Right, so after match report. Awesome night out with the family.

We rocked up about 4pm so we could park closish to the ground. Let the boys (9, 4 & 1) play at a playground for a while and then headed into Kingsland to get some dinner.

My wife stood out in a sea of black again. The 1 and 4 years olds were decked in black, and the 9 year old half black half gold in a show of solidarity for her. Got plenty of attention from passerbys on the way to the ground.

When we arrived the Black Ferns had about 30mins left, and the main excitement there was whether they'd crack 100. Was cool seeing them live, they have some fantastic skills and we'll look to get along to a few RWC games. I think Woodman scored like 7 tries lol.

Then the game, freaking awesome. We started slow, and failed to capitalise on a 1 man advantage early on. Wallabies were extremely lucky not to see red there, I'd say if Dalton got injured they would have.

Then after a slightly disjointed start which is probably to be expected with so many changes, the ABs really started getting into their work. We really just ground them down, leading to a lot of penalties our way through pressure and our backline started to show what they can do on the back of that.

I haven't watched the game on TV, and I did have a 1 year old distracting me a bit, but players that stood out live were:

Jordie - just a dominant presence out there in everything he did. Defense, ball in hand, kicking, passing, he was just phenomenal. I remember getting on @Rancid-Schnitzel's bandwagon a few years ago, and thought a midfield combo of Jordie & Rieko is the future. Well the future came to pass, and it was a thing of beauty. Give those guys every game together now until the RWC please.

BBBR - he was back to his best IMO, a number of strong carries, big hits on defense and doing all the dirty work he is known for. Just threw himself around like a fucking maniac and had the Wallabies back peddling for most of the game. Hugely impressive performance from the big man.

Lomax - as with BBBR he was a dominant force out there. After some real concerns with the depth of our front rowers recently we have unearthed some serious talent there now. Great to see.

Rieko - he is so fucking fast, he's an absolute weapon at 13. Don't agree with the calls to put him back on the wing, 13 is perfect for him, gets his hands on the ball plenty and still has space to use his pace on the outside. For one incredible break he made down the touchline where he cut back in instead of finding Jordan outside him, I knew his haters would lose their shit over that, but it was pretty clear Koroibeti had Jordan covered. I thought that showed Rieko's maturity as a player - too often we try to push miracle balls after a break and turn possesion over. I believe we ended up scoring on the back of the territory we made from his break there.

The rest of the forwards - all excellent, nobody had a poor game really. The loosies went well, Dalton and Akira in particular were very strong in the tight, and Ardie always a threat with ball in hand. Sam led the team superbly, De Groot was good though I think he was gassed at times so fitness still an issue. Taylor was good around the park but the lineouts are still a problem.

The rest of the backs - as above, all excellent. Mo'unga is still a bit rocks and diamonds, but I think the more starts he gets the more he'll iron that out. Beauden was superb from the back, injecting himself at the right time. Clarke was near faultless, nullifying lots of high balls (he got applause for a number of his takes under pressure, they weren't easy), defended well and strong with ball in hand. One of the biggest cheers of the night was when he bowled over that Aussie on our own 22. Will "Christian Cullen" Jordan scored a try Cully would have been proud of, and Smith was very solid though I agree he needs to run more

Now I'll rewatch the game and change my mind on 90% of what I said above.

But all in all a great night out and another fantastic performance from the ABs at Fortress Eden. We really missed a trick not playing the decider against Ireland there, we would have won the series 2-1 if we did.

Awesome to have the Bledisloe and RC wrapped up, and really looking forward to the EOYT with our new and improved backline.

As we have some more overseas posters and readers at the moment, it's important for them to know just how lowly Foster is rated in NZ. During his time in charge of the Chiefs there was a running joke about him getting the AB head coach role, as it would be such an outrageous choice given how poor he is. Another coach that was mentioned in this running joke was Mark Hammett who made an absolute mess of the Hurricanes during his time there.

Then he got given an assistant coach role for the ABs, a baffling promotion given his record to date. That running joke actually continued even after this - "imagine if he got promoted to head coach!".

Then after we got bundled out of the 2019 RWC, NZR not only decided to go for continuity by selecting a new head coach from within the existing coaching group, they chose the guy that was so bad as a head coach he was a running joke to a lot of NZ rugby fans.

Everyone at the time was stunned, and the way the ABs are playing now is absolutely no surprise. We knew we were in for a rough few years, but that doesn't make it any easier to take.

The only defense of Foster has been "maybe he's improved since his disastrous stint with the Chiefs". But there was no evidence to suggest he had, because he hadn't been a head coach since then! If he had improved then he should have taken a SR team again and demonstrated that. Giving him the reins for the ABs was probably the worst decision I've ever seen a professional sporting organisation make, and the ABs aren't just any organisation, they are historically the most successful sports team on the planet.

The damage this is doing to the AB brand in the professional era can't really be overstated. We are still blessed with incredibly talented players, but without a top class coach we are becoming easy beats to the other Tier 1 teams who play with actual structure.

It's depressing times for us AB fans.

I mean that loss would fucking hurt for the Wallabies and their diehard fans, I can see why the salty tears are flowing. This is the worst AB team they've played in 20 years, they had just effected an amazing comeback (a FAMOUS comeback) and had what was likely the winning penalty to seal the deal. That was going to set up the chance of history at Eden Park - taking down the Fortress and taking the Bledisloe home with them, the stuff of wet dreams for their fans and players alike. And then Foley fucks around, the ref hands the ABs the ball on their line, and of course we fucking score to break their hearts for the 20th year running. If I was a Wallabies fan I would have thrown my fucking TV out the window after that shit.

LOL Mo'unga "the composure from both teams was awesome". Nether team had anything that remotely resembled composure

My wife had an abnormal result on a smear test. Got the dreaded call from the doctor instead of a text.

A closer look shows she has a lesion on her cervix that has 'high grade cell changes', which are pre-cancerous. She will need part of her cervix removed to get rid of it, and then regular tests to confirm they are all gone.

While the whole thing has been stressful, we are both incredibly grateful that it was picked up before it developed further. Cancer really is a fucking bitch.

If any ladies read this (including the hot Polish chicks), get your smears, they are genuine life savers.

Awesome afternoon of rugby (day rugby is so much more enjoyable!!), and so good to finally get along to a test again.

With a 7 year old, 2 year old and a wife 30 weeks pregnant we were not keen on the idea of public transport so we drove to the ground at around 1PM so we could park close(ish). By 1.30 all parks within cooee were gone so we were glad we got there nice and early. Had a picnic, let the boys play for a bit, then made a leisurely stroll down the road to the game.

Wife was decked out in her Wallabies gear, standing out in a sea of black, bless her. A tough afternoon for her lads thankfully, and the 7 year old let her know ALL about it haha.

Atmosphere was great, especially when the ABs clicked into gear after 15 or so minutes. That was an improved performance as you would expect, albeit in far better conditions which helped some of our players thrive.

Best moments of the afternoon was when they brought up Eroni Clarke on the big screen a couple of times. The second time was right after Clarke's epic run that set up Ardie's try and he got such a massive cheer he had to acknowledge the crowd. He looked proud as punch.

Some random thoughts on the game, bearing in mind I haven't seen it on TV:

• I thought 20 points flattered us; but for some more clinical finishing from Aus it could have been a damn sight closer.
• Aus picked up where they left off last week and dominated the first 15. It was only individual brilliance from Beauden and then Clarke that kicked us into gear. It does feel like we are still too reliant on that to get into a game, better defensive sides won't allow that to happen so easily.
• On Clarke, fark me what a performance from the 21 year old. He looks made for test footy. It's highly likely Bridge would have got the nod again if not injured, and without Clarke the ABs would have once again lacked the firepower needed to break open the test. The selections are going to be an ongoing concern with Foster at the helm.
• RM is electric in broken play, which is why I like him on the bench coming on against tired legs. In a tight test he doesn't lead the team around the park, and as we found out last week if the conditions are difficult he can be found wanting big time. That said, Beauden is not exactly well suited to the role either, but he has a damn sight more experience trying. Fact of the matter is we don't have a 10 that can really take control of a game when the opposition defense has come to play like we did with DC.
• Beauden was simply superb in the first half, which helped take some pressure off RM who grew into the game and had some fantastic touches to set us away.
• Frizzel is a very solid player but he doesn't seem to possess the power Akira does. I really hope they give Akira a good crack as he has the potential (only that right now) to be our next Kaino.
• Coles made a real difference and is back to his best (which is better than Taylor's ceiling). Great to see after his serious injury concerns a year or so back.
• ALB is a fantastic all round player and solidifies our midfield big time. He needs to be 12 with JG 13. I can only assume they have JG closer in to help defend the channel as RM is a bit of a liability there.

Overall a really enjoyable game in the sun with both teams willing to play attacking footy. Still a lot of question marks over this AB side, and I can see some very squeaky bum times ahead in Sydney and Brissie, but nice to keep the Eden Park fortress in tact with a comfortable win in the end.

The fact that they’ve picked a team that so many on the Fern wanted makes me nervous. As a collective we have a strong proven record of not having a fucking clue what we are talking about.

@kiwiinmelb said in The Current State of Rugby:

@Windows97 I took a son and a couple of his AFL mates who had never been to live rugby to the Melbourne Test ,

They were open minded to it but overall they kind of felt it is a sport that is really over officiated , but on a positive note really enjoyed the bits where the ball was in play , but then would politely make comments like , it really has a lot of moments where nothing at all is happening doesnt it ?

And they also were really puzzled at how often players get sent from the field and asked if fans find that acceptable

My 9 year old at the last Bledisloe made the comment "why the hell does the game constantly stop for no reason at all". He was the same, loved when ball was in play, but got bored with all the stoppages. There was one part where they took ages looking at a tackle around the ankles? We had no idea what was happening. And then in another stoppage the worst thing happened, not one, but TWO Mexican waves started going around the ground. At a rugby match. Sorry but that's a pretty clear sign the crowd is getting bored waiting for the officials to figure it out.

@Victor-Meldrew said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@No-Quarter said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@Victor-Meldrew said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@Stargazer said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

I think they should use Jordie at 12 against the big physical teams and persist with Havili against weaker opponents,

I don't know how you rate the current Wobblies squad, but Havilli did pretty damn good against the Boks at Ellis Park - and they are never weak opponents there.

Lol steady on, he was nothing more than solid in that match, and not even in the conversation for MOTM. Jordie is so far ahead of him in every aspect of play it's not even funny, the only question is whether Jordie is at 12 or 15. It seems pretty clear Jordie will be more influential at 12, which pushes Havili to the bench, and then when ALB returns out of the 23.

I'm loathe to want Jordie starting at FB purely for his work under the high ball. That seems an incredibly defensive approach, and it's not like Beauden and Clarke are weak in that regard anyway.

My point was made in response to the view that Havilli is only good for weaker opposition - I think he's better than that.

JB had a really good game on Saturday, but it's only one game (and against a team which some have argued is a weak one). Need to give him more time and see how he goes against NH sides or teams who've analysed his play at 12 first.

I actually don't think Havili is better than that. He's poor to solid against strong opposition, but mostly poor as he gets found out and targeted physically which puts us under the pump. I think his ceiling is Super rugby, and AB squaddie covering injury.

I'm not claiming Jordie is going to play like that every game, especially against the better sides. But one thing he will bring every game is a strong physical presence and a massive boot. Two extremely important attributes at test level which Havili (or any of our other 12s really) just don't have.

@Victor-Meldrew said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@Stargazer said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

I think they should use Jordie at 12 against the big physical teams and persist with Havili against weaker opponents,

I don't know how you rate the current Wobblies squad, but Havilli did pretty damn good against the Boks at Ellis Park - and they are never weak opponents there.

Lol steady on, he was nothing more than solid in that match, and not even in the conversation for MOTM. Jordie is so far ahead of him in every aspect of play it's not even funny, the only question is whether Jordie is at 12 or 15. It seems pretty clear Jordie will be more influential at 12, which pushes Havili to the bench, and then when ALB returns out of the 23.

I'm loathe to want Jordie starting at FB purely for his work under the high ball. That seems an incredibly defensive approach, and it's not like Beauden and Clarke are weak in that regard anyway.

Thinking about cards for Jordie, did he get a red when he caught the ball with his knees up that time? That's all I can remember.

@Duluth said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@No-Quarter said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

That said, if Beauden got injured that'd throw a big spanner in the works.

The AB fullback role seems very similar to the Blues fullback role now. Perofeta would be a good fit for that pattern.

But we don't even know if he's capable of playing Test rugby yet

The AB's constantly being under pressure and having no 'easier' Tests has stalled any depth building

Yeah, that's been a real problem this year. We've also not had any tests against tier 2 nations to give people time in the black jumper, going straight into tests against a settled Irish team was tough. Perofeta was outstanding in SR and hadn't been sighted since which is a problem.

@Stargazer said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

I think they should use Jordie at 12 against the big physical teams and persist with Havili against weaker opponents, if only to have match fit cover if Jordie goes down injured or has a Barrett Brain fart and gets a red card. We need more than one 12 and at the moment, Havili is the best back-up. Never put all your money on one player.

For the same reason, they should give Reece some starts on the wing and slot Jordan in at fullback (maybe in the second half) in some games.

Has Jordie ever gotten a red card at test level? Or even at super level? Or are you mixing him up with a hot headed Crusader?

I get what you're saying though, but if we're gonna have a chance at this RWC we need to build some very solid combinations so that when push comes to shove we can rely on those combinations to get us through. We don't have much time to do that now. Constantly chopping and changing is not a luxary we have anymore, we'll just put ourselves under pressure and it leads to disjointed performances.

@Chris-B I'm very sympathetic to your views on Jordie at the back, I was of the same view about moving him to 12, but I think he can be more influential there for the ABs where we can better utilise his strength with ball in hand and hard hitting defense. That said, if Beauden got injured that'd throw a big spanner in the works.

@Chris-B said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

@No-Quarter said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

I don't agree. With Mo'unga, Jordie and Beauden we have ample play makers. What we need to compliment them is

Less critical fans?

Hey I've been very measured in my analysis of Mo'unga, there were a couple of errors he made I could have gone to town on him over

@ACT-Crusader said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:

I think if we are going to persist with both Clarke and Ioane in the starting backline them we need to find a few inventive ways to better use them because I don’t think either of them are natural ball players. I think part of our fluency issues is because we want the ball in their hands to run but more often than not our attack is breaking down because they are either unwilling passers or they’re not confident doing it. To me it’s both a mental and skill thing.

This is not a criticism but if we are wanting to improve our efficiency we are going to have see a rapid improvement quickly or a change needs to occur.

I don't agree. With Mo'unga, Jordie and Beauden we have ample play makers. What we need to compliment them is people that are genuine threats with ball in hand, otherwise we'll find it hard to break down organised defenses. I think the balance of the backline we ran out was perfect, the biggest question mark was how Mo'unga and Beauden would go together, and it's clear they've done a lot of work there as this time around they really complimented each other.

I really, really hope we give this backline as much gametime as possible leading up to the RWC. It's so important that they are allowed to grow as a unit over a number of tests. I think other teams would be extremely weary of having to defend multiple play makers with Rieko, Clarke and Jordan running off them.