Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?
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@act-crusader I remember Jimmy Cowan having a strong defensive game.
Agree that Cowan - Weepu - Perenera on a level. Weepu the best of the three on a big occasion. Had a very good game against the Boks in 2010. Fantastic goal kicking in the 2011 Quarter Final.
Piri was dreadful for London Welsh after leaving the ABs. He forgot how to tackle and became fat.
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@kiwimurph said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Peak Piri is a level above Perenara and Cowan.
He was a wonderful bench 9 too.
He also covered 10 at a pinch. Tough little bugger too.
I always rated TKB as a bench 9.
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Sid Going - as a running halfback he would have been dynamite on these manicured fields. Def up there is the discussions of 'best'
Mark Donaldson - under-rated. Perhaps not among the 'best' allrounders but you don't get a nickname like Bullet without a good pass. His disjointed career and the arrival of Loveridge probably meant that we never saw the number of games he deserved
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@victor-meldrew said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
@kiwimurph said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Peak Piri is a level above Perenara and Cowan.
He was a wonderful bench 9 too.
He also covered 10 at a pinch. Tough little bugger too.
I always rated TKB as a bench 9.
TKB only just turned 31. Another unlucky to be around at the same time as someone even better
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@sparky said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Justin Marshall - Great runner at the start of his career. Put in lots of defensive work. Solid box kick. Crabbed before he passed. Some of his passing was loopy.
Still doesn't understand the laws of the game years later. Prone to making stupid exclamations. Has had an array of ill advised hair styles. Boomfa!
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Mentioned Sid Going in the other thread as being the best running AB 9 I've seen, loads of power and lethal near the line. Just a pity his passing was pretty average to dire.
He wa seriously quick as this clip shows 7:30 minutes in. (whole thing is worth a watch - completely outplayed Gareth Edwards on the day)
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Always rated Loveridge back in the day. Great pass , good runner, pretty good kicker. Did I mention great pass?
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@catogrande said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Always rated Loveridge back in the day. Great pass , good runner, pretty good kicker. Did I mention great pass?
Likewise
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For me, Smith has probably the best pass, bar none.
Some of those passes in traffic to find the man are boner material!
He has a good running game, is a good defender.
Prior to him we went for the 4th loosie type 9 more often than not, but his game allowed us to go to another level.
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe 2 Eden Park 14th Aug:
For me, Smith has probably the best pass, bar none.
Some of those passes in traffic to find the man are boner material!
He has a good running game, is a good defender.
Prior to him we went for the 4th loosie type 9 more often than not, but his game allowed us to go to another level.
Yeah his passing is on another level to anything I can remember
Super Sid was great for his era ,but it seemed he had to wind it up a bit more before he let it go, didn’t have the accuracy and instant pop like smith
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@shark said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
I give Graeme Bachop a little more credit. Fantastic passer but he was also dangerous sniping around the scrum etc. He fought his way back into Laurie's favour after Mains tried almost everybody else.
I was always a fan of Bachop, but I recall him being maligned as an AB 9. He could be erratic, but on his day very good. 95 WC his best body of work I reckon.
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@kiwimurph said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Peak Piri is a level above Perenara and Cowan.
He was a wonderful bench 9 too.
Weepu could have been one of the greats imho. Unfortunately he was lazy and addicted to KFC.
1995 Bachop was brilliant. Then he pissed off to Japan.
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@rancid-schnitzel said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
@kiwimurph said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Peak Piri is a level above Perenara and Cowan.
He was a wonderful bench 9 too.
Weepu could have been one of the greats imho. Unfortunately he was lazy and addicted to KFC.
1995 Bachop was brilliant. Then he pissed off to Japan.
Played for them too. Those old rules were fucking stupid.
Until Smith, I would have said that Bachop was the best passing 9 I have seen actually play.
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@gt12 said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
@rancid-schnitzel said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
@kiwimurph said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
Peak Piri is a level above Perenara and Cowan.
He was a wonderful bench 9 too.
Weepu could have been one of the greats imho. Unfortunately he was lazy and addicted to KFC.
1995 Bachop was brilliant. Then he pissed off to Japan.
Played for them too. Those old rules were fucking stupid.
Until Smith, I would have said that Bachop was the best passing 9 I have seen actually play.
Me too.
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If selecting my team of all the halfbacks I've seen play Smith would start and Piri would be on the bench. But if Smith was injured Bachop would start with Piri on the bench. If Piri is injured or got lost coming back from KFC then TKB for the bench.
I saw Trapper play, but not enough to give him an accurate rating so I only ever rate from Kirk onwards. Otherwise, Jimmy Mill the Magpies/AB halfback from the Invincibles would have to be my pick.
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@nepia said in Discussion of AB 9s. Best ever All Blacks Half Back?:
If selecting my team of all the halfbacks I've seen play Smith would start and Piri would be on the bench. But if Smith was injured Bachop would start with Piri on the bench. If Piri is injured or got lost coming back from KFC then TKB for the bench.
I saw Trapper play, but not enough to give him an accurate rating so I only ever rate from Kirk onwards. Otherwise, Jimmy Mill the Magpies/AB halfback from the Invincibles would have to be my pick.
Loveridge was highly regarded at the time but I can't remember him well enough to rate him based on seeing him play. He always seemed to be very efficient
