2021 Crusaders
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This is the Crusaders Development XV that is currently playing the Highlanders Bravehearts.
Oliver Jager is back playing.
Crusaders Development XV to play Highlanders Bravehearts:
1 Isileli Tu’ungafasi
2 Shilo Klein
3 Oli Jager
4 Will Tucker
5 Caleb Aperahama
6 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta
7 Mitch Gibson
8 Matt Letoga
9 Ereatara Enari
10 Brett Cameron
11 Manasa Mataele
12 Tim O’Malley
13 Isaiah Punivai
14 Cam Bailey
15 Josh McKayRESERVES:
16 Sam Stewart
17 Conan O’Donnell
18 Tamaiti Williams
19 Antonio Shalfoon
20 Liam Allen
21 Braden Stewart
22 Luke Donaldson
23 Alex Harford
24 Taine Robinson
25 Tahu Kaa
26 Rico Syme -
Apart from Ennor and Bridge who is currently injured and for how long out?
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@billy-tell Blackadder and Sanders. Also Makalio.
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@billy-tell Easy to find on the injuries list: https://www.thesilverfern.com/squads
Still have to remove Jager from the injuries, but add Christie from tonight.
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@stargazer said in 2021 Crusaders:
I'm trying to figure out who a certain player is, but my memory is completely failing me. Who's the player to the right (in last year's away jersey opposite Blackadder)? I also see Brendon O'Connor in that clip.
That’s Tom Saunders
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@mofitzy_ I think he has been better in black than people are giving him credit for. They magnify a missed tackle in the SF against England, and forget the things he's done well (including a brilliant tackle on Kolbe in the first RWC pool match).
Mo'unga himself has said that he plays best when he gets freedom and can play what's in front of him, so reasonably unstructured rugby. I'm not overlooking his work-ons, but I think the ABs coaching & game plans, being chained to a (too) dominant BB behind him, maybe having the wrong players around him, may have something to do with how he has played for the ABs as well. I'd love to see how he plays in black when he's unleashed, with players like Havili & Jordan next to and behind him.
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There is an article on stuff today about how he plays best when he's under presssure. Personally this is something I haven't really seen at test match level. It seems to be whenever we have a tough game he makes multiple mistakes in his kicking around the field.
I don't have too much of a problem with his tackling. Any first five will probably miss a few, but it really is a momentum killer when you finally get a penalty to get out of your half, only to boot it dead.
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@bobily2 said in 2021 Crusaders:
I don't have too much of a problem with his tackling. Any first five will probably miss a few, but it really is a momentum killer when you finally get a penalty to get out of your half, only to boot it dead.
To be honest - I don't have much problem with that (Richie kicking the ball dead).
He's very, very aggressive/ambitious with his line kicking from penalties (Mitch Hunt equally so).
I think that philosophy comes from Razor. You're so much better off having a lineout five metres out than 10 metres out - every metre further is exponentially less likely to score from a lineout drive.
The flip side of that is that you're going to miss touch more frequently - than someone who is equally accurate, but more conservative. But, your team is going to score more tries when you hit.
It reminds me of those old days in rugby league where they'd get a penalty and basically boot it parallel to the tryline, because of how frightened they were of missing touch.
Brain dead.
I presume they've worked out that it's better to miss one in 10 and go 40 metres downfield with 9 others? I hardly watch league these days.
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@bobily2 said in 2021 Crusaders:
There is an article on stuff today about how he plays best when he's under presssure. Personally this is something I haven't really seen at test match level. It seems to be whenever we have a tough game he makes multiple mistakes in his kicking around the field.
I think he may actually play well under pressure at test level, if he's not restrained too much by the game plan/structures imposed by the coaches. He didn't have that freedom for the ABs most of the time. I think we can only know how well he plays at test level, if they change that (and as I said, a few different selections around him). "Mo'unga unleased" is definitely something I'd like to see, but don't think it's going to happen under Foster.
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@chris-b said in 2021 Crusaders:
@bobily2 said in 2021 Crusaders:
I don't have too much of a problem with his tackling. Any first five will probably miss a few, but it really is a momentum killer when you finally get a penalty to get out of your half, only to boot it dead.
To be honest - I don't have much problem with that (Richie kicking the ball dead).
He's very, very aggressive/ambitious with his line kicking from penalties (Mitch Hunt equally so).
I think that philosophy comes from Razor. You're so much better off having a lineout five metres out than 10 metres out - every metre further is exponentially less likely to score from a lineout drive.
The flip side of that is that you're going to miss touch more frequently - than someone who is equally accurate, but more conservative. But, your team is going to score more tries when you hit.
It reminds me of those old days in rugby league where they'd get a penalty and basically boot it parallel to the tryline, because of how frightened they were of missing touch.
Brain dead.
I presume they've worked out that it's better to miss one in 10 and go 40 metres downfield with 9 others? I hardly watch league these days.
How often has it worked out in tight games? I think I remember at least 3 times in tough games he's kicked it dead, not to mention other kicking mistakes in those games too. I think there are times for high risk plays, but I don't think you can rely on them when it matters.
There are going to be some games where momentum is against you, and in those situations a penalty and a chance to get up the field can halt that and swing things around (regardless of whether you score off that play or not). However, one thing that will assure you'll stay under the pump is kicking the ball dead.
If you get fifty penalty kicks to touch each game then maybe it works out better off, but if you're playing England or South Africa, you might only get 3 or 4 good attacking opportunities the whole game and to have one of those wasted makes quite a big difference.
Perhaps this is one of those strategies that works out a bit better at SR level than a Championship clincher, or RWC playoff game.
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@stargazer A lesson that has stuck with me.
After we lost the 1991 RWC game to Australia, Simon Poidevin said that he knew he could just ignore Fox and Bernie McCahill and chase straight for Craig Innes, because the former two were just going to shovel it onwards. Kieran Crowley also offered little running threat.
I have a strong recollection as the game was slipping away that Foxy actually sold a dummy and ran and the field opened up in front of him, because this was so totally unexpected.
Infortunately, Foxy's little legs carried him along about as fast as Granddad's Model T and the cover mowed him down.
You need to have lots of threats, so that the defence can't just double team your few big weapons.
A problem with the selections of the past few years is that our backline threats have diminished compared to the hey-days of Nonu, Savea, Ben Smith, younger SBW, Beaudy, etc.
Things are moving in the right direction - if we have Clarke, Jordan and Beauden as our back three. If Rieko would come right at centre, he can offer more attacking threat than ALB or Jack, and there might even be a role for Laumape.
All of which should provide Richie with more space to work his magic.
