Julian Savea

MN5

How come some guys who are so powerful and explosive ( Savea, Isitolo Maka, Sione Lauaki ) even compared to other elite Rugby players turn to lard at the drop of a hat ?
 
Metabolisms are funny old things.....

taniwharugby

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="588858" data-time="1466124067">
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Savea rocking up to the start of the season looking pregnant and then having to work like a maniac to get fit must take its toll and affect the rest of his game. Imagine having to try and lose shit loads of weight and focussing on elite rugby skills at the same time. 
It's ridiculously unprofessional and he should not have been picked, regardless of past deeds. Just like Weepu he seems to have entered some kind of comfort zone since becoming an established AB and feels compelled to fund the retirement of some lucky KFC franchise owner. 
I hope he gets his shit together because he's brilliant when on song. I don't think he's lost his ability, but he needs to have everything (mind and body) at 100% and he's clearly nowhere near that right now.
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think it was sometimes these guys get comfortable being comfortable, while the ABs need them to be comfortable being uncomfortable or something Hansen said a couple of days ago in talking about Savea.

rotated

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nzzp" data-cid="588781" data-time="1466106371">
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To describe someone with a strike rate of 39/42 as 'serviceable' is frankly astonishing.
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Right now, today, he is serviceable. The past four years were anything but.
 
If he were playing against us tomorrow night I would not be particularly concerned or feel he is a major threat in his current state. I also wouldn't feel he is an overwhelming weakness either. He just blows hot and cold at the moment - but the hot isn't quite as hot as it used to be.

dogmeat

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="588839" data-time="1466119853">
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I'm sure if John Hart had his time again he would have gone 15 Cullen 14 Wilson 13 Umaga and 11 Lomu......but can anyone remember what possessed him into thinking Cullen would be great at centre ?
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His innate conviction that he was the best coach ever, capable of inspired, unpredictable selection choices and no one else had a clue.
 
Certainly that has been Frank Bunce didn't have a clue. Imagine him promoting Umaga as a potentially great centre even before Tana moved there and repeatedly throughout 99. Hart showed Buncey eh. Bloody obvious why he never rated him for Akl.

No Quarter

I vaguely remember reasoning along the lines of "Cullen will get the ball in his hands more often from centre". Flawed logic.

tubbyj

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="588858" data-time="1466124067">
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Savea rocking up to the start of the season looking pregnant and then having to work like a maniac to get fit must take its toll and affect the rest of his game. Imagine having to try and lose shit loads of weight and focussing on elite rugby skills at the same time. 
It's ridiculously unprofessional and he should not have been picked, regardless of past deeds. Just like Weepu he seems to have entered some kind of comfort zone since becoming an established AB and feels compelled to fund the retirement of some lucky KFC franchise owner. 
I hope he gets his shit together because he's brilliant when on song. I don't think he's lost his ability, but he needs to have everything (mind and body) at 100% and he's clearly nowhere near that right now.
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Agree. Same as last season. After he lost the weight it took a while and a big break from playing before he started to hit form. The hard work he has to to do to lose the weight leaves him flat. Fair enough he probably earnt a break and a bit of pigging out after winning the WC but he needs to be monitored over the next off season and they need to hammer home the point this is not to be a every year thing.

raznomore

Savea is a Caucau. One day we will lament his wasted talent. He will be in Romania playing Superliga. 150kg and looking to make a comeback for the WC 2023. 
Or he will get his shit together and break Doug Howletts try scoring record at a canter and be the star of the 2019 world cup. 
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gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="588966" data-time="1466143889">
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I vaguely remember reasoning along the lines of "Cullen will get the ball in his hands more often from centre". Flawed logic.
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Was also the little factor that Cully switched to centre mid game v the Boks due to an injury to Gibson & loked a million bucks & all of NZ went "we've found our centre!!" And the NZ Herald went off over him as a centre & Nisbo went "Well! we may have found our new Bunce!" 
 
And then a few months later they all went "fucking Hart, what was he thinking!"
 
Bit like "Dagg should go overseas he's done!" 8 months later "great to se Dagg in"

raznomore

Bases on this latest effort he needs some time off 
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Hooroo

Not the same but look at Dagg. Wasn't up to it and got properly dropped. Worked damn hard and is kind of cementing his spot again. Loved watching home last night.

Stargazer

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="591933" data-time="1466901672">
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Not the same but look at Dagg. Wasn't up to it and got properly dropped. Worked damn hard and is kind of cementing his spot again. Loved watching home last night.
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The loss of form had completely different causes though. Dagg had hardly played (especially in 2015) due to one injury after the other. That's why he couldn't regain his best form and that had its mental consequences.
 
Savea has not been plagued by injury at all. It's purely mental at the moment. That might actually be harder to overcome (we can't be sure because we don't really know what's going on and what's causing it).

reprobate

i'm still convinced dagg put on too much weight. he lost his running ability, pace off the mark etc for several seasons. if that was injury related then he shouldn't have been playing. his running was finally evident again last night, and he's such a good player when he has that to go with the massive boot and strength in the air.
 
it's bloody great to see him back playing like that, and huge kudos to him for turning down the coin overseas and coming back from being deservedly dropped, to that level of performance - i don't really think many people would have expected it. real feel-good stuff.

No Quarter

Yup, I'll be honest, I thought Dagg was done and was silly for not taking the coin while he still could. And I was always a huge fan. Comprehensively proved me wrong there, incredible come back.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="591956" data-time="1466909358">
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Yup, I'll be honest, I tought Dagg was done and was silly for not taking the coin while he still could. And I was always a huge fan. Comprehensively proved me wrong there, incredible come back.
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Still needs to drop the Terry Wright slug though. It's 2016.

canefan

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="591956" data-time="1466909358">
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Yup, I'll be honest, I tought Dagg was done and was silly for not taking the coin while he still could. And I was always a huge fan. Comprehensively proved me wrong there, incredible come back.
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Goes to show if the guy is relatively injury free and still young there is no need to cast him aside in a hurry. When NMS comes back we are scary deep in terms of wing/15s again. Add BB to the mix and Shag has a whole lot of building blocks in place

nostrildamus

Yeah, Dagg did good.

Provincial Stalwart

Terry Wright's slug had its fans. He was fucking one of the Auckland cheerleaders back in his day. Probably just glided in and out of her in a similar manner to his running style.

Provincial Stalwart

Cheerleaders doesn't mean herald rugby writers BTW.

pukunui

Don't think Savea was as bad as some have suggested. His horror start aside. Had some good touches and made a couple of nice tackles. Not at his best but I wouldn't drop him just yet. His replacement has hardly been flawless.

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="pukunui" data-cid="592075" data-time="1466945617">
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Don't think Savea was as bad as some have suggested. His horror start aside. Had some good touches and made a couple of nice tackles. Not at his best but I wouldn't drop him just yet. His replacement has hardly been flawless.
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That's the key thing, Savea dropped a couple early & you could feel the "We hate Julian!" coming. Then when Nahalo came on he gave a tits for hands display Sione Lauaki would have been ashamed of...

The Silver Fern

Julian Savea