All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour
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@no-quarter said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@kiwimurph said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@akan004 said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
I really don't understand the 'growth and development' of the team this season that Foster is talking about.
What development? The attacking shape and defensive system look exactly the same with the same weaknesses.
It did look like we were building nicely this year, with better selections and more physicality from the forwards. Up until we met the Boks, then we just reverted to type and put ourselves under all sorts of pressure. Then we saw the same against the Irish, except they were more clinical and exploited our weaknesses better.
I was willing to cut Foster some slack for the first season which was badly disrupted, but it just doesn't seem like we have figured out how to play the more physical teams with the organised rush defense. It looks like Foster and co are somewhat out of ideas and are hoping we'll get over the line through individual brilliance more than anything.
not sure i even i even agree we were building well....but i do agree with the idea they are really just hoping individual brilliance will be enough, hence jordie on the wing last year and savea at 8, they just want as many of the best player on the field at the same time, completely ignoring the old adage about champion teams v a team of champions
we even saw it first hand against the irish, our tries all came from moments of brilliance where are Ireland's generally came from periods of dominance
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@no-quarter said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
but it just doesn't seem like we have figured out how to play the more physical teams with the organised rush defense
cut them some slack, the first time were exposed to that was 2017, good things take time.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@no-quarter said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
but it just doesn't seem like we have figured out how to play the more physical teams with the organised rush defense
cut them some slack, the first time were exposed to that was 2017, good things take time.
Only 4 years we should have worked it by 2025 maybe
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@berniescorner said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Sotutu or Jacobson havent had a fair go this tour. Both decent players.
Are you saying the All Blacks should be about a “fair go”?
What does that even mean when top level pro sport has never been about objectivity.
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@kirwan said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@gt12 said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@antipodean said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@gt12 said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
A bit of a tale of two stories - one for the backs, where everyone paid for their errors (to the extent that injuries permit), but in the forwards it seems like they still want to trust some old heads but punish/rest a few.
- Taylor pays with his spot, despite being probably the best of the three starting front row
- Brodie gets another chance, thus Vaa'ii may be just as likely to not take the field
- Paps and Blackadder pay for doing their jobs, and the player who put in the least effort of the three gets rewarded with another test
- Frizell gets bought in to bring a big body, despite having almost zero rugby, and we've not seen him be the type of player who makes an instant impact (or much impact at all)
I don't think we'll end the year with any better idea of what our best team is, compared to before rugby kicked off in February. That says something.
I'd suggest a big part of that is the nature of this year's congested fixture list. They'd have to have managed workloads in the camp to get through two blocks of five Tests in a row.
FWIW given injuries and workloads, I'd say this is pretty close to the best team they can put out. Paps must be sore and tired now given his efforts this far. Vaa'i needs to continue his managed introduction to get more accuracy. Taylor started the season well and has dropped off so it makes sense to me that you'd replace him with a fit Dane.
I think it shows that they've picked too many players they don't seem to want to play - we've hardly seen Aumua, De Groot, Ta'avao, Ennor, Sotutu, and Lord (understandable).
So, this week we've gone back to future with Bridge when we could have gone with Ennor (conceivably, giving better 13 cover), and we're still yet to see opportunities for De Groot who might be our best young prop with ball in hand. We also don't see Sotutu or Jacobson, when this test would be the ideal one (if rest is needed) to put Ardie back on the bench where he belongs.
Ennor on the wing is a good call. Get him used to Test rugby so he can be a centre option (he's a million miles away at the moment).
Bridge is a failure at Test level and it's a waste of a spot. Problem solves itself when Clarke comes back next year, but for this weekend going back to Bridge just means no attack from his wing.
Bridge to score within the first 10 minutes then
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@arhs said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Are you being serious with those charges? Just looks like the whole squad is being managed through a long arduous program and opportunities given on merit for the commitment made and rest given where required
I just can't buy that when there are very good players left with very little game time and we see things like Perenara going a whole game when he's the worst halfback on tour.
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Just going to say I don't have the same sense of trepidation for this Test.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Just going to say I don't have the same sense of trepidation for this Test.
They have successfully lowered your expectations
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I’m going to leave judgement until after the match.
If we get slaughtered - coaches out please
If we win convincingly not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch - fair play to foster.
A middling display - coaches out please
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@billy-tell said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
I’m going to leave judgement until after the match.
If we get slaughtered - coaches out please
If we win convincingly not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch - fair play to foster.
A middling display - coaches out please
but how consistently have France been playing? If not very consistent, then the result might not be very revealing.
2019: Scraped past Tonga in the group stage, just lost to Wales by 1 in RWC QF.
2021: Thrashed Italy (50-10), beat Ireland (15-13), just lost to England (20-23)..just beat Wales (32-30), lost to Scotland by 4 (23-27)... -
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@billy-tell said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
I’m going to leave judgement until after the match.
If we get slaughtered - coaches out please
If we win convincingly not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch - fair play to foster.
A middling display - coaches out please
but how consistently have France been playing? If not very consistent, then the result might not be very revealing.
2019: Scraped past Tonga in the group stage, just lost to Wales by 1 in RWC QF.
2021: Thrashed Italy (50-10), beat Ireland (15-13), just lost to England (20-23)..just beat Wales (32-30), lost to Scotland by 4 (23-27)...If it is a 2004 45-6 type of performance, then I'm sure ppl will be happy 😁
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@billy-tell said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
I’m going to leave judgement until after the match.
If we get slaughtered - coaches out please
If we win convincingly not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch - fair play to foster.
A middling display - coaches out please
but how consistently have France been playing? If not very consistent, then the result might not be very revealing.
2019: Scraped past Tonga in the group stage, just lost to Wales by 1 in RWC QF.
2021: Thrashed Italy (50-10), beat Ireland (15-13), just lost to England (20-23)..just beat Wales (32-30), lost to Scotland by 4 (23-27)...Their form fluctuates a bit but not to to the point of being easy-beats. So if we win convincingly then we will have played well.
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@billy-tell said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@billy-tell said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
I’m going to leave judgement until after the match.
If we get slaughtered - coaches out please
If we win convincingly not only on the scoreboard but also on the pitch - fair play to foster.
A middling display - coaches out please
but how consistently have France been playing? If not very consistent, then the result might not be very revealing.
2019: Scraped past Tonga in the group stage, just lost to Wales by 1 in RWC QF.
2021: Thrashed Italy (50-10), beat Ireland (15-13), just lost to England (20-23)..just beat Wales (32-30), lost to Scotland by 4 (23-27)...Their form fluctuates a bit but not to to the point of being easy-beats. So if we win convincingly then we will have played well.
Fair enough!
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@bones said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Typically it we beat France outside a world cup it's shrugged off as France B/C or the end of a long season or... something else.
This year is different!! Welcome back to the chasing pack again where every game means something
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@stodders said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@bones said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Typically it we beat France outside a world cup it's shrugged off as France B/C or the end of a long season or... something else.
This year is different!! Welcome back to the chasing pack again where every game means something
See this irritates me, it is a subtle lowering of standards and expectations. We had never lost to Ireland until recently, so that's not "welcome back to what was previously normal after an abnormal period of a really good team", it is a new low. The aussie eales era vs now fits that description, not the abs.
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After last week France would have to be faves for this test, how well do they deal with that.
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@act-crusader cant see the point of taking good players on a long tour and getting minimal game time
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@pakman said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@frye said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Conservative starting selection.
6-2 split, with two locks and no demi du melee (9) on bench.
Potential for three Wesley Old Boys on field at same time!
EDIT: Wrong Lucu -- Maxine is a 9.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@stodders said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
@bones said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:
Typically it we beat France outside a world cup it's shrugged off as France B/C or the end of a long season or... something else.
This year is different!! Welcome back to the chasing pack again where every game means something
See this irritates me, it is a subtle lowering of standards and expectations. We had never lost to Ireland until recently, so that's not "welcome back to what was previously normal after an abnormal period of a really good team", it is a new low. The aussie eales era vs now fits that description, not the abs.
I could understand this if Ireland played like they did 20 years ago. But they don't. They are a professional outfit that have probably improved more than any other nation in the last 20 years.
There isn't another team that comes even close to what the ABs did under Henry, then Hansen, in terms of winning record. Given how many internationals that are played nowadays, Henry's team only losing twice to NH opposition was quite frankly a ludicrous achievement over 8 years. It was always unlikely that the ABs would be able to maintain their standards, and other teams to not raise theirs.
So yes, the ABs have moved back towards the mean and other nations have raised their game. In terms of having a competitive sport, isn't that the goal?
