All Blacks vs Argentina I
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
21 year old Argie Lock Pedro Rubiolo is listed at 1.91m. Darry has 12cm on him if they mark each other. They do however have two 2 metre Locks on the bench, including the experienced Lavanini.
He'll spend more time on the naughty chair than on the field if he's on the bench to start with.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Wow, with the responses on here you'd think we were still in the Foster era...
Fact is that these two Tests against Argentina are the easiest of the Rugby Championships and the selectors will use them to finesse their first-choice team for the rest of the year.
Tight five picks itself, given injuries to Barrett and Tuipulotu, and Aumua'a comparative advantage off the bench compared to Taylor.
Papali'i and (a slightly out of form) Savea are largely locked in at 7 and 8 - though I think Cane is still the better 7 than Papali'i but is heading off next year. Still wouldn't be hugely surprised to see him get minutes against Argentina and SA. At 6, it's a straight choice between Blackadder and Finau, given Jacobson's injury. Blackadder gets a run there this week but I assume Finau will get a crack next week and then whoever's the better performer of the two will likely start in SA.
Perenara is a baffling selection but it was always likely to be a combo of him and Ratima. Would still prefer Ratima to start.
ALB has been in great form over the last 12 months and he's been well and truly deserving of a run outside Jordie Barrett for a long time now. He and Proctor play a very similar game and are in similar form but with the team slightly down on experience, I'm pleased to see ALB in the side.
Tele'a hasn't had the best start to the year but and as some have alluded to this week, this could be his last chance to prove he should be starting on (either) wing, with Clarke probably the best choice at 11. I expect Clarke to get that jersey from next week, with Tele'a, Reece and Jordan largely fighting it out for the right wing spot.
The selectors haven't made any indication that this is the top (available) XV. We'll see that team line up against SA. For now, I'm pretty happy with the one selected - especially without knowing who they'll run out next weekend.
Apart from Razor saying straight out, this is their best team, you're right.
And yes, I know, it was best team for this game PR bullshit speak
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@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Tordah said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Team looks wack. I guess teams will always look a little worse now that so many legends have left NZR again after another world cup cycle.
Hope the locks step up. Va'ai has been a lot better this season. Will be interesting how the scrum goes with a new engine room. Props can only do so much.
Blackadder has to improve quite a bit.
Tele'a being all slippery is cool, but sometimes you just need a bit more pace. Clarke would have been my pick, I hated him before this season, but he has improved so much. J Barrett needs to get a bit more consistent, but love his long drop outs. McKenzie has been pretty good. Always was a fan of ALB, glad he is getting a start. Maybe Rieko in for Tele'a at 60 mins?
Still have a soft spot for Beauden, ever since he burst onto the scene in 2012, no matter how shitty his exit kicks are and how I sometimes scream at the highly illegal stream on my laptop when he does a silly chip - when they come off, I'd suck his balls again.If that’s not encouragement for BB to improve I don’t know what is
I just wonder when the previous time he sucked BB balls was?
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@Windows97 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Now it maybe a case in that we simply don't have the cattle, and were doing the best with the players we have but if that's the case and we havn't got heavy ball runners were going to need some innovation and smart thinking to create space, somehow across the field.
Such a shame the South Africans are no longer in Super Rugby. It would have been very interesting to see how the Blues game this year went against them. That would have given us an indication on whether we have the cattle to play that way against the big boys.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Windows97 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Now it maybe a case in that we simply don't have the cattle, and were doing the best with the players we have but if that's the case and we havn't got heavy ball runners were going to need some innovation and smart thinking to create space, somehow across the field.
Such a shame the South Africans are no longer in Super Rugby. It would have been very interesting to see how the Blues game this year went against them. That would have given us an indication on whether we have the cattle to play that way against the big boys.
would it though? i mean there are only 3 of the Blues pack selected in this test. And that number doesn't really chance if everyone is available. 3 of 13. The selectors clearly don't see the way the Blues play, and the players pulling it off as anything special, or the way they want to play. All it would have shown is the Blues pack can play Blues footy against anyone.
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@gt12 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@canefan said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Razor continues to have a massive horn for Blackadder. That's all very well but it's time for him to show everyone why now
it's not just Razor. The last group did everything they could to get him involved as well. I wish someone would tell us what we are missing.
Since you asked... and to post some documented stuff.
Ethan has a massive motor.
Best Bronco times:
McCaw: 4.30
Blackadder 4.32 (4.34 in the article below but there's a podcast where he says 4.32)
Papalií 4.45That's pretty good for a guy who's probably slightly bigger than Richie - and will be playing 6.
Watch: Cam Roigard impresses after blitzing All Blacks' pre-season Bronco
Rising star Cam Roigard has drawn level with playmaker Beauden Barrett in the pre-season Bronco.
His best position is 7 (especially at this level). If they picked him and Paps and said go to it, it would’ve been very understandable.
But, he’s picked at 6?
People keep saying that, but Ethan's preferred position in 6 (I have heard him say so) - it is where he has played most of his rugby.
I'd rather he was a bit faster if he's to play 7 and rather he was a bit taller if he's to play 6 - but, in a way, that's a function of Ardie being a short 8.
Ethan (and Luke Jacobson) are listed at the same height as Liam Messam, who went alright at 6 - but, of course he played in the same era as Read, who was an elite third lineout option.
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@mariner4life not to mention the lack of success the SA sides had at super level, regardless of thier now mythical forward dominance.
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our loose forward trio is just like when the Aussies wheeled out Smith and Waugh, except we've also added Davey Pocock.
Except, you know, Smith was elite, pocock was as good as anyone ever when the ball hit the floor. Also Waugh was there.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Windows97 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Now it maybe a case in that we simply don't have the cattle, and were doing the best with the players we have but if that's the case and we havn't got heavy ball runners were going to need some innovation and smart thinking to create space, somehow across the field.
Such a shame the South Africans are no longer in Super Rugby. It would have been very interesting to see how the Blues game this year went against them. That would have given us an indication on whether we have the cattle to play that way against the big boys.
would it though? i mean there are only 3 of the Blues pack selected in this test. And that number doesn't really chance if everyone is available. 3 of 13. The selectors clearly don't see the way the Blues play, and the players pulling it off as anything special, or the way they want to play. All it would have shown is the Blues pack can play Blues footy against anyone.
Don't know, but when they played the SA sides NZ sides tended to run them around didn't they? And that was relatively successful at that level, perhaps leading to a belief that the All Blacks could do the same. I guess what I am getting at, if the Blues could have beaten up the evil South Aficans with their game it may have given the AB selectors something different to think about.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
@Windows97 said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
Now it maybe a case in that we simply don't have the cattle, and were doing the best with the players we have but if that's the case and we havn't got heavy ball runners were going to need some innovation and smart thinking to create space, somehow across the field.
Such a shame the South Africans are no longer in Super Rugby. It would have been very interesting to see how the Blues game this year went against them. That would have given us an indication on whether we have the cattle to play that way against the big boys.
Yeah I hear you there, it's been a disadvantage to us not having SA in super as it's a hard gauge to see where our forwards are through the season until we hit the international window and then find out they struggle with the additional physicality.
Sure SA were more vunerable to the wide and fast paced expansive game, but you could at least get a look at how well the tight 5 could match up against a more physical team.
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@mariner4life Yeah - we're a bit unbalanced in the same way we were with Jerry, Richie and Rodders. It was remarkable how our hookers' lineout throwing improved when we graduated to Kaino, McCaw and Read.
The template has really been laid down with those three - and Alan Whetton, Michael Jones and Buck/Zinny - and even earlier, I think, by Kel Tremain, Waka Nathan and BJ Lochore.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
f the Blues could have beaten up the evil South Aficans with their game it may have given the AB selectors something different to think about.
forget the Blues, you'd see how forwards went against big units - getting weaknesses exposed early is really important.
Super is a pale shadow of its former self and used to prepare players for the physicality of test rugby. Not any more
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not sold out yet? dont know if this has changed much since yesterday
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Argentina I - 10 August:
our loose forward trio is just like when the Aussies wheeled out Smith and Waugh, except we've also added Davey Pocock.
Except, you know, Smith was elite, pocock was as good as anyone ever when the ball hit the floor. Also Waugh was there.
It actually reminds me of tours back in the 80s/90s, where in every provincial game the tourists would come up against yet another very good hard tackling 7... none of whom were ever selected for the all blacks, because they're not exactly michael fucking jones, are they?
Now here we are, selecting not one, but all of them.
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you only have to go back to 2005 where the poor old Lions were up against the best depth in any position i have ever seen in NZ rugby in every single game.
Not many caps between them (for NZ) because the 7 shirt belonged to one man and one man alone.
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@reprobate A lot of them probably did though. A flick through All Blacks 900-1000 throws up the following loose forwards:
Kevin Schuler, Mark Carter, Richard Turner, Aaron Pene, Jamie Joseph, Blair Larsen, Pat Lam, Dallas Seymour, Glenn Taylor, Liam Barry, John Mitchell, Todd Blackadder, Taine Randell, Andrew Blowers, Chresten Davis, Steve Surridge, Aaron Hopa, Isotolo Maka, Scott Robertson, Xavier Rush, Kupu Vanisi, Dylan Mika, Rueben Thorne, Troy Flavell, Filo Tiatia, Ron Cribb and Marty Holah.
Some very good players - some who might have stood at the top of the pantheon but for being blocked by the likes of Jones, Zinny, McCaw and Kronfeld (who might be a half step down).
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@mariner4life yeah our 7s pretty much schooled them through every game, even when they put a hundy over Manawatu, Josh Bradnock was excellent.
