All Blacks 2021
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I recently subscribed to "TheXV" (paywalled) mainly as Nick Bishop is publishing some premium rugby analysis which is better than anyone I have read. If you haven't read his pieces, his main gig is as a pro analyst currently working for Stuart Lancaster and Leinster. As you can imagine, his pieces are backed up with detailed stats and videos ... no opinion stuff or clickbait, he really knows his stuff.
Anyway he wrote a recent piece analysing (and praising) the AB backrow balance he sees in Savea, Papilii and Akira Ioane. Can't publish the whole thing as too long + copyright, tonnes of stats and embedded video analysis but here's his summary -
"THE New Zealand coaches have obviously found a back-row combination they like in the absence of captain Sam Cane, with Aucklanders Dalton Papalii and Akira Ioane book-ending Hurricane Ardie Savea at number 8. It may not be Read-Kaino-McCaw quite yet, but there are some green shoots of promise and a sense of genuinely complementary roles. Papalii has an enormous appetite for work on defence and at cleanout time, and shows signs of developing a good relationship with Savea on both sides of the ball.
The real enigma is Akira Ioane at number 6. His lineout work is developing nicely and he can run and handle as well as any big man in New Zealand, to the extent that he routinely plays as the widest of the back-rowers on attack. He is often trusted with making the link to the first back on defence. With the Pumas and the world champion Springboks looming, tougher tests of his mettle in the tight work and in a tighter game await. The likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen, Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer will test his physical application to the limit, and beyond"
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@landp He does a lot of really good stuff for free on theroar.com.au
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Of the three missing, Whitelock is the player whose position we have some depth in.
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@Duluth Stuff links not terminated with a / seem to be improperly embedded.
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@machpants Yeah I first came across him on the Roar. Really a pro, makes most writers look like idiots. Also joins the conversations in a very balanced way.
His articles in TheXV are up a notch or two. I subscribed to check out his stuff, it's £1 a month only. Other writers are a mixed bag some good some dross. Nick's stuff is top drawer. He has an article on the NZ second row ie Retallic and Whitelock.
He analyses like a pro. All about the tactics and how units work within the team. I know all this but only as background to watching a team. He does it for a living.
I notice he never writes or comments on Irish rugby, obviously because that's his day job. No hints.
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@bovidae said in All Blacks 2021:
Of the three missing, Whitelock is the player whose position we have some depth in.
You'd think that with NZ having been in lockdown for several weeks, and Whitelock and Mo'unga (and Smith) living in the South Island, which hasn't had any cases, it wouldn't be unreasonable if they got an exemption of managed isolation in Queensland. But will they?
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@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
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@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
Yep signs are there Qld going into lockdown by Monday IMO.
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@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
Yep signs are there Qld going into lockdown by Monday IMO.
Jesus what a mess, I wonder if they can still squeeze it into Europe
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@machpants said in All Blacks 2021:
@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
Yep signs are there Qld going into lockdown by Monday IMO.
Jesus what a mess, I wonder if they can still squeeze it into Europe
Best chance to carry on I think.This idiot truck driver is loaded up on Covid and runs around in the community for ages.
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@machpants said in All Blacks 2021:
@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
Yep signs are there Qld going into lockdown by Monday IMO.
Jesus what a mess, I wonder if they can still squeeze it into Europe
10 day quarantine in the UK if I'm not mistaken. Not sure about Ireland and France.
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@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@machpants said in All Blacks 2021:
@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer Qld could be going into lockdown very soon after today's positive case. Not sure what this means for the RC but it could potentially be cancelled/postponed. Europe was always the better option imo.
Yep signs are there Qld going into lockdown by Monday IMO.
Jesus what a mess, I wonder if they can still squeeze it into Europe
10 day quarantine in the UK if I'm not mistaken. Not sure about Ireland and France.
Nope, Australia is on the green list, covid test before and one on day 2, no quarantine required.
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