All Blacks v France Test #1
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@pukunui said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
@no-quarter said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
Disappointed Goodhue isn't starting, but it's not like ALB hasn't been in good form and he has experience.
Would have preferred Romano on the bench in case of an early injury. Fafita could be effective against a tired defense though.
Biggest gripe with the team is DMac on the bench. Completely redundant - we already have ample cover for fullback and wing. Mo'unga extremely unlucky not to get in ahead of him, DMac is definitely a coach favourite despite his "one good thing among four complete fuckups" style of play.
I love Jordie but he also has "coach favourite" status at the moment, very lucky to be picked ahead of Wise. Long term he is likely to be a regular fixture though so can see why they want him on the paddock after his remarkable debut against the Lions.
Agree with most of that. I just don't see what Fifita brings that makes him a test lock. Other than height. Very much Isaac Ross Mk2. Happy for him to have a stormer and prove me wrong though.
Can see why they started ALB. Hopefully Goodhue gets a chance in test 2 or 3.
Also agree on Dmac, his fullback cover isn't needed with 3 guys in the team who are better there. So it is a direct shoot out as pure 10 cover and i think Mounga is a clear winner there.
I think the selectors' thinking for lock is that for the RWC it would be optimal to have three dedicated locks and one lock/loosie. So Barrett (S), Patty T and Romero are potentially chasing one place. That assumes, of course, that Fifita (or ANOther) cuts the mustard at test level. Saturday is first part of experiment.
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@stargazer said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
Because the other thread has been closed, I have to post this here:
Well at least he's going to ready to go for TRC. Torn pectoral could have been a lot longer.
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@pakman said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
@stargazer said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
Because the other thread has been closed, I have to post this here:
Well at least he's going to ready to go for TRC. Torn pectoral could have been a lot longer.
Ar they sure is wasn;t a hair on the xray lens or something that looks like a fracture?
He seems tougher than that!
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@no-quarter said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
Disappointed Goodhue isn't starting, but it's not like ALB hasn't been in good form and he has experience.
Would have preferred Romano on the bench in case of an early injury. Fifita could be effective against a tired defense though.
Biggest gripe with the team is DMac on the bench. Completely redundant - we already have ample cover for fullback and wing. Mo'unga extremely unlucky not to get in ahead of him, DMac is definitely a coach favourite despite his "one good thing among four complete fuckups" style of play.
I love Jordie but he also has "coach favourite" status at the moment, very lucky to be picked ahead of Wise. Long term he is likely to be a regular fixture though so can see why they want him on the paddock after his remarkable debut against the Lions.
Not too many surprises for me in this team.
I'm a bit surprised they've started ALB and put Laumape on the bench - that's not good news for Laumape, because eventually they'll only take four midfielders to the RWC and right now he's apparently only the third choice No. 12. Not surprised they're not playing Goodhue, because he's the rookie and has some history with hamstring injuries this season.
I'm a bit surprised they've picked Fifita ahead of Romano. French are supposedly a big pack and if we lose Sam Whitelock early, we're going to be a bit under-powered upfront. I'm guessing they're hoping Whitelock and Barrett can go 80 minutes if necessary and want Fifita as insurance in case our loose trio isn't doing well. Not what I would have done.
On DMac - pretty clearly, they're hoping to develop him to play the same role that Beauden played at the last RWC i.e. someone who can come on late in the game at fullback and provide some impetus, while being capable of covering 10 if Beauden gets injured. A handy role because it means we can have a specialist midfielder on the bench.
On Jordie - he's a shiny new toy that they've been dying to play with. I reckon they're hoping for Folau 2.0, which is like Folau 1.0, but with the religious apps removed. I think they're impatient to see exactly what they've got, while with Waisake they already know.
Main concern I have with this team (apart from missing half a dozen of our best players) is the number of people who haven't played a lot of footy for a while. Common denominator with Moody, Franks and Squire getting in trouble was all were coming back from long breaks.
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you two are gonna fuck so hard when you get together.
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Has Naholo ever played a blinder for the ABs?
He's constantly ripped it up for the landers, but if he gets a chance this series...he needs to take it.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
you two are gonna fuck so hard when you get together.
As long as he buys me a drink first
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@kiwimurph said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
The team is:
Maxime Medard, Teddy Thomas, Mathieu Bastareaud (c), Geoffrey Doumayrou, Remy Grosso, Anthony Belleau, Morgan Parra, Kevin Gourdon, Fabien Sanconnie, Judicael Cancoriet, Yoann Maestri, Paul Gabrillagues, Uini Atonio, Camille Chat, Dany Priso.
Replacements: Adrien Pélissié, Cyril Baille, Rabah Slimani, Bernard Le Roux, Alexandre Lapandry, Baptiste Serin, Jules Plisson, Gael Fickou.
So, Basteraud at 13? Rather than 12?
I know not much about French rugby, but that is very brave putting a player that wide to defend that wide.
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@chris-b said in All Blacks v France Test #1:
. Common denominator with Moody, Franks and Squire getting in trouble was all were coming back from long breaks.
Isn't the common denominator that all those thugs have Ta$man links?
Edit: Damn, looks like Moody has no Ta$man links ... but I bet you he's holidayed there.
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@chris-b when SBW was declared unfit, it was always going to be a Crotty/ALB combo to start. They have experience on their side.
Laumape the preferred bench option given he’s played 2nd 5 for the ABs and the TAB are refusing to take bets on whether Crotty will finish the test....
I am genuinely surprised with Jordie starting at fullback.
