Foster, Robertson etc
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@KiwiMurph said in Foster:
I think Nonu gets unfairly labelled as a bash and crash merchant but people forget he had wonderful footwork and vision in his running - that was evident right from when he burst on the scene playing wing for Canes in 03 (and obviously this got better and better and more refined as his career went on - especially from 08 onwards).
He was labelled that way early in his career but always had a deadly swerve. Once he was established as the incumbent he brought out more and more skills each year
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Foster:
@No-Quarter said in Foster:
@KiwiMurph said in Foster:
@kiwi_expat said in Foster:
@nzzp said in All Blacks vs Wales:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Wales:
the cupboard is very bare at 12
I still reckon that a well coached Laumape could have been a bloody good 12 at Test level. Just never got his head right at that level I don't think.
Laumape would've fulfilled his potential under Razor, he would've extracted the best out of him for All Blacks.
I call bullshit.
Laumape's game didn't translate to test footy.
Laumape had all the skills - strong, quick, could kick and pass, purely from a physical attributes POV he's the closest we've had to Nonu. What he lacked was the top two inches, just never had the vision to be successful at the top level so was pretty easily shut down. Fantastic at Super level though.
Was he that big or powerful though? Certainly not at test level. I can't recall him bending the line like Nonu used to. In fact Jordie looked far more physical and powerful against Australia than Laumape ever did in the black jersey.
Laumape's neither as bad as his detractors make out nor nearly as good as his supporters claim. He's an absolute nugget of a man and would be a nightmare to defend against, but he seemed to be fairly effectively shut down at test level. He's certainly no Nonu.
He was more similar to slammin Sammy T than Nonu.
Aye? A defensive minded, heaving hitting 2nd 5 that also knew how to throw a very good cut out ball to set up his outsides? I don’t think that is Laumape at all.
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@No-Quarter said in Foster:
@No-Quarter said in Foster:
@KiwiMurph said in Foster:
@kiwi_expat said in Foster:
@nzzp said in All Blacks vs Wales:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Wales:
the cupboard is very bare at 12
I still reckon that a well coached Laumape could have been a bloody good 12 at Test level. Just never got his head right at that level I don't think.
Laumape would've fulfilled his potential under Razor, he would've extracted the best out of him for All Blacks.
I call bullshit.
Laumape's game didn't translate to test footy.
Laumape had all the skills - strong, quick, could kick and pass, purely from a physical attributes POV he's the closest we've had to Nonu. What he lacked was the top two inches, just never had the vision to be successful at the top level so was pretty easily shut down. Fantastic at Super level though.
Was he that big or powerful though? Certainly not at test level. I can't recall him bending the line like Nonu used to. In fact Jordie looked far more physical and powerful against Australia than Laumape ever did in the black jersey.
Yeah he's one of those players that looked big and powerful at Super level but then was shut down pretty easily at test level. I think it shows you need more than just power to be successful the next level up. All of my 'wrecking ball' memories of him are in a Canes jumper really.
Even with Nonu, he would just waltz through players at Super level, but had to be a lot smarter at test level knowing when to pick his moments, which is why it took him a while to find his feet. In the end he just had such amazing vision to go with his physical attributes.
With Nonu I also think he started to play a lot better when he became apermanent 12 rather than a 13
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@KiwiMurph said in Foster:
I think Nonu gets unfairly labelled as a bash and crash merchant but people forget he had wonderful footwork and vision in his running - that was evident right from when he burst on the scene playing wing for Canes in 03 (and obviously this got better and better and more refined as his career went on - especially from 08 onwards).
Nonu really worked at his game after he was dropped for the 2007 RWC and his range of skills just grew and grew. His passing became as good as, if not better, than BOD and the way he set up Beauden Barrett's try in the RWC2015 semi by feinting to pass 2 or 3 times was simply sublime.
Speed, size, footwork, nous, canniness, distribution, kicking, defence, communication - easily the best 12 I've ever seen.
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@Victor-Meldrew I reckon it was they EOYT in 2008 where I thought Nonu’s game had turned the corner from a good player to the makings of a great one.
In that 2008 3Ns I thought the Aussies did a number on him particularly that Sydney test where they really crowded him and he didn’t play well. But on that EOYT his defence had really tightened up and him and Carter started to really play off each other.
Became a phenomenal player and one of a few really reliable members of a pretty good squad.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Foster:
@Victor-Meldrew I reckon it was they EOYT in 2008 where I thought Nonu’s game had turned the corner from a good player to the makings of a great one.
In that 2008 3Ns I thought the Aussies did a number on him particularly that Sydney test where they really crowded him and he didn’t play well. But on that EOYT his defence had really tightened up and him and Carter started to really play off each other.
Became a phenomenal player and one of a few really reliable members of a pretty good squad.
And I think he actually got better after 2011. Much more subtle player.
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@MiketheSnow said in Foster:
Nonu is as great as DC and McCaw and I’ll fight anyone who claims otherwise
He and Smith are the greatest midfield pair to wear the AB jersey
Nope
Bunce and Little for me
I know it's the wrong way round but if reads better
They right in the conversation for sure
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Both very good midfield combos but what this highlights for me is that such combos are quite rare. You often get a great inside centre OR a great outside centre but rarely both at the same time for any length of time.
Carling and Guscott for England is probably the only one of ours I could name. We had Greenwood for a number of years who was great but the 12 was either a rotating doorway or Tindall - solid but no world beater.
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Nonu is as great as DC and McCaw and I’ll fight anyone who claims otherwise
He and Smith are the greatest midfield pair to wear the AB jersey
Some older guys would put the Bill Osborne/Bruce Robertson combination as a serious alternative to any other one offered.
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@MiketheSnow said in Foster:
Nonu is as great as DC and McCaw and I’ll fight anyone who claims otherwise
He and Smith are the greatest midfield pair to wear the AB jersey
Nope
Bunce and Little for me
I know it's the wrong way round but if reads better
It's not even close, Nonu's skills blow Little's out of the water, Smith easily matches Bunce.
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Nonu is as great as DC and McCaw and I’ll fight anyone who claims otherwise
He and Smith are the greatest midfield pair to wear the AB jersey
Some older guys would put the Bill Osborne/Bruce Robertson combination as a serious alternative to any other one offered.
Yep. They were great, but I think the Conrad/Ma'a combo was a stronger one.
Bruce Robertson was similar to Conrad but probably a bit better (particularly on attack), but Ma'a is fair bit ahead of Bill Osborne. And that's no reflection on Conrad or Bill - far from it.
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@MiketheSnow said in Foster:
Nonu is as great as DC and McCaw and I’ll fight anyone who claims otherwise
He and Smith are the greatest midfield pair to wear the AB jersey
Nope
Bunce and Little for me
I know it's the wrong way round but if reads better
It's not even close, Nonu's skills blow Little's out of the water, Smith easily matches Bunce.
Hmmm
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Bunce was great but there was real guile to Ma'a's play which Bunce didn't have so much
If you check out the last minute Ireland win a few years back there's a point where the ball is passed from the RHS and is bobbling towards Nonu. Rather than rush up, he waits for the ball to come to him which confuses the defence, then runs a 45 degree angle, feigns a pass, straightens up slightly, ties up 3 defenders and two passes later Crotty scores.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Foster:
Bunce was great but there was real guile to Ma'a's play which Bunce didn't have so much
If you check out the last minute Ireland win a few years back there's a point where the ball is passed from the RHS and is bobbling towards Nonu. Rather than rush up, he waits for the ball to come to him which confuses the defence, then runs a 45 degree angle, feigns a pass, straightens up slightly, ties up 3 defenders and two passes later Crotty scores.
So Nonu and Bunce it is
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If I was a Time Lord, Nonu & Bruce Robertson. Robertson at his best
