2018 AB Depth Chart
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@pukunui said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Chris-B. said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
Wyatt will be 35 next January. Pushing right up against the age barrier to make the RWC in 2019. He'd be older than BBBT and Kev if he played in it.
Those guys were playing pretty well when they retired though. What's to say if the RWCs they retired after were a year later that they wouldn't have made it to them?
Just don't think age should be used as an indicator unless you are talking long term plans.
Not saying he will definitely make it. But if he stays in good nick and form then why not.
I'm not saying he definitely can't, either - but, at some point age is definitely going to finish you if nothing else does. And, that list is looking at the very extreme of more than 1150 All Blacks. On the other hand, being part of the tight five obviously gives you a better chance.
Wyatt's pretty much the age right now that Tony Woodcock finished at and I think at the end Tony was hanging on a bit in terms of injuries and others going past him. Where Wyatt looks like he's still in good nick, so I don't think he needs to pull the pin right now.
I guess, for me, two years ahead is pretty long term - if you look back two years our team has changed quite a lot. That will doubtless happen looking two years forward.
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@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
OK, on to tight head.
Is Oliver Jager NZ qualified? Quite a few tightheads in Super Rugby teams aren't.
He might be...seems like he's been in Christchurch for a while - since 2014 at least. How long does he have to be there?
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@Chris-B. 3 years since he finished school I believe.
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This post is deleted!
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The pisition that kicked us off:
B Barrett
L Sopoaga
Beaver
M Banks
I Dagg -
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@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
OK, on to tight head.
- Franks
- Ofa Tu'ungafasi
- Nepo Laulala
- Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
- Siate Tokolahi
- Atu Moli
- Sione Mafileo
Is Oliver Jager NZ qualified? Quite a few tightheads in Super Rugby teams aren't.
I'm not sure whether all these players add to AB depth, more NZ SR depth. Or do you think all these players have the potential to develop into ABs? Have Tokolahi, Moli and Mafileo (and Jager) shown enough of that potential? Just a question.
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@Gunner said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
So, for next year's 10's:
- Beauden Barrett
- Lima Sopoaga
- Richie Mo'unga
- Mitchell Hunt
Ihaia West- Otere Black
- Stephen Perofeta
- Ihaia West
- Hayden Parker
- Bryn Gatland
Fixed
No, not fixed. You don't know whether Black is better than West. Black has had extremely few starts at the Canes and, also in general, we've seen very little of him at SR level over the years. He may be a good prospect, but the Blues have gone into relatively unknown territory by signing him. The only upside of Black over West is that Black has had the opportunity to learn from one of the best (BB), while West had no such luck and was just thrown into the deep end at the Blues. Maybe Black will do better at the Blues, but at this stage we just don't know. I actually expect West will improve a lot at the Canes. At NPC level, Black has never shown to be better than West, by the way.
And Perofeta better than West? Way too early to tell.
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@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
So, for next year's 10's:
- Beauden Barrett
- Lima Sopoaga
- Richie Mo'unga
- Mitchell Hunt
- Ihaia West
- Otere Black
- Stephen Perofeta
- Hayden Parker
- Bryn Gatland
You're getting me more and more confused about the purpose of these lists. Are we still talking about AB depth? Or just a list of SR 10s with the best at the top?
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@Stargazer said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Gunner said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
So, for next year's 10's:
- Beauden Barrett
- Lima Sopoaga
- Richie Mo'unga
- Mitchell Hunt
Ihaia West- Otere Black
- Stephen Perofeta
- Ihaia West
- Hayden Parker
- Bryn Gatland
Fixed
I actually expect West will improve a lot at the Canes.
And Perofeta better than West? Way too early to tell.
I agree with a lot of that but I don't agree here. West is who he is at this point - he's had 4/5 years at Super level. As I said in the other thread, I think it's a good signing for the Canes cos West is a dynamic bench player at Super Rugby level just look at what he did for the Blues off the bench this year, he'd be one of the best bench impact 10s in Super I reckon. However, I cannot see how West will improve 'a lot', he may though look better as he won't be asked to start.
What is also clear at this point is West has limitations as a starting 10 at Super Rugby level. While Perofeta and Black may indeed not turn out any better, I applaud the Blues for giving it a go - West wasn't going to get the job done - definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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@Stargazer said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Gunner said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
So, for next year's 10's:
- Beauden Barrett
- Lima Sopoaga
- Richie Mo'unga
- Mitchell Hunt
Ihaia West- Otere Black
- Stephen Perofeta
- Ihaia West
- Hayden Parker
- Bryn Gatland
Fixed
No, not fixed. You don't know whether Black is better than West.
Thanks for clearing that up, I really was unsure as to what my own opinion was.
Next time I think my opinion may be wrong on something, I'll be sure to check with you before sharing.
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@KiwiMurph said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Stargazer said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Gunner said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
@Tim said in 2018 AB Depth Chart:
So, for next year's 10's:
- Beauden Barrett
- Lima Sopoaga
- Richie Mo'unga
- Mitchell Hunt
Ihaia West- Otere Black
- Stephen Perofeta
- Ihaia West
- Hayden Parker
- Bryn Gatland
Fixed
I actually expect West will improve a lot at the Canes.
And Perofeta better than West? Way too early to tell.
I agree with a lot of that but I don't agree here. West is who he is at this point - he's had 4/5 years at Super level. As I said in the other thread, I think it's a good signing for the Canes cos West is a dynamic bench player at Super Rugby level just look at what he did for the Blues off the bench this year, he'd be one of the best bench impact 10s in Super I reckon. However, I cannot see how West will improve 'a lot', he may though look better as he won't be asked to start.
What is also clear at this point is West has limitations as a starting 10 at Super Rugby level. While Perofeta and Black may indeed not turn out any better, I applaud the Blues for giving it a go - West wasn't going to get the job done - definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I'm sure I'll get the acid poured all over me from Blues fans for saying this, but I blame a lot of those so-called limitations of West on the Blues environment. In most of his time at the Blues, he didn't get regular starts. In his first year, he came in as injury cover and only played a few games. The next year, the endless rotation! Then he finally got starts, but in a team of individuals going for individual glory rather than a team that played for each other. I think he has been unfairly blamed for the Blues' failures by the media and Blues supporters (the whole backline didn't function). Not good for any player's confidence. This year, Pulu entering the frame didn't really help and SBW only played since April and wasn't in great form in most of his games. By then, West had lost his starting spot.
At the Canes, he'll make a fresh start amidst better team players and with a great 10 to learn from. Yep, I'm confident he'll step up and maybe he'll even become good enough to be a starter in any other team than the Blues.
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