AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?
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@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
You said it Homer.
I don't share the negativity.
I'm also trying to ignore the Cane trolling.
Trolling? Why do say that? Is any criticism of him disallowed?
I like Cane, I was amongst those calling for Hansons immediate sacking when he was omitted from the SF team. He hits like a rock, and in that backdrop in particular, he was absolutely necessary.
But in a balanced back row, with a traditional big 6 and a more powerful 8 (say Frizell and Sotutu), I don't think Cane is a world class 7 and I'd rather see Ardie in there.
Hardly trolling
Of course it's trolling. What did Ardie do as an openside in the NvS game apart from watch a number 8 go flying by at a scrum?
Ummmmmm - you accuse me of trolling, I give you a few valid reasons for my opinion, and you come back with a single incident in a single game as some sort of evidence that I am trolling???
That you think they're valid doesn't make them so. I simply can't take anyone seriously who posits that Cane isn't a world class openside flanker.
Well not too many world class guys get left out of their national side for a RWC SF do they? Seriously, where would you rank him internationally as a 7? World class to me means you're one of the first guys to be picked in your national team. Guess we just have different measures of greatness.
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Perhaps the discussion should be whether Cane CAN be a world class flanker again, rather than whether he was?
I don't think that many would argue that he wasn't, and the class is permanent thing?
I reckon / hope that he puts a black jersey on as captain, and we will see him at his best again.
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@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
You said it Homer.
I don't share the negativity.
I'm also trying to ignore the Cane trolling.
Trolling? Why do say that? Is any criticism of him disallowed?
I like Cane, I was amongst those calling for Hansons immediate sacking when he was omitted from the SF team. He hits like a rock, and in that backdrop in particular, he was absolutely necessary.
But in a balanced back row, with a traditional big 6 and a more powerful 8 (say Frizell and Sotutu), I don't think Cane is a world class 7 and I'd rather see Ardie in there.
Hardly trolling
Of course it's trolling. What did Ardie do as an openside in the NvS game apart from watch a number 8 go flying by at a scrum?
Ummmmmm - you accuse me of trolling, I give you a few valid reasons for my opinion, and you come back with a single incident in a single game as some sort of evidence that I am trolling???
That you think they're valid doesn't make them so. I simply can't take anyone seriously who posits that Cane isn't a world class openside flanker.
Well not too many world class guys get left out of their national side for a RWC SF do they? Seriously, where would you rank him internationally as a 7? World class to me means you're one of the first guys to be picked in your national team. Guess we just have different measures of greatness.
Cane being left out of the RWC SF was an absolutely ridiculous decision. It was literally leaving a world class player out of the starting lineup for the most important game. I still shake my head in disbelief at that.
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@No-Quarter you'd imagine it still haunts Hanson and co!
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@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@No-Quarter you'd imagine it still haunts Hanson and co!
It should. It was a rookie mistake.
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@No-Quarter said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
You said it Homer.
I don't share the negativity.
I'm also trying to ignore the Cane trolling.
Trolling? Why do say that? Is any criticism of him disallowed?
I like Cane, I was amongst those calling for Hansons immediate sacking when he was omitted from the SF team. He hits like a rock, and in that backdrop in particular, he was absolutely necessary.
But in a balanced back row, with a traditional big 6 and a more powerful 8 (say Frizell and Sotutu), I don't think Cane is a world class 7 and I'd rather see Ardie in there.
Hardly trolling
Of course it's trolling. What did Ardie do as an openside in the NvS game apart from watch a number 8 go flying by at a scrum?
Ummmmmm - you accuse me of trolling, I give you a few valid reasons for my opinion, and you come back with a single incident in a single game as some sort of evidence that I am trolling???
That you think they're valid doesn't make them so. I simply can't take anyone seriously who posits that Cane isn't a world class openside flanker.
Well not too many world class guys get left out of their national side for a RWC SF do they? Seriously, where would you rank him internationally as a 7? World class to me means you're one of the first guys to be picked in your national team. Guess we just have different measures of greatness.
Cane being left out of the RWC SF was an absolutely ridiculous decision. It was literally leaving a world class player out of the starting lineup for the most important game. I still shake my head in disbelief at that.
I n 2019 Ardie might have been the most consistent forward we had and he was definitely in much better form than Cane. If you think Cane should have played its basically saying Hansen was correct in his original decision to play without a number 6 which was not completely obvious at the time he first chose the combo. That said I think Cane should have played because the combo had already worked quite effectively but for my reasons above it doesn't change the result.
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@DMX He was correct to play without a number 6 because he did a piss weak job in developing a proper number 6 in the 2-3 years leading up to the RWC. Instead we were left with guys like Fifita and Squire trying to fill that role, and lost a talent in Luatua to the north thanks to Hansen's terrible selections.
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@broughie said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I am looking forward to the ABs playing anyone including the Boks or England. We have to find out where we stand and sooner better than later.
There appears to be too much attrition these days at 2nd five and center. SBW and Crotty are prime examples. I do prefer to have defined positions so if ALB is the choice right now then I hope they stick with him and Reiko. More X factor in Reiko than Goodhue. Give them a chance to gel. Same with Sotutu. Throw him in the fire. I don’t like Ardie at 8 and I agree Cane is not the player he used to be. Injured and I don’t see him being their in 4 years so caretaker captain? Ardie will probably fill the void when Cane is injured and 7 is really his position. He did not have a very good north south.
I want to see the ABs play because I like rugby, it’s a new year and hopefully a new approach to our game (I am not convinced with Foster) and foremost I am tired of a virus dictating how we live.
Jordie, Clarke, Reiko, ALB, one of the cantabs, BB, Smith, Sotutu, Cane, Akira, Whitlock, PT, moody, Taylor and Laulala (Moanga, Perenara and Goodhue, Ofa, Coles, Big T, Vaai, Papalii)
Who is X. Factor? What Super team does he play for?
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he hinted at it being a lineout tactic didnt he ?
I think deep down he was also looking for something he saw as a weakness, particularly coming up against England, but probably couldnt admit to publicly , more size/ bulk and physicality
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@kiwiinmelb wasn'tnt even hinted, he straight came out and said it. Then they didn't even compete on opposition throws
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one day he will write a book and tell us how much we missed jerome kaino , not just Richie
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@ACT-Crusader said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@broughie said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I am looking forward to the ABs playing anyone including the Boks or England. We have to find out where we stand and sooner better than later.
There appears to be too much attrition these days at 2nd five and center. SBW and Crotty are prime examples. I do prefer to have defined positions so if ALB is the choice right now then I hope they stick with him and Reiko. More X factor in Reiko than Goodhue. Give them a chance to gel. Same with Sotutu. Throw him in the fire. I don’t like Ardie at 8 and I agree Cane is not the player he used to be. Injured and I don’t see him being their in 4 years so caretaker captain? Ardie will probably fill the void when Cane is injured and 7 is really his position. He did not have a very good north south.
I want to see the ABs play because I like rugby, it’s a new year and hopefully a new approach to our game (I am not convinced with Foster) and foremost I am tired of a virus dictating how we live.
Jordie, Clarke, Reiko, ALB, one of the cantabs, BB, Smith, Sotutu, Cane, Akira, Whitlock, PT, moody, Taylor and Laulala (Moanga, Perenara and Goodhue, Ofa, Coles, Big T, Vaai, Papalii)
Who is X. Factor? What Super team does he play for?
Definitely not the Crusaders
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@booboo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Braydon Ennor has an ACL rip. Out for 9 months.
Pooh.
There goes my proposal to test a future 12 ...
He doesn't look like a test 12 to me ... why do you think he does?
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@Stargazer said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones This is my first reaction on many, many posts about Bridge in several threads over the past few months. If there was the same diarrhoea of posts about another player, of another team, there would have been plenty of people who'd have responded without getting accused of bias.
I've had enough.
Should George Bridge be in the AB squad? Yes. He is fast, stays calm, has good balance, makes good decisions mostly on the Rugby field, is reliable under the high ball, has a solid kicking from hand game, finishes well including a great try in RWC opener against South Africa, is a good team man and rated by his peers.
Does he have a lock on the AB 11 jersey? No. He doesn't fit the ABs power winger mould, he doesn't break through tackles, nor does he really have the extra pace to beat other international wingers on the outside, his offloading is not as strong as Clarke or Ioane's, he can go missing a bit in big games, he doesn't go looking for work as much as the great Left Wings. None of this means he can't or won't play well for the ABs at 11, but there are other options available worth considering and discussing.
I understand some posters will have "favourite players" based on franchise and provisional loyalties but it is ridiculous when they expect all other Ferners to share their inflated opinions.
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How All Blacks halves anticipate a potential new game plan unfolding: 'It's all well and good picking big guys but you still need to play at speed for 80 minutes'
Will Ian Foster try and fight fire with fire the next time the All Blacks come up against England?
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@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@No-Quarter said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@antipodean said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
You said it Homer.
I don't share the negativity.
I'm also trying to ignore the Cane trolling.
Trolling? Why do say that? Is any criticism of him disallowed?
I like Cane, I was amongst those calling for Hansons immediate sacking when he was omitted from the SF team. He hits like a rock, and in that backdrop in particular, he was absolutely necessary.
But in a balanced back row, with a traditional big 6 and a more powerful 8 (say Frizell and Sotutu), I don't think Cane is a world class 7 and I'd rather see Ardie in there.
Hardly trolling
Of course it's trolling. What did Ardie do as an openside in the NvS game apart from watch a number 8 go flying by at a scrum?
Ummmmmm - you accuse me of trolling, I give you a few valid reasons for my opinion, and you come back with a single incident in a single game as some sort of evidence that I am trolling???
That you think they're valid doesn't make them so. I simply can't take anyone seriously who posits that Cane isn't a world class openside flanker.
Well not too many world class guys get left out of their national side for a RWC SF do they? Seriously, where would you rank him internationally as a 7? World class to me means you're one of the first guys to be picked in your national team. Guess we just have different measures of greatness.
Cane being left out of the RWC SF was an absolutely ridiculous decision. It was literally leaving a world class player out of the starting lineup for the most important game. I still shake my head in disbelief at that.
I n 2019 Ardie might have been the most consistent forward we had and he was definitely in much better form than Cane. If you think Cane should have played its basically saying Hansen was correct in his original decision to play without a number 6 which was not completely obvious at the time he first chose the combo. That said I think Cane should have played because the combo had already worked quite effectively but for my reasons above it doesn't change the result.
For me, starting Cane with Ardie on the bench is the most blindingly obvious tactic at test level where the psychical intensity for the first 60 minutes is through the roof before players start to tire. Even more so against a huge pack in a SF.
The lack of a 6 is another blight on the coaches.
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@No-Quarter said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@ACT-Crusader said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@broughie said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I am looking forward to the ABs playing anyone including the Boks or England. We have to find out where we stand and sooner better than later.
There appears to be too much attrition these days at 2nd five and center. SBW and Crotty are prime examples. I do prefer to have defined positions so if ALB is the choice right now then I hope they stick with him and Reiko. More X factor in Reiko than Goodhue. Give them a chance to gel. Same with Sotutu. Throw him in the fire. I don’t like Ardie at 8 and I agree Cane is not the player he used to be. Injured and I don’t see him being their in 4 years so caretaker captain? Ardie will probably fill the void when Cane is injured and 7 is really his position. He did not have a very good north south.
I want to see the ABs play because I like rugby, it’s a new year and hopefully a new approach to our game (I am not convinced with Foster) and foremost I am tired of a virus dictating how we live.
Jordie, Clarke, Reiko, ALB, one of the cantabs, BB, Smith, Sotutu, Cane, Akira, Whitlock, PT, moody, Taylor and Laulala (Moanga, Perenara and Goodhue, Ofa, Coles, Big T, Vaai, Papalii)
Who is X. Factor? What Super team does he play for?
Definitely not the Crusaders
Exactly. That’s why he’s not a winner.
