AB Positions up for grabs
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@kiwimurph said in AB Positions up for grabs:
From All Blacks Twitter:
NEWS: Chiefs halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi has been invited to attend the All Blacks ‘Foundation Day’ in Wellington today. North-Island based All Blacks from the Chiefs, Blues & Hurricanes are in for the day, which is aimed at laying the foundation for the All Blacks season.
Good. I know they had Drummond in and around the squad. But really? Some much better prospects at 9 doing the rounds. T-cubed especially.
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They've had very defined roles for the no.6 and no.8 positions. When Kaino was 6 he was used in tight allowing Read to roam in the wider channels. Last year when Squire replaced Kaino, Read assumed the Kaino-like role closer to the breakdown, and Squire used his speed further out wide.
So the choice of no.8 will be dependent on who plays blindside. For this reason I don't like Squire (8) and Fifita (6) because the latter is a "very loose" loose forward so Squire would need to work closer in. I don't think he is suited to that role.
I think Hansen and co will go one of two ways:
(i) Squire (6) and Whitelock (8) with Whitelock doing the donkey work on defence, as he does for the Highlanders
(ii) Squire (6) and Ioane (8) with Ioane playing more like a 6 as you say. Ioane would also provide some speed and power off the scrum which Whitelock definitely doesn't. -
@bovidae think you probably have to look at the way they defend also, Whitelock/Cane/Read are great in the narrow channels with their ability to put on a big hit or a surprise hit coming out to in. Ioane would be best suited stationed wider where he can use his upper body strength to target the ball and/or hold players up.
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@stargazer said in AB Positions up for grabs:
The list accorinding to Newshub:
Players attending Wellington Foundation Day are as follows: Aumua, B. Barrett, J. Barrett, Cane, Coles, Duffie, Fifita, Harris, A. Ioane, R. Ioane, Laulala, Laumape, Lienert-Brown, Milner-Skudder, Moli, Perenara, Retallick, A. Savea, J. Savea, Tahuriorangi, Toomaga-Allen, Tu’ungafasi, WilliamsChiefs first-five Damian McKenzie won't attend today's camp after suffering a head knock against the Reds on Saturday night.No Gareth Evans. I thought he could have made it since he has a great season so far and he can cover 6,7 and 8. He will finish playing for Wales !
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@cgrant said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@stargazer said in AB Positions up for grabs:
The list accorinding to Newshub:
Players attending Wellington Foundation Day are as follows: Aumua, B. Barrett, J. Barrett, Cane, Coles, Duffie, Fifita, Harris, A. Ioane, R. Ioane, Laulala, Laumape, Lienert-Brown, Milner-Skudder, Moli, Perenara, Retallick, A. Savea, J. Savea, Tahuriorangi, Toomaga-Allen, Tu’ungafasi, WilliamsChiefs first-five Damian McKenzie won't attend today's camp after suffering a head knock against the Reds on Saturday night.No Gareth Evans. I thought he could have made it since he has a great season so far and he can cover 6,7 and 8. He will finish playing for Wales !
Is he eligible for Wales? As far as I know his old man is a Kiwi - not sure if his parents are Welsh.
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@cgrant said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@stargazer said in AB Positions up for grabs:
The list accorinding to Newshub:
Players attending Wellington Foundation Day are as follows: Aumua, B. Barrett, J. Barrett, Cane, Coles, Duffie, Fifita, Harris, A. Ioane, R. Ioane, Laulala, Laumape, Lienert-Brown, Milner-Skudder, Moli, Perenara, Retallick, A. Savea, J. Savea, Tahuriorangi, Toomaga-Allen, Tu’ungafasi, WilliamsChiefs first-five Damian McKenzie won't attend today's camp after suffering a head knock against the Reds on Saturday night.No Gareth Evans. I thought he could have made it since he has a great season so far and he can cover 6,7 and 8. He will finish playing for Wales !
Granted he's going great guns, but who are you gonna drop for him? He seems too small for 6 at international level.
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@nepia said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@cgrant said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@stargazer said in AB Positions up for grabs:
The list accorinding to Newshub:
Players attending Wellington Foundation Day are as follows: Aumua, B. Barrett, J. Barrett, Cane, Coles, Duffie, Fifita, Harris, A. Ioane, R. Ioane, Laulala, Laumape, Lienert-Brown, Milner-Skudder, Moli, Perenara, Retallick, A. Savea, J. Savea, Tahuriorangi, Toomaga-Allen, Tu’ungafasi, WilliamsChiefs first-five Damian McKenzie won't attend today's camp after suffering a head knock against the Reds on Saturday night.No Gareth Evans. I thought he could have made it since he has a great season so far and he can cover 6,7 and 8. He will finish playing for Wales !
Is he eligible for Wales? As far as I know his old man is a Kiwi - not sure if his parents are Welsh.
Feels Welsh
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That would make things much more interesting. We might see a Whitelock (6), Cane (7), Ioane (8) loose forward trio.
Other options would be to play Fifita or S Barrett at 6, move Cane and bring in Todd, or give Taufua an opportunity. A lack of lineout height for those last two options though.
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That's a no to SBarrett at 6 from me
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@bones said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@bovidae Cane seems to be very similar in size to Messam... He does OK in lineouts.
Cane would be a fine 6, but he's easily our best 7 at the moment so not sure we want to do a Wallabies at play two 7s.
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@bones said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@nepia when your other 7 is better than most other teams 7s then I'd not have a problem with it. Pretty sure they've played together before haven't they?
Not that I know of, I prefer our 7s to stay as 7s, but I guess I could handle a Cane, Todd, Ioane trio.
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@bones said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@nepia I don't think you'd notice a huge amount change about either players game.
Hasn't Cane swapped sides before when Todd came on?
I'd assume so, I'm not sure, one of our Cantab bretheren must be able to tell us, I assume they keep detailed notebooks of each Cantab's minutes in black.
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@bones said in AB Positions up for grabs:
@bovidae Cane seems to be very similar in size to Messam... He does OK in lineouts.
Yes, when jumping at the front, and Cane has done that a few times for the Chiefs too. The ABs have tended to use Read at 2 a lot so maybe L Whitelock (in a proposed trio) could do the same rather than Cane. The Crusaders get by in the lineout with relatively short loose forwards without Read.
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