All Blacks 2023
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Good point, but I think we should have settled on a decent 6 (poss. 2 depending on game type) who form an effective unit with 7/8 by now.
Seems we've had almost 2 RWC cycles since we've had any semblance of a settled trio.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2023:
@Machpants But at 6 they've tried numerous players that have shown glimpses or the potential of what you describe in core roles etc at lower levels - Squire, Akira, Frizell, Dixon, Blackadder, Jacobson etc with no one grabbing the jersey and making it his.
I realise but several of those are not Kaino/Jerry types. So they shouldn't have been tried in 6, elsewhere if they were good enough
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2023:
I wonder if anyone on the bubble played themselves in/out of the squad tonight.
The Crusaders did what I expected them to at the breakdown which made Christie ineffective. Nock looked much better.
F Christie played himself out.
Faingaanuku played himself in.
Think that's probably the best we can hope for from Foster.
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@Steven-Harris Tighthead. Had a great day in the scrum last time Chiefs played Crusaders.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2023:
Good point, but I think we should have settled on a decent 6 (poss. 2 depending on game type) who form an effective unit with 7/8 by now.
Seems we've had almost 2 RWC cycles since we've had any semblance of a settled trio.
Beauden Barrett , Sam Cane ans Ardie Savea have for better or for worse upset the balance of the team post 2019. In the backs and forwards alike.
Accommodating Barrett at 10/15 has stymied Mo'ungas development by not giving him "the keys", seen Jordie shifted around and had other fullbacks overlooked.
Similarly, giving Cane the armband rendered him undroppable while the "best player in the world" over that period, in Savea, should have really been wearing his shirt with an-other at 6 and 8 respectively.
The team will look far more balanced when the 3 of them are gone....of that I am sure.
Whether the team will improve is another question altogether.
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2023:
@Tim We need some more new faces at prop. If Laulala can't perform in a SF he isn't going to do anything for the ABs. Jager might be a name we hear on Sunday night.
Williams was on TH tonight right? He's doing a damn good job of showing he covers both sides more than adequately. He definitely shouldn't miss out, but I won't be surprised if he does.
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Funny thing is the scoreline actually flattered the Blues quite a bit... Razor just subbing key players off and then opting to play the remainder with 14 men, the cheek of this man.
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If the starting ABs XV didn't have a single Blue in the team i'm not sure i'd argue.
Rieko will make it of course but there's an argument against it - he has poor hands, can't kick and at times is defensively all at sea. Admittedly he plays better for ABs than Blues and but it really worries me having a 13 with such poor hands.
