RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland
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@antipodean Lomax better be 100% because the Boks match illustrated Newell isn't ready to play 60 minutes at this level.
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Christie can snipe but very seldom. I'm afraid the backline will also stutter. The 2 AB finds/weapons at this RWC out. ALB on bench. Ryan's 2 Crusader pups on bench (I don't mind Williams -potential-but Newell has been a bit raw and clumsy in open play). As for Telea-Foster must be happy he found an even slower winger. This will be a masterstroke or 2024 cannot come soon enough.
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At least we have the best 15 in NZ. Excellent exits await.
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@nostrildamus no need. They are going to run it out from behind their posts. Ireland won’t be expecting that 😬
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@Steven-Harris said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
It pains me to say I never been more confident of an impending All Black loss
Under Foster we have arrived at RWC QF 4 years later as a massive underdog.
Even against England in the 2019 RWC semi final there was reasonable degree of confidence the ABs would get the job doneHoping for the best expecting the worst
I would imagine that’s what many other supporters use to think when their team was taking on the All BlacksIt really is so disappointing
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@stodders said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@nostrildamus no need. They are going to run it out from behind their posts. Ireland won’t be expecting that 😬
I think a different Barrett tried that once from 15 when the ABs were under the pump and about to be booted out. Or maybe it was just a nightmare and I imagined it.
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Actually, slow clap for Foster. So many posts saying don't pick BB at 15 and yet I think I was the only one who mentioned it because Foster had sufficiently distracted you all at hooker, 9, wing, and bench. Well done, that man.
Although I have to say, Finau on the bench might have been useful. Looks to me like EB was a bit too early and they didn't even test him in a serious game. Perhaps he needed the airmiles. -
If Finlay was always going to play this QF why start Roigard last week, why not give Finlay as many minutes as possible. Yes he might be good in D but Cams boot, his ability to score points far outweigh Finlay’s pros. I just think he is severely short of minutes.
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@taniwharugby Ofa and Nepo maybe
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@chimoaus said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
If Finlay was always going to play this QF why start Roigard last week, why not give Finlay as many minutes as possible. Yes he might be good in D but Cams boot, his ability to score points far outweigh Finlay’s pros. I just think he is severely short of minutes.
Rope on a dope. The Irish have been preparing for the best possible AB selections and have totally underestimated Foster's ability to surprise.*
It's all in the
lemmingslearnings.*I may be relying on a lot of dry powder, but donuts are made of dry powder and Foster does know his donuts.
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@game_film said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Baby Dupont should be in the team but maybe Christie surprises with a TJP-esque turnover late on.
Surely Telea wasn’t out alone? Appreciate the need for standards of performance though. Leicester can come into the middle and do some work at least.
But come on, this is not a game based on these individuals, this one is based on tactics and execution. Lions game 1. Do or die vs Boks. It’s there.
Those are often the most fun nights as I recall. Not everyone needs a wingman when out hitting on hot French chicks.
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@MN5 said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Those are often the most fun nights as I recall. Not everyone needs a wingman when out hitting on hot French chicks.
and Telea does have excellent footwork. Although, unlike you, the biggest fun nights I have had, I wasn't able to clearly recall them.
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@BerniesCorner said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Where's Razor.
Probably not in the stands watching
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@DaGrubster said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
He missed a flight to Argentina mate! 😂
Grubs he didn't miss the flight, who told you that? He missed the team assembly time, and so bus , but got to airport, but was stood down by the leadership group. Well according to Dane Coles and Conrad Smith on tv. And also heard TJ Perenara talk about it at a lunch thing I was at, when someone asked how much he missed plane by.
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I can't really see us winning unless Ireland fold to the occasion - as ironically they've done every time in the past. Still Fozzie loves breaking those records...
As it stands they'll be 3 ex-pats in the Irish backline all deemed "not good enough" to make the AB's yet Ireland have consistently beaten us over the years.
Why is this?
Well they have a better forward pack, a better kicking game and are more disciplined
Our forward pack has improved but not enough to boss the likes of Ireland, SA or even France. Our backs used to be good enough that even if we just had parity in the forwards they could pull something out of the fire and score points - I fear those days are past.
Our kicking game is among the worst of all the top nations in the world, we don't have the length of kick to get us out of tricky situations, our short kicking game to contest the ball and get it back is dire.
I just don't rate this team to win the forward battle nor the tactical kicking game and without either of those winning is very difficult.
Our best chance lies in Ireland bottling it and the game getting unstructured, funny things can happen under pressure and I can only hope that come the end of 80 minutes I'm the one laughing (with joy - not bitter irony).
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I think it was expected he wouldn’t make it.
Especially when Dane Cole’s did a pressed at the start of the week.
He had suffered through lack of minutes this year while they have pushed Taylor. Taylor has player pretty well this year and they invested a lot of time in him to get his form back to the detriment of ST.
Maybe it’s the crusaders connection with Ryan. But when ST arrived on the scene he was the one bright spark when our tight 5 was very poor.
He should have been backed to be the starting hooker for the RWC and developed into one of the top hookers in the world by now.
Instead we have old Father Time on the bench and I am not sure that Coles can really worry another team as good as Ireland
Same thing happened with Aumua and I know this is not so straitforward, but he should have been developed to be a mainstay of the ABs by now.
