AB squad for the EOYT
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@Chris-B. said in AB squad for the EOYT:
Does seem a bit strange to me that with a 36 man squad they've only taken five props
Yeah, I was surprised but they did have a good point about Hames. He'll be on the Maori tour and can be called in at short notice.
They believe he is better off playing at the momentHe won't be that far away throughout the tour:
04 Nov Chicago
vs USA Eagles12 Nov Limerick
vs Munster17 Nov London
vs Harlequins -
@Frank said in AB squad for the EOYT:
I would have taken douche-bag older brother Ioane instead of either Dixon or Fifita.
Probably his own fault, I think his play has regressed this year a little bit.
He seems to spend less time running hard and strainght, more time jinking around on the spot pushing tacklers away. Perhaps this is a result of the sevens experience.
Agree, he's a massive douche
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@Chris-B. 5 props isn't many, but crockett is still playing good footy and if laulala wasn't injured he'd be there. with hames in the wings anyway, and ofa t a dubious selection at this stage they're happy to just wait this tour out and see how things look next season i reckon.
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@reprobate said in AB squad for the EOYT:
see how things look next season i reckon.
You mean when Cheika's face goes from purple back to normal?
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@Chris-B. Crockett's pushing 34 but he's in career best form. They way I see this EOYT is that unless there is a genuine need or a bit of uncertainty, new players aren't going to be introduced. This is the final big series before the Lions and they will want a fairly settled group heading into next year.
EOYT 2017 I think we will see a bit more of a change
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Yeah he's had a bit of a disrupted year all around. Was brilliant in the 7s in Wellington and Sydney. Then came back to Super for the Blues and looked underweight for 15s and was used off the bench, went back to 7s and was decent but not as a dominating as at Welly and Sydney. Came back for ITM and Auckland were a complete shambles, the whole team never really got a handle on the rules.
He has a lot of work ons - I think getting away from 7s and having a proper preseason will help. I agree with his attack - he has a bad habit of taking the ball flatfooted - gets away with it at Mitre 10 Cup level but it won't work higher up. Also defensively - he's not really a dominant tackler - what he is is incredibly strong which means he can hold players up and create mauls/turnovers that way. He can also jackal over the ball and get turnovers.
A lot to work on but obviously a ton of potential - must be remembered he's still just a pup - 21 years old - Dixon is 27. The key is whether he has the mindset to improve on his natural talent - that is to be determined. I think the douche stuff is overrated - he loves a bit of niggle but it has never cost his teams even a penalty that I can remember and his team mates seem to love him.
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@ACT-Crusader said in AB squad for the EOYT:
@Chris-B. Crockett's pushing 34 but he's in career best form. They way I see this EOYT is that unless there is a genuine need or a bit of uncertainty, new players aren't going to be introduced. This is the final big series before the Lions and they will want a fairly settled group heading into next year.
EOYT 2017 I think we will see a bit more of a change
Seems like it.
It seems a bit odd to me, though, that they've taken eight loose forwards and only five props - given that you're often going to have four of each in a match day squad (seemingly five loosies at present).
I sort of wonder whether they're concerned that if they leave Luatua (and/or Todd) out in the cold for too long that they'll decide to head for the offshore money.
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From a players workload perspective the 8 loosies / 5 props combo is certainly a bit strange. You wonder whether they'll find a way to draft in a loosehead (Hames) for the Italy test, so that Franks and Moody can get a rest prior to the big two games of the tour.
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@Chris-B. Certainly there's that risk, and with a Super campaign that can mean injuries, they will want the biggest pool available for next year.
With the loosies I get the feeling that they just aren't settled on the whole two loosies vs lock and loosie bench.
Barring injury the starting loose trio appears to be settled. But Kaino's workload has been and will no doubt continue to be managed. So there is a need for a blindside to start the odd test.
But what this coaching staff sees as starters and bench options are different, so there is a need to carry extra bodies.
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Both BBBR and Whitelock have repeatedly shown they can go 80 minutes of physical and high tempo code, and so this year we've typically seen Squire and Savea come on for Kaino and Cane / Todd.
Whitelock will miss at least the first half of the tour, and BBBR may miss the first game. None of our other locks appear capable of playing 80 minutes at test level - maybe they will against Italy or if any of the other games are one-sided game - so it seems we'll have to carry a specialist lock on the bench and get 80 from two of the loosies. Kaino still seems the most likely to be subbed for fatigue reasons, so this might mean Cane / Todd going 80 and Ardie Savea missing out.
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@Tregaskis said in AB squad for the EOYT:
Both BBBR and Whitelock have repeatedly shown they can go 80 minutes of physical and high tempo code, and so this year we've typically seen Squire and Savea come on for Kaino and Cane / Todd.
Whitelock will miss at least the first half of the tour, and BBBR may miss the first game. None of our other locks appear capable of playing 80 minutes at test level - maybe they will against Italy or if any of the other games are one-sided game - so it seems we'll have to carry a specialist lock on the bench and get 80 from two of the loosies. Kaino still seems the most likely to be subbed for fatigue reasons, so this might mean Cane / Todd going 80 and Ardie Savea missing out.
the whole 80 min locks thing kinda fecked them the other night with no bench cover - i wonder how much more damage was done to whitelock by not yanking him - he was down in front of where i was sitting for long periods and he could barely walk for about the last 15. they must have known brodie was going to have to come off because it was crazy not to replace whitelock
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This All Blacks and Maori All Blacks cross-over selection is interesting.
On Sunday, at the All Blacks squad naming, it was said that they took 5 props because the sixth, Kane Hames, was in the Maori squad and could be used, if needed.
It was also said that the halfback who didn't get to play against Ireland, would play for the Maori team against the USA. As all 3 AB halfbacks are Maori, that could be either of the three.
Today at the Maori All Black team naming, they said that the AB hooker, who didn't get to play against Ireland, would play with the Maori against USA. Unless they want to give Coles a slightly lighter workload or unless Coltman has any Maori heritage I'm not aware of, I assume Taylor will play with the Maori.
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@Stargazer interesting on the hookers given that the Maori captain is Ash Dixon and no doubt will start and play a good 55 minutes. So whoever it is (can's see it being Coles) will come off the bench.
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@Chris-B. said in AB squad for the EOYT:
I don't mind that Ofa has gone as the third tighthead, because I've not seen anyone else beating down the door - though, quite what happens next year when hopefully Nepo Laulala will be back, I'm not sure.
I have never been impressed by Laulala, to be honest. He is a very good scrummager but his workrate needs to improve significantly. He doesn't carry a lot either.
Atu Moli is one who is beating down the door IMO and who is looking to be a better prospect : he is big, strong, mobile and still very young. He had a very good end of season with the Chiefs. He must be a natural leader as well, that's why he was captain of the NZ U20 last year. -
There's big question marks over Moli's scrummaging ability.