All Blacks 2023
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Pity about Sevu - he had that electric spark that could create a try out of literally nothing, I felt he was somewhat under-utilized by the AB's.
Still opens the door for Stevenson even more, he certainly has pace and the eye for a gap, but his solid defense and booming boot lends his game to suit the pressure cooker atmosphere for the RWC moreso than an out and out flyer.
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I’d like them to give him plenty of games then, because it’s taken him years to be this good at Super level.
I’m not sure he will go to the next level as smoothly without being rocks and diamonds again (ABXV performances were very promising though).
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@gt12 Yeah and that's a fair enough point, whether his improvement is due to just a good run of form or he's found his niche and worked hard on his skill set we won't know till he takes that next step up.
This year he just seems to be a lot more diamonds than rocks, seems to have put away the low percentage plays, uses his boot to get him (and the team) out of trouble and is finishing well. So I think he deserves a shot.
Whether he will be successful in the international game where there is much less time, space and a lot more pressure well, who knows
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@Windows97 could be in part maturity too.
He has been in good form for around a year now, and as you said, he is more diamonds at present.
Maybe the talk of options outside rugby last year gave him a bit of a boost or something that has seen him relax more or look at things differently, who knows, but ling may it continue.
He could be to 2023 that NMS was to 2015, but.SS probably has more game too.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2023:
He has been in good form for around a year now
This, plus when Reece first came into the ABs he was pretty rocks and diamonds himself and he defended like the fat version of Mehrtens.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2023:
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2023:
He has been in good form for around a year now
This, plus when Reece first came into the ABs he was pretty rocks and diamonds himself and he defended like the fat version of Mehrtens.
his absolute moments of brilliance with counter attack or from broken field definitely plastered over some cracks in the more traditional aspects of his game
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@ARHS said in All Blacks 2023:
Maybe Emoni Narawa or Jona Nareki will mount a bid as a flair winger for AB's. Shame about Sevu. I loved his energy on the field.
Or they just fill his spot with McKenzie and then they don't have to drop Perofeta/Mo'unga/Barrett
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@Duluth said in All Blacks 2023:
@ARHS said in All Blacks 2023:
Maybe Emoni Narawa or Jona Nareki will mount a bid as a flair winger for AB's. Shame about Sevu. I loved his energy on the field.
Or they just fill his spot with McKenzie and then they don't have to drop Perofeta/Mo'unga/Barrett
Squad balance has to be a thought though. All 4 seems overkill.
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@Duluth said in All Blacks 2023:
@ARHS said in All Blacks 2023:
Maybe Emoni Narawa or Jona Nareki will mount a bid as a flair winger for AB's. Shame about Sevu. I loved his energy on the field.
Or they just fill his spot with McKenzie and then they don't have to drop Perofeta/Mo'unga/Barrett
Is Perofeta really a vital cog in this wheel? His considerable lack of game time indicates that even the people that selected him don't really rate him to do the job?
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@Duluth I just can't really see Perofeta offering much at all. I assumed he first made the team based off his combination with BB, though as BB's star wanes almost to the point of becoming a black hole that justification seems less and less likely.
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Really worried about Beauden Barrett.
He has gone to ratshit, which is a sad to thing to be saying.
We won't be beating FRA,IRE,ENG or SA in knockout rugby with game management like that.
Mo'unga not pulling up any trees either.
DMAC playing the best of the 10's but his occasional sideways Jack Russell-esque scamper is going to have him gobbled up by the colossal back rows and centres knocking about at world level.