The Silver Fern

@brodean said in Italy v All Blacks:

@Canes4life said in Italy v All Blacks:

Someone just posted this team in the Stuff comments (yes I know it's not reliable) but it's interesting.

AB team: Love, Tele'a, Lam, ALB, Clarke, Perofeta, Perenara, Sititi, Cane, Lakai, Holland, Tuipolotu (c), Tosi, Taylor EDG.

Subs: Williams, Aumua, Ofa, S Barrett, Savea, Roigard, B Barrett, Reiko

I don't see it happening. If they're giving Perofeta a start at 10 at least give him Roigard at 9.

Interesting - that's what would make it more believable for me. Throw in a guy to give him an opportunity but make sure it's in a thrown together combination so you come out looking like you made the right decision all along.

@darylmitchell it feels remarkably similar to foster to me. Except Razor got handed a front row and then somehow managed to send various veterans form into a nosedive...

@pakman my source is my eyes watching Blackadder try to clean people out and bouncing off like a small child.

@pakman said in AB missing piece:

With the exception of Cane, and possibly Niggles, our loosies could do with taking a close look at PSDT's cleaning technique.

Thanks for confirming you're taking the piss with this thread.

@Bovidae hoping to see Knewstubb carry on his vast improvement from last year, disappointing to see Ormond there - he better start to look like he belongs and not like it's a callback to when you had substantial local pool players called into teams. Picking Mathis to provide that attacking threat we're losing with Fine.

@Landers92 said in Italy v All Blacks:

Players I can think of that haven’t played again England, Ireland or France below.

Lio-Willie
Lord
Newell
EDG
Love
Havili
TJP

Interesting to see who of the above doesn’t play if that’s true.

50/50

But yeah, there's 3 who have a much better chance.

@Billy-Tell another one to add to the EdG rumour mill.

@Canes4life My impression of Flanders in previous seasons was that he played pretty soft, but he appeared to make improvement this season.

@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024:

@Tim said in All Blacks 2024:

@Canes4life Who is most likely to play 6 for the Canes?

It depends where they see Delany, they will either play Delany at lock and have Flanders at 6, or they’ll play Delany at 6 and have Gallagher at lock. Flanders and Iose will share duties at 8.

Flanders and Shields will also cover 6 if Delany plays lock.

Would've liked to see Delaney at 6 more, but just don't think he plays the right mongrel type game and after Flanders' season am leaning more towards him.

@Tim said in All Blacks 2024:

@Bones Gets pinged a lot coming off the bench. Tosi was a big upgrade.

Gets pinged a lot in the scrum? Huh, interesting.

@sparky I suspect you'd be quite wrong.

@Tim said in All Blacks 2024:

Newell is mediocre in the scrum at test level

Is he? My impression was he'd been very solid and at least performed the role that the likes of Franks/Laulala were fabled to but never did.

@booboo openside

@Mr-Fish please explain...

@Tim said in All Blacks 2024:

I suspect it would be worth recruiting a specialist scrum coach. What chances that we will have one next year?

Funny you say that....I wonder why he's been focusing on that particular area?

Spoke to a guy at puppy class the other day who noticed I was wearing an AB jumper. Reckoned we had a good game when we beat England.

@Mr-Fish said in New Zealand v Italy:

it's difficult to imagine a situation where the All Blacks have another specialist 7 in the 23

I....ahh....huh? Did you miss the games prior to the EOYT?

But yeah, who the heck is random saffa? Might as well just head down the pub and ask the first guy you see in a rugby jersey.

Quite yuck.