All Blacks Squad for France
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@gt12 said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@rancid-schnitzel said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@chester-draws said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@crucial said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@mn5 said in All Blacks Squad for France:
It's probably about time I ask the same question I do every year.
What the hell does Luke Romano do to keep getting in the team?
Luke Romano is the new Todd Blackadder?
Was Todd ever a suitcase? I don't recall that -- IMO like Jon Mitchell he was a pick for a particular need at a particular time.
I'm also in the not yet that persuaded by BB at 10 (I much prefer him as a fullback). An outrageously gifted player who sadly is not good for the team when he plays 10.
Looking at all the cool things he does individually distracts from looking at how his AB backlines have been lacklustre. Thinking sides like the Rennie Chiefs and the BIL shut him down easily enough. He's won one Super series.
Our back play is far worse than under Cruden, who didn't have the athletic gifts but gave other players space and time. Carter added goal kicking, which Beauden still is erratic with.
Yeah those Chiefs really shut him down.
What a nonsense post.
In terms of this thread, you pretty much just proved @mariner4life ’s point?
Fantastic player with plenty of pace, but those highlights hardly show a first five directing play. Plenty of pace though.
That's reaching in the extreme. Yeah, despite carving up the Chiefs, his clearing kicks needed another metre. This is beyond ridiculous.
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@kiwiinmelb That made me smile. Apparently DC wasn't that good either.
The sky is falling a little bit though. 2 losses and a draw last year, well above our one loss that I can almost accept. Admittedly one of those losses and the draw were due to corrupt officiating but I'm not bitter and the therapy will help eventually.
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Crudan also used to avoid getting the ball at ten until an opportunity to run was on, so not sure he’s a good counter point.
BB is at least as good as Crudan at running a backline. Maybe both relied on Dagg going into first receiver, and have suffering his loss to injury and playing on the wing?
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@kirwan said in All Blacks Squad for France:
Crudan also used to avoid getting the ball at ten until an opportunity to run was on, so not sure he’s a good counter point.
BB is at least as good as Crudan at running a backline. Maybe both relied on Dagg going into first receiver, and have suffering his loss to injury and playing on the wing?
The biggest problem in 2017 was the flat backlines and tactics. Wasn't conducive to attacking play in the slightest. Some of the moves were bizarre. Hoping they fix this in 2018 even if they are so unfortunate to be stuck with that average 2-time international player of the year at 10. Useless cnut.
The comment above is so right. Foreigners must look at these comments and wonder what certain people are smoking.
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Yeah, but this sort of criticism is part of why we have such a winning culture. I’d hate for it to go away.
I remember a good quote from one of the AB biographies, yes you are now an All Black, now you want to be a great All Black.
Always something to improve.
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@bovidae said in All Blacks Squad for France:
If Laulala is good to go I wonder if they will use Ofa as a reserve LH? It's not his best position but might be the best option available.
It's probably the way to go. Ofa T makes such huge strides in the AB environment that I'd have a reasonable amount of confidence that if they put the work in with him on the other side of the scrum that it would eventually bear fruit.
I like that guy. Since he cut his hair. Don't like clown looking props. Seen too many NZ U20s scrums back-pedalling anchored by props with clown haircuts (in particular Ofa T) that I've developed a complex .....
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@rapido said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@bovidae said in All Blacks Squad for France:
If Laulala is good to go I wonder if they will use Ofa as a reserve LH? It's not his best position but might be the best option available.
It's probably the way to go. Ofa T makes such huge strides in the AB environment that I'd have a reasonable amount of confidence that if they put the work in with him on the other side of the scrum that it would eventually bear fruit.
I like that guy. Since he cut his hair. Don't like clown looking props. Seen too many NZ U20s scrums back-pedalling anchored by props with clown haircuts (in particular Ofa T) that I've developed a complex .....
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I only have a complex with props and bad hair.
I guess props need to be grown-up men.
When your getting you're neck rammed back through you're ass by other 20 year-olds on a world stage .... you don't want to stand out by having plaits and beads etc ..... it sticks in the mind and forms a complex in right-thinking god-fearing folk like me.
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@stargazer said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@crucial said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kirwan said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@crucial said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks Squad for France:
This thread is starting to resemble the good old days around AB selection time ,
All we need is Toeava to make himself available .
DMac is the new Toeava
Toeava could play ten.
Every position in the backline , in a heartbeat
That's an exaggeration. He was no
Charlie NgataiJonah Lowe.Rob ThomasRichard Buckman -
@booboo said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@stargazer said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@crucial said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kirwan said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@crucial said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks Squad for France:
This thread is starting to resemble the good old days around AB selection time ,
All we need is Toeava to make himself available .
DMac is the new Toeava
Toeava could play ten.
Every position in the backline , in a heartbeat
That's an exaggeration. He was no
Charlie NgataiJonah Lowe.Rob ThomasRichard BuckmanJordie BarrettThis could go on and on.
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@rapido said in All Blacks Squad for France:
I only have a complex with props and bad hair.
I guess props need to be grown-up men.
When your getting you're neck rammed back through you're ass by other 20 year-olds on a world stage .... you don't want to stand out by having plaits and beads etc ..... it sticks in the mind and forms a complex in right-thinking god-fearing folk like me.
One thing I hate at all levels is a prop with a "Man Bun".
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@kirwan Yeah but it's all relative though. Not a lot of obvious weaknesses in that squad, but there is a substantial drop off in quality between starting tightfive and the next cabs off the rank. Trouble most of your opponents are going to have is that even if (and its a big bloody if) they can somehow get on top of your pack, they've still got to stop the Smiths, Barrett, Ioane and Naholo from creating tries out of half and quarter chances.
Taking the Lions tests as a yardstick, on their best days they're facing an average of 22 points. The Lions averaged 18 and the rest of the Rugby Championship averaged 20 points against the ABs in 2017.
Not sure I've really got a point here, except the bloody obvious one that the ABs are odds on to more or less replicate their dominance since 2010 in 2018 - even though your likely squad does feel a little weaker?
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@mikedogz said in All Blacks Squad for France:
@rapido said in All Blacks Squad for France:
I only have a complex with props and bad hair.
I guess props need to be grown-up men.
When your getting you're neck rammed back through you're ass by other 20 year-olds on a world stage .... you don't want to stand out by having plaits and beads etc ..... it sticks in the mind and forms a complex in right-thinking god-fearing folk like me.
One thing I hate at all levels is a prop with a "Man Bun".
They should all be made to go to the Waikato school of 90s lids. You coulda landed planes on those dos.
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@mn5 said in All Blacks Squad for France:
It's probably about time I ask the same question I do every year.
What the hell does Luke Romano do to keep getting in the team?
Be better than any of the other options. Patty T. is the apparent next cab off the rank, so the bar isn't set that high.
But it's an interesting question as to who else might be in contention, because it's not a bad place to look for a bolter. Who is the next best available option at each of the Franchises? Strange, Allardice, Franklin? Who at the Canes and Blues?
Pity Big Bird is injured. He's got the frame to be an excellent international option.
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@Chris-B Michael Fatialofa probably the best of the Canes locks, though not sure he fills the same role that Romano/Pat T would, and after a long injury break is yet to reach the heights he did last year (pun intended).
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@no-quarter Fatialofa is off overseas. That pretty much rules him out i'd say.
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@KiwiMurph fuck! That sucks. I need to pay more attention to the exodus thread
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@bovidae said in All Blacks Squad for France:
If Laulala is good to go I wonder if they will use Ofa as a reserve LH? It's not his best position but might be the best option available.
It's quite possible, but they'd still need a third loosehead in the squad in case of injury on game day.
Tim Perry is only out with a hamstring strain so he shouldn't be out for too long. Given the paucity of other options, I expect them to pick him - but Ofa could easily sit on the bench ahead of Tim.
I'm not sure that leaning on Wyatt solves any long term problem. If Joe Moody happens to get injured then I think it's justified because you've then got the two best (and possibly three best with Moli) options injured in a position of little depth and it would be pretty scary to go into a test with Perry and Ofa as our looseheads.
But if Moody is fit then we're better off giving someone new limited minutes from the bench.
