Final: Blues vs Crusaders
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@Toddy said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Chris said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
There was some chat about Eklund being Selected in the ABs,Maybe the Selectors should have waited to after the final as it’s closest to a test match you will get pre test season.
See who reacts well or folds under pressure.It was Canterbury legend and front row expert Richard Loe who wants Eklund in the team. Said he was the form hooker for the last two years and needs to be in the ABs.
Richard was pissed again then.
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@Frye said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Chris said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
After the chief’s SF a lot of people were writing off Whitelock as past it
He was completely anonymous against the Chiefs to be fair. Non existent. Error-free though at least.
He certainly was anonymous against the Chiefs as he didn’t play that game.
Showed a bit tonight though -
@KiwiMurph said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Not really sure he needs to do the breakdance on Eden Park.
Settle down Karen
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@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Stag said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Hopefully all the crap floating around about Barrett just walking into the number 10 jersey for the first test against Ireland has been flushed down the dunny
Problem is both Mounga and Barrett are flash players, with no disrespect. Give them a platform and they will tear you apart. Beaudy tears the hardest but kicks shit, Mounga kicks better but is a liability on defence. We don't have a ten in the ABs (NZ?) that can tactically take control in the traditional way, with their kicking and intelligence like DC used to. Or most NH tens are focused on. They can pile on the points when we're dominant up front, and often pull some blinders out of nowhere even when pressured. But can mounga or Beaudy take control when on the back foot? Nope.
Most teams need to win upfront, with our tens ABs are much more susceptable to shitting the bed if the forward don't provide the ball needed. I'd still take Beaudy over mounga, cos he has a higher ceiling, but the ABs need a 10 (or a nine) that can act as a tactical general, rather than flash awesome individual> this is especially relelvant with our tight forwards being handed their arses every time we play a big NH team. But we don;t have the forwards and we don't have the tens. And playing off nine is verbotten since Lions 1, so no idea what fozzies genius plan is to get around thisMounga’s kicking game was superb tonight. BB was crap this week and last week. Hands down Mounga starts.
BB is much better off the bench as a super sub.
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@kev said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Stag said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Hopefully all the crap floating around about Barrett just walking into the number 10 jersey for the first test against Ireland has been flushed down the dunny
Problem is both Mounga and Barrett are flash players, with no disrespect. Give them a platform and they will tear you apart. Beaudy tears the hardest but kicks shit, Mounga kicks better but is a liability on defence. We don't have a ten in the ABs (NZ?) that can tactically take control in the traditional way, with their kicking and intelligence like DC used to. Or most NH tens are focused on. They can pile on the points when we're dominant up front, and often pull some blinders out of nowhere even when pressured. But can mounga or Beaudy take control when on the back foot? Nope.
Most teams need to win upfront, with our tens ABs are much more susceptable to shitting the bed if the forward don't provide the ball needed. I'd still take Beaudy over mounga, cos he has a higher ceiling, but the ABs need a 10 (or a nine) that can act as a tactical general, rather than flash awesome individual> this is especially relelvant with our tight forwards being handed their arses every time we play a big NH team. But we don;t have the forwards and we don't have the tens. And playing off nine is verbotten since Lions 1, so no idea what fozzies genius plan is to get around thisMounga’s kicking game was superb tonight. BB was crap this week and last week. Hands down Mounga starts.
BB is much better off the bench as a super sub.
It's so much easier to kick well tactically when you get forwards handing it to you on a silver platter. And not under any real pressure. So I disagree
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@Machpants Richie's grneral kicking game was fantastic. Blues were strategically inept.
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@number9 said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Machpants Richie's grneral kicking game was fantastic. Blues were strategically inept.
Totally. Swap the tens, I don't think there would be much difference. Rolls Royce pack etc
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I don't think Mo'unga really took control of that game, despite the front foot ball and wealth of possession handed to him. What I do remember is all of the Saders backs kicking for the corner and playing the territory game - Jordan, Havili, even Reece put one over the touchline in the Blues 22. The best part of that performance from the Saders was that the whole team was on the same page and trying to execute the same gameplan, rather than Mo'unga taking control of the game himself - he's just not that kind of 10. Neither is Beauden. I don't think that game would have changed much in the selectors eyes, particularly for the first test where I'd say there would be concerns about Mo'unga's defense being exposed by the big Irish loosies running through his channel.
I'd be extremely surpsied if it wasn't Beauden 10 with Mo'unga on the bench to start with, that is what they favoured last season as well.
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@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@kev said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Stag said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Hopefully all the crap floating around about Barrett just walking into the number 10 jersey for the first test against Ireland has been flushed down the dunny
Problem is both Mounga and Barrett are flash players, with no disrespect. Give them a platform and they will tear you apart. Beaudy tears the hardest but kicks shit, Mounga kicks better but is a liability on defence. We don't have a ten in the ABs (NZ?) that can tactically take control in the traditional way, with their kicking and intelligence like DC used to. Or most NH tens are focused on. They can pile on the points when we're dominant up front, and often pull some blinders out of nowhere even when pressured. But can mounga or Beaudy take control when on the back foot? Nope.
Most teams need to win upfront, with our tens ABs are much more susceptable to shitting the bed if the forward don't provide the ball needed. I'd still take Beaudy over mounga, cos he has a higher ceiling, but the ABs need a 10 (or a nine) that can act as a tactical general, rather than flash awesome individual> this is especially relelvant with our tight forwards being handed their arses every time we play a big NH team. But we don;t have the forwards and we don't have the tens. And playing off nine is verbotten since Lions 1, so no idea what fozzies genius plan is to get around thisMounga’s kicking game was superb tonight. BB was crap this week and last week. Hands down Mounga starts.
BB is much better off the bench as a super sub.
It's so much easier to kick well tactically when you get forwards handing it to you on a silver platter. And not under any real pressure. So I disagree
Beaudy is not a particularly good punter though. He never has been.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
After tonight's performance, Grace may be the answer at 6 rather than at 8
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@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@number9 said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Machpants Richie's grneral kicking game was fantastic. Blues were strategically inept.
Totally. Swap the tens, I don't think there would be much difference. Rolls Royce pack etc
BB kicking was poor against Brumbies as well.
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This post is deleted!
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@No-Quarter said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
I don't think Mo'unga really took control of that game, despite the front foot ball and wealth of possession handed to him. What I do remember is all of the Saders backs kicking for the corner and playing the territory game - Jordan, Havili, even Reece put one over the touchline in the Blues 22. The best part of that performance from the Saders was that the whole team was on the same page and trying to execute the same gameplan, rather than Mo'unga taking control of the game himself - he's just not that kind of 10. Neither is Beauden. I don't think that game would have changed much in the selectors eyes, particularly for the first test where I'd say there would be concerns about Mo'unga's defense being exposed by the big Irish loosies running through his channel.
I'd be extremely surpsied if it wasn't Beauden 10 with Mo'unga on the bench to start with, that is what they favoured last season as well.
I’m not advocating for Richie to start ahead of Barrett in the first test, I still think it should be Beaudie, but you could see tonight Richie’s organisation of our attack line. From the vision on the TV at least you could see him communicating and he varied the point of attack quite a bit. His kicking was good but I think his passing was better. He drew in attention from more than one defender which helped his team mates. I thought he played a pretty mature game tonight.
His defence was pretty good tonight, didn’t miss a tackle from the stats I saw. That’s a plus!!
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@Chris said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Great tactical coaching by Razor , change the point of attack multiple times,Read the blues line out.
Pleasing to see some ABs stand up who were selected .
But a worry some others did not stand up under pressure.
On to the test season,Heads up Blues supporters your team has come a long way and will only get better.
Now to get fucking pissed.Where are the Robertson detractors who frequent the fern?
Remember how McDonald & Schmidt were the savors of NZ Rugby & the heirs apparent to Fozzie and Co after merely one successful season with Le Blues?
It terms of talent in the two teams it was neck and neck. The difference was the game plan, winning the little contests that added up to a 5% dominance in the first half, which translated to 10% moving into the second half and the relentless pressure from the Crusaders finally took its toll in two tries and penalties. Superb coaching.
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@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Stag said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Hopefully all the crap floating around about Barrett just walking into the number 10 jersey for the first test against Ireland has been flushed down the dunny
Problem is both Mounga and Barrett are flash players, with no disrespect. Give them a platform and they will tear you apart. Beaudy tears the hardest but kicks shit, Mounga kicks better but is a liability on defence. We don't have a ten in the ABs (NZ?) that can tactically take control in the traditional way, with their kicking and intelligence like DC used to. Or most NH tens are focused on. They can pile on the points when we're dominant up front, and often pull some blinders out of nowhere even when pressured. But can mounga or Beaudy take control when on the back foot? Nope.
Most teams need to win upfront, with our tens ABs are much more susceptable to shitting the bed if the forward don't provide the ball needed. I'd still take Beaudy over mounga, cos he has a higher ceiling, but the ABs need a 10 (or a nine) that can act as a tactical general, rather than flash awesome individual> this is especially relelvant with our tight forwards being handed their arses every time we play a big NH team. But we don;t have the forwards and we don't have the tens. And playing off nine is verbotten since Lions 1, so no idea what fozzies genius plan is to get around thisYep, that match told us absolutely nothing about the 10s that we didn't already know. RM is a god at Super level and a magician when he gets an armchair ride from his pack. BB is shit, runs sideways and shovels terrible passes when he doesn't get an armchair ride.
The only potentially relevant outcome of that match so far as the AB 10 is concerned, is that RM may get first dibs at shitting the bed against the Irish (or conversely dominating if the AB pack gets the ascendancy).
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@kev said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@kiwiinmelb said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
I guess in hindsight the writing was on the wall at the end of last weeks blues brumbies game ,
Blues continued on in this game with the same deer in the headlights look about them
For me this is a McDonald choke. The Blues game is running. Aimless kicking from Christie and BB, and a lineout that fell apart. He has the best props, and loose forwards in the game ( useful locks ) and they were owned not just this game but the last 40 mins against the Brumbies. Wrong game plan, poor attention to detail, and use of bench.
Yep, and in contrast I thought it was a coaching masterclass by Robertson. From the set-piece blitz to the flooding of the breakdowns, to the varied kicking, to the variety of back attacks even in tricky conditions and the swarming defense this was a performance based on a totally astute reading by the Crusaders' coaches of what was needed to smother the Blues. Very impressive.
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@mikey07 said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bones said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@mikey07 said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
As a Canes fan just want to say a big thank you for choking harder then us in 2015!
They were playing the reigning champs, not the reigning chumps...😉
So your saying the 2015 Highlanders team were chumps? 😉
No but probably the 2014 one was...
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I'm glad I went to see Top Gun Maverick today, rather than watch that live (I stupidly agreed to it a few weeks ago thinking it was next week during the break between the rugby).
You can't fault the Crusaders. Saders gonna sade and some players were really fucking good tonight, especially Sam Whitelock who I hope was the man of the match.
Equally, for the Blues, what a fucking mess - you will get exactly fucking zero fucking chance of winning a game against the Saders - in the wet no less - with a dysfunctional set piece.
That lineout was a fucking disgrace.
The fact that it continued for so long really asks some questions about the Blues players and the coaches. They never had a chance giving up that much possession, and it was good possession too.
Personally, I couldn't take anything else out the game - apart from the some scrum time issues which no doubt have been discussed - apart from that.
In some ways, I'm kind of impressed that the Blues stayed in it for that long with such a shithouse set piece.
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