2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations)
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The full story:
Key points include the return of prop Nepo Laulala and fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder, while Julian Savea and Matt Todd miss out. 22 year old Chiefs, Waikato and former NZ Under 20 prop Atu Moli comes in as an "apprentice". The squad is as follows (with province, Investec Super Rugby team and Test caps in brackets): Forwards Hookers Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes, 49) Nathan Harris (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs, 8) Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders, 19) Props Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury/Crusaders, 62) Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders, 94) Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs, 4) Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders, 28) Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Auckland/Blues, 4) Locks Scott Barrett (Taranaki/Crusaders, 8) Brodie Retallick (Hawke’s Bay/Chiefs, 64) Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders, 26) Samuel Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders, 88) Loose forwards Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs, 44) Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes, 1) Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues, 74) Kieran Read, captain (Counties Manukau/ Crusaders, 100) Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes, 16) Liam Squire ( Ta$man/Highlanders, 8)Backs Halfbacks Tawera Kerr–Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs, 25) TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes, 33) Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders, 62) First five–eighths Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 53) Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders, 7) Midfielders Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders, 27) Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes, 2) Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs, 13) Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau/Blues, 36) Outside backs Jordie Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 2) Israel Dagg (Hawke’s Bay/Crusaders, 65) Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues, 4) Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu/Hurricanes, 8) Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders, 13) Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders, 62) Utility back / Replacement Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs, 2)The squad sees the returns of Chiefs and Counties Manukau tighthead prop Nepo Laulala and Hurricanes and Manawatu outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder, who last played for the national side in 2015. Damian McKenzie has been named as a replacement for All Blacks Vice-Captain Ben Smith, who will take an extended break from the game following the first two Bledisloe Cup matches. The squad will again be captained by number eight Kieran Read, and sees 18 forwards selected (three hookers, five props, four locks and six loose forwards) and 15 backs (three halfbacks, two first five–eighths, four midfielders and six outside backs) and has a total of 1,109 Test caps experience. The squad is made up of four Blues players, six Chiefs, eight Hurricanes, 10 Crusaders and five Highlanders, with 11 of New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup provinces represented. There are seven Canterbury players, four each from Taranaki and Wellington and three each from Auckland, Counties Manukau and Manawatu. Hawke’s Bay and Bay of Plenty have two players each and there’s one player each from Ta$man, Otago and Southland.All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen said: “Firstly, we congratulate all players selected for the Investec Rugby Championship, particularly Nepo and Nehe, who we welcome back. Conversely, we commiserate with those who have missed out, particularly Julian Savea and the unlucky Matt Todd, both of whom have made great contributions to the All Blacks jersey and will do so again in the future, I’m sure.” Hansen said the All Blacks were again looking forward to the first two Bledisloe Cup matches and the Investec Rugby Championship. “For us, it’s case of re-establishing ourselves and building on our good work from last year and during the recent DHL New Zealand Lions Series. There were some clear things learnt in the Lions Series and this is a great chance for us to implement those; to continue to grow our skill execution and the mental side of our game, and develop our leadership and the leadership group. “The first two Bledisloe Cup matches will set the tone, as we know the Australians will throw everything at us, while we’re expecting the South Africans and Argentinians to be as bruising and physical as always. “We’ve learnt since the introduction of Argentina that there is a massive travelling component to the Championship, which comes at a cost at the end of the year, so we’ll be looking to implement some new strategies to try and overcome that.” Meanwhile, as they have done in some previous campaigns, the All Blacks selectors have also named an “apprentice”, 22-year-old Chiefs and Waikato and former New Zealand Under 20 prop Atu Moli, who will assemble and train with the squad during the All Blacks’ home Test weeks in the Investec Rugby Championship. “We’ve used the apprentice programme in the past and think it’s hugely beneficial for a player’s development, so we look forward to working with Atu. He’s an outstanding player and an impressive young man who has a big future in the game,” Hansen said.Notes One player, Otago and Highlanders hooker Liam Coltman, wasn’t considered for selection as he’s been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. The All Blacks squad will assemble on Thursday this week with the team taking on the Counties Manukau and Taranaki Mitre 10 Cup sides in the ever-popular Game of Three Halves match at ECOLight Stadium in Pukekohe on Friday 11 August. The All Blacks will play Australia first up in Sydney on Saturday 19 August and then play home Tests against Australia in Dunedin, Argentina in New Plymouth and South Africa in Auckland before heading overseas for Tests against Argentina in Buenos Aires and South Africa in Cape Town. It will be the first time the All Blacks have played in Cape Town since 2008. The All Blacks won The Rugby Championship in 2012 – 2014 and again in 2016, have held The Bledisloe Cup (played between New Zealand and Australia) since 2003 and The Freedom Cup (played between New Zealand and South Africa) since 2010. Investec Rugby Championship 1. vs. AUSTRALIA. Saturday 19 August, 8.05PM, ANZ Stadium, SYDNEY 2. vs. AUSTRALIA. Saturday 26 August, 7.35PM, Forsyth Barr Stadium, DUNEDIN 3. vs. ARGENTINA. Saturday 9 September, 7.35PM, Yarrow Stadium, NEW PLYMOUTH 4. vs. SOUTH AFRICA. Saturday 16 September, 7.35PM, QBE Stadium, AUCKLAND 5. vs. ARGENTINA. Saturday 30 Sept, 7.30PM, Estadio José Amalfitani, BUENOS AIRES 6. vs. SOUTH AFRICA. Sat 7 October, 5.05PM, DHL Newlands, CAPE TOWN Third Bledisloe Cup Test 1. vs. AUSTRALIA, Saturday 21 October, 8.05PM, Suncorp Stadium, BRISBANE -
I think there's going to be some interesting squad management for the final three matches of the RC.
Not always easy winning in BA, especially after what I'm anticipating as a hard test vs the Boks in Auckland.
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@ACT-Crusader said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
I think there's going to be some interesting squad management for the final three matches of the RC.
Not always easy winning in BA, especially after what I'm anticipating as a hard test vs the Boks in Auckland.
There's a week off in between so should not be a big issue.
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@ACT-Crusader I wonder how jaded some of our team will be - the Crusaders' tight five have already had a pretty heavy workload this season.
Dane Coles being back will lighten the load on Codie Taylor, but Franks, Moody and Whitelock may need to be managed - as will Retallick and Cane - even Read has played plenty of hard matches in the last couple of months.
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@Chris-B. inconsiderate Crusader bastards, running our players in to the ground...
I seem to remember after the 2005 Lions series we were pretty average in the Tri-Nations. Can't be easy to be up for every game for so long.
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@mariner4life said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Chris-B. inconsiderate Crusader bastards, running our players in to the ground...
I blame SBW
He doesn't get sent off, we win the 2nd test and can rest those players for the 3rd. -
@mariner4life we could rest players for the Wallaby games
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@SammyC In all honesty, there's possibly some truth to that. Some reverberations may still be being felt - Hansen rests a couple for the third test, Crusaders don't have to rest them for the Canes game - don't lose that one, don't have to go to Jo'burg... not so knackered this week... (or on that different timeline we get bowled somewhere and they're well rested).
People should be a lot more appreciative of Toddy's management contribution to the ABs. "Take it easy lads. It's a long season. We just need to make the play-offs and then turn up the heat for a couple of games....ooops, we did it again...".
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@taniwharugby said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@mariner4life we could rest players for the Wallaby games
I think the Wobbles are going to be strong this year. Cheika is a decent coach, and they played well against us last year. I re-watched the Eden Park test, and they went at it for about 90% of that game. If we don't execute our skills, we'll get done. It won't be a walkover, and we konw that Super form does not translate to the international level.
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@nzzp said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@taniwharugby said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@mariner4life we could rest players for the Wallaby games
It won't be a walkover, and we know that Super form does not translate to the international level.
I think that's a bit of a persistent myth.
According to my count, in the 21 completed years of Super Rugby/Rugby Championship the country whose team has won Super rugby has gone on to win the Rugby Championship 14 times.
If there was no correlation between the two, you'd expect that to have happened only 7 times (in fact, a bit less now Argentina and Japan are involved).
But, there's a decent correlation, because teams with lots of the best players tend to win.
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@SammyC said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@mariner4life said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@Chris-B. inconsiderate Crusader bastards, running our players in to the ground...
I blame SBW
He doesn't get sent off, we win the 2nd test and can rest those players for the 3rd.Yup. I'm happy to blame SBW for anything bad that happens for at least the next two years, could probably extend that to cover the next RWC.
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As good a coach Cheika might be, he has a tough ask to get his team up.
Confidence and belief is something that sits deep in your sub-conscious, Aussie teams have yet to taste victory against NZ opposition, now I expect they might win one test, I think they could also cop a bit of a hiding in the other 2.
Sure they have talented players with plenty of ability, but getting their heads right is gonna be the biggest ask for Chieka.
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@Damo said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
@ACT-Crusader said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
I think there's going to be some interesting squad management for the final three matches of the RC.
Not always easy winning in BA, especially after what I'm anticipating as a hard test vs the Boks in Auckland.
There's a week off in between so should not be a big issue.
I still think it's going to be tough even with the week off given the workload that a number of players have already faced this year.
I blame SBW too...
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I can't see Cheika have a 'tough time in getting his team up"...its the Wallabies we are talking about and no matter how many times the ABs have bettered them, they always talk themselves up big time before any Bledisloe encounters.
This time its all about 'getting the hard edge, fitness, and physicality" into the team during a 6 week programme in Newcastle and Cessnock. Cheika has taken them out of their usual comfort zone of 'soft locations' such as Coogee bewach and thrown them into a pretty stark environment.
All the while the ex AB skills coach will be hard at work up-skilling their capabilities.
The 1st Bledisloe in Sydney will not be easy for the ABs and could be a potential banana skin one for them. -
@Centreman maybe be worded slightly incorrect, not about getting them up, more about getting them right mentally, believing in themselves, where I feel there is a difference
Yes Aussies are traditionally confident, but Aussie rugby is in a hole at present, and I di think it presents a challenge for Chieka
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@Centreman I don't think they will be good enough to beat us but I feel we won't find it as easy to dominate their pack as in previous years. Arnold and Coleman bring a level of physicality that has been missing since the days of Eales and Giffin. If they can be supported by the likes of Timani, TPN and the two props, I think they can hold their own against our pack. The issue will be whether they can do this for 80 minutes and that will depend on their bench.
Forecast for Sydney over the next ten days is for clear skies. This will make it harder for the wobs to live with the pace we play at over the 80 minutes. Can't wait for this game.
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@Centreman said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
potential banana skin
fuuuuuck i hate that fucking term! jesus christ.
There is faaar less talk coming out of camp wallaby than normal. And indeed around the Aus media and rugby public, there is this strange feeling of quiet and inevitability. That worries me far more than the cocky dickheads that turn up every year.
As usual, i think we'll win, but they won't be pushovers, and i don't expect us to blow them out in the first couple of tests.
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Yep fair comment M4L, I agree there is less talk than usual coming out of their camp, and probably a direct result of the recent Super rugby performances by all the Aussie teams coming on the back of their Wallaby performances against Scotland and Italy.
These first two Tests are going to be very tense which is great and they should be crackers. -
@taniwharugby said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
As good a coach Cheika might be
Is he but?
@mariner4life said in 2017 Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship (4 Nations):
As usual, i think we'll win, but they won't be pushovers, and i don't expect us to blow them out in the first couple of tests.
They'll be very competitive and combative in the first test.
