All Blacks XV v Barbarians
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@pakman said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@cgrant said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
Lack of physicality up front for the AB XV. Christie was everywhere but he is not strong enough to be effective. Jacobson was outmuscled by Mercer. Gardiner was good in open play but was nowhere to be seen in the tight exchanges. Tamaiti Williams is not a tight head prop. Even in the NPC, he was not at ease on this side of the scrum. He should concentrate on the loose head IMO but with Jager out, I fear the Crusaders will use him on the tight head as they have Moody (?), Bower and Brewis for the Nr.1 jersey. McAllister had a game to forget. Makalio did better when he came in. Dickson was very good during the first spell before fading during the second. I was expecting more from PT. A few strong carries though. Aidan Ross was solid but failed to show that he is AB material. Cortima brought his dynamism and strength when he came in. He was pretty good. DMac tried too much at times, but we are used to it. He showed a few moments of sheer brilliance, such as his pass for the first try and his kick for Stevenson. The latter again showed his class but seemed lost at times. His positioning was caught badly a few times. He is a better wing than fullback IMO. Nankivell was outstanding till his injury. Sullivan did well when he came in and showed his pace. Aumua and Heem were mostly anonymous. All in all, it seems that the team lineup against Ireland A was far better, particularly in the loose forwards.
Well summarised. MMT more impactful than Jacobson at 8 IMO.
NZ XV did well considering they were so behind with 2 yellow cards.
Ngatai waddles like a burst duck but still made incisive 'runs' - weird to watch.
Also weird-Christie looked like a boy AND an old man!
Yes Razors team looked better coached - did he really only have 2 weeks?From time Maori Jesus did reply haka we woz doomed.
What a loss to NZ rugby he was....
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80 minutes.
Immediate elevation to the ABs - Levi Aumua, DMac, Stevenson. In that order. Hand over your jerseys Havili, Clarke...and ummm.someone else.
More please - Nankivell, Dickson, Weber, Sullivan, Gardiner.
So long and thanks for all the shoes - Tuipulotu, Christie, Williams, Jacobson.
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
DMac and Stevenson both caning it back, both look over at the same time and see Bridge chasing and immediately slow down.
Dontcha just love it when players show respect to each other on the field?
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
80 minutes.
Immediate elevation to the ABs - Levi Aumua, DMac, Stevenson. In that order. Hand over your jerseys Havili, Clarke...and ummm.someone else.
More please - Nankivell, Dickson, Weber, Sullivan, Gardiner.
So long and thanks for all the shoes - Tuipulotu, Christie, Williams, Jacobson.
Great commntary - thanks! Made me smile.
Only seen the highlights but that massive hit by Levi was impressive. Good to see DMac's pace is still there and his cover defence is still awesome. Genius kick to Stevenson in space. Nankivell was impressing the commentators as well.
I like the AB XV idea. Lets up and coming players mix with more experienced players on tour, coaches can spend with the players to assess and develop them, and players can be tested against some decent opposition. Think there's some deep-ish problems with the game on NZ but credit to NZR for this tour which is great for developing depth above SR level.
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@Victor-Meldrew Aumua looked very Riekoish. Definitely someone to get more involved.
Stevenson has the Jordan mystique, but a better boot. Back 3 of him, Jordan and Telea is certainly worth a look.
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@Victor-Meldrew Aumua looked very Riekoish. Definitely someone to get more involved.
Stevenson has the Jordan mystique, but a better boot. Back 3 of him, Jordan and Telea is certainly worth a look.
Aumua seems to have snuck under the radar so great the selectors spotted him. Surprised to see he's 28. Bit more physical than Reiko from what I saw.
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@Victor-Meldrew word on a forum I frequent is he had an outstanding NPC.
Didn't think he looked more physical than Rieko, he's a touch bigger though (and didn't seem hindered by that when stepping).
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@Bones
You are a bit harsh on Williams who was playing tight head where he was uncomfortable even in the NPC. He is a very good loose head. This was not a gift for him to play against a seasoned LH like Marler in a position where we knew he would struggle. Aumua was powerful but slow. I was more impressed by Nankivell. -
@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@Victor-Meldrew Aumua looked very Riekoish. Definitely someone to get more involved.
Stevenson has the Jordan mystique, but a better boot. Back 3 of him, Jordan and Telea is certainly worth a look.
Stevenson did look good, didn't he, but much more a winger than a fb I suspect. Looks bigger than the reported 90kg. Suspect he and Zarn Sullivan may be competing for a place (unless a future AB coach sees the even bigger Sullivan as a 10).
Will still make mistakes but the upside is exciting.
I thought DMac has most of his pace back but didn't see the crazy acceleration he used to have? Will have to go back and watch again. Looks better on attack to me than BB.
I thought Jacobson toiled on occasion but he doesn't seem an opportunistic Ardie type of loosie and unlikely to be selected again (he can tackle but I haven't seen dominating ones at the top level).
That French winger was classy.
Aumua is interesting, could have represented 3 countries. -
This game showed that you cannot field at the same time two diminutive players in the 9 and 10 jerseys. They were simply brushed off by Mercer for his try after a five meter scrum. This defensive weakness was probably identified before the game by Razor. Ratima brought some welcome energy and strength when he came in.
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@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@Victor-Meldrew Aumua looked very Riekoish. Definitely someone to get more involved.
Stevenson has the Jordan mystique, but a better boot. Back 3 of him, Jordan and Telea is certainly worth a look.
Aumua looked a little slow and heavy to me, like running in quick sand or post injury NMS. Happy to be wrong of course but I have not seen a lot of him prior.
