All Blacks XV 2022
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@TheMojoman said in All Blacks XV:
@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
I guess Heem is someone who could really "fill a role". Only going off super, but he was a pretty safe pick in whatever position he was selected and does cover from 12 out potentially. Perhaps if they're looking at a Jordie 12 type player, he could be fairly like-for-like?
He must be the 2nd winger though given Telea is the only specialist winger? Sullivan has played a bit of wing but clearly 13 is his best position.
I reckon Stevenson would’ve been a better pick given the nature of this team.
AJ Lam plays wing for the Blues.
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@SBW1 said in All Blacks XV:
@Tim Levi Aumua named, that means he is locked in to represent the Abs at some stage, thought he wouldn't be considered due to playing for MP. Glad he has been chosen, he is a big power centre.
He can't be called up into ABs, but this is a non capture team so no problem.
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
I guess Heem is someone who could really "fill a role".
So why not pick Savea? He's even a year younger.
They've missed a trick by not selecting Thompson. It would be nice to have a hooker in the mix with some size, like Marx. Bell isn't any bigger than Eklund.
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@Machpants said in All Blacks XV:
@SBW1 said in All Blacks XV:
@Tim Levi Aumua named, that means he is locked in to represent the Abs at some stage, thought he wouldn't be considered due to playing for MP. Glad he has been chosen, he is a big power centre.
He can't be called up into ABs, but this is a non capture team so no problem.
MP isn't a capture team either, so playing for either team is no problem.
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
I guess Heem is someone who could really "fill a role". Only going off super, but he was a pretty safe pick in whatever position he was selected and does cover from 12 out potentially. Perhaps if they're looking at a Jordie 12 type player, he could be fairly like-for-like?
Here's my guess. They really want a midfielder/wing on the bench and they are unsure about the options in the full squad.
Ennor is a decent wing, who isn't in his best form, and hasn't played well in midfield for the ABs
LF does a couple of things well but there some gaps in his skills
RTS is raw
AJ is another option in this squad but he would need time in midfield at SR level
If none of those guys kick on, Heem might become the specialist reserve in the 23. He does that specific role better than the others right now. The others have more potential but time is running out
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:
So why not pick Savea?
Because Heem is better and actually good in all the positions he covers?
Nothing against Heem, as he will do a job, but I don't see his selection as being one for the future.
And Savea has actually played much better than I thought he could this season. My comment would be the same if he was selected.
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@Bovidae are a number of selections in this and the main squad, with no eye on the future.
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@taniwharugby or the ‘future’ only extends to the next 6-9 months
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On the midfielders - if you go back to the business end of Super rugby, it seems like most of the guys who were mainly starting have either made the squads or are injured or are not that good. From memory:
Blues - RTS, Heem, Rieko
Chiefs - Nankivell, Tupaea, ALB
Canes - Jordie, Sullivan (+ Proctor, Savea and PUJ)
Crusaders - Havili, Goodhue, Ennor
Highlanders - (+TUJ, Gregory, Paea)
MP - AumuaI'm probably forgetting a couple, but the only guy from this list who's a bit surprising to miss is Thomas U-J and I'm somewhat guessing he's injured. People are talking about his brother, but for whatever reasons Peter was stuck behind Billy Proctor for most of the season and if you can't push Billy out the way then it's not surprising you're not making the higher teams.
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@ACT-Crusader well 12 months I expect, but I guess thats the point.
Seems plenty of straws being grasped after an interesting last 36 months or so of rugby.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks XV:
@Bovidae are a number of selections in this and the main squad, with no eye on the future.
I posted a few days back that I thought the team would end up a messy mish-mash of recent ABs, rewards for recent play and future prospects. I didn't quite think there would be so many projects in the squad whos selection seems to be as an incentive to stay around.
I would have preferred more focus on our locking stocks and a bit more of an eye to RWC 'backups' if we consider the main squad as fairly locked in.
To me these teams should be the Seconds with a handful along for the experience ride, but obviously the plans are a bit different here.
I just find it very weird that it is considered that the Crusaders have half of the top 6 hookers in the country, 5 of the best props and 4 of the best locks. Smacks of Jase Ryan marking his own work.
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@Duluth said in All Blacks XV:
@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
I guess Heem is someone who could really "fill a role". Only going off super, but he was a pretty safe pick in whatever position he was selected and does cover from 12 out potentially. Perhaps if they're looking at a Jordie 12 type player, he could be fairly like-for-like?
Here's my guess. They really want a midfielder/wing on the bench and they are unsure about the options in the full squad.
Ennor is a decent wing, who isn't in his best form, and hasn't played well in midfield for the ABs
LF does a couple of things well but there some gaps in his skills
RTS is raw
AJ is another option in this squad but he would need time in midfield at SR level
If none of those guys kick on, Heem might become the specialist reserve in the 23. He does that specific role better than the others right now. The others have more potential but time is running out
I don't mind Heem at all but I think something must have gone pretty badly wrong with All Black succession planning etc if the coaches did turn to him. I don't think he should have made this team. Pohipi would have been a better bet. Nankivell hasn't been playing as well as he has in the past either.
I don't like Brewis or Bell being selected as they are mainly bench players. Tyrone Thompson has to be unlucky. Ollie Norris would have been a better bet too (even though I know he's been playing a lot on the bench too, but he has more SR experience). Hodgman omission is a bizarre one.
I've liked what I saw of Gardener but Lio-Willie is a head scratcher. If it was only a couple of iffy Canterbury/Crusader selections then that would be fine, but so many really make it look like a joke honestly. It reeks of nepotism.
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im as keen to jump on the crusaders favoritism as anyone...stupid crusaders with all their winning and shit...but Lio-willie hasn't even played for them yet, he's been picked based on outperforming in an underperforming Otago team...its actually a cased of the Crusaders and AB's have seen the same promising signs in him...im just gutted the highlanders let him go
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I dont know how I managed to mangle a Socts/Irish name with a Maori pronunciation.
But for several years, in my head ,I have been pronouncing McWhannel's name with a Maori ''F'.
Been injured so often, I never heard it corrected in commentary for a few years
It was so weird to hear his name in commentary, the other day, pronounced with a 'W', rather than as Mac Fannel.
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@Kiwiwomble What does that matter if he's played for them or not yet?
It's clearly a benefit to the Crusaders as a whole when their players are all getting paid a little extra for going on this junket. They're obviously getting extra development as well, not to mention being on the fast track to the ABs.
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@Frye i guess i dont buy into the whole tin foil hat ness of just having your names associated with the crusaders...thought its was more a case of you're viewed more favorably playing in a winning team when players playing better for a loosing team get overlooked
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@Frye Yeah - even as a Crusaders' supporter, the optics look a bit wrong.
About the only rationale you can apply to the Hodgman non-selection, is they've picked de Groot, Bower and Ofa for the ABs. They've got Ross more highly rated, Moody to return - so in the here and now, Alex is (at best) their No. 6 loosehead and they're unlikely to need to turn to him next year, so they're investing in the future with Williams and Brewis. Still pretty unlucky I think.
They've got 6 midfielders (including Jordie) in the AB squad + Goodhue and Tupaea injured, so the best of the AB XV midfielders is presumably 9th in line. Heem might be 12th.
Bell has been getting rave reviews as the way of the future, so I don't mind him over Thompson (who is still a bit unlucky) - it's just all the other Crusaders being there, makes it seem a bit off.
I haven't watched much of Canterbury inb this year's NPC, but I wasn't hugely impressed with Gardiner in Super. I'm not sure I've ever seen Lio-Willie play - I guess Ryan thought it was a coup pinching him off the Highlanders.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks XV:
@taniwharugby or the ‘future’ only extends to the next 6-9 months
Haven't been following closely but I thought that was the whole idea of this squad? To work out whos next off the rank come RWC time should one (or more) of the top squad players come a cropper.
