All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham
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@Windows97 the only other loosie with strong ball carrying ability is Akira. I'm so disappointed that we have not managed to harness his talent (for whatever reason). As much as I like Jacobson, he's not a test 6. He didn't play badly per se, but is not able to match the physicality of the big teams so we're always going to be under the pump.
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Its pretty damn horrible that we've gotten to this point. I've always felt the book Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby brilliantly captures the mindset and agony of a hardcore fan. That book is about Arsenal from the 70s and their less than stellar run up until 1990 but I strongly identified with it. I'm sure I probably speak for most of us when I say I was absolutely captivated the first time I saw the ABs play (in my case 1985). I bawled my eyes out when they lost to Aus in 86. I'd hitched my wagon and there was no getting off it. Every loss was absolutely gutwrenching. So obviously there were the periods of agony (world cup drought) and ecstacy, but I don't think I could complain as much as Nick Hornby could about Arsenal in Fever Pitch. They had some absolutely dire times. One part in particular I found impossible to contemplate at the time. There was a stage when Arsenal were so shit and the whole set-up so pathetic, that the fans started cheering for the opposite team en mass. They'd had a gut full of shit results and could no longer give a fůck. I would never believe it but I'm feeling that I'm approaching that stage. I've gone from suffering depression from any loss in any situation to finding a potential loss to Italy amusing. Obviously I'll never cheer on the opposition or want us to lose, but it's amazing how much you lose that passion when excellence turns to mediocrity. When hope and optimism morph into dejection and a type of fatalism. Maybe it had to happen one day and maybe there are more glory days ahead. Maybe I'm just getting older. But I've never given less of a fůck about an AB team that during these past years.
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yes, hoping the wider coaching group can bring what @BerniesCorner noted, and then some....
I often think it's worth at least once challenging a ref's view on the lineout – with extended time in the air by the boks, by quickly lowering the defending players and NOT engaging in the maul. Challenge the ref to call 'obstruction' and see how that plays in the mind of the ref, the opposition.....
plenty for all to work on for Sept 9 – but all in all, it should be a great RWC with various teams on the up / down / sideways.... (and overall friendly timeslots for most games, watching from NZ).
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Get a grip. Whether you beat France or not you’re getting into the QF’s and then you only have to win 3 games to be world champs.
Same as all the other contenders. But unlike all the rest, apart from SA and France, you’ve got the depth to do it.
Your biggest obstacle is your selectors refusal to pick a backline and bench (and loosies) on merit. Let’s hope they don’t sort their shit out.
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
There's too much negativity on here. We can still win this.
Didn't have a shit show vs SA after 15 minutes man down and penalty avalanche.
Schmidt and Ryan are smart will adapt.
Cut out all cute shite inside our own half.
Use JB's boot more.
Value territory more.
Fast paced pick n goes.
Patience be prepared to go through the phases.
We have played some outstanding rugby in the last 9 months. We can do itAgree 100%. Saturday morning was a shit sandwich but we have eaten quite a few over the years with loss to SA in WC final, early WC exits to France, losses to Ireland, Argentina, draw with England etc. Just got to be smart from now on - this was a great reminder to the team on what test matches require. Defence was really good for that first 20 but being a man down for nearly a whole game will gut any team.
The main thing I am worried about is “cutting the cute shit in our own half” or even 22. Mounga kicks long for Crusaders but BB has done that short stuff all year for the Blues. The media loved it when ABs won and the coaches don’t say anything when we lose, so is it a strategy or just players playing heads up (the arse) footy?
But still confident the forwards can compete with SA and France, and backs will not do a JB again.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@Windows97 the only other loosie with strong ball carrying ability is Akira. I'm so disappointed that we have not managed to harness his talent (for whatever reason). As much as I like Jacobson, he's not a test 6. He didn't play badly per se, but is not able to match the physicality of the big teams so we're always going to be under the pump.
I agree. There is something about LJ I like, especially in Super, but at AB level sometimes he doesn't seem that obvious/impactful.
Maybe he has far superior stats over Akira (or at least more consistent workrate-related ones) but at test level I'd suggest Akira has had more dominating/impactful moments. -
@Smuts said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
Same as all the other contenders. But unlike all the rest, apart from SA and France, you’ve got the depth to do it.
Doesn't Ireland have better depth than previously?
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@Smuts said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
Same as all the other contenders. But unlike all the rest, apart from SA and France, you’ve got the depth to do it.
Doesn't Ireland have better depth than previously?
Yes, but what they had previously was fairly crap.
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@NTA said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
Same as all the other contenders. But unlike all the rest, apart from SA and France, you’ve got the depth to do it.
Doesn't Ireland have better depth than previously?
Yes, but what they had previously was fairly crap.Fair enough I was just wondering why Ireland weren't considered along with SA NZ and France. The French depth in particular is rather impressive.
NZ get a surprise tick for finding some injury replacements over the last 1-2 years that are better than the incumbents (perhaps the fairydust magic of "learnings"). -
I rate the AB's to beat anyone on their day.
However this team as displayed a remarkable lack consistency - either very good on our day or very bad, which gives most people the yips when it comes to winning the RWC.
It was looking like we had turned the corner this year with a number of very good performances until we turned into a brick wall called RSA.
A close or competitive loss I would regard as progress - to utterly shit the bed in a record defeat by some margin is quite another matter.
At the end of the day this game doesn't really matter (aside from filling the record books with another Fozzie special) but the lack of consistency is worrying and deservedly so.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@Windows97 the only other loosie with strong ball carrying ability is Akira. I'm so disappointed that we have not managed to harness his talent (for whatever reason). As much as I like Jacobson, he's not a test 6. He didn't play badly per se, but is not able to match the physicality of the big teams so we're always going to be under the pump.
LJ is pretty much a carbon copy of SC, both tackle their hearts out, work very tight but offer very little on attack, remind me very much of Rueben Thorne. I just don't think you can have LJ and SC at the same time, Finau on the other hand offers a lot more on attack as does Akira. Really you need someone who is the perfect blend of defence and attack, peak Kaino being the obvious blueprint.
Out of interest who is currently the form 6 in the world?
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im firmly in the camp of the uptick in form during the RC is actually the anomaly...not the game on sat, i think more likely SA were looking towards the RWC and took their eye off the RC ball
I mean, when we were asking why were having this game the answer was because be wanted finalise some things in what was effectively a full strength team....not this was a dead rubber we didn;t care about winning
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@Kiwiwomble dunno, when you look at the team they sent to Aus and NZ, seemed they wanted to win then too, think they were much better prepared this time
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@taniwharugby yeah, sorry, thats kind of what im saying, not that they weren't trying to win (not sure anyone doesn't care about winning as i've seen some people suggest on the socials) just that maybe they were still building and so are now eyes on the prize...where we might have come out of the RC thinking we had it sorted...and we might not
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
There's too much negativity on here. We can still win this.
Didn't have a shit show vs SA after 15 minutes man down and penalty avalanche.Conveniently leaving out why we were a man down. Nothing to do with not being able to dominate the scrums, lineouts or rucks? Nah, just bad luck.
Schmidt and Ryan are smart will adapt.
If allowed to.
Cut out all cute shite inside our own half.
Use JB's boot more.
Value territory more.This is Rugby 101. Yet we haven't done that for four years. You think now is the time Foster will change? Despite publicly stating that he is happy with the game plan.
Fast paced pick n goes.
We did that, or at least tried. I don't think that will be the answer.
Patience be prepared to go through the phases.
No use if not making forward progress.
We have played some outstanding rugby in the last 9 months.
No we haven't. We really haven't. We have played some halfway decent rugby, and got lucky with stupid plays like mid-field bombs to flatter us.
It's got so bad that we think 40 minutes of dominating the Argies means we are playing "outstanding". Games against a woeful Australia are not indicative of very much (and only a year ago we escaped only because one of them declined to kick the ball out in time).
We can do it
True.
But I'm not putting any faith is their ability to do so without a lot of luck.
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@chimoaus said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@Windows97 the only other loosie with strong ball carrying ability is Akira. I'm so disappointed that we have not managed to harness his talent (for whatever reason). As much as I like Jacobson, he's not a test 6. He didn't play badly per se, but is not able to match the physicality of the big teams so we're always going to be under the
Out of interest who is currently the form 6 in the world?
Ritchie (Sco)
PSDT (SA)
Cros (Fra)
Doris (Ire)? -
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@chimoaus said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
@Windows97 said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:
Well it's good to see Foster is back to his record setting ways, though I don't think he'll be able to grace us with anymore records at the RWC as we've already been bundled out in the 1/4 finals prior and I don't think he'll be able to top that.
Italy?
I was just about to post a warning about Italy. We lose to France and the Italian game is huge. Traditionally they have a style we can struggle against, and Fozzie and his team do love to break records.
Stop it
