Highlanders v Hurricanes
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@cgrant This is from the SANZAR article- https://super.rugby/superrugby/news/at-the-coal-face/
Finally we look at the players having the biggest impact at the ruck, getting there is one thing but having an effective contribution is another. Whether you’ve cleared an opponent out of the ruck, won a turnover/penalty or just caused a nuisance then you will have made a difference for your side. Of players to attend 100+ rucks in Super Rugby this season, Chris van Zyl has been the most effective, making an effective contribution at 87% of the 122 rucks he has gotten to.Three players from the top 10 attendees overall also make this final ranking, proving that they are not just working hard but also efficiently. Hyron Andrews, Reed Prinsep and Liam Mitchell all worthy of more plaudits than maybe they are receiving at the moment.
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Blackwell is also fairly ordinary at NPC level. Even at 6. I watched him closely at 6 in one game and he was only adequate.
Its a mystery why Plumtree has such a hard on for him. It's destroying Plumtree's reputation as a competent coach. Its almost as if Plumtree has totally lost the plot. I don't mean this in a nasty way but as an area of concern. Blackwell is a player that should only ever start when their is no-one else due to injuries
But Plumtree has always had a soft spot for plodders who have a good attitude. Like Princep. But 1.90 Blackwell is really taking it to another level
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@Winger He was actually pretty good for the Lions last season except for maybe the last couple of games where he seemed to have run out of steam.
I honestly wasn't surprised that he won Wellington Player of the Year. I was surprised that he was playing well though, because I'd never seen much from him in previous seasons, even at U20s level.
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@Dice said in Highlanders v Hurricanes:
@Winger He was actually pretty good for the Lions last season except for maybe the last couple of games where he seemed to have run out of steam.
I honestly wasn't surprised that he won Wellington Player of the Year. I was surprised that he was playing well though, because I'd never seen much from him in previous seasons, even at U20s level.
He's ordinary. A plodder who has a good attitude it seems. But still a plodder. I watched him closely at 6 as I felt this would be his position if he is to make it (obviously at 1.90 he's not a lock). what a disappointment. So not a lock yet not good enough at 6. Even at NPC level.
One difference between winning teams and those that aren't is coaches who can see this.
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@Winger I'm not a advocate of Blackwell, but I disagree he wasn't good at NPC level, at least not last season. He was easily better than Walker-Leawere in the same team.
The Canes should look at James Tucker from Waikato. He was awesome for them last season. He was one of the real unlucky ones to not get a Super contract.
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@Daffy-Jaffy what I find more interesting in those stats is:
0 Rebels (top Aus team)
1 Crusader (top NZ team)
2 Lions (top SA conference)Chiefs and Jaguares have 1 more player in those tables than the above 3 combined, yet both sit bottom of thier tables...seem to be more players of teams in the middle of the pack featuring.
Proving that stats are cool and often irrelevant...
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@taniwharugby said in Highlanders v Hurricanes:
@Daffy-Jaffy what I find more interesting in those stats is:
0 Rebels (top Aus team)
1 Crusader (top NZ team)
2 Lions (top SA conference)Chiefs and Jaguares have 1 more player in those tables than the above 3 combined, yet both sit bottom of thier tables...seem to be more players of teams in the middle of the pack featuring.
Proving that stats are cool and often irrelevant...
Or possibly that it's easier to stand out in a team that's struggling? Be interesting to see those numbers as a percentage of the team totals.
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@Dice I disagree that Blackwell was better than Walker-Leawere in the NPC. Walker-Leawere was actually one of the more standout figures for the Lions in 2018, which is why I don't get why he hasn't been thrown into the fire yet.
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@Canes4life Considering Blackwell was given Wellington Player of the Year and Plumtree is playing him ahead of Walker-Leawere, I don't think I'm alone in thinking he was better in the NPC.
Walker-Leawere had the odd game where he flashed his potential, but he wasn't consistent.
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@Machpants Ken I Say Things Correctly Laban
