Hurricanes v Blues
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@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
I'd say it was lack of cool heads, making good decisions, Blues were in a position to beat a NZ team, something they hadnt done for a long time, i expect that carries some mental baggage.
That is where Parsons should be earning his coin.
The call probably came from the coaches? Whether or not you agree with it, the Blues were all clearly following a game plan in that last 20 and finally got the result.
Maybe they wouldn't have played the territory if the Canes attack was functioning? Or if they could rely on winning the ball from their own rucks (The Blues were losing the subjective ref calls at the breakdown all match)
Conservative and winning will do
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@Duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues:
The Blues were losing the subjective ref calls at the breakdown all match
The Canes will tell you otherwise. In fact it was singled out by the coach as something he would be asking about in the post match review.
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@Crucial said in Hurricanes v Blues:
The Canes will tell you otherwise. In fact it was singled out by the coach as something he would be asking about in the post match review.
Ha. That was their best area and it was largely unearned.
Their coaches need to concentrate on the real issues before the Chiefs/Crusaders away
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@Duluth you can still be following instructions/plans and make poor decisions and execution, putting yourselves under unnecessary pressure
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Yup. I mentioned the quality of kicks was mixed
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@Duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@Crucial said in Hurricanes v Blues:
The Canes will tell you otherwise. In fact it was singled out by the coach as something he would be asking about in the post match review.
Ha. That was their best area and it was largely unearned.
Their coaches need to concentrate on the real issues before the Chiefs/Crusaders away
I didn't get that impression at all and looking at the stats the penalty count is pretty much even. I can't tell how many were at the breakdown but can see that the Canes forwards were penalised more than the Blues forwards (excluding cards).
My biggest gripe when watching games this year is the latitude from the refs around players diving into and past breakdowns. The perception then follows that when they do whistle it, as they think it has directly interfered, it looks like inconsistency.
Watch Gardner in the Chiefs/Tahds game. He is a bit stricter around the breakdown in the first quarter and sets the tone for the rest of the game where we see more legit turnovers happen as there aren't bodies over the ball. -
Thought this game highlighted the weakness of the NZ game right now. I thought it was bash, bash with little "rugby smarts" being shown. The one difference - Black's positional kicking out of hand (he really needs to nail those penalty kicks to the corner though). What a difference an experienced play maker would have made for either team!
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@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
Tuipulotu has been consistently good since that Bledisloe cup game last year. It’s been a huge turnaround since that diet tweak
27 years old, just entering his prime as a tight forward
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@Crucial said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@Duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues:
I didn't mind the kicking. The breakdown was a lottery with that ref. Holding the ball was a reasonable chance of a penalty to the defence.
The Canes were struggling to get the ball through the midfield so tackling was easyThe quality of the kicking could have been better though
Are you sure that the best way to take advantage of having three more players is to kick the ball away?
Surely holding onto the ball and playing with it ups yours odds considerably?With a 3-man advantage, I think they could have got the ball into the wider channels where Telea, Rieko, Marchant and Perofeta were starting to look dangerous in the second half. Although a great win on the road, and after returning from RSA, it's still a bit of a missed opportunity to have gotten a BP.
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@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
I think that's a pretty decent bet.
What I most didn't like about the Blues performance was that they were losing both the scrums and lineouts in the first 20 minutes and, while Parsons improves the lineout throwing, he's a weakness around the paddock. And scrums - I suspect there's other scrums more dominant that what the Canes have that would have to be matched in the play-offs.
However, there's still time for the Blues to get better in these aspects and they've got some physical specimens. And people like Nock are starting deliver on their promise.
The real wildcard is what Beauden can bring. He's the sort of player who turns five point losses into five point wins.
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@Chris-B said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
I think that's a pretty decent bet.
What I most didn't like about the Blues performance was that they were losing both the scrums and lineouts in the first 20 minutes and, while Parsons improves the lineout throwing, he's a weakness around the paddock. And scrums - I suspect there's other scrums more dominant that what the Canes have that would have to be matched in the play-offs.
However, there's still time for the Blues to get better in these aspects and they've got some physical specimens. And people like Nock are starting deliver on their promise.
The real wildcard is what Beauden can bring. He's the sort of player who turns five point losses into five point wins.
I'm fascinated to see how Leon integrates him into the team, particularly with Black and Perofeta doing pretty decent jobs in his two positions. Will they start him at the back and then move him closer in late in games when there are likely to be more attacking opportunities or vice versa?
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@Chris-B said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
I think that's a pretty decent bet.
What I most didn't like about the Blues performance was that they were losing both the scrums and lineouts in the first 20 minutes and, while Parsons improves the lineout throwing, he's a weakness around the paddock. And scrums - I suspect there's other scrums more dominant that what the Canes have that would have to be matched in the play-offs.
However, there's still time for the Blues to get better in these aspects and they've got some physical specimens. And people like Nock are starting deliver on their promise.
The real wildcard is what Beauden can bring. He's the sort of player who turns five point losses into five point wins.
IMO best Blues starting front row is Mafileo/Efkund/Karl T. Lineout throwing an issue. LH lock not clear, but think Goodhue may be best compromise for scrum and lineout. Spoilt for choice at loosie, but Robinson's workrate and lineout make him the cornerstone for me.
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Here’s a quote from the coach,
It's a tired and subdued changing shed," coach Leon MacDonald said. "I think the guys are spent. A win away from home is normally cause for celebrations but I think they nearly want to lie down on the groundPuts the travel factor in perspective in my opinion.
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@pakman said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@Chris-B said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
I think that's a pretty decent bet.
What I most didn't like about the Blues performance was that they were losing both the scrums and lineouts in the first 20 minutes and, while Parsons improves the lineout throwing, he's a weakness around the paddock. And scrums - I suspect there's other scrums more dominant that what the Canes have that would have to be matched in the play-offs.
However, there's still time for the Blues to get better in these aspects and they've got some physical specimens. And people like Nock are starting deliver on their promise.
The real wildcard is what Beauden can bring. He's the sort of player who turns five point losses into five point wins.
IMO best Blues starting front row is Mafileo/Efkund/Karl T. Lineout throwing an issue. LH lock not clear, but think Goodhue may be best compromise for scrum and lineout. Spoilt for choice at loosie, but Robinson's workrate and lineout make him the cornerstone for me.
What's your rationale for Mafileo starting ahead of Ofa? Who would you have on the bench (and which side is he playing).
Someone needs to take on a project to make up a table of NZ props and which side(s) they play on. I'm starting to forget the guys who can play both sides and young guys like Lindenmuth I have to google.
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My two cents without reading the thread.
I take my hat off to the Blues, they were outstanding on defence in that first half and managed to stop any of our momentum, especially after a blistering start.
I felt we were just getting on top before the red card occurred and with half an hour left it was the Blues match to lose.
Overall a fairly messy game. I think the big thing for Blues fans to celebrate is that they managed to get over the line. I feel if it was the Blues of a couple of seasons ago they would have found a way to lose on Saturday.
Canes will need to lick their wounds fast as it doesn't get any easier over the next two weekends. For the Blues, they are sitting pretty with two winnable games next, a bye after that and then Beauden's return.
From a Canes perspective I feel Fifita should get the axe and I'd like to see Blackwell pack down on the side of the scrum. I'm sick of Fifita's brain explosions and there should be consequences,
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@Chris-B said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@pakman said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@Chris-B said in Hurricanes v Blues:
@taniwharugby said in Hurricanes v Blues:
Was at a function on Friday night with Grant Fox and Glenn Taylor, and Fox reckoned Blues would make finals but didn't have the squad to win.
Both said it was thier tight 5 making the difference this year with Taylor making special mention of Tuipuluto's form and also Robinson.
I think that's a pretty decent bet.
What I most didn't like about the Blues performance was that they were losing both the scrums and lineouts in the first 20 minutes and, while Parsons improves the lineout throwing, he's a weakness around the paddock. And scrums - I suspect there's other scrums more dominant that what the Canes have that would have to be matched in the play-offs.
However, there's still time for the Blues to get better in these aspects and they've got some physical specimens. And people like Nock are starting deliver on their promise.
The real wildcard is what Beauden can bring. He's the sort of player who turns five point losses into five point wins.
IMO best Blues starting front row is Mafileo/Efkund/Karl T. Lineout throwing an issue. LH lock not clear, but think Goodhue may be best compromise for scrum and lineout. Spoilt for choice at loosie, but Robinson's workrate and lineout make him the cornerstone for me.
What's your rationale for Mafileo starting ahead of Ofa? Who would you have on the bench (and which side is he playing).
Someone needs to take on a project to make up a table of NZ props and which side(s) they play on. I'm starting to forget the guys who can play both sides and young guys like Lindenmuth I have to google.
I think Mafileo is a better TH, and Ofa great off bench. I'd ideally have Hodgman and Ofa (TH) on bench.
