All Blacks 2023
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@sparky Ofa gave away multiple penalties. sure he dominated the Namibian scrum, and you can only play who you're up against - but that's not much to write home about.
I don't really understand why Beauden played this game. I was thinking it was either Foster trying to get his confidence back, or maybe he is going to drop him. The latter is probably just wishful thinking though as it would be pretty bizarre given Jordan just played his worst game in black and McKenzie hasn't been given bugger all time at 15. -
@sparky said in All Blacks 2023:
@Machpants Ofa T had a good game last night.
I can’t see Foster picking anyone but BB at fullback. He’s not a bad player but he is not the phenomenon he was 7 or 8 years ago. Something went wrong after he left the Canes.
1m run, 2 turn overs, couple of penalties. And fuck all else, no Ofa (apart from his cool SBW pass) was shit
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2023:
@Machpants Ofa T had a good game last night.
He did, and you'd expect Groot to be stood down.
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BB is really off his game and has been for a long time. The problems at the Blues replicate themselves at the ABs when he is playing. Was a great player but now is trying too hard and involving himself too much to the detriment of the ABs. It was time to move on 2 seasons ago.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks 2023:
- EDG
- Samisoni
- Lomax
- Barrett
- Whitelock/Retallick
- Frizzel
- Blackadder
- Savea
- Smith
- McKenzie
- Telea
- Barrett
- Ioane
- Fainganuku
- Jordan
Taylor/Coles, whoever - props are shit, Whitelock/Retallick, Cane, Dalton, Mounga, Roigard.
What is this tripe?
A prop likely to be suspended, another still injured. A 7 that’s not really a 7, an injured 6.
A new 10, and playing LF on the right.
A bench with 2 x 7’s but no midfield or outside backs
I have zero idea what this post is trying to say
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@voodoo said in All Blacks 2023:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2023:
- EDG
- Samisoni
- Lomax
- Barrett
- Whitelock/Retallick
- Frizzel
- Blackadder
- Savea
- Smith
- McKenzie
- Telea
- Barrett
- Ioane
- Fainganuku
- Jordan
Taylor/Coles, whoever - props are shit, Whitelock/Retallick, Cane, Dalton, Mounga, Roigard.
What is this tripe?
A prop likely to be suspended, another still injured. A 7 that’s not really a 7, an injured 6.
A new 10, and playing LF on the right.
A bench with 2 x 7’s but no midfield or outside backs
I have zero idea what this post is trying to say
It's all hopeless so roll the dice and at least make our early exit something to complain about?!
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2023:
@voodoo said in All Blacks 2023:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2023:
- EDG
- Samisoni
- Lomax
- Barrett
- Whitelock/Retallick
- Frizzel
- Blackadder
- Savea
- Smith
- McKenzie
- Telea
- Barrett
- Ioane
- Fainganuku
- Jordan
Taylor/Coles, whoever - props are shit, Whitelock/Retallick, Cane, Dalton, Mounga, Roigard.
What is this tripe?
A prop likely to be suspended, another still injured. A 7 that’s not really a 7, an injured 6.
A new 10, and playing LF on the right.
A bench with 2 x 7’s but no midfield or outside backs
I have zero idea what this post is trying to say
It's all hopeless so roll the dice and at least make our early exit something to complain about?!
That's pretty close, yep. just substitute 'to complain about' for 'worth watching'.
As for the lack of back cover - the boks think it is worth the gamble, and our 10,12,13 are all outside backs. Yeah, if 12 or 13 go down then LF is not a great midfield option, but neither are Havili or ALB great off the bench. -
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2023:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2023:
@voodoo said in All Blacks 2023:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2023:
- EDG
- Samisoni
- Lomax
- Barrett
- Whitelock/Retallick
- Frizzel
- Blackadder
- Savea
- Smith
- McKenzie
- Telea
- Barrett
- Ioane
- Fainganuku
- Jordan
Taylor/Coles, whoever - props are shit, Whitelock/Retallick, Cane, Dalton, Mounga, Roigard.
What is this tripe?
A prop likely to be suspended, another still injured. A 7 that’s not really a 7, an injured 6.
A new 10, and playing LF on the right.
A bench with 2 x 7’s but no midfield or outside backs
I have zero idea what this post is trying to say
It's all hopeless so roll the dice and at least make our early exit something to complain about?!
That's pretty close, yep. just substitute 'to complain about' for 'worth watching'.
As for the lack of back cover - the boks think it is worth the gamble, and our 10,12,13 are all outside backs. Yeah, if 12 or 13 go down then LF is not a great midfield option, but neither are Havili or ALB great off the bench.I do agree with that last sentence. We miss Tupaea, he would make a nice squaddie right now.
Edit: I would have picked Heem - he could fit in anywhere and hasn’t let anyone down for a couple of seasons.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2023:
@frugby If we pull one out of the hat and tip over Ireland/SA, which we are capable of, then we have a good chance to get past England, then the final...
Knock out footy is different.
Yeah but this is the point. If we win this, and then we win that, we could possibly win this. We aren't talking about certainties. This is an inconsistent side which won't turn up for three hard games in a row, not a chance.
The only way we were really going to win the RWC IMO was if we beat France first up, got a down on form Ireland/an over-achieving RSA in the QFs, then a bumbling England/Aussie in the semis, before the final.
England are playing sensible footy, and are defending extremally well. On the unlikely chance we get past SA or Ireland, I would think England do us as they did four years ago, because we haven't learnt any lessons.
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@frugby said in All Blacks 2023:
So if I am correct, should we come 2nd in the Pool, it is likely we will need to play Ireland/SA then England, then Ireland/SA/France to win the thing?
Absolutely no chance, if you have money on, cash out now.
No, we flipped by losing to France
If we make the SF, it'll be against the winner of C (Wales/Oz/Fiji) and runner up D (Argentina / Samoa)
So we avoid England now
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@voodoo said in All Blacks 2023:
@frugby said in All Blacks 2023:
So if I am correct, should we come 2nd in the Pool, it is likely we will need to play Ireland/SA then England, then Ireland/SA/France to win the thing?
Absolutely no chance, if you have money on, cash out now.
No, we flipped by losing to France
If we make the SF, it'll be against the winner of C (Wales/Oz/Fiji) and runner up D (Argentina / Samoa)
So we avoid England now
Oh so slightly better then... you'd like to think that if we sneak through the quarters we should be able to make the final then... I still do have visions though, of the Aussies fumbling their way to the semis, and watching us crumble like a cookie.
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@frugby well every one has permutations requiring on if we win this/that...when has it ever been certain? It aint certain for Ireland/SA/France who are all the favorites right now either.
I do believe we have a good chance, but all the stars need to align and we start playing more consistently instead of 10 or 20 min patches of good rugby.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2023:
30 stitches? Did they do anything about those boots? If not, that is shocking.
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@frugby said in All Blacks 2023:
Oh so slightly better then... you'd like to think that if we sneak through the quarters we should be able to make the final then... I still do have visions though, of the Aussies fumbling their way to the semis, and watching us crumble like a cookie.
Aussies are competing with us now for "former tier 1 team that now crumbles like a cookie" status ...
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Or, alternatively
In teh quarter we will play Ireland, who will have to battle their QF demons
Or SA, who we have beaten already this yearWith a bunch of troops back on deck.
Win that and it's a semi everyone will expect us to win, and then it's the final, which always gets weird.
We are far from alone in our QF trepidation
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2023:
@frugby well every one has permutations requiring on if we win this/that...when has it ever been certain? It aint certain for Ireland/SA/France who are all the favorites right now either.
I do believe we have a good chance, but all the stars need to align and we start playing more consistently instead of 10 or 20 min patches of good rugby.
There in lies the problem. How can we have a good chance, if we haven't shown in this four year cycle we can string two good halves together, let alone three high pressure games. We are hoping on a miracle, but we just aren't there. Miracles have rarely happened at the Rugby World Cup...
19' - South Africa, one of the best in the World
15' - New Zealand - the best
11' - New Zealand - World no. 1 + Home side
07' - South Africa, one of the best in the world
03' - England, one of the best in the world
99' - Australia, one of the best in the world
95' - South Africa, Home Nation
91' - Australia, best in the world
87' - New Zealand, one of the best in the world + home sideThere has not been a World Cup winner who weren't one of the best sides in the world, not playing to their best. It just won't happen.