All Blacks XV v Barbarians
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@cgrant said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@cgrant said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@Bones said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
@chimoaus @cgrant I don't really know what you were watching, I saw him race up brilliantly on defence a couple of times and at no stage looked slow, so I'm lost.
@cgrant I'm only going off what I watched, I'm not going to go through everyone's history before I comment. Williams was cake.
He was cake in the scrums, but you should have taken in consideration that he was not playing on his best side.
Nah, I'm taking into account the side he was selected for. Where he was playing.
I don't give Beauden a free go at 10 just because he's a better 15.
I was referring to "So long and thanks for the shoes" : it's harsh to say "no more of him" about a player who was not playing in his best position. I would like to see him on the LH side against a strong opposition before condemning him once for all.
Would you select him at TH?
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this game seems to be quite important in retrospect.
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Righto! A bit late I know (blame work!) but a few random thoughts….
Initial fireworks nearly singed my eyebrows off…
Strange to be singing the National Anthem on Remembrance Sunday in a football stadium in England, when only a few miles up the road in Scotland, they were doing the exactly the same thing…
The five Kiwis doing the haka in the Baabaas were really pumped..
Didn’t realise how Baabaa-partisan the crowd would be, the noise was incredible when the Baabaas scored - with polite clapping when the Abs XV scored
Refereeing on the whole was dreadful, with often baffling decisions, breakdown was a complete shambles, longer the game went on, the worse it became – an anything goes “laissez-faire” attitude. The penalty count for Abs XV would have been substantial, especially in the first half.
To me, it seemed as if DMac wanted to out-Barbarian the Barbarians, he turned down kickable penalties, and missed conversions which could have drawn if not won the game. This Baabaas side was well-drilled, combative, and determined. Felt the Abs XV suffered from poor selection, Makalio would have been better served by starting, as would Bailyn Sullivan and Cortez Ratima. DMac was often not on the same page as his backline, with missed overlap opportunities, dropped balls, and forward passes – disappointing considering half of them would have played together in the Chiefs.
Most Impressive – Bailyn Sullivan – came on for an injured Nankivell (who had been a lynchpin up until that point) and really brought some spark - gave the backline some much-needed direction and go-forward.
Rocks and Diamonds and A Handful for the Opposition – Shaun Stevenson – a beautifully balanced runner, worked hard, and made things happen with ball in hand, but not quite the finished article on defence – took a gamble with a charge-down from a chip kick that didn’t come off which left DMac as sweeper in a hopeless position of having to cover two defenders and ultimately led to a Baabaas try. Handling also an issue – shelled a perfect kick from DMac with the tryline at his mercy.
Honourable Mention – Dmac – might not have top-end pace anymore, but tried hard to run the show and made a pretty good fist of it – in fact probably tried too hard taking everything on himself, not helped by his forwards which seemed on occasion comfortable to sit back and let him. That said, he seemed assured at 10, and with another week under his belt, you felt would have had better control.
Tried Hard – Patty T – was involved in the thick of the dirty work, carried strongly, ran hard, and made his tackles, though at times he allowed the forwards to drift in and out - probably not captaincy material. Not in the refs ear enough either.
Workaholic – Luke Jacobson – he was everywhere, had a really busy afternoon on D and tackled himself to a standstill. Was a safe LO option too.
Most surprising – Cortez Ratima – came on for Weber, and made an immediate impact, with a try-assist and several sniping bursts that took the Baabaas defence by surprise. His energy and enthusiasm was really noticeable and helped to galvanise flagging efforts in the second half.
Jury Out – Brodie McAlister – Picked up an injury early on, which seemed to hamper him for the rest of the match. Lineouts fell apart toward the end of the first half, (good anticipation from the Baabaas, plus poor throws from Brodie contributing) until Jacobsen made this a safer and more secure option. Makalio was better.
Most Disappointing – Tom Christie – got himself sinbinned in the first 10 mins, which set the tone for the referee, and immediately put the pack on the back foot as they gave up a try to the Baabaas from a scrum on the 5m line – after being camped there for 10 mins and repelling initial efforts. Got outplayed comprehensively by Luke Whitelock and I felt generally the Baabaas loosies were far superior. Didn’t notice him engaging in any jackyling, and not effective in the collisions. Spent a lot of time out on the wing, when it was clear his pack needed every shoulder they could muster to the wheel.
Generally the ABS XV played well, if a little unstructured and hesitant on attack. Too much ball turned over though. A definite work-on for 2023. The forward exchanges were brutal although the Abs XV bench were more impactful. The Baabaas pack were tiring notably in the last quarter - I felt that another 5 mins at the end of the second half would have yielded points, as the pack were pressing hard in the red zone. Thought our fitness levels were impressive. However the most noticeable takeaway which has been rammed home at every palpable opportunity is – we bloody need the services of recognised a kicking coach – and prior to the WC. Our place-kicking in particular is just abysmal. If we want to be taken seriously to win competitions of note, we need to address this urgently. -
@Jailbreak7 said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
Righto! A bit late I know (blame work!) but a few random thoughts….
Initial fireworks nearly singed my eyebrows off…
Strange to be singing the National Anthem on Remembrance Sunday in a football stadium in England, when only a few miles up the road in Scotland, they were doing the exactly the same thing…
The five Kiwis doing the haka in the Baabaas were really pumped..
Didn’t realise how Baabaa-partisan the crowd would be, the noise was incredible when the Baabaas scored - with polite clapping when the Abs XV scored
Refereeing on the whole was dreadful, with often baffling decisions, breakdown was a complete shambles, longer the game went on, the worse it became – an anything goes “laissez-faire” attitude. The penalty count for Abs XV would have been substantial, especially in the first half.
To me, it seemed as if DMac wanted to out-Barbarian the Barbarians, he turned down kickable penalties, and missed conversions which could have drawn if not won the game. This Baabaas side was well-drilled, combative, and determined. Felt the Abs XV suffered from poor selection, Makalio would have been better served by starting, as would Bailyn Sullivan and Cortez Ratima. DMac was often not on the same page as his backline, with missed overlap opportunities, dropped balls, and forward passes – disappointing considering half of them would have played together in the Chiefs.
Most Impressive – Bailyn Sullivan – came on for an injured Nankivell (who had been a lynchpin up until that point) and really brought some spark - gave the backline some much-needed direction and go-forward.
Rocks and Diamonds and A Handful for the Opposition – Shaun Stevenson – a beautifully balanced runner, worked hard, and made things happen with ball in hand, but not quite the finished article on defence – took a gamble with a charge-down from a chip kick that didn’t come off which left DMac as sweeper in a hopeless position of having to cover two defenders and ultimately led to a Baabaas try. Handling also an issue – shelled a perfect kick from DMac with the tryline at his mercy.
Honourable Mention – Dmac – might not have top-end pace anymore, but tried hard to run the show and made a pretty good fist of it – in fact probably tried too hard taking everything on himself, not helped by his forwards which seemed on occasion comfortable to sit back and let him. That said, he seemed assured at 10, and with another week under his belt, you felt would have had better control.
Tried Hard – Patty T – was involved in the thick of the dirty work, carried strongly, ran hard, and made his tackles, though at times he allowed the forwards to drift in and out - probably not captaincy material. Not in the refs ear enough either.
Workaholic – Luke Jacobson – he was everywhere, had a really busy afternoon on D and tackled himself to a standstill. Was a safe LO option too.
Most surprising – Cortez Ratima – came on for Weber, and made an immediate impact, with a try-assist and several sniping bursts that took the Baabaas defence by surprise. His energy and enthusiasm was really noticeable and helped to galvanise flagging efforts in the second half.
Jury Out – Brodie McAlister – Picked up an injury early on, which seemed to hamper him for the rest of the match. Lineouts fell apart toward the end of the first half, (good anticipation from the Baabaas, plus poor throws from Brodie contributing) until Jacobsen made this a safer and more secure option. Makalio was better.
Most Disappointing – Tom Christie – got himself sinbinned in the first 10 mins, which set the tone for the referee, and immediately put the pack on the back foot as they gave up a try to the Baabaas from a scrum on the 5m line – after being camped there for 10 mins and repelling initial efforts. Got outplayed comprehensively by Luke Whitelock and I felt generally the Baabaas loosies were far superior. Didn’t notice him engaging in any jackyling, and not effective in the collisions. Spent a lot of time out on the wing, when it was clear his pack needed every shoulder they could muster to the wheel.
Generally the ABS XV played well, if a little unstructured and hesitant on attack. Too much ball turned over though. A definite work-on for 2023. The forward exchanges were brutal although the Abs XV bench were more impactful. The Baabaas pack were tiring notably in the last quarter - I felt that another 5 mins at the end of the second half would have yielded points, as the pack were pressing hard in the red zone. Thought our fitness levels were impressive. However the most noticeable takeaway which has been rammed home at every palpable opportunity is – we bloody need the services of recognised a kicking coach – and prior to the WC. Our place-kicking in particular is just abysmal. If we want to be taken seriously to win competitions of note, we need to address this urgently.For me you missed out the 2 best forwards by a mile in Gardiner and Dickson.
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@Jailbreak7 said in All Blacks XV v Barbarians:
Most Disappointing – Tom Christie
I didn't think he was disappointing because I had no expectations he would play well.
I would pick at least 6 opensides ahead of him
