Bledisloe II - Have a stab at the teams.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="609791" data-time="1472292279">
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Pocock tackles and running incredibly weakly for a 7... or 8 in this case.
 
Just no impact.
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There's no way he's a no 8 , it'd be interesting to see what they'd be like with that brumbies no8 who had the blood clot issues and had to give the game away.

Frye

Cruden isn't doing it for me as an impact sub.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mokey" data-cid="609779" data-time="1472291716">
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Ok, so the reffing was pretty shite for both sides, but Wallabies, where the bloody hell are you?
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Thing is, when you're getting black shirts up in your face in every phase - whether they're half a metre offside or not - what are you going to do?
 
The ABs gamesmanship (EDIT: and fitness as well as role distribution) is better than ours to start with, good enough to slow our ruck ball down, and we're apparently not smart enough to deal with that or communicate on an even basic level with the ref. That last ruck by Savea was a perfect example of Poite's incompetence, but a couple of earlier ones were just smart play by the ABs to see if he'd blow the whistle. They got the rub of the green, and that's all you can do.
 
People here are talking about the niggle not working? Well it fucking DID - ABs held to under 30 points against this side? That is something the AB coaching staff won't be thrilled about. Shit in the last minutes of the first half the ABs looked positively rattled.
 
Problem is, we didn't team that niggle up with any brains whatsoever to capitalise on the territory we won. If you don't execute against the ABs across your game, you lose. We missed too many tackles again.
 
We have a system where there are good players, but there aren't even five (EDIT: or even three) blokes competing for every spot, and the skill levels aren't developed from early enough. We have multiple schools competitions containing a handful of teams each, that are completely dominated by one or two PLAYERS sometimes, not a particularly powerful First XV or forward pack. Even then, "powerful" doesn't even rate because our juniors are hamstrung by playing kiddie rules instead of full-blown rugby until its too late.
 
Once those guys are coalesced into state squads - that is, once the neverending politics, parent agendas, bullshit, and screaming happens - they fight it out for spots in High Performance Units but have no real future in professional rugby if they miss out. That is, if they don't pick up NRL contracts by that point anyway. Some might stick with the game but play Colts for a Premier Club somewhere, and train a couple of times a week. There is limited pathways left for those guys.
 
You look at blokes like Fardy who are a massive exception to this rule: club player, went overseas, came back and picked up by the Ponies. Has the drive and hard edge from having to earn his spot every week and get some life experience rather than living under the aegis of an inbred, overly politicised system.
 
While we're trying to get a semi-professional, funded comp going in the NRC, the club hierarchy are busy trying to whiteant it, because they think they know best. They like to live on the glories that "Club Rugby delivered us two World Cups!" and can't accept progress. Even though all of them are broke and living on ARU handouts.
 
I'm not going over to GAGR at the moment because it will be the usual mud slinging about particular players and their errors. But changing horses won't actually help. There are people who want to throw MORE untried rookies into the mix, looking for some kind of messiah bullshit. They remember the days of Eales, Kearns, Horan and Little winning RWC1991 and reckon its just about the Eddie Jones school of "fuck-try-this!"
 
The system is fucked. It has been for a long time, and only some coincidental happenstance has made it look any better than fucked e.g. several awesome players coming together at once under a good organiser like Rod Macqueen.
 
The way I see it, the NZRFU finally got sick of just relying on talent, and made changes at the top designed to filter down to the lower levels.
 
Because anything below Super Rugby is outside the ARU's remit, they haven't been able to force these changes except by trying to keep the NRC going. And while it is supplementary to club rugby (the NRC season starts after Premier Rugby finishes) and only runs for 10 weeks at a time, it isn't going to dislodge club rugby from its perch.
 
I am not tied to any club or school or schools competition, so I say this bullshit and people say "Nick you're wrong! The Sydney GPS is crucial to developing talent for Australian Rugby! And they'd thrash anyone else in the other school competitions"
 
"Right", says I, "the competition with a total of 6 schools, only 1-3 of which are competitive in any given year? And how the fuck will those other schools competitions get any better if they're not exposed?"
 
 
fuck. Just fuck. I'm going to finish that bottle of rum.
 
 
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="booboo" data-cid="609799" data-time="1472292991">
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So how was Fardy let back on?
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I think Pocock was off with blood or head bin?

Frank

Still prefer Naholo over J. Savea by a country mile.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Frank" data-cid="609813" data-time="1472293820">
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Still prefer Naholo over J. Savea by a country mile.
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I reckon Naholo might be better on attack but still think he's not quite as good on defence.
 
Either of them get tested so rarely at AB level its hard to say.

NTA

Tonight was the first time in years I have yelled at the TV - three times, and every time was Poite fucking up a decision.

Derm McCrum

Might just be me, but if Sonny Bill Williams posted that tweet about Cheika, he's a twat of the highest order. 
Yeah, I get bagging a team for their performance, or an individual player who's taking the mick, but slagging off the coach of another country after your team has won about an award that was given by other professionals just makes you sound like the shit guy who has to get the extra dig in after the fight is over. Gobshite.

antipodean

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="609821" data-time="1472294557">Tonight was the first time in years I have yelled at the TV - three times, and every time was Poite fucking up a decision.</blockquote>
I was genuinely confused by a number if his decisions for both teams. He must be difficult to play under.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pot Hale" data-cid="609822" data-time="1472294617">
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Might just be me, but if Sonny Bill Williams posted that tweet about Cheika, he's a twat of the highest order. 
Yeah, I get bagging a team for their performance, or an individual player who's taking the mick, but slagging off the coach of another country after your team has won about an award that was given by other professionals just makes you sound like the shit guy who has to get the extra dig in after the fight is over. Gobshite.
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Was he bagging Cheika or bagging the Judges?
 
Only Allah will ever know.

Derm McCrum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="609824" data-time="1472294996">Was he bagging Cheika or bagging the Judges? 
 
Only Allah will ever know.</blockquote>
 
Both.

Bovidae

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stockcar86" data-cid="609563" data-time="1472283802">
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LOL at Read - "talk to yourself" to Moore when the ref told him to talk to the Aussie players to calm them down
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I thought that comment by Read was brilliant. Moore was probably too thick to realise it was directed at him.

pukunui

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="hydro11" data-cid="609796" data-time="1472292813">
I imagine the Fardy sub had something to do with the yellow card. Since their backrowers offer nothing in the lineout, they needed a sub when Coleman went off. 
I imagine they wanted to keep scoring tries because of the bonus point rules (although they were up by 4 tries at that stage).</blockquote>
 
Fair point on the Fardy thing. Still insane to drag a guy who can actually jump in a lineout whrn your lineout has turned to shit. 
Still think the 3 was the best option. They were 4 tries up. If they were worried about Aust scoring two tries (which would have made it a 6 point game) they should have been thinking about securing the win first. Regardless the stupid tap and go then grubber was a shit option. 
Two weeks in a tow our subs haven't quite added the pubch weare used to them adding. Not sure Cruden voming on along side Barret works very well. 
Who fo we have next? Argies? Wonder what changes there will be. Probably limited in the backs given the injuries. Maybe Pat T in and dome loosie rotation.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="pukunui" data-cid="609830" data-time="1472295322">
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Who fo we have next? Argies? Wonder what changes there will be. Probably limited in the backs given the injuries. Maybe Pat T in and dome loosie rotation.
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Probably want to keep the general structure the same in preparation for the Boks. Maybe more time for the benchies in case of injury.

antipodean

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="ACT Crusader" data-cid="609797" data-time="1472292831">
The Wallabies attack is a massive problem. They get turnovers but don't know what to do with it. Their line speed in defence was a lot better tonight (tackling was overall very poor though), but they still lacked organisation when realigning in attack. 
No variation, no imagination. 
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk</blockquote>It doesn't help that they've got genuine injury issues in their backline. At no point this year have I felt the selectors have put out their best backline. 
Tonight I felt they competed much better and could have had a score or two with better players. Certainly a better effort from last week. 
Two weeks in a row the All Blacks have looked seriously disjointed with the bench coming on.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="pukunui" data-cid="609830" data-time="1472295322">
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Fair point on the Fardy thing. Still insane to drag a guy who can actually jump in a lineout whrn your lineout has turned to shit. 
Still think the 3 was the best option. They were 4 tries up. If they were worried about Aust scoring two tries (which would have made it a 6 point game) they should have been thinking about securing the win first. Regardless the stupid tap and go then grubber was a shit option. 
Two weeks in a tow our subs haven't quite added the pubch weare used to them adding. Not sure Cruden voming on along side Barret works very well. 
Who fo we have next? Argies? Wonder what changes there will be. Probably limited in the backs given the injuries. Maybe Pat T in and dome loosie rotation.
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Maybe McKenzie will be getting a start against the pumas? Dammit, I should have bought that up when I was having breakfast with him Jerome Kaino , Liam Squire and Joe Moody.

NTA

Now hearing something about a pre-Test meeting that Hansen had with Poite. Wallabies weren't invited?
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

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NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="609833" data-time="1472295453">
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Maybe McKenzie will be getting a start against the pumas? Dammit, I should have bought that up when I was having breakfast with him Jerome Kaino , Liam Squire and Joe Moody.
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Broseph - there is getting some miles out of a story, and then there is
 
<img src="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/sites/default/files/styles/insert_large/public/images/3798/road-trip.jpg" alt="road-trip.jpg">
 
 
;)

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="609834" data-time="1472295528">
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Now hearing something about a pre-Test meeting that Hansen had with Poite. Wallabies weren't invited?
 
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I thought WR had put a stop to meetings with the ref a few years back?

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="609835" data-time="1472295656">
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Broseph - there is getting some miles out of a story, and then there is
 
<img src="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/sites/default/files/styles/insert_large/public/images/3798/road-trip.jpg" alt="road-trip.jpg">
 
 
 ;)
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I'm just getting warmed up mate.

Mattasaurus

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="609834" data-time="1472295528">Now hearing something about a pre-Test meeting that Hansen had with Poite. Wallabies weren't invited? 
 <a class="bbc_url" href="

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Outrageous. .. next it will be bugs in team hotels...

The Silver Fern

Bledisloe II - Have a stab at the teams.