2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations)
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@rotated said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@nzzp said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Stargazer thanks for that.
DId we do something to anger the Rugby Gods? Garces refereeing us twice more away from home, to Aus and SA? And AR in Dunedin.
Waiting for more baffling calls ...
Don't worry we get Barnes for Australia away too.
Good catch!
Also: Ayoub as TMO two weeks in a row.
To paraphrase Churchill: Never was the announcement of referees, met with so much angst, by so few
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@rotated said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@nzzp said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Stargazer thanks for that.
DId we do something to anger the Rugby Gods? Garces refereeing us twice more away from home, to Aus and SA? And AR in Dunedin.
Waiting for more baffling calls ...
Don't worry we get Barnes for Australia away too.
And in Dunners.
Mind you after the French fuck ups I'm kind of looking forward to Barnesy.
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@Bones WTF!!!! WR are just straight out trolling us now. There's no need to have so much NH ref involvement.
And I just got tickets for the Sydney match ... might see if I can sell them now.
I know it's right to hate Ayoub but I tend to think he gets more right than wrong as a TMO (awful ref though).
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i think it's a good thing. These refs need experience reffing the best, so they get used to the pressure, just like players do.
And the ABs need to get used to these refs, and build a rapport with them so they can talk them out of penalties and get a scrum. -
I'm interested to see how the AB's perform and what selections they go for in the backline. I cannot see the other teams challenging the AB's and it would be a shock to lose the Bledisloe given the dire Wallabies/Super Rugby teams form this year.
Hopefully the Wallabies can prove me wrong and somehow help the fortunes of Rugby in this country. At my work in NSW I can only talk rugby with 1 other person. We have 80 staff in my building. Rugby League and AFL dominate with Soccer not far behind.
I am also interested to see if SA can improve. Maybe they just need to make the Lions the national team.
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What's weird is the game vs the Boks in Auckland is at Albany and not Eden Park.
I understand that there's Eden Park fatigue with them having hosted so many big games this season (though the Samoa test would not have been factored in at the time these tests were allocated) but surely Eden Park would have sold more tickets for this game than the capacity of QBE Albany?
I know Albany is close for a lot of the Saffa supporters but it seems strange.
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@KiwiMurph That's such a weird call. Why would they not want to get in another 20k supporters and improve the bottom line? I was also surprised they didn't put up the temp stands for the Lions tests like they had for the RWC and increase the capacity to 60k. A further 25k seats sold at the ridiculous prices they were charging would have been the sensible thing to do I would have thought.
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@akan004 said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@KiwiMurph That's such a weird call. Why would they not want to get in another 20k supporters and improve the bottom line? I was also surprised they didn't put up the temp stands for the Lions tests like they had for the RWC and increase the capacity to 60k. A further 25k seats sold at the ridiculous prices they were charging would have been the sensible thing to do I would have thought.
I don't have an issue with it. People have just forked out big money for the Lions series and the NZRU have been healthily remunerated.
Plus taking the game to the tiny provinces like North Harbour is great for the game....
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@ACT-Crusader Surely if you want to take big tests to tin pot grounds you might as well go all in and award it to Christchurch....
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@KiwiMurph said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
What's weird is the game vs the Boks in Auckland is at Albany and not Eden Park.
I understand that there's Eden Park fatigue with them having hosted so many big games this season (though the Samoa test would not have been factored in at the time these tests were allocated) but surely Eden Park would have sold more tickets for this game than the capacity of QBE Albany?
I know Albany is close for a lot of the Saffa supporters but it seems strange.
Yeah, I saw that and thought it weird.
Firstly I thought wow, the Boks have plummeted as a drawcard if they are getting allocated Albany. Then I remembered the 3 big Lions games at Eden Park.
Surely a chance to play at somewhere like New Plymouth. Who didn't get a Lions test, pretty much same capacity as Albany.
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@Rapido said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@KiwiMurph said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
What's weird is the game vs the Boks in Auckland is at Albany and not Eden Park.
I understand that there's Eden Park fatigue with them having hosted so many big games this season (though the Samoa test would not have been factored in at the time these tests were allocated) but surely Eden Park would have sold more tickets for this game than the capacity of QBE Albany?
I know Albany is close for a lot of the Saffa supporters but it seems strange.
Yeah, I saw that and thought it weird.
Firstly I thought wow, the Boks have plummeted as a drawcard if they are getting allocated Albany. Then I remembered the 3 big Lions games at Eden Park.
Surely a chance to play at somewhere like New Plymouth. Who didn't get a Lions test, pretty much same capacity as Albany.
New Plymouth already gets the test v Argentina. Napier would have been good option for this one. The last time the ABs played at McLean Park (2014), they put in extra seating and had a good crowd.
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@Stargazer If it was awarded to Napier the game would just end up being rained off....
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@KiwiMurph our field stood up to the weather v Lions, so we shold get one too
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@KiwiMurph said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Stargazer If it was awarded to Napier the game would just end up being rained off....
That's cricket! Any year that NZC doesn't schedule a match in Napier it puts the fruit industry in strife because then they get no rain.
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@Rocky-Rockbottom said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@KiwiMurph said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@ACT-Crusader Surely if you want to take big tests to tin pot grounds you might as well go all in and award it to Christchurch....
Frankly, the Cantabs have yet to prove they're serious about beating the top international touring sides, unlike, say, the Auckland Blues, instead choosing to focus on this lower level flash harry "Super Rugby" hit & giggle stuff.
'Exhibition' matches don't really bother us too much....
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@ACT-Crusader said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Rocky-Rockbottom said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@KiwiMurph said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@ACT-Crusader Surely if you want to take big tests to tin pot grounds you might as well go all in and award it to Christchurch....
Frankly, the Cantabs have yet to prove they're serious about beating the top international touring sides, unlike, say, the Auckland Blues, instead choosing to focus on this lower level flash harry "Super Rugby" hit & giggle stuff.
'Exhibition' matches don't really bother us too much....
thatsthejoke.jpg
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38-man Wallabies squad for Bledisloe Cup (Brumbies will be added later)
Forwards
Jermaine Ainsley*, Western Force
Adam Coleman, 12 Tests, Western Force
Pek Cowan, 10 Tests, Western Force
Jack Dempsey, 1 Test, NSW Waratahs
Kane Douglas, 31 Tests, Queensland Reds
Sef Fa'agase*, Queensland Reds
Tetera Faulkner, 2 Tests, Western Force
Ned Hanigan, 3 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Richard Hardwick, 2 Tests, Western Force
Michael Hooper, 68 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Sekope Kepu, 80 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Adam Korczyk*, Queensland Reds
Tolu Latu, 4 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Sean McMahon, 15 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Stephen Moore (c), 120 Tests, Queensland Reds
Tatafu Polota-Nau, 71 Tests, Western Force
Tom Robertson, 9 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Izack Rodda*, Queensland Reds
Rob Simmons, 71 Tests, Queensland Reds
Lopeti Timani, 7 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Taniela Tupou*, Queensland Reds
Jordan Uelese*, Melbourne RebelsBacks
Kurtley Beale, 60 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Israel Folau, 55 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Bernard Foley, 45 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Will Genia, 78 Tests
Dane Haylett-Petty, 17 Tests, Western Force
Reece Hodge, 13 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Karmichael Hunt, 3 Tests, Queensland Reds
Samu Kerevi, 8 Tests, Queensland Reds
Marika Koroibete*, Melbourne Rebels
Campbell Magnay*, Queensland Reds
Billy Meakes*, Western Force
Eto Nabuli, 1 Test, Queensland Reds
Sefa Naivalu, 7 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Izaia Perese*, Queensland Reds
Nick Phipps, 52 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Curtis Rona*, Western Force
