All Blacks vs Pumas II
-
Happy with that overall, we were really slick in the first half and could have been up by a lot more.
Jordie was very good at the back, and his kicking from hand and tee make him a massive asset. Strong defense and great under the high ball, he has all the assets to be a world class 15.
DMac was also very good at 10. Just his 2nd start there so still learning the role but he controlled things nicely. Given more time in that position he'll get better at picking when to have a go and when to use his outsides, but his performance was a big plus for mine.
Tupaea is a class act for someone so young. Can see him being a long term prospect at 12.
Samisoni... just wow, what a player. Like Mealamu on steroids. We should put him in the bench against the Boks and give him 20 minutes to wreck havoc. One of our most exciting young talents at the moment.
Rieko is just awesome now that he's back to full fitness. I think in our A team he adds the most value on the wing as we are pretty bare there, but more than happy with him starting at centre as well.
In the forwards Pat T started strong but then waned - probably a specialist bench player at test level. Sotutu showed how good he is in the first half, he was causing them all sorts of problems. Blackadder tried hard but as others have said was pretty inaccurate, which you can't really afford against the top teams.
Foster is building a really strong squad this year. If we go on to smack the Boks them I'm happy to write off last year as it was badly disrupted - it seemed like he just tried to continue with Hansen's plans, whereas this year the selections and game plan have been much better now that he's had time to put his own mark on the team.
Bring on the Boks. I'm almost certain they'll be a lot better against us, so it's going to be one hell of a match.
-
It was pretty damn good for a rotated team. How come the fern was so silent on Will Jordan tonite? If anyone else had overrun in support passed forward missed high ball missed tackle left his station to let a try in lost possession etc they would have been hammered like poor Blackadder and Christie. Ethan gave it his guts. Just needs to improve his accuracy. Bridge and Tupaea were very solid and Dmac was a great provider. But I thought our best were Samisoni and Vaii. The latter does so much graft accurately and effectively. Samisoni just gives so much go forward and physicality with a high work rate.
-
Stuff thought Blackadder went ok
Ethan Blackadder: An absolute statement of a performance. Big engine, and produced some skilful moments when needed – especially with one offload to Hoskins Sotutu. Played at 100 miles an hour, 100 per cent of the time, and completely outpointed some big names in the Pumas’ back row. Has no doubt given the selectors some food for though for next week's 23. 9
-
@Chris Stuff is the absolute last place I go for rugby analysis
-
@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
Stuff thought Blackadder went ok
Ethan Blackadder: An absolute statement of a performance. Big engine, and produced some skilful moments when needed – especially with one offload to Hoskins Sotutu. Played at 100 miles an hour, 100 per cent of the time, and completely outpointed some big names in the Pumas’ back row. Has no doubt given the selectors some food for though for next week's 23. 9
Paul Cully from Christchurch you mean. He gave him a 9 FFS.
As said above, provincialism is alive and well.
-
I should also add I thought Ardie really led from the front on both attack and defense.
-
@kirwan said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
Stuff thought Blackadder went ok
Ethan Blackadder: An absolute statement of a performance. Big engine, and produced some skilful moments when needed – especially with one offload to Hoskins Sotutu. Played at 100 miles an hour, 100 per cent of the time, and completely outpointed some big names in the Pumas’ back row. Has no doubt given the selectors some food for though for next week's 23. 9
Paul Cully from Christchurch you mean. He gave him a 9 FFS.
As said above, provincialism is alive and well.
A good man that Cully.
-
@no-quarter said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
@Chris Stuff is the absolute last place I go for rugby analysis
You are missing out then.
-
@arhs said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
It was pretty damn good for a rotated team. How come the fern was so silent on Will Jordan tonite? If anyone else had overrun in support passed forward missed high ball missed tackle left his station to let a try in lost possession etc they would have been hammered like poor Blackadder and Christie. Ethan gave it his guts. Just needs to improve his accuracy. Bridge and Tupaea were very solid and Dmac was a great provider. But I thought our best were Samisoni and Vaii. The latter does so much graft accurately and effectively. Samisoni just gives so much go forward and physicality with a high work rate.
Seen him live twice this year and have been underwhelmed. Must be a Brisbane thing.
-
@arhs said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
It was pretty damn good for a rotated team. How come the fern was so silent on Will Jordan tonite? If anyone else had overrun in support passed forward missed high ball missed tackle left his station to let a try in lost possession etc they would have been hammered like poor Blackadder and Christie. Ethan gave it his guts. Just needs to improve his accuracy. Bridge and Tupaea were very solid and Dmac was a great provider. But I thought our best were Samisoni and Vaii. The latter does so much graft accurately and effectively. Samisoni just gives so much go forward and physicality with a high work rate.
Jordan made 10 tackles tonight and missed 1 which is a better effort from him, although he conceded 3 turnovers (including one bad drop of a high ball) but he was also probably more effective than Bridge - fewer metres (44 versus 61) but with 1 defender beaten and one offload, and far more passes (6 for Jordan versus 2 for Bridge), so I think he might edge out of the game behind Reece but ahead of Bridge.
Bridge did have a couple of good moments, especially with some of his work under the high ball, and that could be important next week so I wouldn't be surprised to see him included, just for that.
-
-
-
@bones said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
BB looked out of sorts in his time of the bench.
Were D Mac was very good at 10.
I hope Fozzie is not having a brain wave thought for next week.Yeah Beauds return to form didn't last long eh!
Hopefully he’s back next week.
-
@kirwan said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:
Stuff thought Blackadder went ok
Ethan Blackadder: An absolute statement of a performance. Big engine, and produced some skilful moments when needed – especially with one offload to Hoskins Sotutu. Played at 100 miles an hour, 100 per cent of the time, and completely outpointed some big names in the Pumas’ back row. Has no doubt given the selectors some food for though for next week's 23. 9
Paul Cully from Christchurch you mean. He gave him a 9 FFS.
As said above, provincialism is alive and well.
NZ Herald Liam Napier gave Blackadder a good write up and ranking as well.
-
-
Welfare check on @Machpants please.
Surely the ABs are number one in the rankings, right?
-
Marc Hinton liked Blackadder as well quote
“Ethan Blackadder was brilliant, such a fabulous mixture of workrate, industry and hardness, and the likes of Samisoni Taukei’aho, two-try lock Tupou Vaa’i, Hoskins Sotutu and Quinn Tupaea were not far behind him.”
