EOYT 2017
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so Goodhue is ill and wont fly out with ABs now, instead joining them next week, making it highly unlikely he will suit up v the Baabaas.
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@taniwharugby said in EOYT 2017:
Assume Aaron Smith cuts his own hair, and Ardies and Genias...
I was sure he'd done it for a bet when I saw him in the last test.
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Barrett to lead All Blacks during build-up
With no Kieran Read in the All Blacks' advance party to Britain to play the Barbarians on Saturday, first five-eighths Beauden Barrett would be fulfilling Read's captaincy directions for the tour during the first week while a playing captain would be announced when the Barbarians team was named. Read had spoken with the team before they left New Zealand on Friday and laid out his expectations and Barrett as a vice-captain would lead that during the week whether he would be playing against the Barbarians or not, coach Steve Hansen said after the team's arrival at their London base. Hansen said they would be treating the Barbarians game like a Test match and it was a chance for those players who had not played too much Test rugby to pull on the jersey and make a statement.If Barrett was to be named captain nothing much would change for him. As first five-eighths he was the driver of the side. "He's got the number 10 on his back which is the main computer in a team, they tend to touch the ball more than anybody else and make more decisions than anybody else, instead of talking to Reado he'll just talk to himself," he said.http://www.allblacks.com/News/31690/barrett-to-lead-all-blacks-during-build-up
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@stargazer How is Shag treating the Baabaas game as a test match if he is leaving the likes of Kiran Read out?
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@stargazer True, but when you consider who is not playing v Baabaas it is a little tongue-in-cheek to say the least....I'd rather they just come out and downgrade it to a New Zealand xv rather than full-blown ABs match, but I guess that's not what will pull the punters in...
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Any one see who the mystery names for Maori were? Saw something about Shaun Stevenson, but couldn't find anything on Allblacks.com?
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@stargazer True, but when you consider who is not playing v Baabaas it is a little tongue-in-cheek to say the least....I'd rather they just come out and downgrade it to a New Zealand xv rather than full-blown ABs match, but I guess that's not what will pull the punters in...
I think they mean they are testing the players to see who can switch on and prepare right. Whether it's All Blacks, NZA, President's XV, whatever - they are wanting the players to show the mental engagement.
Works for some, not for others. It's hard to get up for a small game by pretending it's a big game
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@stargazer How is Shag treating the Baabaas game as a test match if he is leaving the likes of Kiran Read out?
I'm sure there have been test matches where we've rested McCaw..
Treating it as a test match against a tier 2 nation perhaps.. -
@stargazer How is Shag treating the Baabaas game as a test match if he is leaving the likes of Kiran Read out?
I'm sure there have been test matches where we've rested McCaw..
Treating it as a test match against a tier 2 nation perhaps..Hell, there have even been full blown All Black games where the entire 15 playing on a Wednesday is totally different from the team playing on a Saturday, whacky, I know.
Who's going to call those mid-week only All Blacks from the past and tell them they were actually only played for an NZ XV.
Sorry, Tabai, you're out. Now, does anyone have a Todd Miller's phone number?
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@tim It will be interesting to see who will be the Baabaas hooker. I haven't seen any further squad announcements from the Baabaas yet, although I'm quite sure George Bridge has been called up, too. Saw a photo on insta of him leaving for London. It would be awesome if they'd called up Riccitelli.
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With Kieran Read sitting out the Barbarians match at Twickenham, it could be No 8 where Kaino makes his return.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11938273
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Could the ABs lose this one?!
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The ABs lost to the Baabaas in 2009. That Baabaas team was stacked with SA players with some Aussies and only one KIwi - Rokocoko.
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The Baabaas game is probably the game I look most forward to. Great selection of players, great coaches and I love the style of rugby they are usually playing. They've only 5 days of preparation together (apart from the players who were also in the WorldXV that beat Japan on Saturday), so the ABs (even if team "B") will probably win this, unless they are taking it too lightly. Can't wait for the match-up between the halves, and the Bus and bulldozer Naiyaravoro on the wings could cause the ABs some head aches, too.
Another great thing is that Nigel Owens is the referee; he has the sense of humour that fits well with the Baabaas team. I'm sure he's going to enjoy this game as well and I hope he comes up with some cracking remarks or actions of his own.
