Highlanders vs Blues

Kirwan

Akira was missing badly tonight the tougher it got the more he disappeared and Rieko needs a rest he looks worn out
Blues have a tough run home Crusaders away and Hurricanes twice

Most of our forward pack looked flat after the first 30. Akira wasn’t alone there.

Plus the tactics to stand off the rucks just played into their hands.

Stargazer

The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 6 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.

Kirwan

@Stargazer said in Highlanders vs Blues:

The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 5 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.

Probably because we traveled early in the draw?

Duluth

Hopefully we don’t see much more of Nock. Pulu is flawed but offers something different late in a game

Stargazer

@Kirwan Maybe, but that doesn't explain the timing of the Jaguares' byes. They still have to travel to Oz and NZ. If they make the finals, it's going to be a long and exhausting 2nd part of the season for them.

Edit: it also doesn't explain the Waratahs' byes in weeks 3 and 9. They also still have to travel.

Chris

@Kirwan shouldnt have been flat They have rotated the props so they haven’t had big minutes Dalton is fresh seems like their belief is wavering after the last 2 weeks they already have had a Bye need to find a spark somewhere

sparky

Nonu and Reiko Ioane were excellent for the Blues. The Blues lost this in the forwards: at scrum time and the breakdown. Big Karl and "King" Akira weren't really there tonight.

Ben Smith as ever, superb for the Landers. Coltman, Lomax and Lietjens all very good.

Chris

I though Hammington was really good for the Landers especially in the first half when the Blues scrum and forwards dominated most of the half

Kirwan

@Chris said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@Kirwan shouldnt have been flat They have rotated the props so they haven’t had big minutes Dalton is fresh seems like their belief is wavering after the last 2 weeks they already have had a Bye need to find a spark somewhere

Akiras played pretty much every minute, similar with Parsons (to much annoyance). Robinson has played big minutes, Ofa had to play 70 today due to injury, lock have had some rotation but not hugely so.

So our loosies have the least rotation if you look at it.

It not ideal, but it’s understandable. Like has been mentioned above, it looks like Leon doesn’t trust all of the squad and some players are not being managed as much as they could be.

Buts that’s all looking at the Blues, Highlanders really played well at the breakdown.

kev

@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.

Chris

@Kirwan you are right the squad depth will win you the title Crusaders fantastic depth
Hurricanes like the Blues struggle without their 3 or 4 key players
Where the crusaders haven’t had Read, Whitelock, Franks ,Moody’, Taylor ,Bridge for extended periods also lost Perry, Matale and Saunders for the season

kev

@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.

Kirwan

@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.

Yes they do, his name is Gibson.

In the game where we have done well, the forwards have worked together to get turnovers. Not sure why they changed that for this game.

I challenge you to come up with a winning game plan with Pulu, Collins and Parsons! And no centre, so you have to play a 12 out of position.

There a serious holes in the squad.

Duluth

@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.

On the basis he looks shit when comes on

antipodean

@Dice said in Highlanders vs Blues:

Papali'i was our best player. He's starting to string the good games together.

So this would be his first?

Kirwan

@Duluth said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.

On the basis he looks shit when comes on

That interception he threw just killed us. Didn’t he almost throw two?

Duluth

@Kirwan

He’s crap, never improved. Time to move on

Dice

@antipodean Been good the last 3 games.

kev

@Kirwan agree they are missing Gibson as a fetcher. And agree with the comment that the work rate of the entire pack makes a big difference at breakdown.

Kirwan

@Duluth said in Highlanders vs Blues:

@Kirwan

He’s crap, never improved. Time to move on

Hooker, halfback, centre are the places we need to recruit urgently for next year.

The Silver Fern

Highlanders vs Blues