Blues v Highlanders
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After a frustrating loss like that I thought I’d let the dust settle before summing up what I thought of the game and avoid any knee jerk reactions/silly calls.
The most noticeable thing from that game was the 2 different teams that came out of the sheds in the first half and second half. Second half the blues went up a gear or 2, second half the Highlanders went down a gear or 2. Yes we lost Millar and Tele’a which I think had a huge impact on the teams organization but the coaches need to take some of the heat for that. Not acceptable to come out like that. The blues clearly made half time adjustments and we had no answer for it. On the other side, the highlanders either made no adjustments or if they did they weren’t executed.
Defensively it fell to bits in the second half, again I think Millar and Tele’a going off didn’t help that at all from the defensive organization side of things. In regards to our forwards, first half they were awesome and up for the fight but mid second half the forwards looked out on their feet while the blues just looked quicker and seemed to be everywhere, ruthless in a sense.
The part that got us most in my opinion was the blues line speed on defense. We had no answer for it. Whenever we caught the ball there was a blues defender right up in our face or within closing distance which in turn put a lot of pressure on us and rushed a decision by the ball carrier. Prime example of that is Jake Te Hiwi(I don’t want to single him out but it’s the best example), his wayward passes and his pre determined intercept pass to Caleb Clarke are a clear example. If he had just scanned and seen how high they were and how quickly they had gotten up, a little dink in behind similar to what Evans did for the blues in the first half and we could have had the defense in 2 minds and slowed that line speed down even just a tad. That split second of time is massive for mid fielders, especially when you’re expecting them to ball play. We just didn’t keep them honest and at this level I think that’s quite disappointing.
Yes it’s hard to expect a lot out of these young guys and their inexperience but at the end of the day this is super rugby and if the coaches deem them ready then some of the inconsistency’s and mistakes we are seeing should slowly leave our game(which they are but not enough).
As a team I feel we are improving but a hiding like that against a blues team that is quite literally a B team just shows how big the gap really is between us and the top sides. Again, an off game and injuries could play a factor but as I said it’s super rugby and you expect more consistency and accuracy.
It’s onwards and upwards from here and hopefully we can close the season well and they put out a product they can be proud of.
Millars injury looked terrible so I don’t expect him to play next week or possibly again this season, does anybody have footage of that or know where to find it? I’m expecting Faleafaga in the 10 jersey and we might see Gilbert back in the 12 jersey. If Tele’a is out I’d assume it’s Gilbert 12 and Te Hiwi pushing out one to 13. Bogado just doesn’t do it for me at all, that’s a failed experiment in my opinion and I have no interest in bringing him back next season if his contract is up. Hopefully Nareki or CGB are back soon, CGB was really starting to play well with regular minutes either via the bench or starting.
Withy and Haig have been outstanding in Harmons absence but I’m looking forward to him being back, solely for the vocal leadership and also leading by example.
As I always say, up the landers win or lose. Trying to focus on the bigger picture is our best option as Lander fans this season😅
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Worth pointing out that the Blues are a second half team this year. They take the sting out of a team in the first half, and just grind teams into the ground. Very direct, very simple, very hard to defend against.
Defensively, this is the best I can remember the Blues being too.
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@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
Very direct, very simple, very hard to defend against.
Spot on. Great to watch for a fan - the clarity for the team is there; they know their jobs and execute. The difference with previously coached teams is chalk and cheese (pre-Macdonald era)
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@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
Worth pointing out that the Blues are a second half team this year. They take the sting out of a team in the first half, and just grind teams into the ground. Very direct, very simple, very hard to defend against.
Defensively, this is the best I can remember the Blues being too.
And it's a style of game that can be played when the players are under pressure. Simple and brutal. I really hope the ABs play a version of this.
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@Crazy-Horse said in Blues v Highlanders:
@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
Worth pointing out that the Blues are a second half team this year. They take the sting out of a team in the first half, and just grind teams into the ground. Very direct, very simple, very hard to defend against.
Defensively, this is the best I can remember the Blues being too.
And it's a style of game that can be played when the players are under pressure. Simple and brutal. I really hope the ABs play a version of this.
Yep, and a style that encourages/requires players to hit rucks. Something that has driven me crazy watching the ABs for a few years now. All the opposition has had to do to beat us is flood the ruck, at worst slows down our ball at beast they steal.
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@Landers92 re. the forwards looking out on their feet, I think that was reflective of the fact they spent the whole first half tackling and hitting rucks against players that on average are 4-5 years older and quite a bit bigger and stronger. It just illustrated the gap in fitness and strength between developing young men and men who have in a lot of cases, years in the all blacks environment. That will improve with time
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@KiwiInLondon said in Blues v Highlanders:
@Landers92 re. the forwards looking out on their feet, I think that was reflective of the fact they spent the whole first half tackling and hitting rucks against players that on average are 4-5 years older and quite a bit bigger and stronger. It just illustrated the gap in fitness and strength between developing young men and men who have in a lot of cases, years in the all blacks environment. That will improve with time
Absolutely, hence why I acknowledged we are young and slowly improving and also pointed out to showed how big the gap really is so we have the same thoughts there.
As I said it will get better with time and 2025/2026 was always the target for the franchise. Just these types of games are a tough watch and test patience, that’s why I said at the end of my message we need to focus on the bigger picture
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@Landers92 completely agree. Only frustration for me is why they didnt get these young players involved in earlier seasons and begin the inevitable learning curve earlier
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@KiwiInLondon said in Blues v Highlanders:
@Landers92 completely agree. Only frustration for me is why they didnt get these young players involved in earlier seasons and begin the inevitable learning curve earlier
I think you may have touched on the reason in your earlier post. It's all very well blooding young players but they physically need to be up to the challenge. Maybe some of the youngsters needed more time training?
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One of the best moments of the game for me (as an Akira fan) was watching him smash a Clan forward backwards, get up and drive through the ruck and then steal the ball. His work clearing bodies at the ruck this year has been top drawer.
Huge workrate, as normal.
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@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
One of the best moments of the game for me (as an Akira fan) was watching him smash a Clan forward backwards, get up and drive through the ruck and then steal the ball. His work clearing bodies at the ruck this year has been top drawer.
Huge workrate, as normal.
What do you think Foster and (possibly Razor) see as his drawbacks?
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@Frank said in Blues v Highlanders:
@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
One of the best moments of the game for me (as an Akira fan) was watching him smash a Clan forward backwards, get up and drive through the ruck and then steal the ball. His work clearing bodies at the ruck this year has been top drawer.
Huge workrate, as normal.
What do you think Foster and (possibly Razor) see as his drawbacks?
I’m willing to bet it’s what he just praised above… his work rate. It’s been known that’s why he hasn’t been selected in AB’s squads previously. This year is as good as any for him to get back in the AB’s environment, especially with the question marks around 6.
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@Frank said in Blues v Highlanders:
@Kirwan said in Blues v Highlanders:
One of the best moments of the game for me (as an Akira fan) was watching him smash a Clan forward backwards, get up and drive through the ruck and then steal the ball. His work clearing bodies at the ruck this year has been top drawer.
Huge workrate, as normal.
What do you think Foster and (possibly Razor) see as his drawbacks?
It's hard to answer, as was said above his workrate has consistently been above a player like Frizzell who the coaches seemed to love. At the height of "he's lazy" he was often playing 80mins, and the last defender on the line on breaks, our main maul defender, etc. Never agreed with the laziness call.
The head patting, giving lip, probably doesn't help how he's perceived, but it's extremely rare for him to be penalised for that. And one of my favourite players was Sean Fitzpatrick, and AI isn't in the same league at being annoying as he was. At least I've missing him having his ear bitten in complete frustration.
He's not been helped with coaches putting him wide to make use of his handling and running skills against the backs. With Cotter keeping him tight he's been shining. Big defender, good in the lineout, covers two positions and has great link play.
Could be his year.
