2024 NZ Schools Rugby
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I've just been able to watch the games. The Barbarians U18s will probably be disappointed with some moments in defense, where the Australian U18s were just able to get over the line a little bit too easily. That being said, the Aussie U18s were really efficient on turnover ball, some great offloads and kicks leading to tries.
And as the game went on, and the Australia U18s realized they could keep on recycling the ball phase after phase, they just basically had to wait until a gap opened up in the Barbarian defense (Kingsley Uys especially being good at finding/forcing these gaps).
I thought Micah Fale stood up well in his role as captain, carrying aggressively in attack and working hard in defense. From the Australians, I thought their halfback pairing went really well, good orchestration of the attack, both through kicking and passing.
I don't think there's a whole lot to say about the NZ Schools game. Samoa U18 kept on working but it was just a little too easy for the NZ Schools forwards and backs to make metres. For NZ Schools, they'll want to work on the breakdown. Australia U18 effectively targeted the Barbarian ruck so they'll pose a bigger challenge than Samoa there.
All in all, fun games to watch. I thought the quality of the stream was an improvement on recent years as well.
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It's also hard to know what the best starting XV for the NZ Schools is. Some players were replaced at HT and there were plenty of changes in the 2nd half, including a reshuffle of the backline. Sinkinson (hooker) even come back on replace Saumaki when he went off. This was the game to try out some combinations.
Tocker looked taller than either starting lock, and I'm not sure Falloon starts against Aust. Sinton will probably start at halfback but the NC 9/10 combo works well.
They had multiple cameras for the coverage compared to previous years.
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@Bovidae Yeah, talking about the NZ Schools backline, at a certain point it was very hard to work out who was playing where. Inch and Verster were constantly interchanging at first receiver, but I think Inch moved to fullback when Norrie went off? I'll have to take another look at another time.
I think Australia U18 will have taken a lot out of their game against the Barbarians, so they should be well prepared for the game on Sunday. Like you said, they have a lot of solid athletes and carriers, so if the Australians can shore up their defense, it should be a good contest.
Apparently, the NZ Schools coaches do view someone like Hutchings as a potential openside. But, if Aio Keith isn't injured, I do expect the latter to start at 7 against Australia.
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@Bovidae said in 2024 NZ Schools Rugby:
and I'm not sure Falloon starts against Aust
I'm having a quick rewatch of the game, focusing on some specific players including Falloon, and I've been impressed by his mobility and work-rate. Compared to Frazer Brown's game against the Australia U18s, for example, Falloon seems to exhibit a lot of physicality and intensity in the carry and clean (Brown wasn't poor by any means for the Barbarians but he did seem to lack a bit of fitness, at times). Falloon had some big carries through the middle, especially in the first half, and was a reliable source of lineout ball.
Did you notice anything at the ground about his game which makes you doubt he starts against Australia?
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@Mauss said in 2024 NZ Schools Rugby:
Did you notice anything at the ground about his game which makes you doubt he starts against Australia?
The choice of locks will depend on the makeup of the loose forwards, and particularly the fitness of Saumaki. He was very impressive, and there isn't a like-for-like replacement if his injury is serious. Falloon wasn't bad but his hands let him down a couple of times, including losing the ball in contact near the Samoan goal-line. I thought McLeod was the better of the starting locks - a good workrate and strong in the carry. Giera is a beanpole while Falloon has some size.
Given the difference in the quality of the opposition, Brown was one of the better performing Barbarians forwards for me, along with Raviyawa.
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@Bovidae I would guess that if Saumaki is injured, Spratley comes in at number 8? He doesn't pose the same threat but he's a very good player in his own right.
I agree that McLeod was very good. Compared to Falloon, I guess that he was a bit more prominent in open play? But they both had different roles, so I find it hard to compare their performances. I just felt that Falloon did well, considering he was called in from the Barbarians. He didn't look out of place to me.
Brown was excellent in the lineout and the maul, and had some good moments in attack. But there were several instances - for example, for Australia U18s third try - where he didn't drift in defense, leaving the Barbarians defensive line a man short and creating the easy overlap for the Aussie U18s.
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This explains the reason for him being replaced.
We are all incredibly proud of Tevita Tatafu for being selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team this year. It's a real testament to how much Big T has worked on his game over the last couple of years in particular. Unfortunately he was concussed in a recent Auckland U18 fixture, this has ruled him out of all rugby for the next few weeks so he won't be able to take the field in the black jersey this week. A setback for Tevita, but he'll be back stronger than ever in 2025.
So looks to be eligible next year.
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@Bovidae That's unfortunate, I was looking forward to watching him play.
So he'll play another year for St. Peter's? I didn't know he was that young. Then again, I've read that small passage a couple of times now and I can't work out whether they're actually saying he'll play another year of First XV rugby or that he'll just return to playing rugby in 2025 (for club or whatever).
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These past days I’ve taken another few looks at the games. Some more random thoughts:
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The return of the catch and pass: it was noticeable how clean both NZ Schools and Barbarians U18s were in their execution on attack. One reason for this, I feel, was their catch and pass: the backs were aligned well and the pass was quick out of the hands. Recent Kiwi age grade teams have regularly stuffed up drawing their man, thinking that attacking and manipulating the defensive line means waiting to pass at the last moment. Defences, in recent years, have used this hesitation to shift their focus on the recipient, meaning that the receiver of the pass gets both ball and defender at the same time. The hesitation with the ball then turns from what was previously an attacking advantage to a serious benefit for the defence. It was good to see NZ Schools and Barbarian U18s move away from this tendency. Both teams did really well in creating clarity: either the ball is decisively carried or the ball is shifted quickly.
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Searching for scrum dominance rather than scrum technique: both the NZ Schools and the Aussie U18s front-rows are made up of power-athletes atypical of the position. Liam Van Der Heyden (TH), Charlie Wallis (LH) (NZ Schools), Kingsley Uys (LH), and Nicholas Hill (LH) (Australia U18) are all very tall and relatively lean props, who carry strongly and who have deceptively quick feet. Their build clearly impacts their scrummaging techniques as well though: Van Der Heyden, in his first scrum against Samoa U18, was still nearly standing up when binding to his opponent, and Nicholas Hill’s back was so arched it’s hard to imagine a lot of power being able to come through it (he seemingly relied on his own upper-body strength and quickly started walking around). Rassie Erasmus recently made an interesting distinction between dominant and technical scrums. Refs, not always as clued in on what goes on in the scrum as Springbok head coaches, can award scrums who look to be dominant, even if scrummaging technically incorrect. Seeing how both NZ Schools and Australia U18s front-rows are lacking in scrum technique, the battle on Sunday will probably be decided by the scrum that is most aggressive and ‘appearing dominant’.
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Plenty of backline talent coming through: Like I said before, it’s hard to take too much away from the game against Samoa U18. That being said, when a team is so utterly dominant, it can lead to some silly decision-making, as players try to be too clever. This wasn’t the case for the NZ Schools backline, however, which remained very focused and precise throughout the game. Harry Inch kept the game direct and simple, using the power and speed of the players around him to probe and eventually break the Samoan defensive line. The backline players also stayed connected well, Pahulu, Vaega, Stanley and Guerin constantly running off shoulders and looking to manipulate space rather than attacking the line individually. They all look like great athletes but it was pleasing to see them using their sense of the game rather than just their individual ability. In the Barbarians game, Pyrenees Boyle-Tiatia was impressive in his ability to find and create gaps, connecting well with both his midfield partner, Saunderson-Rurawhe, as well as his outside backs. The Barbarian backline was consistently able to get round the Australian defensive line which shot up (albeit a little passively at times) through quick hands and smart running lines.
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Australia U18 for Sunday's game against NZ Schools has been named:
The side in question:
They've gone for a 6/2 split with another number 8, TJ Talaileva, added to the bench.
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@Bovidae Yes, that penalty against Johnston was fair, he misjudged his height and brought on the collapse. I'd argue that he gained ascendancy in the subsequent scrums, though, mostly because of the aforementioned walking around by the Aussie reserve loosehead.
But technical infringements were mostly let go by the refs in both games, hence the need for aggression and perceived dominance.
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@Bovidae Some interesting decisions. I think Sinton as starting 9 and captain are good choices, but I'm not sure about their seeming intent of keeping the halfback combinations together if it means that Inch doesn't start. I guess we'll see how it goes. Verster, from what I've seen, does seem to be the (marginally) better kicker, though, so maybe that also played a part in their thinking.
The loose forward trio, I'm not sure. Tocker doesn't offer a whole lot apart from his attacking prowess and pace on the wing, and, despite his height, isn't particularly dominant in the lineout either. So I understand that he's on the bench. But, to me, 6. Hutchings, 7. Keith, 8. Saumaki appears more balanced. I suspect Tito wants as many players on the field who can get over the ball, and Keith, Saumaki and Spratley are all very able poachers. It does make sense, as Australia wants to play a possession-based game, using its powerful carriers to move up the field.
The decision that I don't really get is Van Der Heyden on the bench. The Aussie U18 maul defence was a weakness against the Barbarians and in Van Der Heyden you have someone who is incredibly difficult to stop when he's pushing in the middle of the attacking maul. Perhaps they want a shorter tighthead to put pressure on the Aussie loosehead's scrummaging technique.
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The NZ Māori Under 18 Ngā Whatukura Boys and NZ Heartland U20 teams:
The Māori Under 18 Ngā Whatukura lineup looks pretty good. Lots of talented players, both in the forward pack and the backline, so it'll be interesting to see how they gel as a team. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Cruiz Simpson, the little that I saw he looked promising.
I don't know anything about the Heartland U20 team, apart from the fact that Benazzi Ward's parents must be really into their rugby.
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@Mauss Tito seems to favour the 8-9-10 combo from the same school. NC in the Samoa game and now the TBC trio. At least there will be some firepower to bring off the bench.
BTW, I re-watched the NZ-Samoa game and agree that Falloon had a better game than I originally thought watching live.
Australia U18s lock in side to face New Zealand Schools
