Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019)
-
Let's put our current troubles into perspective. We're missing our best lock, our best 10, our top three 15s (Bender, Jordie and Israel), arguably our best 6 (JK). Our best 13 has been intermittently injured in Crotty, our best hooker has spent most of the season out with concussion and is only getting back into shape now. Most teams in world rugby would be struggling, we've won both trophies on offer and drawn a Lions series we had a great chance to win. And in exchange we've seen a bunch of new young ABs come onto the scene
-
@canefan said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
Let's put our current troubles into perspective. We're missing our best lock, our best 10, our top three 15s (Bender, Jordie and Israel), arguably our best 6 (JK). Our best 13 has been intermittently injured in Crotty, our best hooker has spent most of the season out with concussion and is only getting back into shape now. Most teams in world rugby would be struggling, we've won both trophies on offer and drawn a Lions series we had a great chance to win. And in exchange we've seen a bunch of new young ABs come onto the scene
You missed our two best props as well.
-
@canefan said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
Let's put our current troubles into perspective. We're missing our best lock, our best 10, our top three 15s (Bender, Jordie and Israel), arguably our best 6 (JK). Our best 13 has been intermittently injured in Crotty, our best hooker has spent most of the season out with concussion and is only getting back into shape now. Most teams in world rugby would be struggling, we've won both trophies on offer and drawn a Lions series we had a great chance to win. And in exchange we've seen a bunch of new young ABs come onto the scene
Oh I see you're one of those who thinks the sky won't fall any minute?
-
@antipodean An Asterix rather than a Vitalstatistix.
-
-
-
@nta said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
@nepia I don't think Franks is that far ahead of the other options. Handy prop but does some dumb shit.
Say that two more times and @Red-Beard might return? (To smite you).
-
-
-
Funny people saying that if Hansen gets results and stays on that he should get new assistants.
I guess I see it that if “he” gets the results it will be in large part due to how his assistants also perform. Hansens hardly running a dictatorship where the plebs just fall into line. The assistants from all reports have massive input.
Things might seem a little indifferent right now but again in this era of 4 year cycles we often see this throughout periods.
Remember when all the rotation, massive squads, “cheapening of the jersey” was happening under Henry. He was lambasted for trying stuff and it did produce some mixed results. But it was all within the cycle.
I quite like the current coaching group. They are finding out some things about the new players whilst trying to build experience with others.
-
This is about as open as Steve Hansen gets in talking about where we are at. I recommend having a listen.
-
@act-crusader said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
Funny people saying that if Hansen gets results and stays on that he should get new assistants.
I guess I see it that if “he” gets the results it will be in large part due to how his assistants also perform. Hansens hardly running a dictatorship where the plebs just fall into line. The assistants from all reports have massive input.
Two issues with the current assistants.
First, under Henry, Hansen and Smith all had previous international, domestic and overseas head coaching experience. They have all spoken at length about how those overseas experiences specifically prepared them the most for the job. Foster, McLeod, Fox and the rest of the coaching/selecting staff have none of this experience. This is missing a huge trick IMO. If Foster wants to be AB coach I would feel better if they sent him off for a NH sabaatical with a club for a year, if even as an assistant.
Second, there was a time where arguably three of the top five NZ coaches in the world were part of the All Black set up. Now I think you would have a tough time to argue they have two of the top 10. It's all well and good for Hansen to say they work as a collective and have a flat leadership structure etc, etc - but when the gulf between Hansen's success, experience and incumbency and his assistants is so great that an obvious power dynamic is natural.
Stick him in a room with Schmidt and Gatland as his assistants for example and see if iron sharpens iron the way he says.
@act-crusader said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
Things might seem a little indifferent right now but again in this era of 4 year cycles we often see this throughout periods.
Remember when all the rotation, massive squads, “cheapening of the jersey” was happening under Henry. He was lambasted for trying stuff and it did produce some mixed results. But it was all within the cycle.
Mixed results? The ABs lost as many games in the last 12 months as they did between the start of the rotation era on the EOYT 2004 and the start of the 2007 RWC. Results were very, very good under rotation - with a weird match in Cardiff at the end.
-
@rotated said in Shag not goooonne? (After RWC 2019):
Mixed results? The ABs lost as many games in the last 12 months as they did between the start of the rotation era on the EOYT 2004 and the start of the 2007 RWC. Results were very, very good under rotation - with a weird match in Cardiff at the end.
Yeah, how'd that work out? It seems fairly obvious now that RWC isn't simply the biggest thing -- it's fast become the ONLY thing. Which means coaches are going to experiment and risk losses between RWCs with an eye on the 4-year cycle. So while ABs could be perfect for 3-and-3/4 years, none of it matters if they choke on the stroke of that 4th year.
-
