The Silver Fern

Unsurprising comments from Moles. From memory there were very much two halves to McCullum's career in that regard.

Yep, AUNZ look like they've not been introduced to each other. Great for defence around the fringes...

This is the game the TAB expected last week.

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks v France 2:

That might go red

It should do

As soon as I post that, the All Blacks backtrack on turnover defence painfully slowly...

Looks like being a more comfortable watch/1994 vibes much less likely this week....

Playing 8 man rugby looks like the way to go. Occasionally let Roigard kick...

@sparky said in All Blacks v France 2:

Keep it in the forwards.

Good call!

Excellent, great way to catch France napping on the blindside.

Wallaroos dug deep in the last 10. Just before that I was wondering if the Black Ferns were going to break 50.

Final whistle goes at 37 - 12.

Flood gates well and truly opening in the second half.

A strong run and also minimal defence for that latest try.

@NTA said in Rugby or NFL:

DRS!

I did love this CricInfo take on Khawaja burning a review...

2.5 rapped right in front, and that is plumb with a capital P! Almost a carbon copy of Khawaja's dismissals in the last two innings. This starts outside off, pitches on a back of a length and swerves back in devilishly. Khawaja is caught on the crease again and gets pinned on the back leg. The ball might have kept a little low as well, but that seemed pretty adjacent. Khawaja, though, wants to have another look. There is daylight between bat and ball. Ball Tracking comes up and...reckons the ball would have missed off stump. And leg stump. Because it is absolutely clattering into the middle of middle stump. Khawaja's woes continue, and Australia's top-order woes continue! 4/2

On top of a great burn of his judgement, it puts the onus on the team if they're trying to overturn an official decision.

The rugby model might have had the third umpire intervening for another two minutes just as Usman was about to cross the boundary rope, before sticking with the original decision.

The cynic in me wonders if we'd be very happy to restrict the TMO, until they can't rule on a dead set howler against our own team that the ref has missed. "FFS, how can they let that stand!!"

I think the genie is forever out of the bottle... best middle ground might indeed be that captains challenge model where you burn them if you get them wrong, so it's then on our own team if they Shane Watson the reviews.

A bloody good game in the end. AB's finish on the right side of it, and the French happily not as bad as the TAB odds.

Happy to see that knock on...

@Darth-Sader said in All Blacks v France I:

I guess too early to make this call definitively, but I was hoping to see more focus and intent from the second year in with this coaching team. Other than helter skelter, what’s the game plan?

Was just thinking that... how much of tonight is traditional first AB test rustiness, and how much is something deeper...

Nice. Now the French have to chance their arm.

Pleased to see them kicking for goal.