All Blacks 2021
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One thing we don't seem to value in NZ at the moment is workmanlike locks. Now, I'm going to use a Magpies example, but that's just the one I know, other provinces likely have similar examples that they can cut and paste in.
Tom Parson's has never secured a Super contract (he's finally got an injury replacement one now) despite being a stand out, workman like, lock in the NPC for years now. Maybe, he's not up to Super level, but we don't know. Bryn Evans came back from the UK and was bloody good for the Highlanders, yet Parsons has definitely been the best of the Magpies locks while Evans has been back.
FYI - I'm not suggesting him for higher honours or anything, just musing on the closed shop for Super rugby contracts sometimes.
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life Power lock partnered with a rotation of Whitelock and Retallick each week. Barrett on the bench. Ioane + Jacobsen/Sotutu/Robinson in the loose forwards to add two lineout options. Sorted, as long as we can develop that power lock.
you would think with the control/influence NZR has over the super teams developing certain players would be easy!
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2021:
@kirwan said in All Blacks 2021:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2021:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
They hardly brought a lot of value to Super Rugby (except diversity) besides cheating officials and corrupt administrators.
I don't agree. They brought huge physicality to the game, and a different style of play for people and teams to adapt to. They forced us to learn how to travel long distances and play well. They made us develop different game plans to win at altitude.
That appears to be something we learnt easily. We dominated them in SR.
Not all the teams, all the time. Point being that it educated a large amount of players what was necessary to improve their game.
Chiefs being thrashed in a final comes to mind. Blues had issues with the Sharks many times.
I agree, not all teams all the time. That's a function of depth and a clear argument against the expansion of what was once a premium product.
I agree with that, Super 12 seems a long time ago.
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
BTW, Retallick has a fuckton to prove this year. He was only in the team on reputation in 2021, and that reputation is well gone now.
I don't think Retallick was as bad as you make out. He wasn't as effective as he was previously but he put in a ton of work and at times looked like he was travelling better than Whitelock (and as we know Whitelock secured a nomination in the locks category in the most prestigious team of the year).
I'm hoping he's hitting the gym and the kai over summer so the above mentioned effectiveness will return.
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life Power lock partnered with a rotation of Whitelock and Retallick each week. Barrett on the bench. Ioane + Jacobsen/Sotutu/Robinson in the loose forwards to add two lineout options. Sorted, as long as we can develop that power lock.
ah, we are picking two 7s for as long as the current guys are in charge mate. Savea is the best #8 in the world apparently...
So power lock, two opensides, and a hooker who can't throw. Prepare to spend a LOT of time in your own half.
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@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
One thing we don't seem to value in NZ at the moment is workmanlike locks. Now, I'm going to use a Magpies example, but that's just the one I know, other provinces likely have similar examples that they can cut and paste in.
Tom Parson's has never secured a Super contract (he's finally got an injury replacement one now) despite being a stand out, workman like, lock in the NPC for years now. Maybe, he's not up to Super level, but we don't know. Bryn Evans came back from the UK and was bloody good for the Highlanders, yet Parsons has definitely been the best of the Magpies locks while Evans has been back.
FYI - I'm not suggesting him for higher honours or anything, just musing on the closed shop for Super rugby contracts sometimes.
my personal feeling on why we opt for "experience" rather than developing newer players is the super season is too short...so there is too much riding on each game. the rugby season itself is long but thats because we run two competitions (plus internations)
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2021:
@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life Power lock partnered with a rotation of Whitelock and Retallick each week. Barrett on the bench. Ioane + Jacobsen/Sotutu/Robinson in the loose forwards to add two lineout options. Sorted, as long as we can develop that power lock.
ah, we are picking two 7s for as long as the current guys are in charge mate. Savea is the best #8 in the world apparently...
So power lock, two opensides, and a hooker who can't throw. Prepare to spend a LOT of time in your own half.
That sounds about right for a gameplan based on counter attack.
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@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
One thing we don't seem to value in NZ at the moment is workmanlike locks. Now, I'm going to use a Magpies example, but that's just the one I know, other provinces likely have similar examples that they can cut and paste in.
Tom Parson's has never secured a Super contract (he's finally got an injury replacement one now) despite being a stand out, workman like, lock in the NPC for years now. Maybe, he's not up to Super level, but we don't know. Bryn Evans came back from the UK and was bloody good for the Highlanders, yet Parsons has definitely been the best of the Magpies locks while Evans has been back.
FYI - I'm not suggesting him for higher honours or anything, just musing on the closed shop for Super rugby contracts sometimes.
because you don't need them at Super level with the way it is currently played. They just clog up attacking space.
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@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
BTW, Retallick has a fuckton to prove this year. He was only in the team on reputation in 2021, and that reputation is well gone now.
I don't think Retallick was as bad as you make out. He wasn't as effective as he was previously but he put in a ton of work and at times looked like he was travelling better than Whitelock (and as we know Whitelock secured a nomination in the locks category in the most prestigious team of the year).
I'm hoping he's hitting the gym and the kai over summer so the above mentioned effectiveness will return.
he definitely got better as the tour went on, but yes, if we judge by previous output, he's way off the pace
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@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2021:
@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life Power lock partnered with a rotation of Whitelock and Retallick each week. Barrett on the bench. Ioane + Jacobsen/Sotutu/Robinson in the loose forwards to add two lineout options. Sorted, as long as we can develop that power lock.
ah, we are picking two 7s for as long as the current guys are in charge mate. Savea is the best #8 in the world apparently...
So power lock, two opensides, and a hooker who can't throw. Prepare to spend a LOT of time in your own half.
That sounds about right for a gameplan based on counter attack.
that's been working wonderfully, and is soooo hard to counter
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@kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2021:
@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
One thing we don't seem to value in NZ at the moment is workmanlike locks. Now, I'm going to use a Magpies example, but that's just the one I know, other provinces likely have similar examples that they can cut and paste in.
Tom Parson's has never secured a Super contract (he's finally got an injury replacement one now) despite being a stand out, workman like, lock in the NPC for years now. Maybe, he's not up to Super level, but we don't know. Bryn Evans came back from the UK and was bloody good for the Highlanders, yet Parsons has definitely been the best of the Magpies locks while Evans has been back.
FYI - I'm not suggesting him for higher honours or anything, just musing on the closed shop for Super rugby contracts sometimes.
my personal feeling on why we opt for "experience" rather than developing newer players is the super season is too short...so there is too much riding on each game. the rugby season itself is long but thats because we run two competitions (plus internations)
TBF, Parson's seems to miss out to young guys more so than experienced guys (despite my Evans example).
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@nepia maybe hes just a dick?
as i say, really just how i see the Highlanders approach over the last few years, pretty much ever position needs some old journeyman who may never be an all black but also wont have a brain fart when under pressure
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2021:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2021:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2021:
@nepia said in All Blacks 2021:
TBH, as I got older I probably started watching Saffa games again as I'd get up and watch them in the morning while I ate breakfast, while skipping through all the faffing between the actual play.
Anyway, to solve the issue, let's just designate one of our teams to play like a Saffa team.
I'd nominate the Canes but they have shit 10s and midget locks so might not work too well.we don't have that factory that they have somewhere outside of Bloemfontein that produces unit after unit of 2m+ jacked 2nd rowers with crew-cuts
We could just import them while their country becomes a failed state.
ah yes, teh Black Caps method
Can we do better than Rawlinson though?
It's a numbers game.
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@antipodean think you need only look at the most successful team in super rugby, and.how often they'd struggle with the Force, sure plenty were on the way back from SA, but they still struggled to put them away as well as they were expected to all the time (yea they still smoke them mostly)
I just looked and the Crusaders have 69.7% win ratio in thier history but this drops to 62% against a team that has won a mere 32% of thier games...
having a variety of styles is key to continued innovation, growth and development
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@taniwharugby I think results in Perthfontein was largely a mental issue.
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@antipodean oh I am sure that was a factor, but winning on the road was a huge part of Crusader successes over the years, the fact these guys managed to be more than a walkover in several games, even winning and getting 2 draws (one in Chch) just shows what a slightly different style can bring.
Not advocating anything for the Force, simply showing an anomaly, that is in part due to a different playing style and environment.
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@taniwharugby that's true, Force were the Crusader achilles' heel throughout Blackadder & Dean's tenures.
Chiefs have best historic record versus Crusaders (58.3% losing record), Hurricanes are the next best (59%).
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 you might be surprised to learn that the SA franchises boasted a worse success rate than Aussie sides in NZ. And if I remember correctly it wasn't even close either. The overall stats for the SA sides in more recent times (especially from around 2015-16 onwards) makes for embarrassing reading, there's little point denying that.
for that stat to be relevant (and it's comparing almost zero with incredibly low), you should look at NZ team success in AUS and SA. I think our record in Aus will be significantly better - which implies the SA teams bring a different and more challenging game to the table.
They just don't travel well
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@nzzp 5 weeks in Australasia compared to at worst 3 for us travelling to the Republic. Travel certainly was much harder for the SA teams but as was said the biggest issue was the expansion. NZ stuck with the original 5 sides both Oz and SA diluted their playing strength.
If winning sport was only about the strength of your domestic competition, NZ cricket would be a basket case. You can only have 15 players on the field and 23 in a squad. SA Super teams could all prop up the competition table but as long as collectively they have 23 world class players...
This shouldn't need to be said but some people don't seem to get it.
