P
Second half issues started when we swapped out our entire front row. Those guys had another 5-10 and I would have been tempted to go deeper with Taukei'aho - he was matching Ardie's energy with ball in hand.
Fuck me, 50 seconds and a guaranteed loss on debut for Periofeta?! that is beyond cruel.
How good is that pic!
This really pisses me off - weak sauce 'reasons'. Ignoring that Sami was on fire and hoping the combo approach would see a full front row change work out. If both props had niggles then why put them back onfield after a 10min break ffs? I know they were probably getting some treatment but that doesn't stack up imo.
The comments on Perofeta are infuriating - “Again, Stephen was a guy we really wanted to get on, we think he can inject stuff into our attack with his footwork and his second receiver role. But it was a game that didn’t quite flow that way.”
You fuckers put him on with 55 seconds to go. That is the dumbest shit I've heard and makes him look even more foolish. Yeah we thought this guy could really help crack open the game, but we waited till the game was all but over so we could really surprise the Pumas!! They didn't see it coming, suckers!
oh... wait.
@Higgins don't worry, England will still do a few victory laps 😁
@snowy I think a lot of fans would be pretty tense when 2/2 chasing 330+
Maybe we just like to get on the front foot with our angst 
does make eating the winning pie so much more nom nom nom!!
I had a yarn with Eves at the gym last night. He wasn't 100% sure who would be available for the Canes out of the guys in the AB squad. No doubt they get told to keep mum but...
He said the Lions were super physical around ruck and maul time - more so than they usually get in super rugby. Also said they'd trained in awesome weather all week and it was a pity the weather was shite on the night. Biggest problem was not being able to hold possession, esp from kicks.
He agreed that the selections could have changed to accommodate the weather - when it might have made more sense to have Otere start, McKenzie at fullback and Lowe on the wing. But no hints about any AB mandate for McKenzie at 1st five though.
Put BB behind a top line pack and it's a different story. Especially when you factor in Smith's passing speed. But Mounga has been playing well and I'd much rather him than DMac as our #2 pivot.
@canefan and hope to stall or slow any downward trajectory! and that's against a backdrop of us not really being at the top of our game over the last few years. That's why sticking with Fozzie was the wrong call imo.
The board went for consistency with a slightly new flavour versus new and dynamic (compelling!) but lacking international coaching experience (age group aside). I think they saw that as at the safe call. Lame.
If we end up losing Razor like we've lost Rennie I will be beyond pissed.
Went to the game and watched the replay last night. Looked waaay tidier onscreen compared to watching live, where it was disjointed and a pretty average watch. Some good periods but those felt few and far between. RC pretty much killed the vibe in the stadium.
Felt like we thought it'd be easy to crack them afterwards but France amped up and our accuracy and patience went to shit.
Don't blame the ref but am liking these ideas of taking the player off and allowing a replacement after 20min. So there is a clear punishment, but we don't totally ruin the contest.
Deliberate foul play should still get the status quo though.
Go well Smithy, what an amazing coach and fine human being. His contribution to the ABs has been immense. Hope he enjoys keeping his hand in with a bit of coach coaching, but he must be excited about more time with family.
Sounds like he's been well supported and Rennie is definitely someone that cares deeply about his players. I hope a bit of space and time helps Hooper work through things. The average bloke often struggles with sharing struggles and needing some support, so it's great to see a prominent athlete like Hooper (as @chimoaus noted) share that he is doing it tough. Hooper knows exactly what he wants/needs to bring to that environment. Says a lot about him to when he can identify that he's not in space to do that. All the best mate.
Is that Richie's foot grafted onto Rosco's leg!!
@nostrildamus I would have swapped him for BB at the end. Richie was playing well and when he was running alongside Telea they were creating chances. Great footwork from both of them.
@baron-silas-greenback if that's the bar this sort of thing wouldn't make the top hundred... or even top thousand depending on how itemized you got. Almost worth not even posting about.
Unless you're in a sports forum of course
Sam Cane has been amazing tonight - accuracy and power. Well played Sam
He's like that undersized open-side flanker who is a beautiful mix of mongrel, talent and ticker. Just. Does. Not. Quit.
@mimic if they have to open even a single bottle tonight something is terribly wrong in the dressing room!
So stoked for Ish, didn't bowl as well as any of us would have liked, but by oath did that man contribute to the cause. Has been great to see the development of CdG too - really showing his value to the team. Wags? man, we already know that guy is tumeke as!
@billy-tell I think the musing about what the ABs are willing to comment on is on the money re Akira. Something isnt stacking up behind the scenes but they are focusing on his vague areas for improvement and how they frame who he's competing against. But that's wearing thin, and is a big talking point imo when he misses out on a bumper squad like this.
as long as she roots I think point of origin is moot!!
