AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?
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@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@kev said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Stargazer I’m with you. Haven’t read any posts but presumably ragging on about how Bridge is average. Personally I think he is all class. There is a reason why the Crusaders win all the time. Their whole team does their job and their players make better decisions more often. Something other franchises can only aspire too. The Blues are repeat offenders in this regard.
No one on this forum has said that Bridge is a shit player. He's decent under the high ball, runs decent support lines, runs fast enough in a straight line and is generally a low error player. He'd probably be a great right wing. The problem is that he plays on the left and he's currently keeping out two of the more dynamic and powerful ball runners in NZ rugby at time when we are lacking a bit in dynamic and powerful runners in NZ rugby. Remember all those breaks and extra yards Bridge made last year against England when we couldn't get any go forward anywhere else on the park? Yeah, me neither.
Garbage. Bridge is CONSTANTLY roasted on TSF and labelled a boring 'skinny white boy' and now 'safe white boy'.
He won't keep anyone out if their form and pressure warrants usurping him. Clarke may be in that position.
As for it being Bridges' fault we didn't put England under pressure, well, this is a helluva thing to put on a winger when the rest of the team is playing like a bag of assholes.
A far better comparison for Bridge as opposed to Caleb Ralph, is Doug Howlett. Both quick, both relatively safe players, great finishers and both can cover fullback.
When has Bridge ever covered fullback?
And what is it with you bloody Cantabs and your complete absence of reading comprehension? Is it because you've all only got one eye?
I never said that he was solely to blame for England beating us (that's Scott Barrett's fault, obvs) - I said that he gets a hard time because he was keeping out one of the few guys in our team last year with the ability to beat a man. If Ioane played on the right wing, then Reece would be copping it.
And yes, you can have a go at your backs for not having power and the ability to beat a man when your entire nation of forwards don't have that either. It needs to come from somewhere and we had at least one guy sitting in the stands who could bring that.
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Wow some knickers in a twist on this thread.
But yeah nah. Bridge is seriously underwhelming when compared to a long line of dynamic AB wingers. Especially on the left wing.
Caleb Ralph is the perfect comparison. A good rugby player who will end up with lots of tries to his name but not even in sight of the top echelon of AB wingers.I think people are being a bit sensitive over what is some pretty tame criticism in this case.
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@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Bridge wasn't keeping out any dynamic left wingers last year. Ioane had gone right off the boil and played himself out of the team while Clarke was nowhere near the team.
That's a bigger myth than Tony Woodock's scrummaging ability!
He was perfectly fine in the few AB games he played last year (despite being injured) and would have brought exactly what was needed had the selectors not shat the bed after Perth and changed half the team. Anyone would have looked great in that Eden Park match and had Rieko been selected to play in it we wouldn't even be having this debate (we'd probably be World Champions too).
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@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Bridge wasn't keeping out any dynamic left wingers last year. Ioane had gone right off the boil and played himself out of the team while Clarke was nowhere near the team.
That's a bigger myth than Tony Woodock's scrummaging ability!
He was perfectly fine in the few AB games he played last year (despite being injured) and would have brought exactly what was needed had the selectors not shat the bed after Perth and changed half the team. Anyone would have looked great in that Eden Park match and had Rieko been selected to play in it we wouldn't even be having this debate (we'd probably be World Champions too).
What? Mind blown! So if Rieko had been playing we would have won the World Cup. WTF?
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@junior you're very clearly attributing our lack of momentum against the Poms as much to a left winger as any other player or unit in the team. Which is absolute horse shit.
And then all the revisionists jump on the bandwagon and start claiming Ioane would have made a difference, or perhaps some other powerful left winger who was around the squad, which is who exactly??
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My impression of Bridge this season was the talk of him being slow and unable to beat a defender was pretty unfair. Was very surprised to see him breaking tackles fairly often and I remember at least one try where he basically just went head down and powered over dragging one or two defenders with him.
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Is there a better site than rugbypass for stats? Not sure these are all that complete or accurate...
Super Rugby Pacific 2025 | Super Rugby Union | RugbyPass
Discover the thrill of Super Rugby with RugbyPass, your resident rugby experts. Here you’ll learn about the Super Rugby teams and see upcoming Super Rugby fixtures.
Super Rugby Pacific 2025 | Super Rugby Union | RugbyPass
Discover the thrill of Super Rugby with RugbyPass, your resident rugby experts. Here you’ll learn about the Super Rugby teams and see upcoming Super Rugby fixtures.
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@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
My impression of Bridge this season was the talk of him being slow and unable to beat a defender was pretty unfair. Was very surprised to see him breaking tackles fairly often and I remember at least one try where he basically just went head down and powered over dragging one or two defenders with him.
Fake news. Need videos to prove it. Preferably with some arrows and lines to highlight the raw power and speed.
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@pukunui said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
My impression of Bridge this season was the talk of him being slow and unable to beat a defender was pretty unfair. Was very surprised to see him breaking tackles fairly often and I remember at least one try where he basically just went head down and powered over dragging one or two defenders with him.
Fake news. Need videos to prove it. Preferably with some arrows and lines to highlight the raw power and speed.
It took me 2 days to make the last one, I'm not falling into that trap again.
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Here's a quote from a piece during the RC last year:
Rieko Ioane hasn't scored a try in four tests – a relative drought when you have 22 tries from 22 starts – and didn't look like getting one against the Springboks in Wellington.
The Blues wing laboured through 60 largely unproductive minutes on Saturday – replacement hooker Dane Coles ran for more metres – before being replaced by Crusaders wing George Bridge.
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I'm not bagging Ioane btw. But i am bagging a couple of revisionists and their rose tinted spectacles. At least my one eye can focus, fellas.
I named Ioane in my 23 above. And I didn't name Bridge as I'd like to see Clarke given a game, if indeed we do play test footy.
But to attribute any sort of blame to Bridge for not breaking the game open against England AND to claim Ioane would have, is just fucking laughable.
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I agree Rieko was way off the boil last year. His pace was down, his confidence was down, his error rate was up. He wasn't near his best form.
Rather than just focus on Bridge I think overall the ABs backline just didn't offer enough last year.
The exciting thing this year is the options available look far more promising.
Guys like Clarke, Jordan, and the 2020 form of Rieko and Jordie add serious size, power and pace that can really threaten defences. Potentially guys like Umaga Jensen and Laumape to come into the frame as well.
Of course it's not going to matter much how great your backline is unless your forwards can do their bit. Just ask the ABs from 98-01.
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And to be fair, an inform Rieko (with a forward pack giving go forward) is pretty friggen special.
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@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Ardie at 8? Yuck
Yep. That's particularly concerning when we've got two big, quick and skilful guys who are specialists in that position in the squad.
He's a fucking 7.
Talk about ignoring lessons
Saw somewhere he was primarily picked as an 8. And does make sense to introduce Sotutu gently.
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@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
For what it's worth, my 23:
Moody Ofa T
With the 6 props named I don't think you will see much of Ofa at LH again. Cron and Hansen seemed to want to move him there with varying results.
Late in the North-South game when Ofa returned to play LH with Ta'avao at TH and Scrafton at lock, the NI scrum was going backwards.
Not sure Ta’avao is match fit. Ofa LH and Nepo at TH would be pretty solid.
But agree it looks like he’s going to be focussed on TH.
