Blues v Hurricanes
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Well, back from the game.
Fark.
7 9 10 the big difference. Our 7 was OK, too.
Plummer was stone cold knocked out. Couldn't stand up; took three goes, rubber legs, wandered aimlessly and then fell down. Could be his season done.
We're just not good enough to win wihtout our share of the 50/50 calls. And they didn't go our way tongiht. We lost because we're dumb, but the ref didn't help us to get our shit together. 5 scrum penalties under the posts, and no PT; but we didn't do anything with the ball that we had. Just ongoing stupidity.
Most frustrating game I've sen, and the stupidist this year. Bah, humbug.
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@Canes4life nah I think they willl use a bigger 6 and not the 2 fetchers it’s going to be hard for Cane to nab 7, Savea playing with X factor
And Cane is going to have hit the ground running in a big way . -
@Chris said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Canes4life nah I think they willl use a bigger 6 and not the 2 fetchers it’s going to be hard for Cane to nab 7, Savea playing with X factor
And Cane is going to have hit the ground running in a big way .If Cane comes back in the next couple of games and doesn't get injured there is no way he won't be selected for the RC squads. From there he is still the preferred option to Todd so will go to Japan.
What they do once there is dependant on performances, gameplans and opposition.Cane is one of the hardest hitting tacklers so he ticks that box for 6. Also getting off the line and in the faces. He doesn't add to lineout options and isn't the guy you go to for carry over the gain line.
Those last two negatives could be cleverly worked around though.
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@Chris said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Crucial maybe but I can’t see Hansen going Cane and Savea in the big games
I have no doubt Cane will be in the squad
Hansen seems to like Squire at 6I can see him having one of the two as the bench impact though instead of a 6.
Pretty sure that we may see them in tandem at some point. -
Only managed to catch the 2nd half but from what i saw...
I'm bloody pleased/relieved/happy that TJP plays for the AB's - outstanding tonight and the perfect 9 to close out a close RWC2019 game
Ardie Savea has improved out of all recognition in the last 18 months. With Cane coming back we look good at 7.
Blues discipline and cool heads go walkabout far too often. Less than last year though so credit to Pat T and the coaching staff.
Akira Ioane needs to wind down the in-yer-face stuff and aggro once the whistle has stopped play if he's to make RWC19. The sort of crap he got involved with Jordy Barrett could cost us in tight games.
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@Crucial said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Chris said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Crucial maybe but I can’t see Hansen going Cane and Savea in the big games
I have no doubt Cane will be in the squad
Hansen seems to like Squire at 6I can see him having one of the two as the bench impact though instead of a 6.
Pretty sure that we may see them in tandem at some point.I was thinking we may see them in tandem closing games ,
its a matter of who starts ,
Savea is in irresistible form and deserves to start , but you could argue Cane is more of a starter than an impact type ,
when given the opportunity Todd has shown he looks ok coming off the bench in an up the tempo way
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@nzzp it’s quite funny we actually identified those crucial numbers before the game..I thought TJ was magnificent,not only did he manage and school both Pulu and Akira but also Bryant with constant chatter pointing out technical things to plant in the officials ear..the leadership has to be bought into question, I liked the way TJ Faiane led the Auckland team last year and I do wonder if he is a natural leader and thinker.
It’s very depressing following this mob, I could only imagine what Rangi is thinking..we hold to ball more than any other team, but you can set your clock that we will turn ball over at some stage and totally lose our defensive pattern..
Thought Papali’i was the Blues best by some distance, others had their moments but many offered up individual errors when it really mattered ..
Was also great to see Scrafton get on the paddock, offered a lot of energy and chatter ( heard him really trying to pick the players up on a couple of occasions)
Akira needs to develop his game, we all know his power, but where’s the passing game looking for someone in a better position and backing up..and once again the return of the angry guy..temperament is a big thing in my book, when he loses the plot it means frustration has set in..We already had a penalty,and that had the potential to be reversed..
Smart get in your head stuff from the Barrett’s almost paid dividends.,got in his head and it worked.. -
@Steven-Harris yep, we called it before the game too. Knowing they are better, adn being able to do something about it is another thing
If we were going to win, it was going to be up front and out wide. And our wings didn't have a great day out there.
Parsons - great to get 100 games, but seems a bit small at this level still. Great bloke, huge heart, but that doesn't get you to the next level.
Ma'a just has a pass that is sex on toast. But prone to loose carries this year, and just doesn't have the pace he used to. Still a couple of injuries away from being a fringe squaddie fo rthe ABs I reckon.
I liked Laumape. Looked very very good out there, just good physical fast player. Short though.
TJP was simply outstanding. Manipulated the ref, pushed the line just right and played well. He's drinking my tears of salty, impotent rage with a smile on his face.
After 7 games I was happy with how we were tracking - a clear lift on last year. Last night was a major regression. Not fun to watch, and obviously not fun to coach either. We have done enough to win another 2-3 games this year, but just can't close these out. Tough times as a supporter.
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I take back what I said about the Blues having improved their mindset this season. They should have had that game. I'll take the win, but by christ the Blues bottled it.
And Jordie Barrett (of all people) showed why Akira Ioane doesn't get selected for the ABs. He's an absolutely phenomenonal talent but who would bet against him doing something dumb in a big game?
Oh yes, and Pulu is utter pants. His AB test back in the day was a horror show and unfortunately he hasn't improved since then.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
And Jordie Barrett (of all people) showed why Akira Ioane doesn't get selected for the ABs. He's an absolutely phenomenonal talent but who would bet against him doing something dumb in a big game?
Akira had one of the worst games I've seen from him in ages -- but he didn't (and doesn't) get penalised for his off the ball stuff. It's largely disappeared from his game.
Also, I understand he had 24 carries last night. Twenty four!!! Clearly lazy
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I feel the Hurricanes forwards are missing a couple of big time leaders, similar to what TJ and Beaudy are for the backs. If we can get Coles and Evans back playing in the next few weeks it will give our forwards a little bit more edge, the edge needed to lift the Canes to their potential instead of scrapping out these ugly wins.
I think Smith, Armstrong and Numia have all performed well on the loosehead side, the tighthead side of the scrum is where we've really struggled this year and it hasn't helped with Fidow being injured for big parts. Toomaga Allen just doesn't cut it for me, big lump but he has no impact - will be happy to see the back of him. He is like the James Parsons of the Canes.
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@nzzp said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
And Jordie Barrett (of all people) showed why Akira Ioane doesn't get selected for the ABs. He's an absolutely phenomenonal talent but who would bet against him doing something dumb in a big game?
Akira had one of the worst games I've seen from him in ages -- but he didn't (and doesn't) get penalised for his off the ball stuff. It's largely disappeared from his game.
Also, I understand he had 24 carries last night. Twenty four!!! Clearly lazy
Believe me, I'm a fan. But that particular incident I think showed why he isn't getting selected.
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@Canes4life said in Blues v Hurricanes:
I feel the Hurricanes forwards are missing a couple of big time leaders, similar to what TJ and Beaudy are for the backs. If we can get Coles and Evans back playing in the next few weeks it will give our forwards a little bit more edge, the edge needed to lift the Canes to their potential instead of scrapping out these ugly wins.
I think Smith, Armstrong and Numia have all performed well on the loosehead side, the tighthead side of the scrum is where we've really struggled this year and it hasn't helped with Fidow being injured for big parts. Toomaga Allen just doesn't cut it for me, big lump but he has no impact - will be happy to see the back of him. He is like the James Parsons of the Canes.
It's a shame Broadhurst had to retire. He would be just what we need now. Poor bugger. He was fantastic in 2015.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel same with Reggie Goodes. Both in their primes which made their retirements hard to take.
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@Canes4life said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Rancid-Schnitzel same with Reggie Goodes. Both in their primes which made their retirements hard to take.
Imagine those two there now with a fit Coles and Shields. The Canes would be contenders again. As it stands, they'd be totally furked without Ardie.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@nzzp said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
And Jordie Barrett (of all people) showed why Akira Ioane doesn't get selected for the ABs. He's an absolutely phenomenonal talent but who would bet against him doing something dumb in a big game?
Akira had one of the worst games I've seen from him in ages -- but he didn't (and doesn't) get penalised for his off the ball stuff. It's largely disappeared from his game.
Also, I understand he had 24 carries last night. Twenty four!!! Clearly lazy
Believe me, I'm a fan. But that particular incident I think showed why he isn't getting selected.
No it doesn't.
Akira has never ever been penalised once for off the ball stuff.
It simply has not happened.
So who cares?
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@KiwiMurph said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@nzzp said in Blues v Hurricanes:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Blues v Hurricanes:
And Jordie Barrett (of all people) showed why Akira Ioane doesn't get selected for the ABs. He's an absolutely phenomenonal talent but who would bet against him doing something dumb in a big game?
Akira had one of the worst games I've seen from him in ages -- but he didn't (and doesn't) get penalised for his off the ball stuff. It's largely disappeared from his game.
Also, I understand he had 24 carries last night. Twenty four!!! Clearly lazy
Believe me, I'm a fan. But that particular incident I think showed why he isn't getting selected.
No it doesn't.
Akira has never ever been penalised once for off the ball stuff.
It simply has not happened.
So who cares?
Agree... Jordie was acting like a dickhead in that exchange too. Rugby’s a confrontational game, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of push and shove.
A bigger concern was Akiras work at the back of the scrum, but jeez I thought Perenara was offside at least a couple of times when he disrupted the play. Blues flankers should have offered a bit more protection too.
