Crusaders v Hurricanes
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Competition for spots is fierce, something this week fuelled by the return of All Blacks Sam Whitelock and Codie Taylor for Saturday night’s season opener against the Hurricanes in Dunedin. They’re two of six returning All Blacks expected to be named in the Crusaders’ 23 on Thursday, joining four others – Scott Barrett, Braydon Ennor, George Bridge and Joe Moody – who featured in the pre-season finaleThose All Blacks that featured against the Hurricanes in Arrowtown can play up to 60 minutes this weekend, while Whitelock, Taylor, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, David Havili and George Bower are in the first step of their 40-60-80 return-to-play protocols. -
@duluth I assume Jordie, Aumua, Coles, Savea and Lomax can only play 40 mins aswell. Looks like this first game is going to be a little bit of a juggling match for both sides.
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If ABs were good to go it would have been better to play them for 40 mins last weekend so they could play 60 mins in Rd 1.
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@bovidae said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
If ABs were good to go it would have been better to play them for 40 mins last weekend so they could play 60 mins in Rd 1.
it is absolutely idiotic to expect a coach of a professional rugby side to put a player in and only play them for a half in a competition game.
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@canes4life strong team, but why the f%ck would you have Prinsep on the bench instead of someone like Caleb Delany? Not only has Delany looked good in pre-season but he can cover lock and 6, something Prinsep cannot do.
I would also have Tevita Mafileo over Ben May, and Bailyn Sullivan starting over Julian Savea. Rayasi must be injured.
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Presumably Jordie is lock cover
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@bobily2 haha I'd love to see that. What about Ardie?
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One side doesn't have a lock on the bench, the other side has two
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@duluth good spotting, didn't notice that with the Crusaders. Weird selections tbh.
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Dunshea has had some games in the loose forwards. Primarily a lock though. I guess it says something about the two teams game plans?
I hope the Canes have been practising the maul defence
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@duluth said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
One side doesn't have a lock on the bench, the other side has two
TBF, the Canes only have one lock in the starting pack.
I assume superstar RWC 6 Barrett will switch to loose forward if need be for the Crusaders.
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@duluth the Canes have looked decent on maul defence in the pre-season, but I guess it's pre-season so can't look too much into it.
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@canes4life said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@canes4life strong team, but why the f%ck would you have Prinsep on the bench instead of someone like Caleb Delany? Not only has Delany looked good in pre-season but he can cover lock and 6, something Prinsep cannot do.
Maybe Holland forgot about lock cover. Hope Sangster doesn't go down in the first 5 minutes. As we end up with 1.90 Blackwell and maybe 1.93 Flanders. Against 2 ABs
9 starting ABs verse 4. Hope the Canes can at least compete. I will be satisfied with a 5 - 15 point loss. It wasn't that long ago I was disappointed without a win in these matches
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@canes4life said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@canes4life strong team, but why the f%ck would you have Prinsep on the bench instead of someone like Caleb Delany? Not only has Delany looked good in pre-season but he can cover lock and 6, something Prinsep cannot do.
I would also have Tevita Mafileo over Ben May, and Bailyn Sullivan starting over Julian Savea. Rayasi must be injured.
Whether he is or not probably does not matter as he is not one of Mr. Holland's pets so unlikely to be selected anyway.
Surprised to see Jacob Devery on the bench TBH as he is i) an injury/AB replacement draftee from the Ranfurly Shield Holders and with two fellow Shield Holders in the run on XV he will exceed the allotted allocation for HB players and ii) the coke snorter/touch judge abuser J. O'Reilly is a fully contracted player. -
@duluth said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
Dunshea has had some games in the loose forwards. Primarily a lock though. I guess it says something about the two teams game plans?
I hope the Canes have been practising the maul defence
Perhaps it says more about the need to replace both Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock after 40 mins due to the graduated return to play protocols?
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@nepia said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@duluth said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
One side doesn't have a lock on the bench, the other side has two
TBF, the Canes only have one lock in the starting pack.
I assume superstar RWC 6 Barrett will switch to loose forward if need be for the Crusaders.
Can one of the Steamers followers give us a run down on whether the guy Sangster is any good as I can't recall noticing him during the NPC?
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@higgins solid player good at core skills. Good pickup for canes
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@arhs thought he was close to best rookie across whole npc last year
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@higgins said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
I can't recall noticing him during the NPC
most HB thing ever
Was he wearing a Black and White jersey? no? then i didn't even see him
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@higgins if Rayasi isn't injured it's a shocking omission. He's was one of the most dangerous backs we have and should be one of the first selected IMO.
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@mariner4life Had to refresh my memory by observing Mr. Sangster in action in the only game that really mattered last season.
I was too busy sticking the voodoo pins into my miniature Hori BoP, especially during the last five minutes, to notice any opposition player during the original screening!
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While I don't think the Canes have a hope of winning this game I still look forward to seeing how this team goes. Esp the new HB 1st 2nd centre combo. It was too ealy for Love last year but he, like Proctor, seem to have bulked up a lot
Also keen to see how Sangster and PR-S go. My view is Numia has been a disappointment so far so give some one else a start. Flanders is another one. I though he was disappointing last year but hopefully he can make an impact this year. He must ahve been good in pre-season to start in preference to Prinsep (who I don't rate but the coache s obviously do)
It will test the coaches talent identification and selection and coaching skills (Sangster, Devery, Sullivan). I believe they just don't have it but hope I'm pleasantly surprised
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@winger don't right the Canes off too soon mate, there is enough quality in that team to upset the Crusaders, especially considering they are historically slow starters, and they don't have Mo'unga.
I think it's moving year for a lot of those Canes players. Aumua, Umaga-Jensen, Flanders, Love (just to name a few). They will be looking to make a statement just as much as their Cantab rivals.
Under the roof this should be fun.
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@winger said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@canes4life said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@canes4life strong team, but why the f%ck would you have Prinsep on the bench instead of someone like Caleb Delany? Not only has Delany looked good in pre-season but he can cover lock and 6, something Prinsep cannot do.
Maybe Holland forgot about lock cover. Hope Sangster doesn't go down in the first 5 minutes. As we end up with 1.90 Blackwell and maybe 1.93 Flanders. Against 2 ABs
Even worse Prinseep will be covering look I seen to remember him playing lock for Canterbury.
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@winger said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
While I don't think the Canes have a hope of winning this game I still look forward to seeing how this team goes. Esp the new HB 1st 2nd centre combo. It was too ealy for Love last year but he, like Proctor, seem to have bulked up a lot
Also keen to see how Sangster and PR-S go. My view is Numia has been a disappointment so far so give some one else a start. Flanders is another one. I though he was disappointing last year but hopefully he can make an impact this year. He must ahve been good in pre-season to start in preference to Prinsep (who I don't rate but the coache s obviously do)
Flanders did well last year I thought in the limited game time he got with Hollands pet Prinseep getting most of the starts as for Numia I think he’s been the opposite like Fidow but a better scrummager.
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@higgins of there’s too many HB players in the Canes team it’s a sign the worlds going to end.
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@mikey07 said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@higgins of there’s too many HB players in the Canes team it’s a sign the worlds going to end.
It's not over the quota of 3 is it? May is no longer forced on us and Sullivan is not considered HB by the coaches otherwise he wouldn't have been picked up.
Less HB players than in the Highlanders line up but at least matches the number in the Chiefs.
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@winger said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
While I don't think the Canes have a hope of winning this game I still look forward to seeing how this team goes. Esp the new HB 1st 2nd centre combo. It was too ealy for Love last year but he, like Proctor, seem to have bulked up a lot
Also keen to see how Sangster and PR-S go. My view is Numia has been a disappointment so far so give some one else a start. Flanders is another one. I though he was disappointing last year but hopefully he can make an impact this year. He must ahve been good in pre-season to start in preference to Prinsep (who I don't rate but the coache s obviously do)
It will test the coaches talent identification and selection and coaching skills (Sangster, Devery, Sullivan). I believe they just don't have it but hope I'm pleasantly surprised
Can you please clarify whether this is a comment about the coaches or the three named players thanks?
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Crusaders by athowwwwsand
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@higgins coaches. Thanks. Not clear on my part
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@mikey07 said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@winger said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
While I don't think the Canes have a hope of winning this game I still look forward to seeing how this team goes. Esp the new HB 1st 2nd centre combo. It was too ealy for Love last year but he, like Proctor, seem to have bulked up a lot
Also keen to see how Sangster and PR-S go. My view is Numia has been a disappointment so far so give some one else a start. Flanders is another one. I though he was disappointing last year but hopefully he can make an impact this year. He must ahve been good in pre-season to start in preference to Prinsep (who I don't rate but the coache s obviously do)
Flanders did well last year I thought in the limited game time he got with Hollands pet Prinseep getting most of the starts as for Numia I think he’s been the opposite like Fidow but a better scrummager.
I keen on Flanders reckon there's an awful lot to like about his game, and admit to not being a huge fan of Prinseep, although he not a bad player. I go aong with Numia being not a bad scrummager, he not bad, I keen to see how Rakete-Stones goes, I think he starting to come on nicely,.
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@dan54 said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
I keen on Flanders reckon there's an awful lot to like about his game
I think long term his best position is 8 so I hope he gets plenty of game time there this year.
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@winger said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
While I don't think the Canes have a hope of winning this game I still look forward to seeing how this team goes. Esp the new HB 1st 2nd centre combo. It was too ealy for Love last year but he, like Proctor, seem to have bulked up a lot
You had me baffled for a moment there until I realised HB meant halfback not Hawkes Bay
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@canes4life said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@dan54 said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
I keen on Flanders reckon there's an awful lot to like about his game
I think long term his best position is 8 so I hope he gets plenty of game time there this year.
Agree 100% on that canes
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@dan54 it's funny, Flanders who's traditionally an 8 is playing 6 in this game, and Grace who's traditionally a 6 is playing 8.
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The ref for this game is Pickerill.
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@bovidae said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
The ref for this game is Pickerill.
Oh dear, will the game even be worth watching now?
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@higgins said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
@bovidae said in Crusaders v Hurricanes:
The ref for this game is Pickerill.
Oh dear, will the game even be worth watching now?
Well who do you want to ref it? Pickerell is an ok ref generally.
