All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship
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@FakatavaAllBlack
We have some real talent coming through at prop. All fairly young though and ideally would be given a bit more time to learn and grow.
Ideally we would send one or two to Europe for a season to accelerate their readiness but we would lose control of them if we that was possible.
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de Groot and Lomax would be the next in line for the props if the status quo of coaches remain. They were both involved at different stages during the Irish series. It's debatable that these are the right choices, so only a coaching change would allow a complete refresh.
Outside of TJP (and to a lesser degree Weber and Bridge), we haven't seen many experienced ABs dropped recently. Whoever the coach is needs to be decisive and cull under-performing players. That puts everyone on notice.
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@FakatavaAllBlack
Aumua needs to be backed in my opinion. Admittedly he hasnt fulfilled the promise he showed 3 seasons ago but we can’t carry on with a 74 yr old Dane Coles and Codie Taylor who has been a fading force in the last 2 years.
Samsoni should be starting. Built for test rugby that boy. Taylor kept on for experience and off the bench and they should commit to Aumua and back themselves to get the best out of him. 3 years ago, Aumua was our potential answer to Malcolm Marx. He hasn’t help himself and has been injured at times which has slowed his development but I don’t think we can afford to disregard and potentially lose young players like him when we are losing our depth and we have a potential world class player on our hands.
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My only interest in this now is from a meta point of view. Guessing what Foster will do is useless, but I will have my crack.
Does he pick the same team? If so, he signals that the problem is not the players. So it must be the coaching. Awkward!
Does he completely revise the team, dropping those that actually did not perform? If so, he's going to be taking a very green team across to South Africa. Not ideal.
My guess, based on his previous track record, is that he will keep all his favourites and established players, and dump lots of new players. Say Akira Ioane, Fakatava, Taukei'aho, Fainga'anuku, Tupea, Papali'i. It won't make a blind bit of difference whether they played well, someone else has to bear the responsibility, but he won't want a green team. Their replacements will be selected more or less at random.
So it will look like he's "doing something". But the 15 that run out against South Africa in the first test will be all the oldsters, so actually doing nothing different at all.
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@FakatavaAllBlack said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae wish we had more hooker depth.. if say Codie taylor was to be dropped from the squad who then joins? Aumua?
We need the experience with Taylor. I’d say have ST as your starting hooker with Taylor playing the role Mealamu played backend of his career. Put Coles out to pasture and have Aumua as the 3rd hooker.
In terms of lock, there are a few good locks almost ready for test duties - Lord (when recovered), Dickson, Parkinson (when recovered) and potentially MSR? I like the looks of young Fabian Holland, he’s big and still looks like he could put on another 10KG without sacrificing mobility. Could develop into a Retallick type.
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@Chester-Draws said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
My only interest in this now is from a meta point of view. Guessing what Foster will do is useless, but I will have my crack.
Does he pick the same team? If so, he signals that the problem is not the players. So it must be the coaching. Awkward!
Does he completely revise the team, dropping those that actually did not perform? If so, he's going to be taking a very green team across to South Africa. Not ideal.
My guess, based on his previous track record, is that he will keep all his favourites and established players, and dump lots of new players. Say Akira Ioane, Fakatava, Taukei'aho, Fainga'anuku, Tupea, Papali'i. It won't make a blind bit of difference whether they played well, someone else has to bear the responsibility, but he won't want a green team. Their replacements will be selected more or less at random.
So it will look like he's "doing something". But the 15 that run out against South Africa in the first test will be all the oldsters, so actually doing nothing different at all.
This is our problem. Picking Fozz for continuity appears to be another way of saying do the same shit that wasn't working anymore
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@Tim Dickson would be my go to, but I think Goodhue could be a good option too (assuming he isnt heading off shore as rumoured) strong scrummaging lock, good in the air and his physicality this year has been a huge step up...obviously has had issues with head injuries, so may be a reason if he is looking off shore.
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@TheMojoman said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@MN5 said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
What’s happened to Pari Pari Parkinson ?
Still rehabbing I think.
Hopefully bulking up too as per @Bones suggestion
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@cgrant said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@stodders
Yes, but who ?
I like what I saw of Sangster and of Gallagher. Both are athletic and provide a good workrate. They are very young and raw but the EOYT could be a perfect occasion to test them at a higher level.That's what the All Blacks XV is for.
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@TheMojoman said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
We need the experience with Taylor. I’d say have ST as your starting hooker with Taylor playing the role Mealamu played backend of his career. Put Coles out to pasture and have Aumua as the 3rd hooker.
Yes, it was very obvious that Foster and Plumtree were too conservative by dropping ST and not Taylor if they wanted to give Coles a game. Experience is only an advantage if you are are playing well too.
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@FakatavaAllBlack said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@Dan54 your thoughts on Fletcher Newell? I don't know the dark arts myself but boy even I can tell he looks like some force
Yep mate, looks ok to me, but someone who knows more about it will know if he needs a bit more time. I was always a lock, and don't profess to really have the know on props, although he does seem to have a bloody big future.
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@TheMojoman said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@FakatavaAllBlack said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae wish we had more hooker depth.. if say Codie taylor was to be dropped from the squad who then joins? Aumua?
We need the experience with Taylor. I’d say have ST as your starting hooker with Taylor playing the role Mealamu played backend of his career. Put Coles out to pasture and have Aumua as the 3rd hooker.
Taylor has been mud so there's no way he's currently up to playing the Mealamu role.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@TheMojoman said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@FakatavaAllBlack said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae wish we had more hooker depth.. if say Codie taylor was to be dropped from the squad who then joins? Aumua?
We need the experience with Taylor. I’d say have ST as your starting hooker with Taylor playing the role Mealamu played backend of his career. Put Coles out to pasture and have Aumua as the 3rd hooker.
Taylor has been mud so there's no way he's currently up to playing the Mealamu role.
I'd definitely take Coles. Taylor looks a shadow. At least Coles still has some fight in him
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks squad - The Rugby Championship:
G’day Danny, hoped you enjoyed the weekend in Wellington? I’m sure Mike has been moaning your ear off about how poor the ABs are😂
Any changes will depend on who is actually coaching and selecting the side I suppose.
De Groot, newell need to come in. I would rather have ramano than Patty T tbh and Cullen Grace needs to come into the mix.
Backs are largely the right group but potentially worth being McKenzie in.
Frankly, it’s probably immaterial what the squad looks like as I have lost all faith that our coaching group has the ability to create a strong side, with a coherent gameplan, that is capable of winning these games.
Take decisive action and change that now and we can start to look forward. As it stands, lots of people won’t even bother to watch it; live or on demand.
Actually Grubs, was a bloody great test to be at, probably one of the best humoured crowds I can remember being with for quite some time,. Mike was actually not to whiney, he like me though pissed at a few things thought the Irish were bloody good (I thought better than Lions team in 2017, just an opinion).
Romano wouldn't get looked at, realistically he's about 3 years to late, and probaly not able to handle pace of test rugby.
I not sure who is doing defence for ABs , but there is some work needs doing there, apart from that, I think we need a solid 6 who actually runs in close to breakdowns etc to carry ball forward (I reckon it will be either Barrett or Frizzel so much , but that type of carrier) for instance, though not saying Frizzel), as we need targets closer in to generate next phase ball, at moment Akira seems to range a bit wide. DMac won't come in as he doesn't actually start his NZR contract until he plays NPC rugby I think, where as Pat T was on sabbatical and always under contract. Anyway just about over the disappointment of first half, and looking forward to squad naming. No way they will change much in coaching before EOYT even if they want to as there simply no time to set anyone in. -
If DMac came in it would have to be for Perofeta, which wouldn't be very reasonable assuming Steven hasn't been a disaster at training. Can't see it happening.
When is Ta'avao allowed back? We've surely got to dump at least one prop on either side. A serious weakness.
Big Karl - for de Groot or Hodgman.
At tighthead, frankly, on playing form, Ofa - for one of the Crusaders players, and possibly Jager rather than Newell. Fletcher looks a great scrummaging prospect, but there were a few times this season where his greenness showed - a couple of lineouts. Razor started Jager in the big games, which tells me something. Lower ceiling, but more test ready?
I don't see the hookers under great threat. I'd much rather Taylor than Aumua - his status as No. 1 should end though.
I think Quin Strange will be among the locking contenders to replace BBR.
Grace for PGS - the question mark on him was error rate and he didn't answer that question. Edit: I also wouldn't discount Tom Robinson getting a shot. I picked him for the Ireland series instead of PGS.
A recall for Weber won't be far off the cards - probably for Fakatava, even though he's the way of the future.
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On the squad issue and given the lack of cattle, might it be time for NZR to follow the South Africans and Australians and open up the potential pool to those playing in overseas clubs? Wasn’t that how Erasmus engineered the Springbok turnaround?
On the standard objection that this will open the floodgates to up and coming NZ players or those early in their AB careers taking the big euros, francs and yen offshore, isn’t it too late for that? It’s happening already. Rugby, like football, is now a globalised sport where moneyed club owners suck up talent regardless of national affiliation or affinity.
Assuming we get past that point, the much more interesting question is are there NZ players overseas worth looking at - particularly in the tight five, blindslide or centres? Stephen Luatua springs to mind, as does Ngani Laumape.
