Final: Blues vs Crusaders
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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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@Machpants said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@chimoaus said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Credit to BOK and the refs, I don't think they changed the outcome and thoight they did well overall.
No cards, either
Yeah, they were great. Apart from the foul-play reviews, you hardly noticed BOK and the refs.
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Gonna post first read thread second
Jager had an absolute cracker at 3. Best game he has played for the crusaders.
Grace was also very good at 8. A genuine attacking and defensive line out option. Robinson as an AB locking option, don’t think so.
Akira was AWOL. Switch Crusaders for SA or Ireland, and is he our 6?
Mounga had a great game and the midfield were a defensive wall.
Finally, are the Blues props really the best options for the ABs??
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@Billy-Tell said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Pretty much agree, except for this:
Akira was AWOL. Switch Crusaders for SA or Ireland, and is he our 6?
Along with the other loosies, he kept the Blues in it - amazing it was only 16-0 at HT. . Sure, he wasn't rocking it up like Hoskins, but he was doing the hard yakka, engine-room stuff.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Billy-Tell said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Pretty much agree, except for this:
Akira was AWOL. Switch Crusaders for SA or Ireland, and is he our 6?
Along with the other loosies, he kept the Blues in it - amazing it was only 16-0 at HT. . Sure, he wasn't rocking it up like Hoskins, but he was doing the hard yakka, engine-room stuff.
If you say so. Blues pack was buried in the first half. Not a single blues forward played better than their opponent in the first 40.
TBH the biggest AB selection problem is the props.
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@kev at what position though? 1st five because I wouldn’t have him at FB. Leave that to Jordie and Jordan if either subbed or moved.
Whole game disappointing as a Blues fan. The Crusaders are smart and play the team game. They don’t make stupid handling errors when they are building momentum. They can think on their feet while the Blues are still trying to figure out how to win a line out. Might have been better to throw to the props in the front or can you roll the ball along the ground? Just thinking outside the box options that would have been better than padding Whitlock's stats. It wouldn’t have be expected and at least there would be a competition. They are not isolated in the carry. And well coached. Robinson should just play 6. Makeshift lock during the regular season but just didn’t cut it. Goodhue lacked big time. Akira’s defense is good but I wish he would run straight but then the support needs to be there to clean out the ruck. Never threw once to him and he has been a handy option in the past.
Oh well. I guess they are improving.
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@Billy-Tell said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
TBH the biggest AB selection problem is the props.
Yep.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Billy-Tell said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
TBH the biggest AB selection problem is the props.
Yep.
I’m not the biggest Jager fan although I’m coming round but compare his accurate work rate to laulala. As for the blues replacement AB props they were no better and arguably worse than the 2 crusaders rookies. Given that KT is going overseas and that he is all sorts of mediocre it’s the worst AB selection since maybe Atiga in 2003.
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@Jailbreak7 thing was, the Crusaders denied the blues any opportunity to show thier game plan.
It started with the lineout, Whitelock owned it, psyched out Eklund and the blues jumpers, allowing total domination, then everything flowed on from there.
It was a masterclass from the senior players in the saders and Razor, hopefully will give Fozzie some ideas cos the Blues looked overawed like the ABS were at times last year.
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@Dolamite said in Blues 2022:
Has there ever been a worse line out performance from a team than we saw tonight? Blues must have lost 10 line outs at least
According to this they were 9/19
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I watched last night with a lot of family here, so will enjoy watching again, to see how good or bad the Blues pack were. I really thought the bath Crudadres gave them in lineout seemed to be start and almost the main cause of their problems, I can't recall such a lesson for quite sometime.
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Yeah I’m not sure who starts between beaudy and Richie . I don’t have a preference tbh .
But I do think we have to be careful thinking all our answers to selections were in that game when the similar issues keep arising at test level with both of them
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@taniwharugby said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Jailbreak7 thing was, the Crusaders denied the blues any opportunity to show thier game plan.
It couldn't help thinking that the Blues backs might have enjoyed playing behind the Chiefs forwards a week earlier.
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@Bovidae it was the perfect storm, some of Eklunds throws were poor, some was timing, some was lifters...once Whitelock was in the blues head, they couldn't seem to change it.
Although like you say, they shoulda stayed at front and won a few to just try to build some phases and hold the ball.
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@taniwharugby said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bovidae it was the perfect storm, some of Eklunds throws were poor, some was timing, some was lifters...once Whitelock was in the blues head, they couldn't seem to change it.
Although like you say, they shoulda stayed at front and won a few to just try to build some phases and hold the ball.
When Ofa came on to replace Laulala you could see Laulala having a frustrated moan about something to him. Whether it had to do with the line out I don’t know but it seemed so.
Communication breakdowns between jumpers and lifters?
I’m no lineout expert but I was surprised that the Blues did little to disrupt the Saders contesting. There were no shuffles and attempts to throw to the unexpected spot. They just kept trying the same 3 or 5 plays and getting picked off. Where was the leadership there? I thought Robinson would have stepped up. -
@junior 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 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).
Totally agree and it is one of our problems at test level when our forwards can’t dominate. We have two brilliantly skilfull 10s that are ineffective when the heat comes on.
