All Blacks 2024
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Too busy at work to actually read the thread and comment properly but FFS that’s rough on Sotutu, I don’t usually watch the pressers but I’d be interested in hearing their B/S reasons for overlooking him. Plus, Perofeta shouldn’t be close to that squad. Plummer’s the good version of him.
And we’ll Bell was discussed during the week. He just confirms to us all that form doesn’t mean shit. Well TBF Sotutu being overlooked already confirmed that.
The Ginga and Ta$man Jesus lucky as well but we all knew those two picks were coming.
Sititi lucky too, but at least he had good form.
Ah well, at least Havilli wasn’t picked, then I would have had to throw the toys out of the cot. 😏
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Some interesting selections for sure.
I thought there would be one out of sotutu and akira and one out of jacobson and blackadder.
For the terrible season the crusaders had the blues pack with one first pick missing couldnt handle the crusaders pack with at least one first pick missing so not sure its that big a surprise. -
Sounds like the sotutu/sititi decision was very close.
Assuming Akira leaving just leaves him out so its a whos the next ranked six question. -
Perhaps the backs is actually more disturbing.
Back up 10 isnt getting any younger so a problem in the longer term remains there. Burke leaving reduces the options somewhat. -
But its 12 that is more worrying to me.
If we want a barrett style 12 - uses power to get over the gain line, good backup kicker, good distributer then on that basis we have 3 x 13s in ALB, Proctor and Ioane then we only 1 x 12 in the squad.
Dont get me wrong I like ALB but he doesnt play the same style as barret at 12. Will they try to convert Proctor?
Who is the next barret style 12? -
Finally who is playing 15 ! No specialist so Barret and/or Perofeta?
Are any of the wings named able to play 15 at close to test level?
Can any of them kick well? -
@pakman said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@frugby said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Prop I think could be an interesting one. Though Tu'ungafasi and Williams can both play tighthead, they pretty much only play loosehead these days. Ryan has tended to pick specialists, which means those two + EDG, Numia and Bower are playing for three spots.
Would leave a gap at tighthead, and with few options to fill it. Ta'avao for a recall? Tosi as a bolter? Dyer?
Tamaiti looks alright at TH against lower quality LHs but was made mincemeat of by Joe Marler. Stood up well at LH against Bok second string TH. Ofa genuinely good both sides, and ABs need him more as third TH. If they did look further afield, last year they seemed to like Mafileo, and Tosi has performed well for Canes.
At LH EDG first name. On form Numia ought to be second, and also adds another level of dynamism. So for me Bower or Tamaiti. Tried and tested versus higher ceiling.As was this.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Too busy at work to actually read the thread and comment properly but FFS that’s rough on Sotutu, I don’t usually watch the pressers but I’d be interested in hearing their B/S reasons for overlooking him. Plus, Perofeta shouldn’t be close to that squad. Plummer’s the good version of him.
I liked the way Robertson explained his decision on Sotutu & Sititi. May disagree but the clarity was good.
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@Lancaster-Park Man a lot gets read into that game. Like yeah, they got the better of us in some areas that night, but if we're to go by that logic, that same Crusaders pack also got bulldozed all over the park by the fucken Force pack of all packs too.
I'll see how we go first before making wild conclusions.
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So you're saying the force pack was better than the blues as well !!
Lucky you had anyone in the ABs (heh heh heh). -
But seriously the crusaders had at best a dismal year.
Scrum held up, Lio-Willey was good, lineout was awful for most of the season.
Got no problem with the props selected, surprised by Bell, pleased Reece made the squad. Blackadder worth a look, Barret a definite.So lots of whos the best third hooker in the country ..... if you look longer term ... still a bit surprised thats its bell but a lot of that is around the lineout performance which isnt always about the hooker. (?)
Then its whos the next best No 6 and when on the field blackadder certainly was in the conversation ... just needs to stay on the field. -
While I can completely understand a bit of the frustration at some of the selections, I think people are letting one or two decisions cloud their judgement on the squad (and Robertson and co) as a whole.
Of the seven Crusaders selected, who didn't deserve their spot?
Taylor, Williams, Newell, Barrett and Reece are all incumbent All Blacks and there are very strong cases for all five to get a call-up. Blackadder has had some strong games in the black jersey and, worst case scenario, he breaks early in the year and is replaced by someone else.
Bell is the only one of the seven that is a real head scratcher, but it's not like there were any other obvious options available to the selectors. Until Taukei'aho was injured, there weren't any other hooker names being bandied about because none of them were even close to the level of Taukei'aho/Aumua/Taylor. Riccitelli has performed well this year but it's not like he's been banging the door down for a number of seasons or has the physical attributes that would make anyone stand up and take notice. Is he realistically going to be starting a World Cup knock-out game in four year's time against the Springboks? Would he measure up against the Springboks (or England) now? Further, Riccitelli is two years older than Aumua and three years older than Taukei'aho.
Bringing in a young hooker to learn from Taylor and Aumua (and Corey Flynn) makes sense and when you look around the country, it's really only Bell and Thompson who have previously been earmarked for the future (with their selection in the All Blacks XV). With Thompson's future rumoured to be up in the ear and Robertson and Ryan already familiar with Bell, it's not the most outrageous selection, all things considered.
And for the people who are now bringing race into the equation, four of the five debutants are Maori/Pasifika. I think some disappointing conclusions are being jumped to when there are far more sensible answers...
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@Lancaster-Park Yeah I see both sides of the argument regarding Bell. Like, yeah, he was horrific imo for a lot of the season and I had this argument earlier in the thread that it us worth looking for a long term option if there aren't any standouts as the 3rd option, but I can also see why people would be pissed when he's been a shoe in from the moment he stepped into professional rugby. His throwing this year especially was horrendous, but there's no reason why he can't improve on it, be that in the ABs environment or in the AB XV/NPC.
Most of the other selections in the pack we saw coming anyway apart from Tosi and yeah, let's not kid ourselves here, leaving Sotutu out is just plain dislike for the guy. He could end up being the Akira Ioane of the Hansen Era.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Of the seven Crusaders selected, who didn't deserve their spot?
Bell and Blackadder should be nowhere near this squad.
Ardie Savea should have been captain instead of Scott Barrett.
A lot of people would disagree with Savea as captain.
And a lot of people would (and do) disagree with the selections of Vaa'i, Sititi, Jacobson, Christie, Perenara, Barrett, Perofeta - none of whom play for the Crusaders. So is Robertson (the man who ultimately would have had final say on the squad, regardless of the various selectors' specialty areas) biased, or does he just not share the exact same opinion with everyone on the internet?
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@Mr-Fish Hoskins Sotutu was in almost everyone else's squad. His stats this year were amazing and he has developed a real edge to his game. Opponents fear him.
Yes, it's ultimately Robertson's judgement that matters. But it doesn't sit easy to me that he has passed over an outstanding talent in great form from a rival province, then shown loyalty to his old chums from what has been a misfiring outfit this year.
