2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations)

[Stargazer]

Hopefully Sam Cane's alright after last Saturday's head knock.
Who's our fourth openside?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/96249643/canterbury-lose-flanker-matt-todd-for-minimum-of-four-weeks-with-a-fractured-hand

[Crucial]

@Stargazer said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):

Hopefully Sam Cane's alright after last Saturday's head knock.
Who's our fourth openside?

Call up Shields just for the heck of it and put him on the field for 5 minutes just to piss off Eddie Jones.

Surely he can pretend to be an open side?

But yes, we a a bit light in that area at the moment.

[Higgins]

With the ancestry he has it can only be described as a poach of Keven Mealamu proportions if he ever takes the field for the All Blacks.

[African Monkey]

No love for Blake Gibson? I thought he would be next in line if Cane and Todd are both out.

[Stargazer]

@African-Monkey Tbh, I don't think there's any 7 behind Cane, Todd & Ardie who really stands out at the moment. Gibson might be in a year or 2, or not, but I suspect that they'll move Read to 7, Squire* to 8 and Kaino* coming in at 6, if Ardie can't go the full 80 minutes. (* or Squire coming in at 8, if Kaino gets the start at 6, with S Barrett covering lock and 6)

[taniwharugby]

@Stargazer last time we played a loose forward out of position ended in disaster.

Not sure Squire should be in consideration to start at 7.

Behind Gibson we have a number of very good super 7's, but he and them are a bit of a step down form Cane & Ardie.

Think we just need to hope the 2 weeks off is sufficient for Cane.

[Bones]

Yeah shit, let's deem Dixon a failure and call up Gibson.

[Stargazer]

@taniwharugby I wasn't suggesting starting Squire at 7. Actually, I was thinking of Dixon, who plays openside for Southland now. If I put my eye patch on, I'd name Gareth Evans, who also has the versatility that the selectors seem to like.

[KiwiMurph]

If you are going to call up an extra 7 go Gibson.

I suspect theyll just start Ardie and use who they have in the rest of the squad to cover (if Cane is a no go).

Most likely id say theyll get Kaino back in the mix either at 6 or off the bench.

[Bovidae]

You can get away from having specialist no.7 cover against the Argies as they don't really play a true openside themselves. Dixon was on the bench last year when Ardie started in Buenos Aires.

[booboo]

Any thought that Taufua would be physical enough and athletic enough to cover 7?

[antipodean]

@booboo is his work rate high enough?

[Duluth]

@antipodean

I wouldn't trust his defence. This week at lowly NPC level he made 8 tackles and missed 4

[Stargazer]

@Duluth Geez, judging someone on one NPC game?

2017 Super Rugby stats (source: SANZAAR)

Tackles made:
A Savea 138
B Gibson 126
M Todd 150
E Dixon 93
J Taufua 106
S Cane 120

Missed tackles:
A Savea 10
B Gibson 11
M Todd 16
E Dixon 10
J Taufua 17
S Cane 21

Tackle success
A Savea 93.2 %
B Gibson 92 %
M Todd 90.4 %
E Dixon 90.3 %
J Taufua 86.2 %
S Cane 85.1 %

Edited to add Blake Gibson and Elliott Dixon

[KiwiMurph]

@Stargazer said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):

@Duluth Geez, judging someone on one NPC game?

2017 Super Rugby stats (source: SANZAAR)

Tackles made:
A Savea 138
M Todd 150
B Gibson 141
J Taufua 106
S Cane 120

Missed tackles:
A Savea 10
B Gibson 11
M Todd 16
J Taufua 17
S Cane 21

Tackle success
A Savea 93.2 %
B Gibson 92.8%
M Todd 90.4 %
J Taufua 86.2 %
S Cane 85.1 %

I included Blake Gibson (got stats from Fox Sports).

[Duluth]

@Stargazer said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):

Geez, judging someone on one NPC game?

No

[Stargazer]

@KiwiMurph I have edited my previous post to add Blake Gibson & E Dixon based on the SANZAAR stats (it's better to use the same source).

[African Monkey]

@Bones Yeah why not, he's shit.

[ACT Crusader]

Taufua??? No way. I like Gibson, but no need to rush him in yet.

If Cane isn't fit and Matt Todd is crook, then just go with Savea to start and have a bigger loosie on the bench.

[booboo]

Hmmm. Interested in the reaction to Taufua. He seemed to get a lot of love on here and from foreign journos earlier this season.

I'm not an out and fan or proponent of him, and I've never considered him as a blindside but thought his slightly more robust technique may suit as cover for 7 (and 6) from the bench.

Seems I was wrong