill gaps from injuries, give others a break etc. He's a very good footballer but I don't think he is our long term 12 and he isn't our long term 15 either. -
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I think Jacobson, QT, SB slightly unlucky but can't deny Blackadders workrate and commitment. They must see TV as a more impactful lock replacement going forward. I think TJP must be the luckiest selection after his efforts last week. One bonus is to have such competition in the team.
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@akan004 said in Wales v All Blacks 30th Oct NH Tour:
@crucial QT is not on the bench though .
Crucial's post and your reply could go in the Meme thread...
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A few 'minor' surprises in there, but the big one for me is TJ, guess it's time for him to step up and repay the faith the coaches are putting in him.
