Springboks v All Blacks I
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Hmmm...
Springbok team:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Step du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Trevor NyakaneSubstitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Willie le Roux
The Bok team is ok, but I am not super thrilled. Here are my main areas of doubt:
a. Trevor Nyakane: I love this guy. His passion and his mobility are great assets, but is he one of 2 of our best loosehead props? When it comes to scrum time, I don't think so. Hope he makes me eat my words though!!
b. Salmaan Moerat: has potential to develop but not yet our 3rd best lock ... surely?! And I get the thing about gaining experience etc. but this is the All Blacks we are facing FFS.
c. Jasper Wiese: OMG where do I start. Nienaber describes him as a longterm project. Bloody hell, he has 13 caps under the belt already. How many more times do we need to see how limited he is, especially in SA conditions before we abandon the "project"? Surely, if you want a long term project, someone who already knows how to catch, pass, run into space would be a better place to start?
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For those who don't know much about Kurt-Lee Arendse
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@Daffy-Jaffy He is a Paarl boy. Jake White use him in 15 , so should be OK. One of a 100 7 specialists coming through our rugby.
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@OomPB @Daffy-Jaffy
The kid has the same attributes and skills as Cheslin. I rate him.
Bloody gutsy bugger - just like Kolbe. -
@Billy-Webb What do you make of Marx starting? No argument he’s good enough, but disrupts the very established bomb squad front row, and also dilutes the dual turnover threat with Kwagga.
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@pakman said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
@Billy-Webb What do you make of Marx starting? No argument he’s good enough, but disrupts the very established bomb squad front row, and also dilutes the dual turnover threat with Kwagga.
Interesting point. It breaks from the norm and is being done to celebrate Marx's milestone (50th test).
Mbonambi is a stronger player in the tight and Marx more devastating in the loose - in my view. Which is why they normally start the other way around.
I guess on the flip side, it means that the bomb-squad front row is likely to be a more powerful scrumming unit... But if the game is fast and loose in the latter part, it may come back to bite us. -
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Mbombela Stadium a sold out.
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@Crucial said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
@pakman said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
Straw man team.
Ross/Sami T/Ofa/Scooter/Big Sam/Vaa'i/Cane/Sotutu/Nugget/BB/Havili/Goodhue/Rieko/Jordan/Jordie.
Bench:
Bower/Taylor/Nepo/Ardie/Akira/Christie/Mo'unga/Reece
Frizzle will be at 6. That’s the whole point of his selection. They have set themselves on wanting a player like that hence the earlier selection of SB there.
I think this is one to play a lock/utility at 6, which means Vaa'i.
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@pakman said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
@Crucial said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
@pakman said in Springboks v All Blacks I:
Straw man team.
Ross/Sami T/Ofa/Scooter/Big Sam/Vaa'i/Cane/Sotutu/Nugget/BB/Havili/Goodhue/Rieko/Jordan/Jordie.
Bench:
Bower/Taylor/Nepo/Ardie/Akira/Christie/Mo'unga/Reece
Frizzle will be at 6. That’s the whole point of his selection. They have set themselves on wanting a player like that hence the earlier selection of SB there.
I think this is one to play a lock/utility at 6, which means Vaa'i.
Possible.
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@antipodean Marx only has 50 caps?
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it's kinda interesting isn't it? how much of an impact can two new assistants have in under 2 weeks?
If we turn up with the same shape (15 players flat across the field on both sides of the ball) then once again you imagine the only way we win is if a couple of guys do some amazing shit. And our reliance on dominant spot tackles has not resulted in high contact.
But
There is always the chance that Ryan has sorted out the issues up front. We are better at the breakdown. Our set piece doesn't creak. The new attack coach has us a bit deeper and a bit narrower. Suddenly we can start to ask the Boks a few questions of our own. Maybe we aren't just giving them the ball back at half way over and over.
The optimist in me says we aren't that far off, and a few (admittedly more than minor) tweaks makes us a different prospect.
If we play the same players in the same shape, but hope to do it "better" then the odds aren't good (unless, as stated, someone gets off the chain). They'll kick us to death, take the points the territory advantage offers them, and we'll get overpowered close to the line.
Call me arrogant, but i firmly believe the result on Saturday is more down to us than them.
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@mariner4life said in Pick the score, AB v Boer v1.0:
it's kinda interesting isn't it? how much of an impact can two new assistants have in under 2 weeks?
If we turn up with the same shape (15 players flat across the field on both sides of the ball) then once again you imagine the only way we win is if a couple of guys do some amazing shit. And our reliance on dominant spot tackles has not resulted in high contact.
But
There is always the chance that Ryan has sorted out the issues up front. We are better at the breakdown. Our set piece doesn't creak. The new attack coach has us a bit deeper and a bit narrower. Suddenly we can start to ask the Boks a few questions of our own. Maybe we aren't just giving them the ball back at half way over and over.
The optimist in me says we aren't that far off, and a few (admittedly more than minor) tweaks makes us a different prospect.
If we play the same players in the same shape, but hope to do it "better" then the odds aren't good (unless, as stated, someone gets off the chain). They'll kick us to death, take the points the territory advantage offers them, and we'll get overpowered close to the line.
Call me arrogant, but i firmly believe the result on Saturday is more down to us than them.
That was your Soviet clock moment. 😉
Great post. -
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@Tim said in Pick the score, AB v Boer v1.0:
Has there been a definitive statement on Ta'avao's availability for this test?
you want communication now? that's not how we do things in the modern All Blacks son.
"Given 'em nothing" is our mantra
(which, unfortunately, is only followed by the media officers, not the defense coach)
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Interesting to look at the team that beat the Boks last year.
There will be a minimum of 10 changes from that team (the 23) - with none of the four props who played available.
According to fern majorities, there shouldn't really be anyone we miss!
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@Chris-B said in Pick the score, AB v Boer v1.0:
Home
Access comprehensive player and match statistics for the All Blacks and Black Ferns. Explore career stats, player profiles, and historical data from New Zealand's iconic rugby teams.
Interesting to look at the team that beat the Boks last year.
There will be a minimum of 10 changes from that team (the 23) - with none of the four props who played available.
According to fern majorities, there shouldn't really be anyone we miss!
Impressive to do it with no Whitelock, Smith or Cane.
