Blues v Bulls
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@kev Game management and option taking is a massive issue along with the level of intelligence of the leaders that are on the paddock..
Jonathan Ruru sums the Blues up, capable of 1 or 2 really good things but has so many flaws in the rest of his game..
His service looks pressured most of the time..throw in a real lack of knowing where defenders are...
A draw was probably a fair result..
What worries me now, we are locked in with many of these players in pivotal positions ..and many of the half decent players all locked away by other franchises...
I would be all over Hayden Parker doing my best to get him back to NZ..for all Plummers talent ,hes had 2 opportunities to win games with clutch kicks and has come up short..
Harsh but true..!
Can’t see us winning our last 2 games..definite improvement in some aspects except in the areas that matter most..doing the little things right which takes care of the scoreboard.. -
@taniwharugby I thought Nock was the only half back this year to demonstrate the skills the Blues are looking for. Sure that he will pick up a contract for next year.
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Bring back Rupeni!
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Ruru seems to have caught Pulu-itis with an increase in the number of poor decisions. He started off the season really well but has fallen away with some erratic play of late.
Game management and just keeping their shape seems to be a real issue.
Nonu for all his experience and quality, it doesn’t seem that he is vocal or asserts himself in the pressure situations to help the team to take control.
The Black/Plummer duo was interesting. Plummer does have a touch of an Aaron Mauger type 2nd 5.
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Thought Plummer was good, that last kick aside, he doesn't lack for confidence or heart when taking the ball to the line. He just needs a helping hand from his half-back! A.nd more protection from his forwards. A general awareness of where players are on the field from the Blues would also be good rather thn passes to Mr Sideline.
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@pukunui said in Blues v Bulls:
Why the fuck was Plummer kicking for the win? If there is one thing Black has on Plummer it is goal kicking. Dumb.
I actually feel for the kid. He was trying to step up and take responsibility rather than throw the onus back onto his forwards.
Leadership should have stepped in and taken that responsibility off him considering he was hacking the ball. When the ball takes those harsh late turns you know that the kicker isn't striking sweetly or following through properly.
As a former kicker himself Rangi should have known that and sent the message down. -
@kev problem is, such limited minutes to show his wares this season (when you consider his form prior to those 2 games) even if he has a blinder for Northland...guess this is the drawback of signing kids out of school rather than letting them develop and mature against the wiley veterans in club footy (who are no longer there either)
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Hindsight is all well and good regarding Plummer being the one to take the shot but he'd been kicking all night and actually nailed the conversion from the same side of the field earlier.
Otere coming in cold to take the kick i'm not sure was the answer.
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@Crucial Yep, agree totally. Plummer is young and green, but he has the vision and committment. Leadership was key in those last few minutes and was a contributing factor in having the win snatched from them. Patty T will hopefully learn a lot from that.
Just think the pack needs to play more collectively, and perhaps practice their wet-weather ball-handling skills. -
@Crucial I had no problem with him going for points. Our season's virtually over anyway and the only way for him to get better in situations like these are by continuing to go for it. If you have a chance to win a game with a penalty kick ou always go for it imo.
Who's to say that we wouldn't have butchered the lineout anyway?
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@KiwiMurph Yup, hindsight is a wonderful thing. He'd be a hero if he managed to nail the kick but such is life.
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A team with fresher players on the field would probably be less likely to make as many handling errors, and could probably play to a pattern better.
My biggest criticism of MacDonald is his reluctance to use the bench, and more so his lack of squad management.
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I think you are all making excuses for Plummer.
Thought he had a reasonable game general play wise.
To be fair Eden Park is his home ground and I would imagine he gets to practice on this ground, his last kick had the yips about it.
Come the hour, come the man..can think of many examples of players who have stepped up and nailed kicks...a very young Josh Ioane nailing a penalty from a wide angle in the Mitre 10 cup semi final last year..
It’s moments like these that define a player moving forward. -
@Steven-Harris Plummer has done it before too. His wide conversion in the rain tied the Mitre 10 Cup final allowing it to go to overtime.
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@KiwiMurph which makes his 2 misses against the Saders in the first game of the season and let’s face it very kickable shots those 2 ,add in tonight’s miss even more unacceptable...has he got what it takes at super rugby level in terms of temperament when put in a clutch situation..?
Forgot to mention 55% kicking success rate..unacceptable in my book.
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@Tim said in Blues v Bulls:
A team with fresher players on the field would probably be less likely to make as many handling errors, and could probably play to a pattern better.
My biggest criticism of MacDonald is his reluctance to use the bench, and more so his lack of squad management.
This.
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@Steven-Harris said in Blues v Bulls:
@KiwiMurph which makes his 2 misses against the Saders in the first game of the season and let’s face it very kickable shots those 2 ,add in tonight’s miss even more unacceptable...has he got what it takes at super rugby level in terms of temperament when put in a clutch situation..?
Forgot to mention 55% kicking success rate..unacceptable in my book.
2 misses against the 2 time defending champions in his Super Rugby debut?
Ok?
He's a 20 year old rookie thrust into starting.
FFS can we just let the kid settle for a season before throwing him to the wolves.
