Springboks V All Blacks
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I sent a mail to my family in NZ straight after the game saying, "Don't stop believing....oooh oooh" and now everyone from the AB coach to here on the forum are quoting the same thing.
Was a classic ding-dong highveld game against the traditional brutal foe. I loved it. The Blue Bulls (one of the best names in sports history...makes me laugh anyway) at their peak and the Boks of yesteryear played a type of game that can only be described as "blitzkrieg." High intensity, big buggers running straight, tactical kicks for the corners, never letting the opponents get organized etc. We saw a return to that last night. How many teams have been completely buried by a motivated SA side. Last night the ABs hung in there and eventually came out on top. Lucky but we'll take it.
Some thoughts I have been having recently. Big Karl T and Franks are too similar type players to play together. Big units who are strong at set piece and and do the core duties well. But not big carriers and can be exposed defensively by more fleet footed players. Moody+Franks or Karl T+ Ofa etc seem a better balance esp. defensively.
They need a 6 with a big defensive shoulder in the mould of Collins/Kaino with some go forward. I keep thinking maybe Cane is the answer there now with the resurrection of Ardie. Any chance of enticing Vermeulen to NZ?
Scott Barrett doesn't get the love he deserves on here. Big motor and doesn't take a step back. Good back up for the two greats we have at the moment.
ALB and Goodhue need to be played together to develop a combo. To my mind they are the future and the future is here.
Richie running the cutter, BFA and Rieko on the wings and Beauden Barrett at fullback needs to be tried as well. -
@mokey said in Springboks V All Blacks:
Yikes. Cane fractured a vertebrae in his neck and is going to have surgery in SA before flying home. Expected to make a full recovery, but will be out for several months.
End of Sam Cane's season. It speaks volumes for who Sam Cane is that he won a penalty for the team in the incident where one of his neck vertebrae got broken.
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@chester-draws said in Springboks V All Blacks:
Once again, immediately after the game people forget what was said before it. The build up was about how important it was. It wasn't meant to be practice, but a dress rehearsal. The team selected didn't have any players rotated in for experience as a result.
The ABs set out to play their best game. They failed badly to do that.
Maybe they pushed the wrong buttons with this World Cup dress rehearsal charade. Usually coming off a loss they go into siege mentality and come out with a noticeably different attitude in the first 20 minutes which sets the tone for the test.
Even the 2nd Irish test following Chicago (with a similar gap between tests) while we did not dominate on the scoreboard the boys came out more physical than they had been in years.
Maybe it was the mental game prep this week, or maybe retirements and injuries just meant we didn't have the guys required to play that direct, all guns blazing style in the first 15.
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Such a frustrating game for 70mins. SBW and Crotty look oooooold and tired (which considering they're both injured 80% of the time is saying something). Think Mounga looks class and a proper 10, I've never been in the BB-to-fullback camp until today. Thought Scott Barrett was good, he might solve our 6 problems when BBBR comes back, think he's better than Squire. And Ardie has really stepped up, I thought he wasn't tight enough for test footy and glad to be proven wrong.
Think our best 23 one year out from RWC is:
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Moody
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Codie/Coles
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Franks
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BBBR
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Whitelock
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S Barrett
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Cane
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Read
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Smith
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Mounga
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Rieko
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ALB
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Goodhue
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B Smith
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B Barrett
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Codie/Coles
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Big Karl
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Ofa T
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Squire
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Ardie
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TJP
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SBW/Crotty, whoever is fit
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DMac
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@rotated said in Springboks V All Blacks:
Usually coming off a loss they go into siege mentality and come out with a noticeably different attitude in the first 20 minutes which sets the tone for the test.
“... a noticeably different altitude in the first 20 minutes which sets the tone for the test.”
Fixed it for you. Jetlag is a bitch too. A tournament contested entirely in Japan won’t offer the travel and altitude concerns the ABs saw this week. (Oh, and they were coming off a win, too, a win that secured them a championship.)
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I think that what we saw was a non full strength AB team (which it won't always be, so no excuses), find a way to overcome a team playing to the committed tactics that are supposedly the way to win when playing NZ.
Ferocious committed defence, Don't let NZ play with the ball, pin them back etc etcWe haven't perfected the solution just yet but it still worked. It basically comes down to absorbing as much as possible knowing that the fresh bench players will be much stronger. The opposition benches are not as strong and the starters simply cannot play at the required intensity for 80. We will overcome.
I just wish we didn't leave it until the last minute.
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This should be the end of the road for Sonny Bill Williams as an All Black. He was very poor indeed in this game.
I'd rate Goodhue, Laumape, ALB, Crotty, Aso, Matt Procter, Rob Thompson, David Havili, Jordie Barrett and even a 36 year Maa Nonu as better bets as Midfield players for RWC 2019 ahead of him now.
Thanks for the memories, Sonny, now take your circus somewhere else.
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@sparky said in Springboks V All Blacks:
This should be the end of the road for Sonny Bill Williams as an All Black. He was very poor indeed in this game.
I'd rate Goodhue, Laumape, ALB, Crotty, Aso, Matt Procter, Rob Thompson, David Havili, Jordie Barrett and even a 36 year Maa Nonu as better bets as Midfield players for RWC 2019 ahead of him now.
Thanks for the memories, Sonny, now take your circus somewhere else.
Based on one game after a long injury layoff? Harsh.
I don't disagree that we have options that work better at 12 with BB at 10 but Id like to have seen him working off Mounga when the instruction to be more direct came.
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I'd just like to see Mo'unga start a test match at 10. I don't think we can afford to pussyfoot around the issue any longer. Mo'unga has shown the value of not only how to close out a tight game with precision kicking - but to get us on the front foot and down in the red zone in the first place and put us in a position where we can score, was in itself invaluable. I wouldn't bet the house on BB at 10 being able to do either of those things in a WC knockout game. Now BB at 15 however is another matter altogether...
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@sparky Nice to see you back mate.
Think the best thing about SBW is that he gives us options. Yes its fair to say his best days are probably behind him, but he is a competitor at the highest level. He's tasted success at the highest level in different sports - he brings that edge with him, and for some of the younger, greener guys, it's good for them to have that kind of experience around them. -
With Sam Cane gone for the season,I can possibly see 3 candidates that stand out
Dylan Hunt
Blake Gibson
James LentjesBut I would not be the least surprised If they went straight past these 3 and went for Dalton Papalii.
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@sparky said in Springboks V All Blacks:
This should be the end of the road for Sonny Bill Williams as an All Black. He was very poor indeed in this game.
I'd rate Goodhue, Laumape, ALB, Crotty, Aso, Matt Procter, Rob Thompson, David Havili, Jordie Barrett and even a 36 year Maa Nonu as better bets as Midfield players for RWC 2019 ahead of him now.
Thanks for the memories, Sonny, now take your circus somewhere else.
This is when forums get stupid. You rate 3 uncapped midfielders, therefore entirely unproven, as better bets than SBW first game back from injury, and not yet entirely up to speed? You should ring talkback radio, or write a letter to Chris Rattue.
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His physicality will be missed against the likes of Ireland
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@steven-harris Dillon hunt would be my choice definitely.
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I'm reminded a lot of Dublin 2016. Expecting a big focused response after a defeat against same opponent 2 weeks before and instead they were a bit shit.
In both they were playing that opponent away, so I'm expecting it to be a tough game. But I wasn't impressed with ABs in either of those games, got completely 'out-rugbyed' for 70-80% of each game.
Won both, though ..... so fair dues.
