Ireland vs All Blacks (2018)
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@rotated said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
we are left with a side of players and coaches who were born on third base and think they hit a triple.
That's quality fella, love your work
Our attacking game has really struggled the last few weeks. Just have not managed to get going. We could still have won that game if we could hold some of those passes.
Now I've settled down a bit, I'm less frustrated. Ireland are a quality outfit, and hard to beat at home. In fact, all the NH teams (except France) have lifted their game from the last world cup. Basically it's the same message that we should get: don't bitch, just get better. Go away, and get better.
This year has been a mixed bag. We burgled one against SA, and lost one we should have won. We scraped home against England - and I do wonder if the effort from last week drained the tank a bit. That side today looked as flat as any I've seen.
Still, we've won 11/13, with one to go and we think it's a terrible year.
I go back a bit to 2007, and wonder if there is a bit of a plan going on. We were looking at superbly conditioned athletes going into that tournament - and playing it in France in Autumn can mean some hard ,fast, tracks. Despite our loss in that tourney, it felt like our game plan had one eye on the weather.
Oct/Nov in Japan next year will be hottish - probably low 20's - and probably support some open, fast rugby. Here's hoping that the different conditions, and playing these top sides away from their home make mor ethan a 7 poitn difference to us
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Think the better team won.
Only thing I would change is that aaron Smith needs to go. TJP is just better.
Gutting that Ireland stole our move and scored from it.
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@nzzp I agree they are trying new things, we have drifted from what made us 'great' but to keep trying the same 'innovative' things over and over when it is ineffective and not changing up was the dumb part, probably being a bit too cute and expecting the Irish to roll over.
Ireland played well, and played smart, we didnt play well, but we were dumb too, not ideal combination when you opposition isnt giving you much to deal with.
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@chris-b hoping you are right,and I hate to state the obvious,these end of season tours wether it’s the North heading South in July or us heading up to the their autumn..how full are the tanks both mentally and physically for both parties...?..
Several looked flat today,I would have gone for pace in the loose and started both Ardie and Todd -
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@steven-harris I think without a doubt the EOSTs are tough on the travelling teams. Reading about Sam Whitelock's injury problems earlier this week - no wonder he's not looked his usual self.
Also I'm thinking Beauden's probably pretty mentally fatigued. Who else has played big minutes this season - Codie Taylor, Aaron Smith, Reiko Ioane - probably Ben Smith.
Some of the others have had truncated seasons due to injury, but even then, maybe they're just not quite as hungry as they need to be.
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@tim said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@chris-b Agreed on carrying frequently injured players. Add Squire to that list.
Hansen is a pretty arrogant coach, who has proven unwilling to tailor selections to the opposition, or to put results before loyalty.
Yes, well, I'm still mystified as to why Joe Moody needed to get those warm-up minutes in that semi-final, but Liam Squire didn't.
Bad news for Blues fans - Hansen doesn't answer his phone when Leon calls!
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ABs complacent, and only got serious in last 20 or so. Trying things, and not playing to win.
Suspect the result would have been different if this was the RWC final.
That said, hard to feel comfortable about our 9 -10 axis. We seem to be vulnerable if plan A doesn't work.
Hope Shag really rubs it in tonight.
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@tim TBH I think while Shag is part of the problem, I think it's his 'team' that just isnt up to it anymore, but this is where Shag as top dog needs to sort shit.
There have always been question marks over Foster, although I think the presence of Wayne SMith papered over some of his definciencies.
Seems today, we had 1 game plan, and refused to deviate.
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Some things that we are doing is puzzling to me.
For instance, it seems strange as to why we are not employing a rush defence when all the top teams are doing it. It's not like our current D is so great anyway. Ireland pretty much won that game on the back of their rush defence. Am sure they wouldn't have made the easy metres in the 1st half either if we had been in their faces.
I have always had a lot of confidence in the coaching team but that's gone this year. Worrying times.
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The squad has passengers like Franks , A Smith, SBW, and NMS. These guys are average repeatedly, and yet other up and comers aren't being given an opportunity.
I know McCaw was a once in a lifetime player, but where we miss him more is captaincy. His head was so cool it was Arctic. You think Smith and co would be fucking about with box kicks every two mins with Richie in charge? Or players acting like headless chooks? Read was once a great player, but his legs look tired, and he's not a great captain under pressure at all. The ABs lacked direction today, like each of them was waiting for someone else to do the brilliant thing that would snatch the win. And nobody did. Ireland beat us up in the forwards, and forced us onto the back foot for most of the game. Our backline had no structure. it wasn't pretty. Meh.
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@chris-b actually I think both forwards and backs were crap. But much harder to be good in backs if forwards not going forward. Issues with forwards - those first half penalties were primarily them and some just very poor from senior players, we didn’t win contact ( poor ) or tackle ball, two penalties in first half at scrum time when we were dominated.
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@kev Yeah - they got dominated for 60 minutes today, but generally I think they're a pretty solid pack. I don't have too many concerns that when we need a big effort from them at the RWC that we will get it.
I think there's a few more fundamental issues in the backs, right now.
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Was a good game of rugby to watch. Loved seeing the ABs under huge pressure two weeks in a row. Just an English foot away from being a complete horror of EOY tour.
Thought Ardie and Scott Barret were the pick of the forwards while the midfield defended strongly. We really need a plan b when plan a (Bbbr) doesn't play well.
Beaudy continues to struggle but I didn't think RM looked much better. Just played a different game that Ireland took in their stride. Heaps of flat and short passes but they never seemed like scoring.
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