All Black props
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@Bones said in All Black props:
@African-Monkey said in All Black props:
@nostrildamus Laulala didn't play in the 1st test but yes, he is still our best TH scrummager. I'd still have him personally.
I just feel like that's going down the road of selecting a hooker because he's the best thrower.
If you take three THs to RWC you want one of them to be a first class scrummager. Nepo is it for time being, unless you count Owen.
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@KiwiMurph that poor pass was on Whitelock. You know the one that he was practicing with Cane while not looking.
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@broughie said in All Black props:
@KiwiMurph that poor pass was on Whitelock. You know the one that he was practicing with Cane while not looking.
That did make me laugh. Practiced with the wrong guy.
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@African-Monkey ok fair enough he just doesn't seem to offer much around the field imho.
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Can't believe it but fairly shortly we could have a mean front row
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That Crusaders front row of Williams, Bell and Newell in a couple seasons is going to be fully beast-mode.
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Ryan's input has been sensational
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@BerniesCorner said in All Black props:
Ryan's input has been sensational
except feek is in charge of scrum unless something has changed
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@Crucial said in All Black props:
@Bones said in All Black props:
@African-Monkey said in All Black props:
@nostrildamus Laulala didn't play in the 1st test but yes, he is still our best TH scrummager. I'd still have him personally.
I just feel like that's going down the road of selecting a hooker because he's the best thrower.
Agree. The way scrums are reffed these days, dominance is only rewarded when it is complete and utter destruction. Against the big teams you only need to be able to hold your side up because sure as hell they can and even if you can get them to budge it won't give you much advantage.
In other words being a full package of carrying, tackling, passing and scrummaging totally trumps being the strongest scrummer.
What's with all the warm fuzzies on Moody? He went downhill impact wise ages ago. As I said earlier I see the value in having some old heads around so we don't have to go to deep into the pool of younger tyros but they aren't where I'd be focussing.You obviously weren’t watching Super rugby earlier this season where Moody was getting back to his best prior to his injury. His ruck work is still very good and he was carrying the ball more like the old days.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Black props:
@Crucial said in All Black props:
@Bones said in All Black props:
@African-Monkey said in All Black props:
@nostrildamus Laulala didn't play in the 1st test but yes, he is still our best TH scrummager. I'd still have him personally.
I just feel like that's going down the road of selecting a hooker because he's the best thrower.
Agree. The way scrums are reffed these days, dominance is only rewarded when it is complete and utter destruction. Against the big teams you only need to be able to hold your side up because sure as hell they can and even if you can get them to budge it won't give you much advantage.
In other words being a full package of carrying, tackling, passing and scrummaging totally trumps being the strongest scrummer.
What's with all the warm fuzzies on Moody? He went downhill impact wise ages ago. As I said earlier I see the value in having some old heads around so we don't have to go to deep into the pool of younger tyros but they aren't where I'd be focussing.You obviously weren’t watching Super rugby earlier this season where Moody was getting back to his best prior to his injury. His ruck work is still very good and he was carrying the ball more like the old days.
I did see that but I don't share the same optimism that at his age a second knee surgery will bring him back to the levels a young gun can provide. As I said, I am more than happy for him to be in the squad as he would still be in the top three best options (especially for experience and opposed training) but don't think in comes back and supplants the newbies in the pecking order.
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@Bones Fair enough point you make but we're still conceding penalties on our TH side at scrumtime and it will cost us in future tests which is why I'd rather shore things up on that side especially against the better scrummaging sides. Against the Aussies and Argies i think we could get away without him, but he's still good to carry in the squad.
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IamGroot looks handy. Persist.
Lomax: not convinced. And he's an Aussie FFS!
Bower was better on the weekend than i anticipated - worth further evaluation.
Newell: haven't seen enough.
Of those not playing:
Laulala known quantity: good at scrum, great at brain snap penalties.
Ofa: you're missing him I think.
Again it comes down to second row doing their job and combinations in the front row and tight five
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@NTA said in All Black props:
IamGroot looks handy. Persist.
Lomax: not convinced. And he's an Aussie FFS!
And where do you think Ethan De Groot was born? Forged in fire in the bellows of Mordor?
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@nostrildamus said in All Black props:
@NTA said in All Black props:
IamGroot looks handy. Persist.
Lomax: not convinced. And he's an Aussie FFS!
And where do you think Ethan De Groot was born? Forged in fire in the bellows of Mordor?
Gold Coast. So Queensland, which is close enough
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@NTA said in All Black props:
Gold Coast. So Queensland, which is close enough
NTA in shock-post supporting QLDer.
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World cup knock out stages next year, starting front row De Groot, Samasoni and Newell.
Newell has got the prop gig sorted in spades, doesn't try to be anything but a prop, does his core duties, starting at scrum time, and then the other duties of a tighty, and lastly ball running. For Crusaders he is more than handy with ball in hand, and I'm sure at test level it will come too. Made for test rugby.
Angus out to pasture, never been a good enough scrummager in my book. Was selected originally thanks to about a million injuries, never because he was the best option. OK around the field, but first jobs first please!
Laulala can only scrum, offers nothing around the field anymore. And while a good TH, not a world beater, so he can bugger off too. Started going downhill after he left the Chiefs - less gametime at the Blues maybe?
Ofa the enigma. He threatened for years to be the next 'great' TH. But then he will forget how to scrum, or tackle, or ball handle at various stages through a season. Offers more than the above 2 though. So keep him.
Lomax, I'm still suffering from the hiding he took against the Waratahs! But he went OK against the Boers, I thought he'd get his head driven out through his own bung hole, but he did surprisingly well. He now needs to scrum at this level consistently, and he could rack up a few tests.
LH prop, I'm on the de Groot bandwagon. This guy to me is a natural born meataxe. Big, strong, and wants to dominate in all aspects of play, which is the attitude you need as a prop at the top level. I think he and Newell will be our next Franks/Woodcock duo. We've not had a genuine world class pair of props since those world cup winners.
Moody can be world class, and won't have a lot of milage on the clock by RWC, so if he can stay injury free, and get time at the coalface, he could push de Groot to the bench. It would be my preferred pair.
Aiden Ross is another prop who is there for his core duties first and foremost, so is my 3rd choice. I expect the more time he gets at test level the better he'll be too, not afraid to do the hard yards in the dark of rucks and mauls.
Bower, if he keeps improving as he has this season, he could force himself into the mix too. If Moody doesn't come good, Bower may get the nod come match day.
Big Karl was a stupid choice in this season for the All Blacks. He was buggering off to France, was never the incumbent, so can't see he had a lot to pass on to the new props. If it had been a Woody, with 100 tests than yes. But it wasn't, you may as well have stuck a Norris in to get a bit of experience at AB level. Big Karl, like Laulala, went downhill as a prop after joining the Blues. Less game time etc, and he system turning into a bouncer again!
Hookers, Samasoni, Taylor and Brodie McAlister.
Dane Coles, sorry me old mate, your time is up. Unless, unless you get a full season with the Hurricanes, injury free, and play bloody well. So no, you're gone.
Asafo Aumua fourth option. If Coles is injured all season, he'll get a chance to Push for AB selection. But he needs to get his throwing to international standard. Everything else is there already!
Taylor looks like he's distracted at the moment. Perhaps off field problems? I back him to hit the field next season refreshed and aiming for RWC glory. He'll form a 1-2 punch with McAlister that will be the envy of other Super sides.
McAlister, he looks another Crusaders front rower bred to play test rugby. Physically looks the part, a block of a man. I think he'd excell.
Kurt Eklund, I don't think he'd let the side down, but I think he'll only get in if there are a run of injuries. A bit like Angus at TH!
So there you go, youngsters for the RWC for me!
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Does Samasoni have a history of poor throwing? Never really took too much notice of him prior to last year. I ask because there were a couple of concerning throws from him on the weekend, throws that if somebody else had done them they would have copped a bit of shit.
