All Blacks 2021
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2021:
@tim Reiko Ioane is a dangerman at Centre who is tough to defend against and creates chances for the players around him.
Unless Foster is able to come up with tactics to get around the rush defence - which is becoming very clear - Rieko Ioane is apparently the only answer we have to that question
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
ALB is our centre right? Only way I can't see that happening is if they don't select Havili.
He's a definite starter. I think there's two pairings the coaches will want to look at seriously:
DH/ALB
ALB/RIThe first is brand new but has more of a traditional 2nd 5.
The second has been used a few times late in games and started the North/South game.
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@duluth said in All Blacks 2021:
@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
ALB is our centre right? Only way I can't see that happening is if they don't select Havili.
He's a definite starter. I think there's two pairings the coaches will want to look at seriously:
DH/ALB
ALB/RIThe first is brand new but has more of a traditional 2nd 5.
The second has been used a few times late in games and started the North/South game.
great call.
And the preference is probably down to what the gameplan is. If they want to attack, then RI may get the nod ... if defensive reads are the priority, then probably the other.
Also will depend on how they scrub up in training camp, the vision they show, and how quickly they learn the midfield defense. What I don't want to see is chopping and changing - and that would drive me to ALB/RI as our medium term midfield combo
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@duluth said in All Blacks 2021:
@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
ALB is our centre right? Only way I can't see that happening is if they don't select Havili.
He's a definite starter. I think there's two pairings the coaches will want to look at seriously:
DH/ALB
ALB/RIThe first is brand new but has more of a traditional 2nd 5.
The second has been used a few times late in games and started the North/South game.
I reckon we’ll have both in the same game quite often too.
I’d say we’ll see Rieko wearing 23 and coming on at center with Havili (or ALB) going off.
Another option would be to have Rieko on the wing and a power option off the bench (such as Lester).
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I expect there will be some rotation for these 3 tests to give some players the opportunity to impress. For example, give both Mo'unga and BB a start in tests 1 and 2.
I would hope, however, that the team that plays Fiji in Hamilton is close to their best XV (or 23) looking ahead to the RC.
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2021:
If they want to attack, then RI may get the nod ... if defensive reads are the priority, then probably the other.
I'm not sure the defence is that clear cut.
Ioane had a shocking game on defence against the Chiefs but I think a lot of that was Plummer struggling with Tupaea and RI having to turn in. However Ioane has defended well when paired with TJ
Havili had a shocker against the Brumbies and missed 5 tackles
The defence will come down to which pairing gets an understanding the fastest
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That’s an excellent point, Havili is still really learning at 12 too, despite his (overall) very strong form.
I think we’ll see it in one of the first tests as Havili seems to be a good fall back option for Mo’unga, and I mean that in a good way.
Perhaps having another playmaker next to him helps him go up a level, and for Mo’unga to really stand out at test level he might need that help.
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@duluth he also had a real bad read for the forces first try on the weekend, headed to the right which was already stacked and left a couple of forwards and an overlap on the left
should clarify, still think he has earned a shot, just far from the finished product
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@mackerzzzz said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
Is Boshier not even a lookin this year? Doesn't seem to have much AB luck..
Over who?... every other main all black flanker chance has shown more than he has
Yeah I know. But he is a turnover king...
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@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 said in All Blacks 2021:
bigger
abut 2 cm and a few kilos in it at most I'd have thought, or has Flanders grown since the official stats?
@Stargazer would be the person who probably has the pics from his insta (or someone's) but he is huge this year, looks like he's been on roids.
193cm puts him at the same height as Read and I'd say he's bigger, even if the 'official' stats don't see to indicate that.
For comparison of height, this was the only useful photo I could find on Getty's website (Scrafton is - according to his Hurricanes profile - 7cm taller, but it looks less):
Someone posted this photo from his instagram during preseason (with Jonah Lowe tagging Drugfree Sport NZ in the comments):
ok that is one massive man beast. The photo with Scrafton-further away looks shorter (from photographer's upwards angle) but doesn't look like Scrafton could be much taller.
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@nostrildamus A massive man beast of only 21 years old.
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@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus A massive man beast of only 21 years old.
looks older!
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus A massive man beast of only 21 years old.
looks older!
HGH does that
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@toddy It's true that in the later part of the season, he has been cramping up after about an hour, but I don't know what games you've been watching, but he has a huge workrate. Just look at his tackle stats of some games. It may drop off gradually during a game when he's tiring, of course. The cramping may indeed have to do with him having some extra weight, but also with him being a young pup still adjusting to the higher intensity of training and games at SR level (esp SRA). While you may see me complaining when he's not getting a start, it may actually be a good idea to manage his workload properly.
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@stargazer His cramping might just well be because has to do extra duties to provide cover for the regular periods of ten minute rest breaks D. Kirifi takes on the sideline during matches.
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@toddy said in All Blacks 2021:
Flanders does seem to cramp up early in the second half and it's not like he has a huge work rate. Wonder if his body is still adjusting to packing on quite a bit weight over the off&pre season.
I think he has a good work rate [but doesn’t necessarily feature on both sides of the ball]. For his last five games:
Second for tackles against the Brumbies (14)
First for tackles against the Rebels (10)
Second for tackles against the Tahs (13)
Run leader for the forwards against the landers (9) and equal defenders beaten (4) with 6 tackles in 53 minutes
Led the forwards for runs and metres against the Chiefs (7, 39) with 3 defenders beaten and 2 offloads, plus 7 tacklesI dont think he is there yet, but I wouldn’t be shocked to hear his name read out either.
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@higgins said in All Blacks 2021:
@stargazer His cramping might just well be because has to do extra duties to provide cover for the regular periods of ten minute rest breaks D. Kirifi takes
on theduring matches.sidelineFIFY
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