RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina
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@frugby said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
If it is one score, wouldn't be stunned to see Smith go the 80 again.
I would
He did 70, with a 20 (25?) min break in the middle. I'm sure they are tracking speed, time to ruck etc - if he started to fall off he'd be off. It's smart play... and if that happened, Christie would have been who the Coach's prefer (am NOT saying I agree with it, but also not seeing what they see in training).
We cannot look past the semi. Best team, get out and win it - and if we earn the right to pull players early, do it. But win. No matter what, win.
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@nzzp said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@frugby said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
If it is one score, wouldn't be stunned to see Smith go the 80 again.
I would
He did 70, with a 20 (25?) min break in the middle. I'm sure they are tracking speed, time to ruck etc - if he started to fall off he'd be off. It's smart play... and if that happened, Christie would have been who the Coach's prefer (am NOT saying I agree with it, but also not seeing what they see in training).
Sure, but if it is tight and the adrenaline is pumping in a World Cup SF, not sure Smith will tire. He is up there with Beauden is one of our fittest players, and his pass doesn't tend to drop off either. Christie is very much a break glass in case of emergency... the bigger issue is probably the fact they don't think Christie or Weber are close enough to Smith in ability, and there wasn't enough time to get Roigard up to speed.
I still wonder whether they should have been almost blind, and shown faith with Fakatava, with the reasoning being he has the 1,2 punch with Smith already, was in the environment last year, and would have been earlier had it not been for injury. In truth, there was never time to get Roigard up to speed, because we only had one proper test (SA) before picking the RWC squad. If it wasn't Fakatava, it probably should have been Weber.
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@Kirwan said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
Problem with Fakatava is he can make elementary mistakes and take terrible options. His attacking game glosses over his fundamental issues.
Yes, and he probably too would have been too much of a risk. I think had he not been so unlucky with injuries he would have long established himself as the All Blacks #2... I just question in hindsight whether Roigard was ever the right selection, because in truth, he was probably never a viable option once the heat came on.
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@nzzp yeah I very much doubt if those in the Irish squad were thinking beyond the 1/4, but alot of the noise outside was more about how NZ would struggle to beat them, so hopefully the team will be able to regain thier focus to get over this next hurdle, will be a different one, but no less tough IMO.
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@Machpants they can't do rehab in their current hotel?
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@antipodean said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@Machpants they can't do rehab in their current hotel?
I love Paris, i would be desperate to get there as well
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@antipodean said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@Machpants they can't do rehab in their current hotel?
Just breaks the normal routine, shit org but the French
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@Machpants said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
Pretty shit for Argentina
Besides, the players had nothing else to do on Sunday. Much to Cheika’s annoyance, the organisers have refused to let his team travel up to the capital the day after the match, because the hotel they are staying in is already being used by another of the teams based in Paris, and the rooms won’t open up until Monday.
“We asked them, we begged them, but they were too stubborn,” Cheika said. Instead, his team took the day off, and will travel on Monday, which means they will only have three full days to prepare for the game. “And the other team will already be in Paris waiting for their semi-final.”
so the games begin....
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@mariner4life said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@antipodean said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@Machpants they can't do rehab in their current hotel?
I love Paris, i would be desperate to get there as well
If I was relying on you to help win me a RWC SF game, I'd probably keep you out of Paris as long as possible..
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@voodoo said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@mariner4life said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@antipodean said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
@Machpants they can't do rehab in their current hotel?
I love Paris, i would be desperate to get there as well
If I was relying on you to help win me a RWC SF game, I'd probably keep you out of Paris as long as possible..
fair. It's why i wasn't taking pot shots at Telea
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Apologies if this has already been asked but why did goal kicking duties get passed from RM to JB. Slight niggle?
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@Windows97 said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
My fear is that we've played our final against Ireland and haven't left anything in the tank for the rest of the RWC.
As irrational or rational that fear is.
It'll be very hard to get back up against Arg see last cup vs England, then eng vs SA. But I think Arg aren't as good as england were then, and certainly did not have the laser focus that Eddie put on beatings ABs above actually winning the cup. So I think we'll win. But it will be tough
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@Windows97 said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
My fear is that we've played our final against Ireland and haven't left anything in the tank for the rest of the RWC.
As irrational or rational that fear is.
no more than anyone else left really. Argentina had to really get up and about to win theirs, England had to dig deep to hold off Fiji, and look at the effort South Africa had to put in.
No one is coming in to a semi final on the back of an easy weekend
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@mariner4life said in RWC SF: All Blacks v Argentina:
No one is coming in to a semi final on the back of an easy weekend
As it should be.
