Rebels vs Highlanders
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@Kiwiwomble said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@Machpants said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@Kiwiwomble said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@Machpants i honestly think its just as much we dont have the weapons to back him up if he does run...and he knows it, so he's playing "safer", feed someone for a small hit up and make sure he's there to feed the next one...and the next one. If he runs he risks getting isolated and possibly at the bottom of a ruck
OK that’s a fair point!
just to elaborate, if you go back to when we had guys like osbourne/naholo/fekitoa and smith....nug ran loads...loved the blind side snipe...but he had at least one of those guys on his shoulder....the closest we have now is TUJ or MMT, the former plays much wider so harder for nug to get too...and the latter loves to run from deep up the middle more than on the fringe...we're a different team in both style and just skill level
Fakatva is running though, and doing it effectively.
I was going to make the case that he could do this because he's a bigger and faster unit, but all the preliminary data that google throws up suggests that while Fakatava is 3 inches taller than Smith, he's 3kgs lighter at 80kgs!!!
FFS.
Skinny little Fakatava!!!
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If the Highlanders had more talent and leadership we would be in a position to have Aaron off the bench, closing out games. It is just at the moment he simply has to be there running the cutter.
The club is in a pretty sad state at the moment.
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@Chris-B no argument the younger guy probably has a couple of extra yards of pace...but he also came on against a tiring and team almost certainly with a order to score tries because we were chasing the game
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@Kiwiwomble I guess my point is that (without having watched the Highlanders avidly) Fakatava is a guy who runs frequently and the team seems able to accommodate that. I'm guessing that's the case even when he's started.
TBH it wouldn't be the stupidest move for Tony Brown to roll the dice and start Fakatava against the Blues. Give them something different to contend with than what they expect.
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@Chris-B ive love to find out the fakatava and koroi had been training together all season and strated next week like world beaters...we can dream
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@Kiwiwomble You guys are clearly not going to win if you play the same way you have for the last several weeks, so I'd be pretty inclined to start with that pairing - rather than Smith/Banks.
If Frizell is fit, he has to start. There's no point bringing him on when the Blues are 30 points ahead. Not sure who or what else you guys have in the cupboard?
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@nzzp Agreed about the ability to find the player and he is still NZ's No.1 (no argument there) but I don't think he tests defenses around the fringe anymore and teams can fan out on defense with this knowledge. At least he is getting a lot of practice behind a pack that isn't dominant. He might need that if the ABs don't change things up.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
That fullback for the Rebels, Nick Jooste, played a very good game. Runs hard, has size, covers the ground well and has good timing coming into the line.
Everything Hodge isn't.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
if browny called me today and asked me to play im 10% turning up
You don't do things by halves eh 🤣
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Fakatava is a better runner than Smith and doesn't have the same distribution skills. I imagine that's why he runs more.
If Smith is going to change his style at the moment to accommodate the odd snipe then the ability to pick out a runner anywhere in traffic will take a hit. Can't be looking both ways eh.
