Bledisloe #2
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@ACT-Crusader said in Bledisloe #2:
@Victor-Meldrew said in Bledisloe #2:
@rotated said in Bledisloe #2:
Oh and welcome back SBW.
Yep. We def. need physicality, off-loading, ball skills, discipline, leadership,. ball retention and rugby nous in the midfield.
Love the description. Not sure who that player is though.
Irony is sometimes spelt "Sonny Bill Williams".
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@MrDenmore said in Bledisloe #2:
@canefan I think Chris B probably got it right. It was a grand plan hatched on the presumption that the Bledisloe would be tucked away after the Perth match. Had that been the case this selection would have looked smart. It now looks desperate. But as others have pointed out who the wingers are is immaterial if the front five aren’t winning the ball
Cue the tight 5 (apart from Sam) getting shown what for again, while the wingers romp in 20 or more points between them.
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@Donsteppa said in Bledisloe #2:
"too many Blues"
Hmmm, being a Blues supporter, that is actually a thing.
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@Snowy said in Bledisloe #2:
@Daffy-Jaffy said in Bledisloe #2:
SouthernMann had the good oil!
Yes, but he keeps naming the team on a Wednesday FFS. All the rules have gone out the window.
You know what's worse than naming the team on Wed? Not naming the team at all. That happened last week, and we all know the result of that mistake.
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@pakman said in Bledisloe #2:
Laulala is good at scrumtime (only three in first half) and more mobile than Owen, so makes sense. Bigger issue is that Ofa on bench at LH will probably struggle bigtime with Tupou who is six inches shorter. Need Moli or Karl T in RWC squad.
Ofa has more experience than Moli at LH at this point. Moli was injured all of 2018 and only started playing regularly at LH for the Chiefs when he returned this season. We will get a better idea of the scrum battle when it is 8 vs 8.
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@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Well we are going to get answers on a lot of players after Saturday.
Bridge, Reece, Tuipulotu, Hemopo, SBW, Ofa as a loosehead.
I'm not sure we are going to like all the answers.
Happy with Reece and Bridge - they looked Ok so far in Black.
Opportunity for Ofa, Pat T & Hempopo to step up. And for SBW not to fcuk up too much
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@Dice said in Bledisloe #2:
4th midfield combination in 4 tests this year.
And it will be a different one against Tonga. 5 for 5, a full set.
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@Donsteppa said in Bledisloe #2:
It's almost like they've dropped Reiko because Tuipulotu coming into the tight five would mean "too many Blues" at Eden Park...
Well that’s one thing Hansen got right then...
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@Hooroo said in Bledisloe #2:
Shag said in the beginning of the season that his focus was the Bledisloe and the World Cup.
He lied
Yep, continuing to experiment in a crunch Bledisloe is either arrogance that we'll win regardless, or a clear signal that the RWC is so much more important that we're willing to lose the Bledisloe if it means giving a couple of guys some test match experience beforehand.
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@pakman said in Bledisloe #2:
rucks/scrums/etc.. That concerns me. Also Todd
Yep it could be some things they need to find out about certain players before the WC .
It puts players on notice which is a good thing.
It also tells us they are pretty happy with the depth in the squad.
We just have to trust them I don’t believe it’s all gloom and doom we can still bring the both cups home. -
@No-Quarter said in Bledisloe #2:
@Hooroo said in Bledisloe #2:
Shag said in the beginning of the season that his focus was the Bledisloe and the World Cup.
He lied
Yep, continuing to experiment in a crunch Bledisloe is either arrogance that we'll win regardless, or a clear signal that the RWC is so much more important that we're willing to lose the Bledisloe if it means giving a couple of guys some test match experience beforehand.
The RWC is so much more important.
We get the chance to win the Bledisloe back next year, but it's "four more years" for the RWC.
I'm sure Hansen doesn't want to lose it, but he evidently thinks he needs to take the risk (though based on last week's performance, whatever team we put out would have some significant risks).
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@Bovidae said in Bledisloe #2:
@pakman said in Bledisloe #2:
Laulala is good at scrumtime (only three in first half) and more mobile than Owen, so makes sense. Bigger issue is that Ofa on bench at LH will probably struggle bigtime with Tupou who is six inches shorter. Need Moli or Karl T in RWC squad.
Ofa has more experience than Moli at LH at this point. Moli was injured all of 2018 and only started playing regularly at LH for the Chiefs when he returned this season. We will get a better idea of the scrum battle when it is 8 vs 8.
didn't Ofa play tighthead through the entire Northern tour last year, and handle it more than adequately?
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Im putting a lot of eggs in the Izzy to bankrupt the ARU before the weekend. Its gods will.
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@Chris-B said in Bledisloe #2:
The RWC is so much more important.
I might be in the minority but I would prefer they keep the 25 year unbeaten streak at Eden Park going and the Bledisloe than go three on the trot. It's not even really close.
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@mariner4life said in Bledisloe #2:
didn't Ofa play tighthead through the entire Northern tour last year, and handle it more than adequately?
Ofa actually replaced Big Karl at LH in both the Irish and English tests, and started at LH vs Italy. My point is that although Ofa has mainly played TH prop previously he has also been used at LH by both the Blues and ABs, including both tests he has played this year.
The first time I remember Moli at LH was his AB debut off the bench on the 2017 EOYT vs the French XV, when Hansen mentioned they wanted to convert him into a LH prop. Last year he had a serious leg injury and never played. This year Moli had a late start to the SR season, and then was the regular starting LH prop for the Chiefs. He's still learning his trade at LH.
The AB selectors are still trying to finalise their 5 props with 2 spots to find after Moody, Franks and Tu'ungafasi. Laulala gets his opportunity at Eden Park.
