I seem to be missing something with Fifita,I must be falling asleep during games and missing all the great work he is getting through to keep him in the AB squad.

Big worry for me is Foster has no idea as an attack coach
We are floundering getting much gain at the advantage line and I dont see what we are trying to achieve with the ball in hand at times.

Ok I officially love Akira he has x Factor real teamwork there he could have scored himself.
I am converted.

And I have just run naked across the field

How much credibility has Cane lost with that article.Keep your head down son get your job done.Be humble work hard,And don't bag you supporters in anyway. Get out there and connect with them.

All part of Razor's Coaching philosophy.

ABs by 20 tomorrow We are going to play Ireland for real this time not on an end of the year tour When our players are fatigued from a big home season.They will be pumped no second chances here they will not want to go out in QF and finish a few AB careers on that.
I am hoping Australia pull of a minor miracle and take the Poms out not that I like Australia I just hate the Poms more.

Havili should get a chance at 12 he played outstanding in the final and pulled of some big plays.
He looks the most complete 12 we have. Mounga,Havilli,ALB looks like an awesome fit.

Samisoni Taukeiaho,To make his debut of the Bench,Coles out with a calf problem.

@machpants said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@crucial Totally agree. They brought Akira in as an apprentice and tried the touchy feely. When that didn't work, they tried the nasty public (not they should ever do that, but still). Didn't work, made him worse. When Akira got himself sorted mentally (as per his interview with Ardie), BAM, long term 6 option at international not just SR level

Akira by the way I read him is a player you need to be honest with, and then tell him you back him and then do it.
I have coached a lot of players with that mind set, when and if you can get their trust they will give you 100% but you have to stay honest with that type of player and don't play head games.They need to know you rate them then they go to another Level.

Don't know about other Crusaders supporters on the Fern but I hate the changing of the Crusaders Logo but I will not stop supporting my team because of it.
Some of the knee jerk reaction I am reading on I won't support the Crusaders anymore Not on the fern but elsewhere well Fuck off then you never were a supporter I went through the first years of being Shit the Blackadder years when we couldn't win shit.Earthquakes AMI stadium being pulled my team playing in a shitty cold hole of a stadium and you so called supporters sook about that shit.Makes me sick.
Rant Over.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Springboks I:

@chris I'm surprised ALB is so light.

Yeah me too to be honest.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Springboks I:

@crucial had a nice show of hands but I hardly saw him..looks a bit lightweight for centre IMO..hope to be proven wrong cos the coaches love him...

About the same weight as ALB 95kg v 96 kg Ennor slightly taller 187cm to 185cm.

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@l_n_p said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@l_n_p said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@bones said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo For this weekend I think I'd prefer to see Aoane, Paps, Ardie. Ardie and Paps to go absolutely nuts, whoever is more knackered gets to come off and have Jacobson come on to run through the exhausted boks and put that shoulder into some already struggling diaphragms.

Yep, I likes that. My back row was a fast forward to the whole squad being fit, Cane back and firing etc. I really like Jacobson though, and whilst I feel for Ardie, it just feels like his best number has double digits (no #12 jokes please...)

Agree with all of that including giving Jacobson a run at 8 with Ardie off the bench.

btw where does Ethan Blackadder normally start for the Crusaders?

I haven't followed him closely but he looks like a 7/6 to me rather than a 6/7 if you get my drift ... pretty much did Paps role but with number 6 on his back as I saw it.

He and Paps are bloody abrasive, stick their heads in all the dark places in rucks and mauls, have big engines and leave little out there. They look like natural (but novice) test "animals".

Backrow potential looks outrageous with a bit more experience ...

Blackadder plays 6 for the Crusaders,Razor did use him as a 7 in one
game this season.He has played most of his rugby at 6 although Foster did make the point the AB's see him as 7 cover.

I was really impressed, thought he was huge on a detailed rewatch. I think he set out to give 100% and he left it all out there.

In fact ... even at minutes 74-75 he hits 3 or 4 rucks including getting to one on the far left side. Then suddenly from about minute 76 on he looks out on his feet, seems sluggish, even a bit wobbly, and heads to the right wing. I could be wrong but it looked think he'd given 105% throughout, hit the wall about then and was "hanging in there" from that point on.

Stats someone used to publish on GAGR on tackles and ruck involvements per quarter for locks and the backrows suggested that even those with amazing engines have to pace themselves by lowering their workrate and involvement and have one "quieter" quarter per game when they're playing the full 80 minutes. It was very consistent.

Not sure if this is planned or experience ... I guess both, as you'd need to adjust to the in-game situation? But you could see it even for players with huge engines like McCaw, Retallick, Hooper.

Experience in IMO,Learning to pace yourself comes with more game time,As you play more the game slows down for you, if that makes sense,Then you are looking wider within the game and your vision expands instead of having the tunnel vision of inexperience.
It gives you ability to read situations ahead of time a lot like a Dejavu as you recognise a previous game situation you have been in,or read what might happen ahead of a phase.Then you learn to short cut game situations to preserve your energy without losing your workrate or effectiveness.

experience is huge in knowing how fast to go. Obviously i've never played at a really high level, but i've been lucky enough to play at a couple of different rep levels. What you find is the game just gets faster and faster. And when you first step up you can find yourself killing yourself trying to play like you would at a lower level (hit every ruck etc) when that's just not possible. The players around you are better, you just need to focus on doing less, better.

Yep thats exactly it you nailed it.You of course would have noticed the speed of the game and skill set goes up at Rep level.And you do go harder with less control to keep up,Once the brain adjusts to the speed of doing skill sets quicker you settle down and learn to find your zone within the game.
Not being an All Black I can only guess at the rate of the levels of Profesional Rugby. Only having played U19 and below Rep level Rugby and club.
I am lucky having made my living out of playing and coaching cricket same thing the game speeds up the higher you play. The better players adjust some never do and fall away.

@l_n_p said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@chris said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@l_n_p said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@bones said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo For this weekend I think I'd prefer to see Aoane, Paps, Ardie. Ardie and Paps to go absolutely nuts, whoever is more knackered gets to come off and have Jacobson come on to run through the exhausted boks and put that shoulder into some already struggling diaphragms.

Yep, I likes that. My back row was a fast forward to the whole squad being fit, Cane back and firing etc. I really like Jacobson though, and whilst I feel for Ardie, it just feels like his best number has double digits (no #12 jokes please...)

Agree with all of that including giving Jacobson a run at 8 with Ardie off the bench.

btw where does Ethan Blackadder normally start for the Crusaders?

I haven't followed him closely but he looks like a 7/6 to me rather than a 6/7 if you get my drift ... pretty much did Paps role but with number 6 on his back as I saw it.

He and Paps are bloody abrasive, stick their heads in all the dark places in rucks and mauls, have big engines and leave little out there. They look like natural (but novice) test "animals".

Backrow potential looks outrageous with a bit more experience ...

Blackadder plays 6 for the Crusaders,Razor did use him as a 7 in one
game this season.He has played most of his rugby at 6 although Foster did make the point the AB's see him as 7 cover.

I was really impressed, thought he was huge on a detailed rewatch. I think he set out to give 100% and he left it all out there.

In fact ... even at minutes 74-75 he hits 3 or 4 rucks including getting to one on the far left side. Then suddenly from about minute 76 on he looks out on his feet, seems sluggish, even a bit wobbly, and heads to the right wing. I could be wrong but it looked think he'd given 105% throughout, hit the wall about then and was "hanging in there" from that point on.

Stats someone used to publish on GAGR on tackles and ruck involvements per quarter for locks and the backrows suggested that even those with amazing engines have to pace themselves by lowering their workrate and involvement and have one "quieter" quarter per game when they're playing the full 80 minutes. It was very consistent.

Not sure if this is planned or experience ... I guess both, as you'd need to adjust to the in-game situation? But you could see it even for players with huge engines like McCaw, Retallick, Hooper.

Experience in IMO,Learning to pace yourself comes with more game time,As you play more the game slows down for you, if that makes sense,Then you are looking wider within the game and your vision expands instead of having the tunnel vision of inexperience.
It gives you ability to read situations ahead of time a lot like a Dejavu as you recognise a previous game situation you have been in,or read what might happen ahead of a phase.Then you learn to short cut game situations to preserve your energy without losing your workrate or effectiveness.

@machpants said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@crucial Totally agree. They brought Akira in as an apprentice and tried the touchy feely. When that didn't work, they tried the nasty public (not they should ever do that, but still). Didn't work, made him worse. When Akira got himself sorted mentally (as per his interview with Ardie), BAM, long term 6 option at international not just SR level

Akira by the way I read him is a player you need to be honest with, and then tell him you back him and then do it.
I have coached a lot of players with that mind set, when and if you can get their trust they will give you 100% but you have to stay honest with that type of player and don't play head games.They need to know you rate them then they go to another Level.

@l_n_p said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@bones said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@voodoo For this weekend I think I'd prefer to see Aoane, Paps, Ardie. Ardie and Paps to go absolutely nuts, whoever is more knackered gets to come off and have Jacobson come on to run through the exhausted boks and put that shoulder into some already struggling diaphragms.

Yep, I likes that. My back row was a fast forward to the whole squad being fit, Cane back and firing etc. I really like Jacobson though, and whilst I feel for Ardie, it just feels like his best number has double digits (no #12 jokes please...)

Agree with all of that including giving Jacobson a run at 8 with Ardie off the bench.

btw where does Ethan Blackadder normally start for the Crusaders?

I haven't followed him closely but he looks like a 7/6 to me rather than a 6/7 if you get my drift ... pretty much did Paps role but with number 6 on his back as I saw it.

He and Paps are bloody abrasive, stick their heads in all the dark places in rucks and mauls, have big engines and leave little out there. They look like natural (but novice) test "animals".

Backrow potential looks outrageous with a bit more experience ...

Blackadder plays 6 for the Crusaders,Razor did use him as a 7 in one
game this season.He has played most of his rugby at 6 although Foster did make the point the AB's see him as 7 cover.

@bovidae said in Pasifika SR team:

@chris said in Pasifika SR team:

I thought Onisi Ratave may have been on the Chiefs radar.

The linked article says he is 29.

Ok didn’t realise he was that old, That may have been a factor in the Chiefs thinking.

@stargazer said in Pasifika SR team:

1 Napolioni Bolaca
2 Tevita Ikanivere
3 Onisi Ratave
4 Nemani Nagusa
5 Simione Kuruvoli

Media release Fiji Rugby: https://www.fijirugby.com/fijian-drua-unveils-the-first-group-of-five-exciting-players/

I thought Onisi Ratave may have been on the Chiefs radar.

@nepia said in Hawkes v Bay of Plenty - Shield Match!:

@chris said in Hawkes v Bay of Plenty - Shield Match!:

Shield is still on the line.

Fucking NZR will do anything to screw the Bay. Where's my bloody tinfoil?

Anyway, only just watched the game so will need some time to digest and get my heart rate back down.

Your heart rate ok now, All under control Sheild is still in the Bay.

Please don’t bring McCaw into this ,He is a legend and someone I admire as a player and a person.