Blues 2020
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@Dice said in Blues 2020:
What's the opinion on Rieko's move to centre? I was iffy on the move at first, but it's probably been the right move for the Blues.
We needed a centre for the long term and we probably have it sorted now. Not sure if he'll play much wing for the Blues going forward, but that's OK, because we have some good young wing talent to work with.
He was always going to end up at 13. The transition has gone better than I expected this year
If the season wasn't interrupted I would've expected him to start most of the remaining games at 13 for the Blues.
Then in international season I would have expected him to start on the wing.The combination with TJ is building well. Ioane keeps a lot of defenders interested and TJ is picking when to skip him very well.
I suspect the attack would've gone better last year if TJ was playing in his correct position@nzzp said in Blues 2020:
Defence still needs work in all three facets - reading, positioning, and tackling.
He needs time in the position to get his defence right. The biggest weakness is his lateral movement... that turns small errors into gaping holes
In the last couple of games his ruck work really improved too
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@Duluth said in Blues 2020:
@nzzp said in Blues 2020:
Defence still needs work in all three facets - reading, positioning, and tackling.
He needs time in the position to get his defence right. The biggest weakness is his lateral movement... that turns small errors into gaping holes
In the last couple of games his ruck work really improved too
Re-reading what I posted, it's a bit harsh. I meant it needs work to to 'elite' level; it's OK at the moment, but could be better.
His attack, OTOH, is damn fine.
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I don't think his defence is good enough at the moment.
Individually it's offset by his attack. Across the whole team it's not a huge issue because the scrambling defence has been covering it
He'll improve with game time and it'll be worth it
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Looking at the tackling stats on the fox website (it's the easiest source to sort on..) Rieko has made 16 and missed 7
Of the Blues players who have played at least two games there's only three defenders that have a worse tackle efficiency:
Black & Perofeta. Neither of those is that much of a surprise.
The third was Marchant.
So I that's another reason Rieko will stay at 13 for the Blues.
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@Bovidae said in Blues 2020:
Either way, Rieko seems to have his confidence back which is a big positive for the ABs because I'd much rather have him in the 11 jersey.
Not having a calf injury helps with that, which was the problem last year.
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@Bovidae said in Blues 2020:
Either way, Rieko seems to have his confidence back which is a big positive for the ABs because I'd much rather have him in the 11 jersey.
In Super last year, he outran Bridge, out trys-d Bridge and out beat defenders over Bridge when his "confidence" was down. I still claim it was a silly knee jerk decision after Perth to dump him, which would have been the worst silly knee jerk decision if not for the Barrett over Cane loose forward clusterfuck.
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I actually think defensively Rieko did a very good job vs Canes in Welly (up against Aso) and against Lions at Eden Park.
After he had a week to settle in (v Stormers) his defence was really good.
He has the chance to develop into a world class centre.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2020:
Conrad was a good tackler, not a great tackler.
You don't play 94 tests and win two World Cups without being a defensive master. Conrad Smith was a great tackler, arguably one of the greatest. Instead of braun, he used his brain, though the below vid shows his ability to mix it with the big boys aswell.
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@Canes4life shoulder contact with the head and no mitigating factors - red card
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@Canes4life said in Blues 2020:
@nzzp said in Blues 2020:
Conrad was a good tackler, not a great tackler.
You don't play 94 tests and win two World Cups without being a defensive master. Conrad Smith was a great tackler, arguably one of the greatest. Instead of braun, he used his brain, though the below vid shows his ability to mix it with the big boys aswell.
Not the last few years of his career, he started falling off tackles. There was a reason he got dragged at half time in the final.
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Ranger's hospo pass deserves a red card.
Mind you this one to Cruden (first touch in Super Rugby) from Weepu in the same game deserves a 3 match suspension.
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@Kirwan I think the reason was SBW's attacking flare, not Conrad's tackling technique. In fact I call BS on that, he was sublime for the Canes in 2015 and I remember a hit he made in the first few mins of the World Cup final against Aus that helped set the tone for a dominant performance, along with the likes of McCaw, Read etc.
Edit: see around the 18.04 mark on the vid below: a classic hit on old mate Hooper.
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@Canes4life That video - I'm still astounded Kepu wasn't sent from the field in that match and yet Ben Smith got the softest YC in history. Not Owen's best game with the whistle.
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Hoskins Sotutu's small change that may have paved the way for a future with the All Blacks
Hoskins Sotutu could have been another immensely innately talented rugby player who shone like a star then fizzled out as soon as he hit the big leagues but, if his 2020 form is anything to go by, that won't be the case.
“The Blues are my team, the team I care about – and I feel like I was only going to play the best rugby for a team that I care about,” Sotutu said.
“As long as the Blues are keen to keep me, I’m keen to stay.”
I hope we've already locked him up long term. -
@Dice I guess the question is will Akira stay if they sign Sotutu on a long term contract?
