RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland
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Fozzie's mind games. Telea will be available for next week's match: https://www.the42.ie/mark-telea-all-blacks-6194941-Oct2023/?utm_source=shortlink
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Powerhouse wing Leicester Faingaāanuku has been handed the start on the left wing to face Ireland in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, with the All Blacks confirming he replaces incumbent No 11 Mark Telea because of a breach in team protocol.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster said Teleaās breach had been of a āminorā nature, but nonethless had resulted in him being left out of the selection picture this week.
āDiscipline,ā explained Foster of Teleaās omisison. āItās nothing major but enough to keep him out of selection this week. We still love him, heās trained well, but itās happened.ā
Itās understood Telea had breached a team curfew, but Foster was not keen to expand on the reasons for his elusive wingās omission.
āIt is what it is,ā added the coach. āFor us itās clear-cut. We donāt want to talk about it any more ā weāve moved on.ā
The other eyebrow-raiser in an otherwise predictable 23 is the selection of Blues and Ta$man halfback Fin Christie on the bench to back up veteran Aaron Smith at No 9. He gets the nod ahead of rising young Hurricanes standout Cam Roigard who appears to have the greater upside as an attacking force off the pine.
Foster said it was a āhorses for coursesā selection, and talked about the defensive prowess Christie brings in that backup role.
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@Stargazer it's getting ridiculous now how NZ rugby journos are just summarising fern threads. Lazy bastards.
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Re Telea. Aren't things like breaching protocol decided by the entire management group and not just the coaching staff?
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@Victor-Meldrew Yeah, I actually thought it was the All Blacks leadership group, not the coaches, but I may be wrong.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Re Telea. Aren't things like breaching protocol decided by the entire management group and not just the coaching staff?
The leadership group did it, and you can't fucking ignore it because it's an important game. Telea is a fucking idiot, they all knows the rules, but he is a young fucking idiot sand will probably learn. Foster has had years of being a fucking idiot, and still he does the same thing. Sadly is my second team are probably worse, so not much to look forward to after we get knocked out
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I refuse to contemplate picking a āsecondā team before this game. For me it would be like throwing in the towel early. Hell no! I have belief this ABās team can beat the Irish side.
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@Bones said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@pakman not creating an account. Does he actually say that?
ALL BLACKS BOSS Ian Foster said he still loves wing Mark Telea after dropping him for the World Cup quarter-final against Ireland due to a disciplinary breach.
26-year-old Telea, who has been brilliant since his Test debut last year, has been left out of the massive clash in Paris on Saturday, with Leicester Faingaāanuku picked in the number 11 jersey in his place.
āHe breached the protocol, nothing major, but enough to keep him out of selection for this week,ā said Foster this evening at the All Blacksā team hotel east of Paris.
āI still love him, he trained well, it happens.
āLook, it is what it is. For us itās pretty clean-cut, I donāt really want to talk about it anymore. Weāve dealt with it as a team and moved on.ā
Foster was asked about the decision again later in the press conference and stressed that Teleaās breach was āminor.ā
Asked if he is concerned that a key player would break team rules ahead of such a massive week, Foster instead said he believes the decision underlines how much store the All Blacks put in their protocols.
āWe believe in what we stand for and that speaks volumes for the team that we make that sort of decision in this sort of week.ā
Meanwhile, Foster outlined the reasoning behind some of his other selection decisions.
Finlay Christie has been picked ahead of the in-form Cam Roigard as the back-up scrum-half.
āWe just felt it was horses for courses for this particular game. We think Finlay has got an edge defensively,ā said Foster. -
Like most, my first reaction is why TF Christie is there over Roigard. Absolutely baffling.
Looking at it overall, it's the best 23 aside from that one glaring selection (and Telea being unavailable).
My concern though is the starting props haven't had a lot of recent game time. They're our best, no doubt, but that is a worry.
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In all seriousness the one thing that pisses me off is that after reading these post team announcement headlines the Irish team will be shaking their heads with bemusement. I'm sick of coming second in the smart team stakes.
Where's Razor. -
@BerniesCorner said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
In all seriousness the one thing that pisses me off is that after reading these post team announcement headlines the Irish team will be shaking their heads with bemusement. I'm sick of coming second in the smart team stakes.
Where's Razor.He's ready and waiting. In Chch...
