Super Rugby 2022
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New Zealand's Super Rugby Pacific franchises have an extra training partner this year.
As part of a New Zealand Rugby initiative, referees from the New Zealand pool of Super Rugby referees no longer have to train alone.
The Blues have Brendon Pickerill running with them. There is one catch - he won't referee any Blues games this year.
Around the rest of the country, Mike Fraser will be based with the Chiefs, Ben O'Keeffe with the Hurricanes, Paul Williams links up with the Crusaders and James Doleman will join the Highlanders. In every case, no referee will officiate their respective teams. -
yeah, dont mind that
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@antipodean Wait how the fuck was that a forward pass
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@kiwi_expat lol you have to be a troll account, surely.
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@kiwi_expat said in Super Rugby 2022:
Blues, Hurricanes, Chiefs, and Highlanders all have superior and more talented midfield options than Crusaders.
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@bones said in Super Rugby 2022:
@kiwi_expat said in Super Rugby 2022:
Blues, Hurricanes, Chiefs, and Highlanders all have superior and more talented midfield options than Crusaders.
it's one of the better wind-ups in Fern history.
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I'm not sure if you're being serious here? they fit into Razor's system well enough but Ennor, Havili, Goodhue, McCleod, Punivai are all quite limited players. They are either far too lightweight, too passive and slow, or defensively poor.
The other franchises have considerably more talented, dynamic, faster & larger midfield options.
Chiefs: Anton Lienert-Brown (102kg), Alex Nankivell (98kg), Quinn Tupaea (102kg), Gideon Wrampling (101kg), Rameka Poihipi (105kg - has been the standout midfielder for Canterbury, Punivai & McCleod have been woeful).
Highlanders: Thomas Umaga-Jenson (107kg), Ngatungane Punivai (102kg), Scott Gregory (100kg), Fetuli Paea (98kg), Raymond Nu'u (98kg), Patelesio Tomkinson (96kg), Josh Timu.
Hurricanes: Jordie Barrett (102kg), Peter Umaga-Jensen (103kg), Billy Proctor (97kg), Bailyn Sullivan (98kg), Teihorangi Walden (96kg).
Blues: Reiko Ioane (103kg), Tanielu Te'ela (107kg), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (98kg), Bryce Heem (103kg), Tamati Tua (98kg), Corey Evans (96kg).
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@kiwi_expat surely you could acknowledge 3 of the 5 lightweight/pass/slow midfielders the saders have are All Blacks.....and so this opinion might be not a universal fact
surely you cant be surprised
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okay, we are getting somewhere
Foster isn't the problem, picking too many shit Crusaders is the problem. Limited, light slow Crusaders
That all played tests this year, but weren't the reason we lost.
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@kiwiwomble - It's Foster trying to put square pegs in round holes under Foster's vastly inferior system.
All Blacks side full of 'character' could use some more talent in search of new identity
We are gathering further evidence that this approach will end the same way. Right now Foster is just proving Scott Robertson is a better coach by rolling out his Crusaders players but with inferior results.
This article from Ben Smith basically summarizes what I've long argued previously.
Razor's innovative and resourceful systems & structures get the most out of relatively limited players - Foster then takes those same limited players and substitutes them directly into his (much less effective...) systems and people wonder why it doesn't exactly work out seamlessly.
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@kiwi_expat Really? 3 All Black midfielders in the squad and somehow they have the least talented midfield in the comp? You didn't include Leicester Fainga'nuku either who probably should have been capped by now at the very least (he's certainly good enough).
Come on, I know you're trying to prop up your pro Razor agenda (and you make some decent points along the way), but come on, this is a poor argument.
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@african-monkey thats a bloody good point
and also doesn't address things like of the Highlanders world beating midfield....two had season ending injuries, two other looks passable at NPC level and the other two have been used much more on the wing at super level and sio will kill someone of get carded....and that probably the only fact in this thread
i actually agree that maybe they can look better than they are because of how razor had the team playing....but im not going as far as saying its a fact theyre shit
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@kiwiwomble said in Super Rugby 2022:
i actually agree that maybe they can look better than they are because of how razor had the team playing....but im not going as far as saying its a fact theyre shit
Maybe? It's quite obvious the team appears far greater than the sum of their parts when they're performing at their best.
I remember a while back Squidge did an analysis of different club side's structures/systems & overall team cohesion. The Crusaders metrics were literally off the charts under Robertson and additionally exceeded the best results from other sporting codes as well.
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@kiwi_expat it might also be the other way around too, fozzies game plan making them look worse than they are
almost certainly a bit of both
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Crusaders MF options are not that small
Goodhue 187 cm 105 kg
McLeod. 197 cm 101 kg
Punivai. 189 cm 100kg
Ennor 187 cm 95 kg
Havilli 188 cm. 90 kg being the smallest.Compare pretty well, then if Leicester Fainga'anuku is classed as a potential centre were he played a bit for the Crusaders last season he is a big unit at 188cm 109 kg
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Goodhue is 100kg, look on their website. McLeod 99kg, Ennor 94kg.
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@kiwi_expat said in Super Rugby 2022:
Goodhue is 100kg, look on their website
No he is bigger now that is pre last season stats he's been doing some power up work.Help out his ACL he injured and quads.
