AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?
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@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@taniwharugby I guess, but for previous tours for a very long time there have always been confirmed fixtures before the squad's named.
This is not like previous years. The biggest winner of the 2020 year is the word "unprecedented".
We are still able to have an All Blacks squad.
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@Snowy said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@taniwharugby I guess, but for previous tours for a very long time there have always been confirmed fixtures before the squad's named.
This is not like previous years. The biggest winner of the 2020 year is the word "unprecedented".
We are still able to have an All Blacks squad.
Yes, but until there is opposition (which hopefully will be confirmed soon) this is a training squad.
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@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky Ioane only burst onto the scene 3-4 years ago. He must be in his mid-20s. Yet you speak of him like he's 30 years plus and/or coming back from a knee injury.
He is 23. Played Centre at School/Under 20. Started pro-Rugby on the Wing. Was oustanding in 2017. Had some calf/hamstring problems in 2018 and 2019. Now says he prefers 13. Looking good there.
Thanks for the player bio. How about explaining how or why he's no longer fast enough to play wing, in your opinion?
I'd guarantee he's quicker than Ben Smith was the last few years, quicker than CJ at his peak etc etc.
I have a suspicion that speed is not the reason at all.
No one will admit this type of flaw publicly but I suspect that if you analysed his natural play on the wing you can also work out how to shut him down easily. It could be a body position thing or a one way step or an initial movement.
Good defensive coaches pour over tapes to find these flaws and neutralise good players.
Those same attributes may not show up when playing without the sideline as a defender or when taking the ball on running lines.
Just a possibilityTBH, sounds like bollocks, most super coaches couldn't shut him down last year even when he had a niggle and he was barely given any ball at international level for the theory to be tested there.
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@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Good defensive coaches pour over tapes to find these flaws and neutralise good players.
No.
That’s a pore error.
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@Snowy said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@taniwharugby I guess, but for previous tours for a very long time there have always been confirmed fixtures before the squad's named.
This is not like previous years. The biggest winner of the 2020 year is the word "unprecedented".
We are still able to have an All Blacks squad.
I'd like to see them name a team on Thursday as well regardless of whether there is a game on.
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@Billy-Tell said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Good defensive coaches pour over tapes to find these flaws and neutralise good players.
No.
That’s a pore error.
I was time poor
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@Billy-Tell said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Good defensive coaches pour over tapes to find these flaws and neutralise good players.
No.
That’s a pore error.
Dog goes into an old western bar and says......
‘I’m looking for the man who shot my pore’
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@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Sparky's 23 to take on Whoever:
Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Whitelock, Tuipulotu, Frizell, Cane (c), Sotutu, A. Smith, Mo'unga, C. Clarke, ALB, R. Ioane, Jordan, J. Barrett
Coles, Hodgman, Ofa T, Strange or Grace, A. Savea, TJP, B. Barrett, Goodhue
Nothing really screams Fozzie about this squad, I am still of the opinion he will be very conservative with first match
Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Whitelock, Tuipulotu, Frizell, Cane (c), Savea, A. Smith, Mo'unga, Bridge, ALB, Goodhue, Reece, B. Barrett
Coles, Hodgman, Ofa , Strange. Sotutu, TJP, J. Barrett, R. IaoneNew blood will be introduced via the bench or through injury as usual.
The locks will rotate on the pine and I can see Savea playing cover while the likes of Sotutu are given a start.
Lomax and Hodgman will get some bench roles too.
The starting changes should be ditching Bridge and Reece (who have been fizzers IMO) and establishing Clarke and Jordan.First, I hope this is the case, but based on Plum's comments yesterday I think they'll start conservatively with Ardie at 8 and then look to bring in Hoskins after that (maybe in test 2, 3 or 4 depending upon how Ardie goes). To my mind, a lot depends upon how Frizell / Akira go at 6. If they're not doing the business then we may be forced to play Ardie there, which leaves us no choice but to throw Hoskins in.
Second, couldn't agree more. Clarke and Jordan could not have been more dynamic the other day when compared to what we've had to our up with Reece and Carthorse Mark II.
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@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0
I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.
Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.
So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.
My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.
How's that going to happen - Clarke and Rieko both play left wing?
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@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0
I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.
Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.
So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.
My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.
How's that going to happen - Clarke and Rieko both play left wing?
I didn't know there was a rule that wings are only ever allowed to play one side.
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One thing that people seem to missing in the debate about whether Rieko should be a centre / wing or a wing / centre, is that the midfield mix currently chosen. There's not specialist 12 there, which suggests to me that ALB (at least) and Goodhue (probably) may be seen as primarily 12s for this current squad and Rieko and Ennor as primarily 13s.
What this means for the match day squad, I'm not sure, but the selectors may be leaning towards the ALB-Ioane or Goodhue-Ennor midfield combinations rather than the one that started last year's RWC semi (which they've seen and which I think we can all agree was a bit meh).
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@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0
I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.
Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.
So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.
My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.
How's that going to happen - Clarke and Rieko both play left wing?
I didn't know there was a rule that wings are only ever allowed to play one side.
You must have missed the comments yesterday about picking specialists.
