All Blacks World Cup bolters
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Duluth said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.
..and Telea came in and did a decent job
I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.
For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans
I know they’re not exactly apples for apples comparisons but I remember in 2010 that Joe started and played in quite a few games but then was left out of the ABs in 2011. We had Hosea start all the EOYT games in 2010 a dress rehearsal of sorts for our RWC prep but then he didn’t make the RWC squad.
I don’t doubt Clarke is in their plans, given his physical attributes, but whether that is Plan A B or C, we may not have that answer until selection time. My take is that unless an outside back is absolutely playing the house down, they do seem the most dispensable (based on past squad selections at least).
Yeah, I would never claim he was undroppable. Just that there are players who are much more at risk based on the revealed preferences of the selectors. Some people get confused between the preferences of the selectors and what they want to see happen
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@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
So I think we can put to bed the idea of a prop who gets ragdolled by Hanigan and Harris, being a bolter for the ABs. Numia should move to hooker and be loosehead cover, he'd be a shoe in if he can throw.
I thought the Canes scrum went well
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@SBW1 said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Bones Cam Roigard has to be in the reckoning, one of the form halfbacks if not the form halfback of the competition.
Better than Fakatava so far, think with the selectors preference for Christie, Roigard is going to be fighting it out with Weber.
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@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Nepia said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
Turning up with the likes of Perenara, ALB, Goodhue, Havili et al won't cut the mustard anyway.
They weren't the answer 4 years ago.
He doesn't belong in that group.
I hear you, but vanilla won't win this World Cup. We need to put his brain in Ioanes body.
ALB is a decent defender, but Ringrose, Danty, Fickou, Henshaw, Aki etc will eat him without salt on attack.
We need a scalpel or a wrecking ball. He is neither.
We tried all this in 2019. It didn't work.
IMHO, ALB has one of the most important qualities in a midfielder than any other AB contender in that he is consistently rock-solid. He may not set the world on fire (TBF neither did Conrad) but it's hard to remember a game where he has played badly - apart from when he came back from nearly a year off last year.
I think he could have been the player a new midfield was built around but Foster & co. screwing about position-wise since 2019 and his injuries contributed to the sticking plaster approach we've had since.
As for bolters, I've always liked Nankivell. There's a big opportunity for someone to step up in the next few months and Pohipi looks really promising.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Nepia said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
Turning up with the likes of Perenara, ALB, Goodhue, Havili et al won't cut the mustard anyway.
They weren't the answer 4 years ago.
He doesn't belong in that group.
I hear you, but vanilla won't win this World Cup. We need to put his brain in Ioanes body.
ALB is a decent defender, but Ringrose, Danty, Fickou, Henshaw, Aki etc will eat him without salt on attack.
We need a scalpel or a wrecking ball. He is neither.
We tried all this in 2019. It didn't work.
IMHO, ALB has one of the most important qualities in a midfielder than any other AB contender in that he is consistently rock-solid. He may not set the world on fire (TBF neither did Conrad) but it's hard to remember a game where he has played badly - apart from when he came back from nearly a year off last year.
I think he could have been the player a new midfield was built around but Foster & co. screwing about position-wise since 2019 and his injuries contributed to the sticking plaster approach we've had since.
As for bolters, I've always liked Nankivell. There's a big opportunity for someone to step up in the next few months and Pohipi looks really promising.
I don't necessarily disagree with any of that, but im trying to think of players who give the other teams something to worry about.
I think the Irish would look across at ALB and feel like they have nothing to worry about.
As opposed to a Nonu, SBW, Danty, Levi Aumua type.
I don't think Ioane is a good centre but you'd still be shitting yourself when he gets the ball because those wheels give any defender a nightmare. His try in Paris 2021 being a good example.
Although......I would like ALB at centre with Ioane Jordan/Stevenson on the wing. I could live with that concession. if it means getting Rieko back at 11.
I just can't get the 2019 George Bridge, Goodhue, ALB triumvirate out of my head.
It was meh meh meh.
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@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
I think the Irish would look across at ALB and feel like they have nothing to worry about
Dunno. I wonder if they'd think "there's one solid player there who'll be a pain in the neck on defence, be smart enough to spot any weaknesses and closes off a lot of our options on attack and defence."
I don't think Ioane is a good centre but you'd still be shitting yourself when he gets the ball because those wheels give any defender a nightmare. His try in Paris 2021 being a good example.
Think Reiko has worked hard & come along in leaps and bounds in the last year. The top 5% of his brain still needs some work as there's still a few brain-farts and he runs away from support at times, but his defence has improved hugely and he seems to read the game much better.
Big worry if JB or Reiko get injured, so perhaps a bolter in midfield,
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@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
Roigards claims are becoming undeniable
From what little I've seen he is definitely at least #2 on form for NZ halfbacks so far...
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I’ll go against the trend in this thread and actually suggest a bolter - Heem
He’s consistently done a good job for the Blues subbing on at 11, 12, 13 or 14. He’s in the picture as he made the AB xv last year
You need utilities in a relatively small RWC squad. A specialist bench option. That role is currently taken by Ennor
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@Duluth already suggested that in the game thread! Very rarely has a bad involvement, great line runner and strong in the tackle on both sides of the ball. Perfect bench man like Blackadder, as well as first into the centres to cover Jordie/Rieko.
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@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Duluth already suggested that in the game thread! Very rarely has a bad involvement, great line runner and strong in the tackle on both sides of the ball. Perfect bench man like Blackadder, as well as first into the centres to cover Jordie/Rieko.
I like Heem’s game but there is no way that Fozzie is dropping (his man) ALB. I think ALB has that 23 jersey sewn up.
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Heem is the kind of guy to miss out because NZ rugby is ageist as fuck
Yeah you're awesome but you're 26? Ew no thanks
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Duluth already suggested that in the game thread! Very rarely has a bad involvement, great line runner and strong in the tackle on both sides of the ball. Perfect bench man like Blackadder, as well as first into the centres to cover Jordie/Rieko.
I like Heem’s game but there is no way that Fozzie is dropping (his man) ALB. I think ALB has that 23 jersey sewn up.
It feels meme-ish here to go at ALB but he's genuinely out best midfielder
Problem is he's not the best 12 for our 10s
And I don't think he's the 13 for the guy they are picking at 12
And you know what? That's okay. That's actually good selection -
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Duluth already suggested that in the game thread! Very rarely has a bad involvement, great line runner and strong in the tackle on both sides of the ball. Perfect bench man like Blackadder, as well as first into the centres to cover Jordie/Rieko.
I like Heem’s game but there is no way that Fozzie is dropping (his man) ALB. I think ALB has that 23 jersey sewn up.
Oh I think even Goodhue would probably get the call up before Heem, but there's got to be hope in this Foster world.
Shit, and Ennor.
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@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:
@Duluth already suggested that in the game thread! Very rarely has a bad involvement, great line runner and strong in the tackle on both sides of the ball. Perfect bench man like Blackadder, as well as first into the centres to cover Jordie/Rieko.
I think Ethan will be starting. The boy is a monster.
