All Blacks vs England 2
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@chchfanatic Yes I am a Blues fan and I'm not interested either in parochialism when it comes to the black jersey, but what you said there was simply not true. Rieko yes, had a below par test, but the other 3 were not the worst players.
That's an anti-Blues comment if ever I've seen one.
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@Bones said in All Blacks vs England 2:
@Gunner said in All Blacks vs England 2:
@Bones said in All Blacks vs England 2:
@Gunner said in All Blacks vs England 2:
@Kirwan said in All Blacks vs England 2:
Crusaders coaching teams picks crusaders player for higher honors? Colour me shocked.
Funaki had a far better season than he did, almost pushing out Christie.
Funaki was great for most of the season, however he stunk the joint up in the quarter or semi final (can’t recall which now), which may have impacted his chances.
Hotham may as well have not even been on the field for the finals.
Unsure what you’re getting at.
I mean, no shit Sherlock, Hotham didn’t play finals.
Haven’t we always been led to believe that finals form, or lack of, matters?
Just putting it out there that a shit game at the wrong time of the year may have counted against Funaki…
Yep, completely understand that. Doesn't really make a lot of sense when you're selecting a guy who must have been a big reason why his team didn't even make said finals, over a guy who was very much a reason his team did.
Yep, what you’re saying is certainly valid for a number of selections, not just this one.
Definitely not the first and won’t be the last.
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@African-Monkey I’m anti blues in super rugby. This is the All blacks. They are All
Blacks. Doesn’t matter where they came from.
I was merely stating that some of the worst players were from the blues.
Are we going to comment on every crusaders player that gets selected from now on. It’s tedious. They are selecting who they believe are the best players.
It’s not like he’s selecting Tom Christie and Mitch Drummond. In a shit crusaders season , Hotham was a shining light. -
@chchfanatic And I disputed that 3 of those 4 Blues players you called out were the worst players. Codie Taylor had a poor 2nd half throwing wise, didn't mean he had a shocker overall though. Finau had a quiet night, looked like he's still adjusting to a new style of play but will get better. Christie was very good when he came on, controlled the tempo well and pegged the English back, forcing them to attack from deep or a lot of the final quarter. Tuipulotu had a very strong 1st half especially when used as a carrier. Faded a bit in the 2nd half but the worst? Come on haha. Papali'i worked tirelessly all game, how was he in the category as the worst? I do get the criticisms that come his way too as he isn't as dominant in the collision as our previous 7s have been and have had my reservations about him at test level, but to say he was in the worst player category? Again, a massive stretch.
As for the Crusaders criticisms? Personally, I don't care that Hotham got selected, whatever. Not fussed at all about it infact, he finished the season strongly at Super Rugby, someone's gotta get picked and it was him, good on him. Infact, I can't stand the Crusaders, but I feel like I've defended them and their players a fair bit this year.
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How England's blitz ground All Blacks to a standstill
Steve Borthwick's England blitz defence flummoxed New Zealand during a period when they are normally so ruthless in the first Test.
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@Frank said in All Blacks vs England 2:
@Machpants
Yeah, earlier the better.
Quicker pass than Christie and Perenara, total nightmare to defend against around the fringes, and massive and accurate boot.And physical..
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks vs England 2:
Rieko yes, had a below par test, but the other 3 were not the worst players.
I'd say (and I'm a big fan of him normally) that the ruck involvements and tackles made indicated Patty T's workrate was below par.
That being said, Papalii was the best.
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks vs England 2:
People need to dropped the super rugby bullshit.
I agree, can you pass this along to Crafty Comb?
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Hotham may turn out to be a very good player for the ABs but what worries me about his selection at this point is how long it took him to look like he belonged at Super Level. Up to that point I was wondering if the Saders got themselves a dud. For that reason I would have waited a bit longer to pick him to make sure his good form wasn't a fluke.
On the other hand Funaki is probably in the same boat and Fakatava hasn't looked like an AB for a while.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs England 2:
Hotham may turn out to be a very good player for the ABs but what worries me about his selection at this point is how long it took him to look like he belonged at Super Level. Up to that point I was wondering if the Saders got themselves a dud. For that reason I would have waited a bit longer to pick him to make sure his good form wasn't a fluke.
On the other hand Funaki is probably in the same boat and Fakatava hasn't looked like an AB for a while.
I thought for a 19-20 year old last season when he got albeit some limited chances, he showed plenty of promise with how he played. Looked pretty good. Had a bit of the second season blues this year but his running game was solid and his pass is very strong both ways. So yes it’s been up and down, but I can see why they like him given his size relative to other halfbacks in NZ - 5’11 and 90+ kgs.
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@chchfanatic only thing I remember about Hotlham was getting pushed of like a little school boy, and ended up over the touch line by Funaki, think he did same to McLeod as well.
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@Tim is a blitz defence different to a rush defence...
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@taniwharugby but how do they relate to the umbrella defence?
Stick or switch? All Blacks ponder changes for England rematch