All Blacks 2023
-
Agree 100% on Havili.
He is neither fast nor a gain line breaker in the mould of Danty, Tuilagi or Aki.
I have seen him ragdolled a fair few times in close quarters.
When Jordie got the gig it was so refreshing. just put his head down and steamed into contact like a jagged elbowed lump.
-
Damian McKenzie didn’t sound out Scott Robertson, but admits he was “on the fence” and that the impending departures of Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett played a major role in his decision to spurn another big-money deal in Japan and stay put in New Zealand.
-
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2023:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2023:
Halfback: Christie, Weber, Roigard. (2)
Midfield: Havili, ALB, RTS, Goodhue. (2)If those selections go ahead as expected, that's terribly disappointing.
Well if white-knuckled excitement is more your cup of tea we could go
Dallas McLeod (24) Levi Aumua (28)*
Emoni Narawa (23)** Leicester Fainga'anuku (23)*If choosing elsewhere: will Sevu Reece (26) be ready in time?
**If choosing elsewhere: Billy Proctor (23). NB Narawa also a part-time 15.
Oh and I forgot Bryce Heem (but 34!)
And the above were made totally without consideration to pairing experience (my bad)..maybe that would require a shuffling of the two pairs.. -
@nostrildamus Sevu Reece is out of the World Cup sadly unless he can get the same witch doctor in Fiji as Wasake Naholo.
-
You know all the discussion of team for this year, I been thinking on Narawa, he would go into my team ahead of Jordan, unless Jordan comes back and plays house down. I personally think (admittedlt at super level) Narawa is playing better than I have seen Jordan for a couple of years. I not saying it will happen, just saying on what I have seen up to now, and unless Jordan is back reall soon I not sure he going to be ready for RC anyway.
-
Will Jordan has 21 tries in 21 games for NZ aged 25.
He missed the end of last year but at that scoring rate he was/is easily going to break Howletts record.
I suspect he is already pencilled in to the RWC squad and he has been treated with kid gloves by the Crusaders under instructions from the higher ups at HQ.
-
I can't foresee a World Cup win without Will Jordan.
He is one of the crown jewels and I suspect Fozzie would have had a much easier time of it if he was fit and firing.
We need as many points of difference as we can get. Ardie is one. Samisoni is one. Rieko is one. Will Jordan is another. Most of the rest of them are meat and potato interchangeable players.
You don't see tries like this very often.
He has the young Beauden Barrett magic where every chip and chase bounces for him too.
This is cheat code stuff.
-
@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
Will Jordan has 21 tries in 21 games for NZ aged 25.
He missed the end of last year but at that scoring rate he was/is easily going to break Howletts record.
I suspect he is already pencilled in to the RWC squad and he has been treated with kid gloves by the Crusaders under instructions from the higher ups at HQ.
Maybe Jordan could move (finally) to 15?
-
Isn't that the thing against Jordan at a RWC though? The 'cheat code' opportunities in the big games are few and far.
What you do see more off at the highest levels is wingers dotting down acrobatically in the corner or having the strength to prevent being knocked into touch.
Do you have a safety fullback and a roaming wing? That suits him but stifles BB. If BB is free to chime in then WJ becomes a safety/second fullback but are there better options in that role (eg Stevenson who has a mix of step, power, corner scoring, boot and safety)
Jordan has freakish qualities for sure. I'm not convinced that we should be banking on those opportunities happening though.
I'm usually a risk taker and happy to see players chance their hand if they have skills knowing that it won't always produce but you do need to have them fit in to a balanced team to start.
BB is the one at risk in my team. He might be able to regain form but I still can't fit him into a well balanced side. -
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2023:
@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
Will Jordan has 21 tries in 21 games for NZ aged 25.
He missed the end of last year but at that scoring rate he was/is easily going to break Howletts record.
I suspect he is already pencilled in to the RWC squad and he has been treated with kid gloves by the Crusaders under instructions from the higher ups at HQ.
Maybe Jordan could move (finally) to 15?
That's the dream bro......We won't win it with Beauden Barrett doing cross kicks in his own 22.
Teams need to be afraid to kick it to us like the days of yore.
At the moment when they kick to us a territorial game of kick tennis ensues.
With Jordan there they might think "this mad kunt is gonna run it back from there with interest"
Look at the try against Wales or USA.
Having their fatties back tracking as a result of his line breaks will win us penalties too.
The boy is a scalpel.
-
@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
Isn't that the thing against Jordan at a RWC though? The 'cheat code' opportunities in the big games are few and far.
What you do see more off at the highest levels is wingers dotting down acrobatically in the corner or having the strength to prevent being knocked into touch.
Do you have a safety fullback and a roaming wing? That suits him but stifles BB. If BB is free to chime in then WJ becomes a safety/second fullback but are there better options in that role (eg Stevenson who has a mix of step, power, corner scoring, boot and safety)
Jordan has freakish qualities for sure. I'm not convinced that we should be banking on those opportunities happening though.
I'm usually a risk taker and happy to see players chance their hand if they have skills knowing that it won't always produce but you do need to have them fit in to a balanced team to start.
BB is the one at risk in my team. He might be able to regain form but I still can't fit him into a well balanced side.BB is one of my favourite players of all time. It kills me to dig him out.
But we seen this movie in 2019 and it didn't have a good ending.
The dual playmakers. The vanilla ALB Goodhue midfield. The unbalanced backrow.
Allblack fullbacks need to be scoring tries.
Beaudy is gun shy.
He is playing tag rugby out there these days and kicking an inordinate amount of good pill away.
-
@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
Look at the try against Wales or USA.
No one is worried about them
It's an example of how he occupies the mind of the opposition D.
-
-
@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
Isn't that the thing against Jordan at a RWC though? The 'cheat code' opportunities in the big games are few and far.
At RWC with a player like Jordan, you only need a slight opportunity though. Jordan does seem to have defensive concerns but overall I prefer Stevenson and Jordan over BB now. I'm not sure that defensively BB has much if any advantage over them and in terms of evasiveness and kicking they are ahead.
-
@Steve yep not saying that's not absolutely correct, all I suggesting is Narawa is at this stage has been probably the best of that type of winger around, and will be happy to see Jordan come back in form etc. I was only using it as a what we can see hear and now scenario.
-
@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
- Smith
- DMAC
- Rieko
- Jordie
- Aumua
- Stevenson/Narawa
- Jordan
Imagine we had 10 or 15 tests left to get that to gel.
It is really only 12-13 combination that needs much time to gel though, I'm sure at 14 either will fit in and make impact quickly. In saying that, has DMac played at 10 with Smith at 9? Probably off the bench?
-
@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
Isn't that the thing against Jordan at a RWC though? The 'cheat code' opportunities in the big games are few and far.
What you do see more off at the highest levels is wingers dotting down acrobatically in the corner or having the strength to prevent being knocked into touch.
Do you have a safety fullback and a roaming wing? That suits him but stifles BB. If BB is free to chime in then WJ becomes a safety/second fullback but are there better options in that role (eg Stevenson who has a mix of step, power, corner scoring, boot and safety)
Jordan has freakish qualities for sure. I'm not convinced that we should be banking on those opportunities happening though.
I'm usually a risk taker and happy to see players chance their hand if they have skills knowing that it won't always produce but you do need to have them fit in to a balanced team to start.
BB is the one at risk in my team. He might be able to regain form but I still can't fit him into a well balanced side.BB is one of my favourite players of all time. It kills me to dig him out.
But we seen this movie in 2019 and it didn't have a good ending.
The dual playmakers. The vanilla ALB Goodhue midfield. The unbalanced backrow.
Allblack fullbacks need to be scoring tries.
Beaudy is gun shy.
He is playing tag rugby out there these days and kicking an inordinate amount of good pill away.
Even if all of that stops though you either have to create the balance around him or see if he is best fit for the 15 role that you need.
Don't forget that his best international play came as a late game impact to break someone from nothing or consolidate an advantage won over time. Not as a starting 15.
To me in verges on the mistakes of trying to fit Lomu, Wilson, Cullen and Umaga into one side. It was just that Cullen wasn't a 13 it was that the roles weren't balanced. -
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2023:
@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
Isn't that the thing against Jordan at a RWC though? The 'cheat code' opportunities in the big games are few and far.
At RWC with a player like Jordan, you only need a slight opportunity though. Jordan does seem to have defensive concerns but overall I prefer Stevenson and Jordan over BB now. I'm not sure that defensively BB has much if any advantage over them and in terms of evasiveness and kicking they are ahead.
Their upside surely outweighs their perceived downside at this stage relative to Beaudys.
