Naholo ... Yay or Nay?

Chris B.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="589908" data-time="1466390005">
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But going back to last years WC , what I have seen this year conforms to me that selection was a mistake , he wasn't ready for a World Cup final , and piatau should have been selected . 

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Pretty valid point, I think!
 
You can see why they like him, but he needs some polish.

Baron Silas Greenback

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="589905" data-time="1466389682">
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Not voting because I'm still on the fence.
 
I just hope Savea gets back to his best (and NMS healthy), just long enough for the next group of wingers to come through. The likes of Shaun Stevenson, Mason Emerson & co if they continue to improve. Obviously, I'd like to see Waisake continue to improve as well. I hope he'll be a great winger at test level asap.
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="589908" data-time="1466390005">
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Jury still out for me , lots of upside , 
But going back to last years WC , what I have seen this year conforms to me that selection was a mistake , he wasn't ready for a World Cup final , and piatau should have been selected . 
Lucky it didn't bite us on the arse , one injury away from having to play him .( maybe two if you played Slade ? )
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Aww c'mon
 
 
That is so weak sauce.

taniwharugby

it would seem he has a HUGE upside, and is being selected on that, as the error rate isn't what you would expect from an AB...fortunate for him that Savea is woefully out of form and NMS is injured.

gt12

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="589893" data-time="1466386770">
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Unsure how to answer.
 
Do i think he's a good test player at the moment? No, far too many rough edges, work ons, and weaknesses to be called that.
Do i think he's a weapon worth persisting with? Yes, he's big, strong, and has mad wheels. He's also not shy about going looking for the ball. 
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I agree - a bit hard to answer.
 
I voted no to even things out :)
 
Actually, I voted no because I think that he isn't quite ready for 4 nations rugby, where I think we might get punished because of his shitty decisions. Hope I'm wrong.
 
On the other hand, as we all know, he's a massive weapon.
 
Right now, I'd probably have him on the Dmac path, but I assume that playing him is what the cartel think is best way to develop him. Plus, Savea is shit and NMS is out.

Marty

Too many upsides to ignore, a few rough edges to sort out. Performance also suffering from being outside a midfield that is sputtering a bit right now.

broughie

Lots of upside as others have stated. Other than Smith what other wingers in NZ (non injured), have his pace, size and matching winning potential. Has work ons but I can live with that.

reprobate

most of what he's been doing wrong (eg the handling and timing errors) he generally doesn't do wrong for the highlanders, so i think/hope a fair bit of his ups and downs are just down to confidence that will come with time being in the team. i wouldn't want to have to try and tackle him, i know that much.

African Monkey

I'm a fan. I'm sure after more time in the black jersey the rough edges in his game will be sorted out.

Rancid Schnitzel

His potential is enormous, but he does too much stupid shit, the type of stupid shit that loses games. I really hope they can bang some smarts into him because he could be a legend.

canefan

I chose yes because I think he has potential to be awesome. But he has to at least get his per game brainfart average down well below Wayne Barnes' for me to not worry about him costing us in a game

NZRUGBYQUIZZES

Would prefer he was playing for Fiji like Patrick Osborne. Rate him as a player though.

jegga

Im keen to see him in the team , if only because he shows Savea he's not indispensable . He's got plenty to work on though.

Provincial Stalwart

A big fan of his upside. Strong at super rugby level, esp. 2015, in a team that developed a very successful attacking game plan around his attributes. Gives me confidence that he is very coachable and malleable. A bit nervous about how he'll go in Sydney in about 2 months so needs 80 this week to get him closer.

Siam

Yep stick with him
 
Too much upside in what he's naturally capable of
 
If you want to go for error free wingers invariably you get stuck with Rob Horne, Dane HP, Caleb Ralph etc - no thanks!!

canefan

When NMS gets back he's probably fighting for a place with Dagg and Smith as the hybrid wing/15s, Savea and Naholo will fight it out for the power wing spot

gollum

I think there is definate upside with him. But I also think he won't be a long term AB wing. He'll switch places back & fowards with Savea as the AB power wing without ever really nailing it. We'll be having this debate again next year.

kiwiinmelb

That in its self is a positive , Savea doesnt have a mortgage on the 11 jersey anymore through lack of competition

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="590041" data-time="1466419323">
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That in its self is a positive , Savea doesnt have a mortgage on the 11 jersey anymore through lack of competition 
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Yeah, he's had competition in the past few years but its been pretty shithouse by AB standards - Osbourne, Gear, Ranger. The plus now is we can actually drop him & not have the quality of our wing fall off a cliff

kiwiinmelb

I actually thought Piutau looked pretty good on the left last year , but that wasnt to be

canefan

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kiwiinmelb" data-cid="590050" data-time="1466421700">
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I actually thought Piutau looked pretty good on the left last year , but that wasnt to be 
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If he'd stayed we wouldn't need to have these debates. Way too early to give up on Naholo. I recall how long it took for Ma'a to get widespread acceptance in black

The Silver Fern

Naholo ... Yay or Nay?