AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?
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It's been a while since short back and sides was a prerequisite. This year looks like quite the opposite; terrible haircuts are a must.
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@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
J Barrett has improved massively on last year, and absolutely should be in the frame. Does he have the wheels to play wing?
Clark and 2 Barrets back 3
Reiko at centre, with laumape
Mounga at 10Rock star backline.
Who is your half back?
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@Machpants said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Boshier is like Pocock, a one trick pony (in that he's still great but what stands him out is turn-overs), and his trick is not so good with new 'interpretations'. I really hope he's not in when we see other players much better around the field and still out turn-overing him. Sotuto, until his injury, for ex. I really don;t rate - ABs wise. Great player but not one of our top 7 loosies
Boshier has scored a few tries in SRA.
Some like 7s who fetch and 6s who smash and crash.
In more recent times TWM seem to prefer hybrids?
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@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Machpants said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I think every squad people post should be prefixed with either 'what I'd pick' versus 'what will be picked' often a big difference. We've got a coach who got in on a ‘continuity and experience’ ticket, I can see him picking a ‘continuity and experience’ team - recently the ABs coaches went for form rather than experience. Maybe that didn’t work so well at RWC in their minds. Expecially after many years of trusting experience did so well for them? So I think we will see very conservative selections, but I hope they are bold
There's absolutely no reason why in this of all years a "form over experience" approach shouldn't be tried for most positions. If you look at the guys currently playing well, they're all pretty young guys either at the beginning of the SR or AB careers and who are likely to be at their peaks in 2023. Now is the perfect opportunity to take a punt on some of these guys and set them on the path to be the incumbents for 2023.
This is the one problem with 2 year contracts, I am not sure incentives are aligned for this approach. I don't believe the priority for Foster will be to develop through 2023, his first priority is to win, especially given that he does not know how many chances he is going to get in the next two seasons. Not saying there will be no new caps this year just think he will pay a lot of attention to experience and combinations.
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@barbarian said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Machpants said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Or the Ozzies play them all over here, only they quarantine (their country fucked up, not ours) and we can have full crowds.
If they can share revenue then that could be an option.
I think RA would rather have two games here (one in Bris, one in Syd perhaps) so at least they can pull in some cash.
Would have to think that goes without saying.
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@pakman said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Boshier has scored a few tries in SRA.
Some like 7s who fetch and 6s who smash and crash.
In more recent times TWM seem to prefer hybrids?
Boshier is more a 6.5 even though he has a no.6 on his jersey. He is one of the best over the ball in SRA and is useful in the lineout due to his height.
Both Boshier and Papali'i have scored 4 tries, second behind Jordan on the try scoring list.
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@Snowy said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Both Boshier and Papali'i have scored 4 tries
Papali'i has scored 5, unfortunately A Smith was playing soccer at the time so it was deemed hand ball.
You have a bias towards the team you support
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Someone mentioned a couple of weeks back a suspicion that Papali'i was "heavy footed" and having watched him, it's true. He really plods along the ground. May lack the foot speed to be a top level international loose forward
Hits like a truck though. The Blues are stacked with forwards who just want to hurt you every time you touch the ball.
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@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Someone mentioned a couple of weeks back a suspicion that Papali'i was "heavy footed" and having watched him, it's true. He really plods along the ground. May lack the foot speed to be a top level international loose forward
Hits like a truck though. The Blues are stacked with forwards who just want to hurt you every time you touch the ball.
Looked pretty fast for the breakaway try that got called back
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@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Someone mentioned a couple of weeks back a suspicion that Papali'i was "heavy footed" and having watched him, it's true. He really plods along the ground. May lack the foot speed to be a top level international loose forward
Hits like a truck though. The Blues are stacked with forwards who just want to hurt you every time you touch the ball.
Whilst I agree with all of that, I'm not sure that it matters, depending on the mix. England have had some very effective loosies of the same ilk. Hill and Dayglow spring to mind.
