"Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks"
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@nostrildamus said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
Zarn Sullivan making every post a winner for the Blues
It took Zarn Sullivan time to get a chance in his first season with the Blues in Super Rugby in 2021 but patience has proven a virtue in recent weeks.
[May 2021] While he has been playing at fullback for the Blues, and for Auckland, which is something he is concentrating on developing to the full, he still harbours a desire to return to first five-eighths.Edit: it looks like at the end of last year (or this year?) he was going to play at 10 until his injury
'I still can't really talk about it': Zarn Sullivan on the comeback trail
A freak injury during the NPC stymied Zarn Sullivan's prodigious development.
Sullivan had played the house down for the Maori All Blacks in Hamilton and having spent the early part of his professional career as a fullback, was readying himself for a potential switch into the No 10 jersey – the role where he made a name for himself as a schoolboy.I reckon there's potential to DC him. Just give him the reins next year.
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@Crucial said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
DMac could be really good if he just reigned it in a bit. Maybe he has this year? Tbh haven't seen him play much in 2023. Vomiting writing this, but Kwade showed that if you do the basics well and cut out the "x-factor" you're a genuine asset at test level. DMac has a good pass and boot and is an excellent goal kicker. He'll be getting it on a plate from AS and Jordie will be outside him. It seems BB and RM have been permanently mind fůcked by whatever the tactics have been in recent years. And in BBs case, his clearing kicks have always been shite and of course his goal kicker is flaky.
Plenty of people here talking up Sullivan. Did he carve up there at U20 level? I'm not sold on Perofeta, but happy to be proven wrong.
Lots of comment from someone that hasn’t watched the main contender play 🤣🤣
The thing about DMac at the moment is simply that he is making better decisions on when to have a crack himself. Not always perfect by any means but the ratio has improved.
I have always been happy that the rewards will usually outweigh the risks but that risk level is down.
He is way way better at finding team matés running onto the ball than BB or RM and his passing is fast and precise.
His kicking from hand doesn’t always come off (like others) but you can see that there is a plan behind each kick rather than “belt it that direction “. Gets ok distance as well which is something that BB and RM can be a let down on at times. One clearing kick from RM last night (after his forwards did a great job winning a ball on defence) went about 10 metresLet's be real, RM and BB make as many mistakes, errors, poor decisions as DMac does, otherwise he wouldn't even be in the discussion as everyone would be happy with those two.
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@Nepia said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
I reckon there's potential to DC him
I don't get the DC comparisons because physically they are such different players. The player he is most similar to IMO is Jordie Barrett. A very physical fullback with a huge boot. He's only slightly smaller than him and is still putting on muscle - 1.93m and 101kg
That would be enormous in comparison to previous AB 10s. Donald would be the closest specialist ten in the last couple of decades and he was 1.9 and 96kg
He could convert to ten and do well but I suspect his size and shape is more suited to fullback
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@Duluth said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Nepia said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
I reckon there's potential to DC him
I don't get the DC comparisons because physically they are such different players. The player he is most similar to IMO is Jordie Barrett. A very physical fullback with a huge boot. He's only slightly smaller than him and is still putting on muscle - 1.93m and 101kg
That would be enormous in comparison to previous AB 10s. Donald would be the closest specialist ten in the last couple of decades and he was 1.9 and 96kg
He could convert to ten and do well but I suspect his size and shape is more suited to fullback
I wasn't comparing him with DC from a playing/physical attribute point of view. I was suggesting they just take a punt on him like the Three Wise Men did on DC in 2004.
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@Duluth said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Nepia said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
I reckon there's potential to DC him
I don't get the DC comparisons because physically they are such different players. The player he is most similar to IMO is Jordie Barrett. A very physical fullback with a huge boot. He's only slightly smaller than him and is still putting on muscle - 1.93m and 101kg
That would be enormous in comparison to previous AB 10s. Donald would be the closest specialist ten in the last couple of decades and he was 1.9 and 96kg
He could convert to ten and do well but I suspect his size and shape is more suited to fullback
When I compare him to DC I am referring to his ability to make things look easy and to make it look like he has all the time in the world. There is an economy of movement about him. Generic words I know, but I can't think of any other player around in NZ like that. Maybe someone else can explain it better
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@Crazy-Horse said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Duluth said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Nepia said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
I reckon there's potential to DC him
I don't get the DC comparisons because physically they are such different players. The player he is most similar to IMO is Jordie Barrett. A very physical fullback with a huge boot. He's only slightly smaller than him and is still putting on muscle - 1.93m and 101kg
That would be enormous in comparison to previous AB 10s. Donald would be the closest specialist ten in the last couple of decades and he was 1.9 and 96kg
He could convert to ten and do well but I suspect his size and shape is more suited to fullback
When I compare him to DC I am referring to his ability to make things look easy and to make it look like he has all the time in the world. There is an economy of movement about him. Generic words I know, but I can't think of any other player around in NZ like that. Maybe someone else can explain it better
Bang on. That’s what I see with as well. “Economy of movement “ is a great description.
A 10 that has time on the ball is the optimal.
I can only draw parallels with cricket and the way players like Tendulkar in his prime seemed able to go and have a sip of tea while deciding what shot to play. -
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Larger than Donald, Farrell, Pollard etc. Is there a successful Test 10 his size anywhere in the world? The time that he has at fullback, and occasionally going into first receiver, will be different when he’s the primary option. That why I’m sceptical, plus he does not have the acceleration of every AB ten (except Donald) over the last few decades
He’d be my starting AB fullback though
Maybe he moves and kicks arse. Maybe it wastes time he should be at fullback
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@Duluth many years ago, but Honiball was a big fella wasn't he? Larkham was a tall ten too compared to most of his peers.
Someone had a theory on here while ago (@Chris-B?) that players with long limbs were prone to getting their kicks charged because they too longer to kick. It might have been during a discussion on Jordie I think.
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@Crazy-Horse said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@Duluth many years ago, but Honiball was a big fella wasn't he? Larkham was a tall ten too compared to most of his peers.
Honiball wasn't that tall, he was physical.
Larkham? Was tall (still 4cm shorter) but was built like a whippet. More comparable to a B Barrett shape
Someone had a theory on here while ago (@Chris-B?) that players with long limbs were prone to getting their kicks charged because they too longer to kick. It might have been during a discussion on Jordie I think.
Different sizes and shapes for the demands of different positions. Makes sense to me. I wouldn't trust Jordie at 10 against any serious opposition but I rate him as a 12 & 15 for similar reasons
I feel I always have to add the note at the bottom: 'Sullivan might move and be a success'
(Incidentally he's a pretty good chance of playing 10 next weekend but it's only MP)
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@Duluth I know you are not writing him off as a 10 and I do agree his talent at 15 is starting to scream AB. I am not saying I am sure he will be a success at 10, but I would love him to get a decent run there to see if my suspicions are right. Fingers crossed for the weekend.
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@Tim said in "Potential future No.10s for the All Blacks":
@george33 Is he going to choose rugby or cricket?
If you had a choice you'd go cricket wouldn't you? More opportunity to make money and less chance you'll end up a vegetable later in life.
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Unfortunately covid meant the 2020 World Rugby U20s in Italy was cancelled and Sullivan may have been used at 1st 5. We'll never know. The wider training squad did include a number of other 10s (Reihana, Morgan, Love, Stu Cruden). He really needs to play there for Auckland first.
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