RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks
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@KiwiMurph said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
@akan004 said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Apart from the draw, we didn't have any injuries either
You mean aside from Lomax, Frizell, Cane and effectively Retallick all missing the opening game?
I meant in the games that mattered. We had a full deck available for the knockout games. That French game was of no consequence. By losing it we actually ended up getting on the easier side of the draw.
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Just an interesting what if...What if SA had beaten Ireland and we face them in the QF. Would have been fascinating to see how that game went down.
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@KiwiMurph EDG with his rest too
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@Nevorian said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
So many ifs and buts.
I guess we should be grateful when only a few weeks ago people were even considering if we would make it out of the Pool Stage.
The thing that bugs me is we have to wait 9 months for redemption.
Those people were just fucking idiots.
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@Nevorian said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
The thing that bugs me is we have to wait 9 months for redemption.
Four more years, in fact.
I was sick of the ABs being the best team in the world but not RWC Champs. But I would take that back in a moment compared to Foster's 3/4/5th best team in the world, and still not RWC Champs.
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Foster, as with Hansen circa 2019 before him, didn't seem to grasp what IMHO constitutes a winning style of rugby since the last cup. Foster's early teams played a helter skelter brand that felt like a poor imitation of the free running style that won us the cup in 2015. But it didn't work when we came up against England in Yokohama, and it won't work now. I think winning rugby for us is solid setpiece, an improved kicking game in terms of distance kicking and kick and chase, direct running in the forwards and midfield which can allow us to quickly recycle and open space to set our outside players free. Take points on offer to develop scoreboard pressure that forces our opponents into mistakes when they have to chase the game. If Razor can bring some or all of this I'll be happy
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@canefan said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Foster, as with Hansen circa 2019 before him, didn't seem to grasp what IMHO constitutes a winning style of rugby since the last cup. Foster's early teams played a helter skelter brand that felt like a poor imitation of the free running style that won us the cup in 2015. But it didn't work when we came up against England in Yokohama, and it won't work now. I think winning rugby for us is solid setpiece, an improved kicking game in terms of distance kicking and kick and chase, direct running in the forwards and midfield which can allow us to quickly recycle and open space to set our outside players free. Take points on offer to develop scoreboard pressure that forces our opponents into mistakes when they have to chase the game. If Razor can bring some or all of this I'll be happy
the only thing i would add is not being afraid to grind out points, if we're up against a big defensive team then accept we might need to put 10-20 phases together and not boot it away if we dont open them up after 3-5 phases
edit: exactly like we did against ireland, as you say
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@Kiwiwomble said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
@canefan said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Foster, as with Hansen circa 2019 before him, didn't seem to grasp what IMHO constitutes a winning style of rugby since the last cup. Foster's early teams played a helter skelter brand that felt like a poor imitation of the free running style that won us the cup in 2015. But it didn't work when we came up against England in Yokohama, and it won't work now. I think winning rugby for us is solid setpiece, an improved kicking game in terms of distance kicking and kick and chase, direct running in the forwards and midfield which can allow us to quickly recycle and open space to set our outside players free. Take points on offer to develop scoreboard pressure that forces our opponents into mistakes when they have to chase the game. If Razor can bring some or all of this I'll be happy
the only thing i would add is not being afraid to grind out points, if we're up against a big defensive team then accept we might need to put 10-20 phases together and not boot it away if we dont open them up after 3-5 phases
edit: exactly like we did against ireland, as you say
Zero turnovers vs Ireland wasn't it? That stat shows we can do it
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@canefan i think in the end thats what was so frustrating...they proved they could do it...but didnt
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I remember McLeod's interview after halftime in the France game. Basically said they planned to run them around to tire them out. But instead of driving up the guts they decided to spin it wide like touch and make all sorts of silly chip kicks. Just not smart
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@canefan said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
I remember McLeod's interview after halftime in the France game. Basically said they planned to run them around to tire them out. But instead of driving up the guts they decided to spin it wide like touch and make all sorts of silly chip kicks. Just not smart
The Foster-era summed up really.
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Strange isn't it-we proved our forwards could be as good as anyone then we didn't use that platform effectively and consistently. But we had the players, it turns out.
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@nostrildamus said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Strange isn't it-we proved our forwards could be as good as anyone then we didn't use that platform effectively and consistently. But we had the players, it turns out.
Yep, and the emergence of Lomax, DeGroot, Newell and Williams has added a lot.
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@nostrildamus said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Strange isn't it-we proved our forwards could be as good as anyone then we didn't use that platform effectively and consistently. But we had the players, it turns out.
Yeah, it wasn't the cattle, it was the coach. Quelle surprise
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@canefan said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
@nostrildamus said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Strange isn't it-we proved our forwards could be as good as anyone then we didn't use that platform effectively and consistently. But we had the players, it turns out.
Yeah, it wasn't the cattle, it was the coach. Quelle surprise
Yes interesting that. Seemed to be a rather common excuse that the players weren't that good and Foster didn't have a great deal to work with.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
@canefan said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
@nostrildamus said in RWC Final: All Blacks v Springboks:
Strange isn't it-we proved our forwards could be as good as anyone then we didn't use that platform effectively and consistently. But we had the players, it turns out.
Yeah, it wasn't the cattle, it was the coach. Quelle surprise
Yes interesting that. Seemed to be a rather common excuse that the players weren't that good and Foster didn't have a great deal to work with.
There were a number of guys that were coming to the end but were still highly effective. The two locks, Smith, Mounga and to an extent BB - he seemed to have lost a step in pace and maybe that resulted in not being able to carry through with a lot of the little dinks over the top because he wasn't such an athletic freak anymore? On top of those guys you have some really strong blokes coming through who are stepping up to be the next leadership group, Save being the prime example but also the other two Barrets. Add on to that pair of out and out finishers on the wings and I'd say, cattle isn't the problem.
What you don't have is an all time great team, packed with leadership and rugby smarts a la 2015. Expectations were set very high from that time. I should know, we had similar issues post 2003.
However, an echoing what Flats said re SA, I'd struggle to see what game NZ were trying to play at times. For sure, when you got it right, it worked very nicely thank you but then the next time around everything got turned on it's head and the old errors/failings come to light again.
Most un-NZ like.
