The Silver Fern

Remembering Marty

On his first death anniversary, Martin Crowe's editor and close friend recalls his inspiring final years

Long piece from Cricinfo on the anniversary of Martin Crowe being incorrectly given out with no reviews left..

@booboo

I feel like Savea is taking one for Todd, we were going to be bitching about something & I can almost picture Todd reading at home going

"no way? so no one on the Fern has compared me to Mark Carter?"
"nope, they are all shitting on Savea! high five! The younger ones are chanelling Rokocoko & the older ones have just thought about that 93 tour where fat Inga couldn't find the try line if there was a bucket of KFC on wheels leading him there"

While Cruden is just going "no ones goives a shit about me anymore, not even the Cheifs guys"

@Bones
One vote as a back, one as a forward

Late to the party. But the thing that stood out to me most watching the game was -

"How good / much"

I lost count of the number of times Smith & Justin asked each other "How good is Ben Smith?", "How much is ALB liking test rugby" "How good was that try", "How much did the ABs need that" "How good was that catch?" "How big was that tackle?" "How fat am I since I stopped playing cricket?", "How little did I prepare for this test" "How much much of this comentary is Nisbo saying stuff & me repeating the last thing he said, but louder?"

It got to the stage I was actually waiting to see what Smithy or Justin would ponder the how of next. Turned out it was "How good is the NZ bench"

Looking at Cane & Richie over the last 3 seasons the 2 core things we are getting from our 7 is impact tackling (ie not just tackling, but hitting the guy way behind the advantage lines & hitting him very hard indeed - something Wayne Smith is big on) and carrying in the 10 channel.

Both Richie & Cane have been doing that far more than traditional pilfering a-la Kronfield or early Richie (tho' a lot like 1987-8 Michael Jones)

One of the reasons Ardie has been a bit "M'eh" in black is he lacks the ability to tackle hard & fast like Cane has. He tackles, just without the impact. Hansen wants him to add 5kg (presumably to his chest & shoulders) and that'll get him up there you'd expect.

Poccock in contrast is a very passive tackler, he rides tackles down to get up for the turnover, his tackle style is polls apart from the way the ABs are using their 7. As others have noted a big part of the AB strategy is if the first up tackler creams a guy the next guy in - regardless of who that is, has the skill set to pilfer if its on. The key skill is the creaming bit, everyone has the pilfer skill.

@taniwharugby said in All Pinks vs Boks - Christchurch:

So do the Abs tweak thier gameplan with Ardie starting, or does Ardie have to play differently to fit the game plan at the start or is his play able to just slot into the current AB gameplan?

No, Ardie plays the AB gameplan & if he does it well thats awesome (see NMS last year, similar deal), if he doesn't Matt Todd very much can play the AB gameplan. And will.

Its no different 2012 to me, where Kaino had shown the AB gameplan for a 6, Thompson, Vito & Messam (all superb athletes) then had a shot at it. Thompson played like Thompson. Vito played like Vito & Messam after briefly playing like Messam, switched to playing the AB gameplan & locked himself into the jersey till Kaino came back. Same when Luatua got a chance & played like Read, in the 6 shirt. And got dropped.

A good test match for Ardie will be one where half the fern get miffed because he is not making huge runs & popping up all over in space, because that probably means he is doing what Cane has been doing instead. If he gets a chance to gallop 60m he will & should, but above all he needs to play test match rugby as an AB 7 does.

I don't really buy Guptil as a test batsman anywhere.

In ODIs if you loook at his strength its playing off the front foot straight through the ball. He drives on the up superbly, often for 6. He pulls incredibly well in front of square - off the front foot half the time. You try that as your "go to" in tests you are out pretty fast. Red ball moves more off the seam for far longer than a white ball. There are more fielders in place behind the bat, bowlers bowl shorter etc. Literally everything in test cricket is against a guy who's one textbook shot is a front foot straight drive on the up.

As for moving to the lower middle order. Yup totally, so long as he has fast feet & can get forward & back like lightning, because thats the key for every successful 5, they have to be able to cut late & fine, let the ball come on to them & move to the back foot fast to work it off their hip etc. Michael Clarke was outstanding at that.

Again, not sure thats Guppy...

@Winger said in All Blacks v Wallabies at Eden Park.:

Who does Todd play for?

The All Blacks. For proof watch the guy in the black 7 shirt tomorrow.

@Stargazer

Straight into a comentating gig on Sky last Saturday morning for the Super Rugby coverage too, he was pretty good opposite Noddy. A hell of a lot better than Fitzy tends to be, good chance to step into the roles that Ali Williams had sewn up until he got nose snuffle issues & shot his future earning in the face.

@SammyC said in Hurricanes v Highlanders:

I think it's only a matter of time before he's as dominant at Super rugby and test level rugby.

But then again, everyone on this forum has been wrong at some point about a player potential.

He does look outstanding. Easilly the best, most dominant, head & shoulders above other 12/15's at his curent levels since...

Isia Toeava

Who I had pencilled in as a guarenteed 100 test AB

@Milk
I agree with a few points he makes, especially -

“New Zealanders are quite insecure about the national identity. They get very defensive about anything they feel is sort of non-patriotic. On one side, we have this overly patriotic ‘can’t criticise New Zealand’ crowd, then on the other side you have someone like me, who people deem to be overly critical. We’ve never been strong in that middle ground of putting ourselves into perspective without using a sledgehammer.”

The issue I generally have with Rattue is more that, for a guy with a BIG platform in a top NZ paper, and a very strong view on things, he's wrong WAY too often. Really wrong. Carter at the WC being an obvious one. But I'm sure if you took 100 articles by him where he makes definitive calls, he's barely right 50% of the time. And in most jobs that gets you fired.

If Aaron Smith threw 50% of his passes into the stands he'd get sacked. And Chris does that on paper week in week out.

I'm cool with him being loud mouthed & outspoken, but he's a journo FFS, you have to be at least a wee bit accurate.

When you read the backstory - adopted, raised on welfare etc, you do get a pretty solid insight into why he is the way he is. Its like when a porn star says "So my uncle used to touch me.." & you go "ooohhh!, phew! now I'm seeing how you ended up doing triple anal"

A big plus they like re Savea is his defence, he's a fucking brick wall, makes some enormous hits. A few times this year I've seen someone creamed & thought "god I love Kaino" & nope, its Savea.

His positioning is excellent, he's almost the Kahui option - when we want a more defensive winger.

His all round game is superb, he's dropped down on the try scoring from 1 game to 1 every 1.2 games... but thats not huge, its not like he's gone tryless this season.

Neil Broom? Fecking hell... thats a staggeringly big "we have nothing" when they are playing the Bangles in NZ, where they will be awful, and rather than blooding a couple of 19 year olds we are drafting in a 33 year old who has never worked & a 37 year old who had one good period of about 6 months...

I'm assuming Justin Vaughan, Dimi Mascaranes & Craig McMillian are overseeing our youth development program.

@Pot-Hale

Yeah, I've read his analysis of Irish games I have zero interest in just because he writes really interesting stuff.

Closest you get in NZ is Justin Marshalls chalkboard, which isn't as good & is static (ie no GIFS), and much more shallow

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-rugby-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502181&objectid=11219564

I mean compare those, its like Michalanglo v the scrawl your kid did at school & you reluctantly put on the fridge despite them clearly being a tard

@MiketheSnow said in Six Nations 2017:

North needs a rest and/or a different coaching regime.

He definately needs a different tackling regime, classic example of a guy who was huge as a kid so tackled with his head in any position he wanted & now as an adult cops 16 stone guys thighs in the head every time he makes a tackle. And as a result now tackles with the enthusiasm of a DJ mixing Max Keys latest album

@Crucial

Thursday then

@Nepia said in Your 4 midfielders for the Lions:

@ACT-Crusader said in Your 4 midfielders for the Lions:

X-Factor is overrated.

Settle down Domehead.

Anyway, most players considered not to have x factor have massive x factor and guys who are considered to have x factor get their steadyness downplayed even when they're steady.

@SammyC I think the comments from Billy Tell might suggest Proctor is underrated.

I always read X factor as "this guy is shithouse, but I really like him"

IE if a guy is great defensively, has great hands, can kick, is good under the high ball, can flat pass both ways, has a good motor, has good pace, people say "Ben Smith guy is great defensively, has great hands, can kick, is good under the high ball, can flat pass both ways, has a good motor, has good pace!" when justifying picking him.

If a guy has the brain of a fricking headless chook, rushes up in D, drops half his passes & tosses every second offload to the opposition or the ground but once a Super game breaks 5 tackles before throwing it into touch so gets the crowd up on their feet they say "He's an X-Factor player!" to justify picking him.

Unless you are Justin Marshall & someone goes "do you like him Justin?" & you go "Whooom-PAH! X-Factor! Nisbo! BOOMPF!". Which means "I have watched him play & made a detailed study I lack the words to express, but yes"

Jordie Barrett as a last line of defence needs a bit of work... he gets there, he just doesn't make the tackle, defensively that was a display that used to get people calling for Dagg to be dropped as a 15.

@No-Quarter said in Black Caps in India:

@gollum said in Black Caps in India:

Jimmy Neesham is still, shocklingly, crocked. So wont be playing in the second test

Jeets flights got fucked, so he arrives 24 hours before the start of the next test.

Getting your excuses re: Jeets in early, good to see.

I'll double down -

"175 Wickets for offspinner Jeetan Patel in first-class matches since the start of 2015, the most by any bowler. He has been included in the squad in place of injured Mark Craig. He last played a Test in January 2013. This year, so far, he has taken 84 wickets in 22 first-class matches, also the most by any bowler. "

Also Kane has the squirts apparently but should be ok to shit himself while batting play