AB RWC Squad

sparky

Liam ‘great sauces’ Napier confirms that Samipeni Finau and Brad Weber were the two who were most unlucky to miss out.

chimoaus

Moody
Aumua
Ta’avao
Lord
Tuipoluto
Finau
Blackadder
Grace
Weber
Perofeta
Reece
QT
Ennor
McCleod
Stevenson

Bench: Ioane, Mafileo

Gotta feel for poor Sotutu, seems everyone has forgotten about him.

canefan

@chimoaus said in AB RWC Squad:

@ACT-Crusader said in AB RWC Squad:

Moody
Aumua
Ta’avao
Lord
Tuipoluto
Finau
Blackadder
Grace
Weber
Perofeta
Reece
QT
Ennor
McCleod
Stevenson

Bench: Ioane, Mafileo

Gotta feel for poor Sotutu, seems everyone has forgotten about him.

Who?

nostrildamus

@chimoaus said in AB RWC Squad:

Gotta feel for poor Sotutu, seems everyone has forgotten about him.

He's still young.

Yeahtheboys

Thank god we have replacements in case 4 wingers go down

mikey07

My 2 cents how is Clarke in there he’s a defensive liability and lazy, what made me turn on him was that game at Eden Park against the Crusaders and he was chasing down Leicester and gave up.

ACT Crusader

@kiwiinmelb said in AB RWC Squad:

I remember when they picked the 2015 squad we were freaking out they picked nms and an injured Naholo (both rookies) and left out the experience of dagg

We could’ve pick Ren and Stimpy as back up wings for 2015, because we had McCaw, DC, Nonu, Kaino, Read, Snakey, Whitelock, Mealamu, Bus, Bender, Franks and Woody.

I don’t think it’s so much the personnel more the mix. Pick Narawa if you want him ahead of Clarke or Fainga’anuku, but not all 3 of them!

mariner4life

@ACT-Crusader said in AB RWC Squad:

@kiwiinmelb said in AB RWC Squad:

I remember when they picked the 2015 squad we were freaking out they picked nms and an injured Naholo (both rookies) and left out the experience of dagg

We could’ve pick Ren and Stimpy as back up wings for 2015, because we had McCaw, DC, Nonu, Kaino, Read, Snakey, Whitelock, Mealamu, Bus, Bender, Franks and Woody.

I don’t think it’s so much the personnel more the mix. Pick Narawa if you want him ahead of Clarke or Fainga’anuku, but not all 3 of them!

nail and head

Some of chat is around fringe guys. And even the mix is really the fringe guys. As long as a miracle occurs and no one gets hurt.
or their form falls off a cliff. then suddenly they are main guys.

Bones

So was the NZXV a waste of time?

Maybe LF is going to get a fair bit of time at 13 in the lesser games?

I'd select Havili over Barrett at 10, so that may also prove useful.

Is Goodhue injured?

Bones

But to join the chorus. Unbelievably mong to select 5 loosies, an injured lock and 5 wings.

ACT Crusader

@Bones said in AB RWC Squad:

But to join the chorus. Unbelievably mong to select 5 loosies, an injured lock and 5 wings.

I will actually laugh hard out if come the pointy end and because of form issues, Fozzie reverts to a starting trio of an ageing Whitelock, an undercooked Retallick and Scooter at blindside

😄

Duluth

@Bones said in AB RWC Squad:

Is Goodhue injured?

No, he’s playing for Northland

Bovidae

@kiwiinmelb said in AB RWC Squad:

I still cant get my head around the wingers ,

especially if they start Telia at 11 ,

where do Leister and Clarke play ?

So we've got:

Telea - 11/14
Jordan - 14/15
Fainga’anuku - 11/13
Clarke - 11
Narawa - 14/11

Clarke is the odd player out as a specialist left winger. So LF plays at centre if they both start?

Frank

Reeks of an unwillingness to make the hard calls on Clarke, Narawa and Leicester Ofa Ki Wales Twickenham Fainga'anuku.

Also too strongly relies on Frizell maintaining form.

canefan

Better make up a bed in the non squad players' house in Paris for Lord...

Bones

@Bovidae Narawa covers fullback at a pinch too doesn't he?

The current backline is all wings and first fives, so selecting 5 wings makes sense if you want to carry that on I guess.

His Bobness

They’re taking only three working locks? They’re travelling with only five loose forwards and expecting Frizell to cover for broken Brodie at a pinch? They’ve got (count ‘em) FIVE outside backs on board, plus BB? This is like launching an airliner with multiple wings, a small engine and no reserve power. I’m sure everything will be fine.

Victor Meldrew

Pretty much as expected when you consider the TWM's thinking over the last year and how they seem to look at players performance in camp as well as on the field.

Havili I get as he's a known quantity and can cover multiple positions and Ennor is injured. But, like others, don't get the surfeit of wingers over 5 loose forwards. Think Clarke and Christie are lucky and Finau a bit unlucky.

Big worry for me is if Scooter gets injured as we are then really exposed at lock and 6. Can we call up other players if a squad member gets injured?

Bones

@Victor-Meldrew That injured player would have to be replaced.

Duluth

I mentioned before that think they are settling on a backline bench of a halfback/ALB/winger. No need for 10 or fullback cover with Jordan & BB in the starting xv

5 wings is still too much, but I think this confirms they’ll be using 3 specialist wings in the 23

The Silver Fern

AB RWC Squad