All Blacks 2023
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ABs to wear black jersey in pool games.
Handy shandy won the toss off in Paris
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2023:
Only game it should affect is the Frogs, who are obviously intimidated by the Blackness they changed their jersey colour to try and put us off.
Italy, Uruguay and Namibia all variations on light blue.
tournament hosts, who traditionally wear dark blue
Bollocks
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@Mr-Fish I guess Fozzie could do anything - but, I'm inclined to think he'll run out what he thinks is close to his strongest available team. Which isn't too much different to what you've got here.
Beauden to fullback and Richie (or DMac) at first five. I'll be annoyed if he gives BB any test starts at first five.
Samisoni and Cane into the pack.
If his first choice RWC 6 is going to be SBarrett (and I think it will be), I'd like to see him play there as much as possible, but he likely won't for this one.
Scooter's locked at 6 when Brodie & Sam are available.
Here's hoping this is the top 23 come World Cup time:
1 De Groot
2 Taukei'aho
3 Lomax
4 Rettalick
5 Whitelock
6 Barrett
7 Papalii
8 Savea
9 Smith
10 Mo'unga
11 Fainga'anuku
12 Barrett
13 Ioane
14 Narawa
15 Jordan16 Taylor
17 Newell
18 Williams
19 Vaa'i
20 Finau
21 Roigard
22 McKenzie
23 Lienert-Brown -
@kiwi_expat I wouldn't mind that - but, unless Sam Cane gets broken, he's going to be at 7.
I reckon plan will be Jordan at 14 and Beauden at 15 - might change.
I hope Ethan Blackadder will be back in the mix (and in the 20 jersey).
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@kiwi_expat exactly the team that I want to see
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@Mr-Fish I guess Fozzie could do anything - but, I'm inclined to think he'll run out what he thinks is close to his strongest available team. Which isn't too much different to what you've got here.
Beauden to fullback and Richie (or DMac) at first five. I'll be annoyed if he gives BB any test starts at first five.
Samisoni and Cane into the pack.
If his first choice RWC 6 is going to be SBarrett (and I think it will be), I'd like to see him play there as much as possible, but he likely won't for this one.
Scooter's locked at 6 when Brodie & Sam are available.
Here's hoping this is the top 23 come World Cup time:
1 De Groot
2 Taukei'aho
3 Lomax
4 Rettalick
5 Whitelock
6 Barrett
7 Papalii
8 Savea
9 Smith
10 Mo'unga
11 Fainga'anuku
12 Barrett
13 Ioane
14 Narawa
15 Jordan16 Taylor
17 Newell
18 Williams
19 Vaa'i
20 Finau
21 Roigard
22 McKenzie
23 Lienert-BrownI just can’t see BB missing a bench spot, rightly or wrongly. Maybe Jordan to 14, DMac to 15, BB to the bench and Narawa misses out?
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@voodoo @kiwi_expat did say it it wasn;t what fozzie would pick
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@Mr-Fish I guess Fozzie could do anything - but, I'm inclined to think he'll run out what he thinks is close to his strongest available team. Which isn't too much different to what you've got here.
Beauden to fullback and Richie (or DMac) at first five. I'll be annoyed if he gives BB any test starts at first five.
Samisoni and Cane into the pack.
If his first choice RWC 6 is going to be SBarrett (and I think it will be), I'd like to see him play there as much as possible, but he likely won't for this one.
Scooter's locked at 6 when Brodie & Sam are available.
Here's hoping this is the top 23 come World Cup time:
1 De Groot
2 Taukei'aho
3 Lomax
4 Rettalick
5 Whitelock
6 Barrett
7 Papalii
8 Savea
9 Smith
10 Mo'unga
11 Fainga'anuku
12 Barrett
13 Ioane
14 Narawa
15 Jordan16 Taylor
17 Newell
18 Williams
19 Vaa'i
20 Finau
21 Roigard
22 McKenzie
23 Lienert-BrownFrom my armchair there are three main reasons why they pick Scooter at 6 - he’s playing well and he has a big motor. Allows us to play our two experienced locks who are still playing at a decent level. And finally allows us to pick two loosies on the bench if we need to really up the tempo.
So no need to pick Vaa’i.
The way I see it is that Frizell and Finau are competing for one bench spot and Papali’i and Blackadder the other. Jacobsen there for cover for Ardie. A lot of this comes down to how they want to use Cane and Ardie.
In those games where we can rest one of the frontliners this will obviously change.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2023:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@Mr-Fish I guess Fozzie could do anything - but, I'm inclined to think he'll run out what he thinks is close to his strongest available team. Which isn't too much different to what you've got here.
Beauden to fullback and Richie (or DMac) at first five. I'll be annoyed if he gives BB any test starts at first five.
Samisoni and Cane into the pack.
If his first choice RWC 6 is going to be SBarrett (and I think it will be), I'd like to see him play there as much as possible, but he likely won't for this one.
Scooter's locked at 6 when Brodie & Sam are available.
Here's hoping this is the top 23 come World Cup time:
1 De Groot
2 Taukei'aho
3 Lomax
4 Rettalick
5 Whitelock
6 Barrett
7 Papalii
8 Savea
9 Smith
10 Mo'unga
11 Fainga'anuku
12 Barrett
13 Ioane
14 Narawa
15 Jordan16 Taylor
17 Newell
18 Williams
19 Vaa'i
20 Finau
21 Roigard
22 McKenzie
23 Lienert-BrownFrom my armchair there are three main reasons why they pick Scooter at 6 - he’s playing well and he has a big motor. Allows us to play our two experienced locks who are still playing at a decent level. And finally allows us to pick two loosies on the bench if we need to really up the tempo.
So no need to pick Vaa’i.
The way I see it is that Frizell and Finau are competing for one bench spot and Papali’i and Blackadder the other. Jacobsen there for cover for Ardie. A lot of this comes down to how they want to use Cane and Ardie.
In those games where we can rest one of the frontliners this will obviously change.
I also think if we look at the loosies as a combination , if Cane and Ardie are there starting, he adds a bit of whats missing
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@Windows97 i think he's a little better at 6 that "carthorse"...but i agree he could be a world class lock
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@Kiwiwomble embellished for the sake of humor. He's probably the best 6 in the squad, which given we've had 4 years to find a specialist 6 since the last RWC and now looking to play scooter at 6 again for this cycle is kind of sad/disappointing/frustrating.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2023:
Playing a lock at six seems to be this generations version of playing a fullback at centre that other AB coaches have tried and failed in the past.
Yep, but playing fullbacks at centre not always a failure. Same as locks at 6, have a wee peek at Itoje, Courtney Lawes atc, do the job pretty well too.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2023:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2023:
Playing a lock at six seems to be this generations version of playing a fullback at centre that other AB coaches have tried and failed in the past.
Yep, but playing fullbacks at centre not always a failure. Same as locks at 6, have a wee peek at Itoje, Courtney Lawes atc, do the job pretty well too.
Depends if he’s your best fullback or lock
Then it weakens the team more often than not
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2023:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2023:
Playing a lock at six seems to be this generations version of playing a fullback at centre that other AB coaches have tried and failed in the past.
Yep, but playing fullbacks at centre not always a failure. Same as locks at 6, have a wee peek at Itoje, Courtney Lawes atc, do the job pretty well too.
Oh absolutely.
If said fullback is a relative donkey with questionable pace but physical presence it’s got great potential.
It’s when the fullback in question is more of a fleet footed Cullen/Muliana type that things can go a bit pear shaped.
After the shit he got ( on here ) in 2019 I’m amazed that Scott Barrett is the frontrunner for the six jersey to be honest.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2023:
After the shit he got ( on here ) in 2019 I’m amazed that Scott Barrett is the frontrunner for the six jersey to be honest.
The shit wasn't really targeted at SB himself, rather the selectorial decision that saw him wind up playing 6.
Also, Mils was a cracking centre for the Blues in 2003 and it went pear shaped with the more robust Rangi at 13 too. We just need to blanket rule it, no player who has ever worn 15 in a test can play centre.
