All Blacks 2023
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Sotutu has had a strange season.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2023:
@Bovidae Christie and Laulala? Maybe Sotutu?
Oh yeah forgot Laulala.
Think him and Sotutu are almost fringe anyway, but can't see them being discarded.
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@Tim is he a LH or a TH..?
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@Steven-Harris Tighthead. Had a great day in the scrum last time Chiefs played Crusaders.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2023:
@Bovidae What about Dyer? He's been very good this year, and there was a rumour that he was being looked at.
We'll see. I would hope he gets a chance in the AB XV at least.
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Too soon for Dyer I think. Ainsley and Jager may be a shot.
Clarke's defence may see him miss out. And Sotutu really seems to be losing form so may drop to AB XV? Rated Christie 4th before this and hope selectors feel same. -
@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.
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@kiwi_expat How many minutes were they playing with 14?
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2023:
@Bones LH. Jager was the TH.
Oh duh, for some reason I thought I'd seen a graphic showing it the other way around and was quite surprised.
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2023:
Funny thing is the scoreline actually flattered the Blues quite a bit... Razor choosing to sub his top players off & then opting to play the remainder with 14 men, the goddamn cheek of this man.
Another silver lining - Razor clearly knows how Leon coaches inside out.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2023:
@Bovidae I assume there will be six props in the 36 man squad, five in the 33 man WC squad.
I'll be very surprised if they don't pick six props in both. Enabling teams to pick three specialists on each side was a primary rationale for expanding squads this time.
I reckon Tamaiti will make the team. Olly Jager a possibility after tonight - he was sort of in the bubble (my one anyway).
I think de Groot, Ross, Williams
Lomax, Tu'ungafasi +1With the expectation that Moody will take a loosehead spot for RWC and Newell might be in the picture at tighthead, but quite possibly Tamaiti will switch sides and take that place if he goes well in the RC.
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@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2023:
@kiwi_expat How many minutes were they playing with 14?
Sione Havili Talitui left the field in the 79th minute. The game ended in the 84th.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B I wish they'd take a punt on Ainsley while Moody is out, see if he can handle test rugby still. He's playing great.
I'm a bit underdone in my rugby watching this year - especially of the Highlanders, so I'm the wrong person to comment on him. I've noticed him mentioned in dispatches here.
They know what Laulala brings so not much to lose in trying Ainsley or Jager. If whomever doesn't work out they can slot Moody into the looseheads and pick any of Williams, Newell or Laulala at TH for the Cup.
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@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:
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.
Take your point, but I'm not convinced Ardie's a better 7 than 8.
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 altogetherI think the team will improve when we start developing combinations in a logical, sensible manner. Try things out by all means but at some stage you have to say "this is the option - let's stick to it &develop it"
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Beaudy ain’t in my top 23.
10 Mo’unga
15 Jordan
22 McKenzie -
@Dolamite said in All Blacks 2023:
Beaudy ain’t in my top 23.
10 Mo’unga
15 Jordan
22 McKenzieI'd prefer McKenzie to start, with Mounga getting a good 30 minutes to rip it up when he's most dangerous.
McKenzie doesn't provide the same impact for me and just seems a more reliable option under pressure and to provide direction.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:
@Dolamite said in All Blacks 2023:
Beaudy ain’t in my top 23.
10 Mo’unga
15 Jordan
22 McKenzieI'd prefer McKenzie to start, with Mounga getting a good 30 minutes to rip it up when he's most dangerous.
McKenzie doesn't provide the same impact for me and just seems a more reliable option under pressure and to provide direction.
Also the option for DMac to shift to 15 when Mo comes on and rip things up.
Who's the 3rd 10 if BB doesn't make the cut (possible)? Havilli? Perofeta?
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@Victor-Meldrew nah that's not possible.
I thought you'd be hoping he started Beauden every game and ignored better players, because, you know, he might come right 😉
Or is that only for hookers?
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Victor Meldrewreplied to Bones on 16 Jun 2023, 16:27 last edited by Victor Meldrew 16 Jun 2023, 16:28
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@Victor-Meldrew you sir, have put yourself in a position that's untenable.
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The Gif that will keep on giving.
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After last nights game and given that Ethan Blackadder is injured i would have no issue seing Christion Lio Willie as a bolter
His workrate is out the gate and he dominates breakdown and post contact is very good , looks suited to the more abbrasive style of test match rugby theres a bit of Jordon Taufua about him -
@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2023:
After last nights game and given that Ethan Blackadder is injured i would have no issue seing Christion Lio Willie as a bolter
His workrate is out the gate and he dominates breakdown and post contact is very good , looks suited to the more abbrasive style of test match rugby theres a bit of Jordon Taufua about himPeronally i’m not sold on Luke Jacobson , and its more around his physicality and the perdon who has got physicality Akira Ioane goes missing in the really big games that count
Last years final and the 2nd test against the Boks on the gold coast a couple of years back come to mind . -
Great - another undersized loosie. That will bode well.
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@KiwiMurph Just an opinion , Fozzie aint listening to anything i say
Just highlighting a kid thats got better each outing , 14 x games in a row to be exact
And it would be fair to say close to the best looseforward on the paddock last night -
@Steven-Harris This is what annoys me about the ABs being named on Sunday. I'd love to see how he goes in a final vs Chiefs or Brumbies before selecting the team.
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@KiwiMurph i think its probably more of a timing thing with the Rugby Championship starting on the 9th July in the case of the ABs their first game is an away fixture which means travel
To pick the team next weekend would leave very little time i guess
But yes it would have been great to see a Saders v Chiefs match up , and i am precursing on that one famous last words , but i do expect they will win -
@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2023:
@KiwiMurph Just an opinion , Fozzie aint listening to anything i say
Just highlighting a kid thats got better each outing , 14 x games in a row to be exact
And it would be fair to say close to the best looseforward on the paddock last nightHarmon is at least twice the player if we just want another openside sized loose forward.
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I was reading this and mostly agreed with it but got down to #9 and I was
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@Machpants sounds like it's not worth paying a buck fifty for.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2023:
@Steven-Harris This is what annoys me about the ABs being named on Sunday. I'd love to see how he goes in a final vs Chiefs or Brumbies before selecting the team.
Mate let's face it team was written on paper last week, or should of been. No way is team named on one game etc.
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