TRC: Pumas v All Blacks

[booboo]

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Funny. I thought it looked strong. Some question marks over for Pat.T and Fifita but otherwise sound.

Actually, am not averse to either.

[Bovidae]

@ACT-Crusader said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

I’d say Karl T is in real danger of not making it.

It's Tu'inukuafe vs Moli and Laulala vs Ta'avao. The former in each pair are better scrummagers but the latter props much better around the field.

On the team, interesting times going into an away test match and 5 names have asterisks next to them and another 6 have less than 10 tests.

This is looking very Munster-ish

Let's wait to see the Pumas team. I don't think this AB team is that much weaker than previous teams selected for a BA test in recent years.

[Kirwan]

@Higgins said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

There is no mention of Sonny-Bill Williams being unavailable because of injury so that must mean he has been dropped.

Dodgy hamstring apparently

[Higgins]

@Kirwan But not dodgy enough to be left at home?

[Kirwan]

@Higgins tweaked training with them and 50/50 to be named to start. Will play the next game.

[Crucial]

For UK viewers this game is prime time evening! Yay.

[ACT Crusader]

Last test in BA we had a bit more experience in starting lineup and bench.

G. K. Tu'inukuafe
C. J. D. Taylor
A. O. H. M. Tuungafasi
S. L. Whitelock (C)
S. K. Barrett
S. M. Frizell
S. J. Cane
A. S. Savea
T. T. R. Perenara
B. J. Barrett
R. E. Ioane
S. W. Williams
R. S. Crotty
W. R. Naholo
B. R. Smith

RESERVES
N. P. Harris
T. G. Perry
A. W. F. Ta'avao
P. T. Tuipulotu
J. N. Hemopo
A. L. Smith
R. F. Mo'unga
A. R. Lienert-Brown

[sparky]

@Bovidae said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

@pakman said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

This suggests big Karl isn't yet back up to speed.

Karl will need to hit the ground running when he is back as I don't think he's a cert for RWC selection yet. Four props are fighting for the last 2 spots after Moody, Franks and Tuungafasi.

Big Karl's story was perhaps the most moving Rugby story of recent years. Went from being a guy who was so out of shape the doctors were worried for his life to playing pro Rugby to being selected for the All Blacks to being Man of the Match in Buenos Aries in the All Blacks-Puma test last year.

Being pragmatic and unsentimental, Karl is only worth picked if he is on top of his fitness. He was very poor indeed against Ireland last year. He is coming off the back of injury. Like a number of the Blues squad he put on body fat this year. I think Karl is going to have to really hard to make the RWC squad.

[sparky]

@Kirwan If fit, surely SBW is running out of time and opportunities now.

Crotty, Laumape, Goodhue and ALB look like the midfielders for the RWC (if all fit), unless SBW can roll back the years and produce something magical.

[Daffy Jaffy]

@sparky My understanding is that it was illness rather than injury that led to Tuinukuafe missing the last weeks of super rugby. He apparently had Meningitis, which is a tough ask for a big man to regain energy, strength and fitness after. So either he is not yet up to speed to play or they are lining him up for the bench vs the Boks next week

[Frank]

SBW and Crotty both injured.
Fuck me, that's never happened before.

[canefan]

@Frank said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

SBW and Crotty both injured.
Fuck me, that's never happened before.

[Daffy Jaffy]

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Tomás Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Joaquín Tuculet

[Billy Tell]

@ACT-Crusader said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Last test in BA we had a bit more experience in starting lineup and bench.

G. K. Tu'inukuafe
C. J. D. Taylor
A. O. H. M. Tuungafasi
S. L. Whitelock (C)
S. K. Barrett
S. M. Frizell
S. J. Cane
A. S. Savea
T. T. R. Perenara
B. J. Barrett
R. E. Ioane
S. W. Williams
R. S. Crotty
W. R. Naholo
B. R. Smith

RESERVES
N. P. Harris
T. G. Perry
A. W. F. Ta'avao
P. T. Tuipulotu
J. N. Hemopo
A. L. Smith
R. F. Mo'unga
A. R. Lienert-Brown

Should you not change your username to A. C. T. Crusader?

[cgrant]

Good test for Atu Moli against Juan Figallo. If he holds his own in the set scrums and shows what he can do in the loose, he'll be on the plane to Japan.

[mofitzy_]

Is Bridge being rested?

[Hooroo]

@Daffy-Jaffy said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Tomás Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Joaquín Tuculet

I recognise that team from a recent event......

[Duluth]

@mofitzy_ said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Is Bridge being rested?

I wouldn't read anything into the selections at this stage. They'll give most of the squad a run in the first few games

I remember 1014 mentioning match day 23's in 2015. Basically the selectors tested a few players out early and then dialled their squad in. Each Test got closer and closer to the RWC side.

So for the first Test in 2015 (v Samoa) there were 9 players not named in the RWC squad:
Andy Ellis, Charles Piutau, George Moala, Israel Dagg, Hikawera Elliot, Nepo Laulala, Matt Todd, Brad Webber, Charlie Ngatai

The 2nd Test (v Argentina) there were 5 players not named in the RWC squad:
Charles Piutau, Israel Dagg, Nepo Laulala, Jeremy Thrush, Andy Ellis

I suspect Hansen will follow a similar pattern this year. This 23 seems comparable to that game v Samoa

[Bovidae]

@cgrant said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Good test for Atu Moli against Juan Figallo. If he holds his own in the set scrums and shows what he can do in the loose, he'll be on the plane to Japan.

The Jags scrum has been ordinary in the games I watched (I didn't see the final so can't comment on that). In the two games the Chiefs played against them the Chiefs had an obvious advantage. We will find out whether the addition of Figallo makes a huge difference to the Pumas' scrum.

[E African Troll]

@Bovidae said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

@cgrant said in TRC: Pumas v All Blacks:

Good test for Atu Moli against Juan Figallo. If he holds his own in the set scrums and shows what he can do in the loose, he'll be on the plane to Japan.

The Jags scrum has been ordinary in the games I watched (I didn't see the final so can't comment on that). In the two games the Chiefs played against them the Chiefs had an obvious advantage. We will find out whether the addition of Figallo makes a huge difference to the Pumas' scrum.

Figallo was a key cog for the Pumas scrum last year He started vs SA in Mendoza and Pumas had scrum ascendancy

Even scored a try off 1st phase scrum Ofa T at #1 is okay but hardly a stellar player TBH

Add Sanchez at #10 and Pumas improve markedly at two positions of weakness

If Pumas can have a good 1st half & not be 15-20 points behind like they've been in recent games in BA vs ABs they'll have a great chance of winning the game

AB bench is average compared to their normally high standards