Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play
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My theoretical squad positions breakdown changes now with BBBR injury, and probably carrying him for first 3 weeks of pool play.
Biggest loser may be Hemopo. The other loser is Todd (although Todd is a luxury already in my squad makeup).
I would now want 4 proper locks in my squad at the expense of the lock/blindside. And now one of the specialist loosies needs to be bigger. I feel Hemopo is too short to be 3rd choice lock for almost a month of the tournament with all the other potential for the unexpected to happen.
So Pat T comes in, and Frizzell comes in.
Hemopo just hasn't specialised enough at 6 for me to see him starting there, so he goes out. Which is a real shame as I like the cut of Hemopo's jib so much and wish he had concentrated on 6 ever since I saw him play (albeit at lock) v the British Lions. I don't rate ether Frizzell or Pat T nearly as high, am I just being a slave to player height stats?
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@mofitzy_ said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
What's the furthest the 4N teams can all go? Can we have all RC semis, like last time?
I mean on draw, not form.
.....and here's this weird SH vs NH thing rearing it's head again.
Personally I'd want any of the home nations ( especially Scotland bar England ) to knock Argentina or Australia out.
After Saturday ( and other games against them of recent times ) I've got massive respect for the Boks again.
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With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
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@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
Unless we are keeping our powder dry.....
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@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
Unless we are keeping our powder dry.....
If the powder was any drier, they would be powder chips...
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@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
If that were to eventuate, it would likely mean we lost our opening match and then had to lose to Ireland.
The flaw in your thinking is Ireland would win a quarter final.
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@antipodean said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
If that were to eventuate, it would likely mean we lost our opening match and then had to lose to Ireland.
The flaw in your thinking is Ireland would win a quarter final.
I do believe that so much rests on that opening game.
Lose that I don’t think we recover enough to win it . -
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@kiwiinmelb SA have never beaten us in Japan!
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@taniwharugby said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@kiwiinmelb SA have never beaten us in Japan!
given what happened in 2015, i reckon they will have the heebie jeebies just entering Japan
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@kiwiinmelb said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@antipodean said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
If that were to eventuate, it would likely mean we lost our opening match and then had to lose to Ireland.
The flaw in your thinking is Ireland would win a quarter final.
I do believe that so much rests on that opening game.
Lose that I don’t think we recover enough to win it .I think differently. As long as we make the quarters, then the real tournament begins. How we get there (lose a pool game) it doesn’t really matter.
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@antipodean said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
If that were to eventuate, it would likely mean we lost our opening match and then had to lose to Ireland.
The flaw in your thinking is Ireland would win a quarter final.
Ireland are massive chokers at RWC. Since beating us in Ireland they do not seem to have worn the favourites tag well. It didn't help that Schmidt announced he was off either
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@sparky said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
Can anyone remember the last time the ABs played well?
Only when we play Australia. They don't employ a rush defence system so we have more space to work with, hence playing them over the next two weeks is not ideal prep for the WC opener.
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@kiwiinmelb said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@antipodean said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@ACT-Crusader said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@Hooroo said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
With Hansen pulling pin after WC and the way we are playing at the moment and in recent times, if we suck the Kumara at the WC (For me sucking would be not making the final) then we could see Foster removed from contention as AB coach? Brings in the likes of Robertson etc??
Unless Foster does a ‘tell all’ before the job interview and tells how Hansen was a tyrant and dictator.
I have an eerie feeling that we bomb out of the 1/4s this year.
If that were to eventuate, it would likely mean we lost our opening match and then had to lose to Ireland.
The flaw in your thinking is Ireland would win a quarter final.
I do believe that so much rests on that opening game.
Lose that I don’t think we recover enough to win it .We could still end up playing Scotland even if we do lose to the Boks in the opening match - Ireland are not a lock to beat Scotland in pool play.
Also, there are precedents for a team losing in pool play and still making the final (although, it would be a first were we to lose in pool play, but then win a final). Look at England in 1991, England again in 2007, France in 2011.
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@akan004 said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@sparky said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
Can anyone remember the last time the ABs played well?
Only when we play Australia. They don't employ a rush defence system so we have more space to work with, hence playing them over the next two weeks is not ideal prep for the WC opener.
Or....it's great to allow us to not show our hand..
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@sparky said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
Can anyone remember the last time the ABs played well?
It has been a string recently of remarkably poor or uninspiring performances.
It seems to me we haven't played well since before the Lions Tests.
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@taniwharugby said in Countdown to RWC 2019 - ABs state of the play:
@junior although I dont think a team has ever won the RWC having lost a game...
This is true, but I don't think the difference between the Boks and the ABs now is so great that a loss in pool play couldn't be turned around in a final (unless of course we got spanked in pool play a la the English in 2007 or French in 2011).
