All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
A Savea showed his absolute worth and also illustrated why i don't like him starting at 8 all in the same game. His 2nd half was majestic and he's a fucking menace out wide. That bloke is a point of difference, and i swear him playing the last 30 minutes as an all-energy impact sub makes us a very dangerous proposition.
Ardie is a great player in general play - overall, he may well be our MVP in that aspect. Peter Gus' try showed what a really big man can do off the back of the scrum (and elsewhere) - Ardie does that with determination rather than bulk - but, his (Ardie's) biggest "shortcoming" in my view is being too short to be a genuine lineout option. He's pretty much Rodney So'oialo v2.0. I can see why they want him on the paddock, but he doesn't help balance the loose trio.
Was pretty annoying watching a side playing three locks throw to a short 8 at the front.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
A Savea showed his absolute worth and also illustrated why i don't like him starting at 8 all in the same game. His 2nd half was majestic and he's a fucking menace out wide. That bloke is a point of difference, and i swear him playing the last 30 minutes as an all-energy impact sub makes us a very dangerous proposition.
Ardie is a great player in general play - overall, he may well be our MVP in that aspect. Peter Gus' try showed what a really big man can do off the back of the scrum (and elsewhere) - Ardie does that with determination rather than bulk - but, his (Ardie's) biggest "shortcoming" in my view is being too short to be a genuine lineout option. He's pretty much Rodney So'oialo v2.0. I can see why they want him on the paddock, but he doesn't help balance the loose trio.
and this is the dilemma facing the selectors, and why they get paid for this shit.
A dude with so much obvious upside, and yet glaring deficiencies at the same time. How best to use?
A decision made tougher by the skipper playing in what is probably Ardies best spot if starting. And a guy who also looks to the manor born also in that spot.Fucking good spot to be in though isn't it?
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
Fucking good spot to be in though isn't it?
Problem is that the shortness means the loose forward trio just unbalances. That's a nut the selectors haven't cracked yet.
Honestly, to me giving him a big 20-30 off the bench against tiring legs is probably the best option; his versatility and looser play becomes a real strength. -
It was a cracking number 8 run to score that try and no surprise it happened well into the second half.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
It was a cracking number 8 run to score that try and no surprise it happened well into the second half.
Dude a 13 would be happy with that, outside swerve to beat the line, ball in two hands to send teh FB away, over untouched. It was pretty sexy
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@Kirwan said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
Was pretty annoying watching a side playing three locks throw to a short 8 at the front.
While I don't disagree with you, if you believe the AB stats Savea is the same height as Grace, who seems to be lauded as a lineout gun. A lot of teams use a loose forward at the front to get quick ball. Often they are easier to lift than a bigger lock.
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Kirwan said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
Was pretty annoying watching a side playing three locks throw to a short 8 at the front.
While I don't disagree with you, if you believe the AB stats Savea is the same height as Grace, who seems to be lauded as a lineout gun. A lot of teams use a loose forward at the front to get quick ball. Often they are easier to lift than a bigger lock.
Grace has been used as a lock at times by Canterbury (?) so that doesn't make too much sense.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
Grace has been used as a lock at times by Canterbury (?) so that doesn't make too much sense.
There are plenty of shorter locks in NPC teams, or even SR teams (looking at you Blackwell).
If you compare Grace to Christie (1.85/1.86 m).
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@Stargazer if he frizzed up his hair he'd get at least another few centimetres
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@nzzp said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Stargazer if he frizzed up his hair he'd get at least another few centimetres
Now that we know he's Polynesian he can start growing a ginga afro.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@nzzp said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Stargazer if he frizzed up his hair he'd get at least another few centimetres
Now that we know he's Polynesian he can start growing a ginga afro.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@nzzp said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Stargazer if he frizzed up his hair he'd get at least another few centimetres
Now that we know he's Polynesian he can start growing a ginga afro.
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@Stargazer said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Bovidae Grace is 1.93m and Christie 1.86m.
Grace played at lock for NZU20s and for Canterbury in his first year.
Photo from 2019.
That would be correct Dallas McLeod is 190 cm and Grace is a bit taller in this photo.
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Reece's 29th minute try was due to a very laboured, and inaccurate, pass from Sexton. I guess he had gotten his head knock when he slipped into a tackle a few phases earlier.
Up until that point the game was pretty even. NZ making some mistakes, but our set-piece was better.
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On the 33 minute mark, Ireland have begun to look tired, and Savea gets his excellent Fringe running game going - it's probably game over if you give an AB team with a 9 point lead that bit of time and space.
Beauden Barrett defending very well. Kicking game pretty good too, after an early nothing kick.
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Ireland's kick chasing in the 1st half was poor, and their defensive line-speed wasn't as good as usual. ABs clean out was much better, and they shifted the point of attack when using forward ball carriers better than last year. Looked like a few backline moves executed with players standing deeper.
