AB squad for the Rugby Championship

[KiwiMurph]

I'm glad Jacobson is there.

[Chris]

I seem to be missing something with Fifita,I must be falling asleep during games and missing all the great work he is getting through to keep him in the AB squad.

[Chris]

@KiwiMurph Yep me too Rate him he's very physical in contact Really like that.

[MN5]

@Chris said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

I seem to be missing something with Fifita,I must be falling asleep during games and missing all the great work he is getting through to keep him in the AB squad.

He's the Akira Ioane that they actually pick.

[Chris]

@MN5 HAHAHA True

[Bovidae]

You can only assume what the players are doing in training is also taken into consideration. Still can't justify Fifita's inclusion.

[akan004]

After Argentina, I thought we would never see Fifita in black again. Losing confidence in Shag and co very quickly. You never want to see an AB get injured but I might just have to make an exception for Fifita.

[Hooroo]

Surprised and stoked for Jacobson.

[canefan]

Still willing to trust in Shag, we seem to be holding back and this is consistent with our lead up in 2015. The team is not as good as the 2015 version though, time will tell

[Crazy Horse]

@akan004 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

After Argentina, I thought we would never see Fifita in black again. Losing confidence in Shag and co very quickly. You never want to see an AB get injured but I might just have to make an exception for Fifita.

I said it last season, but the frustration around AB game plans and selections reminds me of the Chiefs when Fozzie was running the show. Wonder if he is having a lot more influence now Smith has jumped ship.

[Machpants]

Dear Fafita

[Bovidae]

The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.

[Stargazer]

Good to see that they keep Ioane in the environment as an apprentice. I never expected him to make the RWC squad, but it's good that they keep developing him for the worst case 10 scenario.

[Bovidae]

@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.

[Stargazer]

@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.

Or he is still struggling with his health.

[gt12]

There you go, I can’t pick my nose.

Quite stoked that they want to see more of Jacobson. I feel a bit for Paps though, he’s been hardly used.

They also clearly haven’t made up their minds about the outside backs either.

[MN5]

@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.

So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.

Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.

[akan004]

They gave Paps 3 minutes to prove his worth in Wellington and he still impressed more in that 3 minutes than Fifita has in both games.

[Duluth]

@gt12 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

I feel a bit for Paps though, he’s been hardly used.

Yup. The Retallick injury really screwed him over against SA

As soon as Fafita subbed on, Papali'i was never going to get more than a couple of minutes

[Bovidae]

@Stargazer said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:

The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.

Or he is still struggling with his health.

Quite possible. They haven't been forthcoming about his illness or current health. But as I said, Tu'inukuafe will need to play as it's been months since he last did. He seems to be a player that needs regular time on the field to remain in top form.