Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown & Dublin Duel

[Rancid Schnitzel]

I actually rate Fifita far more as a 6 than lock but he probably does the lock thing better than Luatua.

Barrett is good but I'm not sure if he's test standard. We'll soon find out.

Btw, did he steal Beauden's dinner every night when they were growing up? Bit of a size difference.

[nzzp]

With our lock shortage, any chance that Steven Adams might bring his boots down to training and get a run?

[No Quarter]

@nzzp said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

With our lock shortage, any chance that Steven Adams might bring his boots down to training and get a run?

Given he's now charging $34 mill a year for his services I think he may be out of the ABs price range...

[nzzp]

@No-Quarter said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@nzzp said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

With our lock shortage, any chance that Steven Adams might bring his boots down to training and get a run?

Given he's now charging $34 mill a year for his services I think he may be out of the ABs price range...

be fair, that's NZD.

it's only $25M USD a year. Still, how good would he be in the air!

[No Quarter]

@nzzp said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@No-Quarter said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@nzzp said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

With our lock shortage, any chance that Steven Adams might bring his boots down to training and get a run?

Given he's now charging $34 mill a year for his services I think he may be out of the ABs price range...

be fair, that's NZD.

it's only $25M USD a year. Still, how good would he be in the air!

I think it's safe to say he would be an incredible rugby player if that's what he'd concentrated on. The one that got away...

[westcoastie]

Team naming tomorrow? Probably in the evening NZ time.

Will take a stab at it...
Front Row: Moody, Coles, Crockett
Locks: Tuipolutu, S.Barrett
Back Row: Kaino, Cane, Read
Halves: Smith & Cruden*
Midfield: Cruden & Lienert-Brown
Back three: Savea, Dagg & B.Smith

Bench: Faumuina, Taylor, Crockett, Squire, Savea, Perenara, B.Barrett*, Fekitoa

I reckon they go the #1 starting lineup possible in this first test, especially with our makeshift backrow - geez looks thin without the Twin Towers.
Lot of work going into scrummaging and line-out this week I'd expect - I wonder if we'll see a little less set-piece work from us - and willingness to keep the ball in a little more - actually having no Retallick and Whitelock ironically might provide us some extra spark, those two have usually carried a ton of work up to this point in the year.

Have put Barrett back off the bench, partially to reward Cruden, to let Barrett freshen up some - I think the coaches will keep an eye on Dublin and Paris, and want to blitz those teams, so spelling him a bit this week, and then next week means Barrett should be cherry ripe physically and mentally for the last two.

Smith-Cruden is a good combo for each other coming back in.

I would actually like to see what Fifita can do on international stage, just give him a license to Smash into anything green.

[booboo]

@westcoastie said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

Team naming tomorrow? Probably in the evening NZ time.

Will take a stab at it...
Front Row: Moody, Coles, Crockett
Locks: Tuipolutu, S.Barrett
Back Row: Kaino, Cane, Read
Halves: Smith & Cruden*
Midfield: Cruden & Lienert-Brown
Back three: Savea, Dagg & B.Smith

Bench: Faumuina, Taylor, Crockett, Squire, Savea, Perenara, B.Barrett*, Fekitoa

I reckon they go the #1 starting lineup possible in this first test, especially with our makeshift backrow - geez looks thin without the Twin Towers.
Lot of work going into scrummaging and line-out this week I'd expect - I wonder if we'll see a little less set-piece work from us - and willingness to keep the ball in a little more - actually having no Retallick and Whitelock ironically might provide us some extra spark, those two have usually carried a ton of work up to this point in the year.

Have put Barrett back off the bench, partially to reward Cruden, to let Barrett freshen up some - I think the coaches will keep an eye on Dublin and Paris, and want to blitz those teams, so spelling him a bit this week, and then next week means Barrett should be cherry ripe physically and mentally for the last two.

Smith-Cruden is a good combo for each other coming back in.

I would actually like to see what Fifita can do on international stage, just give him a license to Smash into anything green.

I'll bite ...

Two looseheads
Cruden playing both five-eighths. Does that make him a five-quarter?

[taniwharugby]

@booboo not to mention the swap of Smith and Dagg...

[mariner4life]

@westcoastie said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

Team naming tomorrow? Probably in the evening NZ time.

Will take a stab at it...
Front Row: Moody, Coles, Crockett
Locks: Tuipolutu, S.Barrett
Back Row: Kaino, Cane, Read
Halves: Smith & Cruden*
Midfield: Cruden & Lienert-Brown
Back three: Savea, Dagg & B.Smith

Bench: Faumuina, Taylor, Crockett, Squire, Savea, Perenara, B.Barrett*, Fekitoa

I reckon they go the #1 starting lineup possible in this first test, especially with our makeshift backrow - geez looks thin without the Twin Towers.
Lot of work going into scrummaging and line-out this week I'd expect - I wonder if we'll see a little less set-piece work from us - and willingness to keep the ball in a little more - actually having no Retallick and Whitelock ironically might provide us some extra spark, those two have usually carried a ton of work up to this point in the year.

Have put Barrett back off the bench, partially to reward Cruden, to let Barrett freshen up some - I think the coaches will keep an eye on Dublin and Paris, and want to blitz those teams, so spelling him a bit this week, and then next week means Barrett should be cherry ripe physically and mentally for the last two.

Smith-Cruden is a good combo for each other coming back in.

I would actually like to see what Fifita can do on international stage, just give him a license to Smash into anything green.

[jegga]

@MN5 said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@akan004 said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

Why has Bird not been given the call up? Is he injured?

He's clearly slipped down the pecking order

ffs.

[westcoastie]

@booboo wow. thats some shocking work on my behalf ain't it...

O.Franks to start.

12. Crotty. Clearly.

[westcoastie]

@taniwharugby Clearly we all know B.Smith the #1 #15. It just took Hansen a little bit to realise it.

[MN5]

@mariner4life said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@westcoastie said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

Team naming tomorrow? Probably in the evening NZ time.

Will take a stab at it...
Front Row: Moody, Coles, Crockett
Locks: Tuipolutu, S.Barrett
Back Row: Kaino, Cane, Read
Halves: Smith & Cruden*
Midfield: Cruden & Lienert-Brown
Back three: Savea, Dagg & B.Smith

Bench: Faumuina, Taylor, Crockett, Squire, Savea, Perenara, B.Barrett*, Fekitoa

I reckon they go the #1 starting lineup possible in this first test, especially with our makeshift backrow - geez looks thin without the Twin Towers.
Lot of work going into scrummaging and line-out this week I'd expect - I wonder if we'll see a little less set-piece work from us - and willingness to keep the ball in a little more - actually having no Retallick and Whitelock ironically might provide us some extra spark, those two have usually carried a ton of work up to this point in the year.

Have put Barrett back off the bench, partially to reward Cruden, to let Barrett freshen up some - I think the coaches will keep an eye on Dublin and Paris, and want to blitz those teams, so spelling him a bit this week, and then next week means Barrett should be cherry ripe physically and mentally for the last two.

Smith-Cruden is a good combo for each other coming back in.

I would actually like to see what Fifita can do on international stage, just give him a license to Smash into anything green.

Good old Brian Cox, second only to Sean Connery in the "Scottish actors who play any nationality on earth with a Scottish accent".....I do hope he makes an appearance in Super Troopers 2.

Would Tuipolotu and Barrett provide a bit more grunt in terms of scrumaging than BR and SW ? Genuine question.

@jegga pretty shit Dad joke I'll admit but surely better than the old "when is the team named?" chestnut.....

[JC]

Is the stadium sold out?

[taniwharugby]

@MN5 the when is the team named question is as valid as is Ardie really 6ft 4?

[KiwiMurph]

I believe it is a sell out.

For those potentially streaming the game via the All Blacks website (e.g. Aus based Ferners), the cost is going to be $7.97 NZD for the ABs-Ireland and $4.97 NZD for the Maori ABs-USA.

[pakman]

@MN5 May be something to do with broken foot. Read apparently also requires a surgery and will be out for start of Super rugby.

[dK]

@KiwiMurph said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

I believe it is a sell out.

For those potentially streaming the game via the All Blacks website (e.g. Aus based Ferners), the cost is going to be $7.97 NZD for the ABs-Ireland and $4.97 NZD for the Maori ABs-USA.

SOLD!

[akan004]

@KiwiMurph said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

I believe it is a sell out.

For those potentially streaming the game via the All Blacks website (e.g. Aus based Ferners), the cost is going to be $7.97 NZD for the ABs-Ireland and $4.97 NZD for the Maori ABs-USA.

So it looks like it will be 22 AUD to watch the three All Black games on tour. Am not going to bother with the Italian game. Not too bad I suppose as long as the stream is solid.

[No Quarter]

@westcoastie said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:

@taniwharugby Clearly we all know B.Smith the #1 #15. It just took Hansen a little bit to realise it.

I think it was well established that Hansen knew all along but didn't have a 14 of high enough quality, so went for the Dagg-Smith combo as that gave us the best balance.

As it turns out, Dagg is a pretty decent 14 as well.