All Blacks vs Tonga
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Donsteppa said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Between "the journey", Cantablacks, and the 2002 EOYT random selections leading into 2003; 2003 on here was epic, if for entirely the wrong reasons....
I started reading the Fern around the end of the 2003 SR season and the level of vitriol and finger pointing towards good honest hardworking Crusader and Cantab players was on another level. Rieko got nothing on that 😎
They had a great Super team back then, definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Few of the cantablacks of the 2003 will be considered amongst the best ABs conversations. To be fair, not many of the rest of that team would make it into the conversation either!!
Members of the 2003 squad that I would now consider to be in the top echelon of ABs ever (weren't necessarily at their peak in 2003);
Kevvie, BBBT, McGod, Marshall (ugh), DC, Tana, Ma'a, Joe, Dougie, Mils
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@canefan said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Members of the 2003 squad that I would now consider to be in the top echelon of ABs ever (weren't necessarily at their peak in 2003);
Kevvie, BBBT, McGod, Marshall (ugh), DC, Tana, Ma'a, Joe, Dougie, Mils
There must not be very many echelons! No knock on any of those guys (except, of course, Marshall) but I'd have at least a tier or two between Thorn (at his peak not even top 3 in the world for his position) and McCaw (God mode for 14 seasons).
The broader point is fair though; 2003 more than any other is the one that got away IMO. With average coaching and captaincy that team should have won it reasonably comfortably.
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@rotated said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@canefan said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Members of the 2003 squad that I would now consider to be in the top echelon of ABs ever (weren't necessarily at their peak in 2003);
Kevvie, BBBT, McGod, Marshall (ugh), DC, Tana, Ma'a, Joe, Dougie, Mils
There must not be very many echelons! No knock on any of those guys (except, of course, Marshall) but I'd have at least a tier or two between Thorn (at his peak not even top 3 in the world for his position) and McCaw (God mode for 14 seasons).
The broader point is fair though; 2003 more than any other is the one that got away IMO. With average coaching and captaincy that team should have won it reasonably comfortably.
Looking back, the seeds of failure were sown when Wayne Smith was removed. At the time I recall his comments made it seem like he wasn't all in with the job so the NZRFU gave it to Mitchell
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@canefan said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Looking back, the seeds of failure were sown when Wayne Smith was removed.
I don't know if I'd fully go along with that. The turnover of players between 2001 and 2003 was a big, if not the biggest factor for the uptick in fortunes. Smith may not have made the wholesale changes needed, especially after investing 1.5 years into some of the guys.
While I definitely put 1991 and 1999 in the category of RWCs where the goose was cooked a year out, I honestly think with a little bit of leadership and some awareness they could have avoided the semi final loss and solved whatever problems were there on the back of a napkin the night before.
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Love the yellow card fake - pull the hanky out
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Rua Tipoki still with the quick feet
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@Dice said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
This ref has been too whistle happy.
I think he was okay. Some pretty blatant stuff out there and I thought he tried to let it flow as much as possible.
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That was a bit of fun , some nice ball handling skills even if the legs have deserted them .
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@canefan said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Nepia said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Is there a reason for the blue and orange (tape?) boots?
Are they the RWC issue boots?
Mental health awareness maybe?
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Backline moves carving them up so far
