Northland v NH
-
For whatever reason, Northland slow in putting team sheets on social media this year, despite naming them well before.
Adams, Kauika-Peterson, Puafisi
Goodhue, Hallam-Eames
Rush, McNamara, Matich
Nock, Reihana
Hohaia, Tua
Murray, Leilua, MacilaiBench: Wright, Fono, Te Whata-Colley, Craig, Mau'u, Milo-Harris, Cooper, Ranger
So still no Apoua, Moulds, Caird, Tom or Moorby...
I think Nock pretty lucky to get a start, he isnt in very good form and LMH playing pretty well.
While technically, not yet in must-win territory to make top 4, I think this one we must win given we go into storm week with Tasman (a) BOP (a) and Manawatu (h-Kaikohe) to give a bit of a cushion if we have a chance of a top 4 finish.
-
@taniwharugby agree re Nock. His form has been on the slide for a while which was evident at the back end of the Blues campaign. Not sure what’s up with him. We all know he’s capable of much better, let’s hope he pulls one out of the bag this week.
Leilua is the other concern, I’d much rather have Johnny Cooper at the back while Moorby is out. Leilua has too many brain explosions for my liking.
We are due against Harbour, as I don’t think we’ve beaten them for a while.. can’t rememberer the last one?? 2014? Hopefully we can replicate our preseason form against them.
-
@J77 Murray has played FB as well I think, then chuck Ranger on the wing at least he can work in the defensive structure whereas Leilua is always a worry, drifts in, seems to have little spatial awareness.
Is a shame really, physically he has it all, but lacks much game sense.
-
Tough game to pick, Harbour have been a bit hot and cold this season. Here's hoping the cold version turn up tomorrow. Their backline scares the hell out of me.
-
Confirming the side TR posted:
-
@taniwharugby said in Northland v NH:
For whatever reason, Northland slow in putting team sheets on social media this year, despite naming them well before.
Another strange thing is the Northern Advocate writes an article about the team but chooses not to list the 23 at the bottom. You have to read the whole article to work it out
-
North Harbour trying a new tactic for increasing fan engagement - don't even name the team!
-
@Duluth yeah odd, last year they were really good, they put plenty of content up, so have someone doing SM stuff, but not posting the side when it is named is daft...trying to fly under the radar 😅
-
-
@Tim that back 3 is scary
-
Looks like this will be a high scoring one
-
@Duluth said in Northland v NH:
Looks like this will be a high scoring one
With some appalling kicking!
-
Good line from Stevenson
-
-
Our exits are awful
-
-
Goodhue injured?
-
NH are hanging on to their lead. Only been watching since HT but NL look on top
Still 27-21 with a missed penalty kick by Northland
-
@Winger said in Northland v NH:
NH are hanging on to their lead. Only been watching since HT but NL look on top
Still 27-21 with a missed penalty kick by Northland
Not with the hooker being ripped like that, pathetic
-
Clear knock on
-
-
That’s a shocker
-
-
Lucky try to NH. Seemed to be a slight knock on by Gatland before the try
34-21
-
What game are the officials watching?
Northland now falling apart
-
Good block by Cooper
-
Was it forward. Looked ok to me
It makes no difference though. 41-21 NH. Close to FT
-
As awful as the officials have been, we have been worse
-
One more try to NH. Good try
48-21
-
@taniwharugby said in Northland v NH:
As awful as the officials have been, we have been worse
Northland looked good just after HT. But it didnt last for too long
-
@taniwharugby said in Northland v NH:
As awful as the officials have been, we have been worse
Poor game mgmt 1st half. Missed opportunities start of 2nd, then mistakes (lack of control and composure) then a shambles at the end.
That should be Rene’s last game. The less said the better.
-
@kev I think Nock is working his way out the door too, he was a huge part of that awful start...I think there are at least 4 players that have been lucky to make it (again) this season.
I dont think we scored in the 2nd half last week, and this week was 60 mins we failed to score?
MOTM poll
https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/topic/5581/northland-motm-v-nh
-
@taniwharugby said in Northland v NH:
@kev I think Nock is working his way out the door too, he was a huge part of that awful start...I think there are at least 4 players that have been lucky to make it (again) this season.
I dont think we scored in the 2nd half last week, and this week was 60 mins we failed to score?
MOTM poll
https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/topic/5581/northland-motm-v-nh
Nocks charge downs have the same issue - not enough length in ruck, and he steps to side to kick. If he is going to do that he needs to start closer to the blindside. Coaches should be all over that. He needs to boss his forwards and not take the kick without those things in place.
We also had plenty of times where backs could have kicked in 1st half but didn’t.
This was by far our worst game. We missed way to many one on one tackles.
-
@kev TBF he has been pretty poor all season, I have hoped the pressure from LMH would be the catalyst for him to kick on and realise his enormous potential, unfortunately he has gone backwards, poor decisions, poor handling, inaccurate passes, poor kicks, think that is his 3rd charge down of the year?
He is usually the king of fucking around with the ball at the back of a ruck settign it perfectly, he is clearly struggling.
That game was just hugely disappointing, having not beaten NH since 2014, that was a huge chance, and despite the start, we were still in the game at about 50 mins.
While we had started falling apart before that awful piece of officiating where they coulda called it on 3 separate errors, that really was the nail that put us away well and truly....we just had nothing in that final quarter.
Was frustrating, any 50-50 ball, we shelled, any 50-50 NH seemed to somehow hang on, those are the little things that make all the difference.
Huge game next week now, given the way Tom, Moorby, Caird et al were running about in warm up, hopefully we have all back on deck next week to have a real crack at what is now a must win!
-
@taniwharugby we need them back, and a team reset.
-
-
Crazy game. Harbour started with real intent and we held them out well for first 5 mins before Nock's godawful chargedown. You guys are right, his form has dropped off massively. His first touch v Canterbury last week was a chargedown too. Other teams will be targeting his exit kicks big time now.
The rest of the first half was hairbrained stuff from both sides, we were playing catchup the whole first half. Couldn't believe we were only 6 points down at half time.
We started the second half strong, but they kept us out, partly due to Northland errors. Pity that throw in near their line was crooked. From that point it was all downhill. Once they got the ball in the second half it was night and day. Surged upfield with ease, breaking us open at will. The ugly blowout to the scoreline felt inevitable in the end. Yeah, we were on the wrong end of a couple of poor decisions, but the fact is they were far too good for us to stay with them.
We desperately need some of those injured players back, and Reihana with his knee is a worry.
Feels like the wheels have started falling off - hope I'm wrong and they are back to playing competitive rugby next week. If we end up heading to BOP needing to win to make top 4, we are in deep shit. They have been handed the recipe for how to tear us to shreds by Harbour today.
It's as if this year's side has been kinapped and replaced by the 2021 team all of a sudden. Absolutely gutted. -
@fidz71 that’s the worry, the habits we had worked to eliminate all came back to haunt us:
- exits - Nock main offender, but others not kicking as well
- chasing was poor, first up tackles missed
- missing key moments start of second half
- then complete lack of pattern later on. We don’t have the pace in back 3 to match NH so needed to play tight and plug corners. The looser the game the better for them.
- Really disappointed with Rene’s decision to chip kick by our 22, when all by himself. Just terrible.
Hopefully we can get our heads in the game this week.
Thought set piece first half was excellent.
-
@kev Completely agree mate.
That back 3 of theirs... probably best in the comp. So, we have forward dominance in that first half in particular, scrums looking excellent, lineout assured, secure at the breakdown - and what do we do? Get sucked into playing crazy festival rugby against a side that LOVES to play that way. Beggars belief.
Where did that excellent, structured, solid defensive side go? How bigger part of this is Moorby's absence? Or is it that those other injuries has meant our bench impact later in the games is non existent now and getting totally trumped by the opposition? Until the Canterbury and Harbour games we were finishing very strong. But now we are leaking BIG points.
I don't understand the game well enough to be able to pinpoint where it's going so horribly wrong.
Nock, Ranger had games to forget that's for sure. Yeah Kev, that chip kick of Ranger's inside our 22 was one of the stupidest bits of rugby I've seen in a long time. -
Guys like Ranger and Ross Wright have had their time in the sun, they were great for us and brought so much to our jersey, but it’s time to move on from them now.
I would be looking seriously at the future of a few others as well. Unfortunately I’d be placing Nock in that category right now. Something clearly isn’t right with him, so unless he can sort himself out and be the player he’s capable of being I’d be looking at perhaps taking a stint overseas like what Josh Goodhue is doing.
Like some other views on here it’s staggering how quickly we can go from the best defensive team in the competition to being right down there with Manawatu and Southland. Pathetic really, only we can serve up inconsistencies like that.
Expecting a massive improvement heading into storm week, especially if all our injured guys are on deck. We need them desperately, as our depth is not as strong as I thought it would be.
