Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?

[ACT Crusader]

This is far better than the AB announcement.

[ACT Crusader]

Did they announce a captain?

[Bovidae]

Prinsep better be no more than a reserve.

@Stargazer Yeah, a strange mix with the props with 3 specialist THs in the 5.

[antipodean]

Maori really going to suffer with their options in the halves.

[Crucial]

Anyone got a 23 for the first game?

[Bovidae]

@ACT-Crusader said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

Did they announce a captain?

Not during the team announcement.

[ACT Crusader]

@Stargazer said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

Know Lowe is injured, but R-S?

Hall is a victim of TJP and Weber dropping out of the ABs. Feel sorry for him. Think he's been better than TJP this season and deserves it more.

Congrats to TJ. First Māori squad for him.

[Tim]

@Bovidae Renata plays both sides.

[Higgins]

@Crucial said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

Anyone got a 23 for the first game?

6. R Prinsep (Capt)

[Bovidae]

@Tim said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

@Bovidae Renata plays both sides.

But not well. So does Williams.

[ACT Crusader]

@Crucial said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

Anyone got a 23 for the first game?

My backline would be:

Perenara, Love, Stevenson, Nankivell, Proctor, Sullivan, Moorby

Weber, Ioane, Pohipi

[Crucial]

@ACT-Crusader said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

@Crucial said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

Anyone got a 23 for the first game?

My backline would be:

Perenara, Love, Stevenson, Nankivell, Proctor, Sullivan, Moorby

Weber, Ioane, Pohipi

Which Sullivan? I'd think B Sullivan at 13 and Z Sullivan at 15 to provide a kicking option and support for Love.
Wings will be makeshift whatever we do so selecting the best 'spine' and midfield will be important.

Something like

Perenara, Love, Stevenson, Nankivell, B Sullivan, Proctor, Z Sullivan
Weber, Ioane, Poihipi

[Bovidae]

@ACT-Crusader

No way Love starts ahead of Ioane.

The forward pack I think we'll see is:

1 Norris/Williams
2 Eklund
3 Lomax
4 Walker-Leaware
5 Dickson
6 Howden
7 Harmon
8 Prinsep

[ACT Crusader]

@Crucial I had Zahn on the wing. Bailyn has had a real breakout year no doubt.

I quite like Moorby’s game at the back. Has good workrate and knows how to get into the line.

[ACT Crusader]

@Bovidae I was picking on combination and that way the Chiefs 9/10 can close out the game.

[Stargazer]

Weber, Ioane, Stevenson, Nankivell, B Sullivan, C Garden-Bachop, Z Sullivan

Bench: Perenara, Love, Moorby

I've combined as much the players who play or have played together in SR.

[Crucial]

@ACT-Crusader said in Māori All Blacks to play Ireland?:

@Crucial I had Zahn on the wing. Bailyn has had a real breakout year no doubt.

I quite like Moorby’s game at the back. Has good workrate and knows how to get into the line.

Could be the way they go but it could also constrain the wingers, both of whom would have better clearing kicks than Moorby and may have to hang back.

I do want to see Moorby at this level though so maybe it will be a case of mixing things up between games.

[Stargazer]

Māori All Blacks squad named for two-match Ireland series

Māori All Blacks Coach Clayton McMillan has named a strong squad ahead of his team’s two-match series against Ireland.

Unfortunately, no "unavailable due to injury" type of list in that media release.

[Bovidae]

I don't think McMillan will trust Love to control the game from the start. He's best to come on as a sub. With the squad selected we are going to have a midfielder or fullback on the wing.

[Bovidae]

In that article:

McMillan and his co-coaches Roger Randle and Chris Gibbes will announce their captain in due course.