All Blacks 2021

taniwharugby

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

Brad Weber, Mitchell Drummond/Finlay Christie.

ACT Crusader

@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:

@booboo said in All Blacks 2021:

Liam Napier reporting ALB has surgery on elbow. Can't read article to see how long he's gone.

#booboo'ed by @Tim

Glad ALB is getting a rest. Magnificent player. We'll need him when we play the Boks.

Oh no, not the Boks. It won’t matter who we have playing, because the Boks (and English) are super human, massive, run over freight trains for breakfast.

cgrant

I am not sold on Bower. He did struggle at scrum time vs the Rebels, which does not augur well. He is not a bad prop but is not of international calibre IMO.
Tonga and Fiji do not represent big threats for the ABs so it could be a good opportunity to test young and promising props such as Aidan Ross and/or Ethan de Groot, who both have the physique to compete at the highest level.

booboo

@act-crusader said in All Blacks 2021:

@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:

@booboo said in All Blacks 2021:

Liam Napier reporting ALB has surgery on elbow. Can't read article to see how long he's gone.

#booboo'ed by @Tim

Glad ALB is getting a rest. Magnificent player. We'll need him when we play the Boks.

Oh no, not the Boks. It won’t matter who we have playing, because the Boks (and English) are super human, massive, run over freight trains for breakfast.

Thought you were @bones for a second there ...

Tim

@cgrant Bower should be nowhere near an AB team. Average super rugby player. Rubbish at test level.

Tim

@cgrant De Groot is also way off test level. Would get pinged for pulling back immediately.

Chris

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

@cgrant Bower should be nowhere near an AB team. Average super rugby player. Rubbish at test level.

Bower will be in the squad Monday night.

sparky

AB team then for First test. I'd rest Aaron Smith.

Karl T
Taylor
Laulala
Whitelock (c)
Retallick
A. Ioane
A. Savea
H. Sotutu
B. Weber
R. Mo'unga
Leicester Fainga'anuku
Havili
R. Ioane
W. Jordan
J. Barrett
Aumua
Hodgman
????? Newell, maybe Angus T
S. Barrett
Papalii
Drummond
B. Barrett
P Umaga-Jensen

Tim

@chris Fair enough, but I can't see anything he does well enough to be there.

Machpants

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

@cgrant Bower should be nowhere near an AB team. Average super rugby player. Rubbish at test level.

Which test match are you basing that off?

Tim

@machpants He doesn't stand out at all at NPC or Super Rugby. Obviously going to be a non-entity at test level, if he gets on the field.

Chris

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

@chris Fair enough, but I can't see anything he does well enough to be there.

Unconvinced myself but I they will pick him.

Tim

@chris Best of luck to him then. Does he cover tighthead particularly well or something? Hodgman was good tonight.

Chris

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

@chris Best of luck to him then. Does he cover tighthead particularly well or something? Hodgman was good tonight.

Better TH than LH I think.
Bower and Williams will have to cover TH for the Crusaders to back up Jager and Newell if needed next season,if the rumours are true about not picking a 7th prop to replace Michael A as they had this season.