All Blacks 2023
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@Duluth yes Canes coaches played him off the bench and usually at 12 but for the ABs as I recall he played at 13 off the bench (or was it 12?) and he just looks better at 13 (and a poster on here agreed with me a year or two ago)
'Should make it into All Blacks': Peter Umaga-Jensen impresses with first half brace of tries as All Blacks selectors watch on
Don't be surprised to hear calls for Peter Umaga-Jensen to earn a surprise call-up to the All Blacks squad in the wake of the Hurricanes' Super Rugby Aotearoa clash with the Chiefs.
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Let's see if he makes it through the season...
Dane Coles to retire at the end of 2023
Dane Coles is set to leave everything on the field this season, which will be his last in professional rugby.
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2023:
Let's see if he makes it through the season...
Dane Coles to retire at the end of 2023
Dane Coles is set to leave everything on the field this season, which will be his last in professional rugby.
I see it says last in pro rugby, I see Coles playing for Horwhenua/Kapiti for a few games next year.You read it here first!!
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watching the 6 Nations, especially Ireland, it has rammed home to me that the ABs are really missing a front line breakdown menace.
Cane isn't that guy. I'm not actually sure Papali'i is either. Savea is good for a last ditch turnover but he's not a battle in the trenches guy. And who ever we have at 6 definitely aren't. Ireland have two in VdF and Doris is a massive pest. And they create a constant stream of shit ball for their opponents.
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
watching the 6 Nations, especially Ireland, it has rammed home to me that the ABs are really missing a front line breakdown menace.
Cane isn't that guy. I'm not actually sure Papali'i is either. Savea is good for a last ditch turnover but he's not a battle in the trenches guy. And who ever we have at 6 definitely aren't. Ireland have two in VdF and Doris is a massive pest. And they create a constant stream of shit ball for their opponents.
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
Part of the problem IMO is that our comps are 'hard' on spoilers. Hopefully the new WR directives are closer to that with stricter ruling of 'off feet'. When Ireland were here last year we saw their players actually lying on top of rucks and disrupting ball and getting away with it. I hope that changes.
On the player front probably Kirifi and Robinson fit the spoiler category but neither, IMO, have the full range of qualities to be considered. -
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
watching the 6 Nations, especially Ireland, it has rammed home to me that the ABs are really missing a front line breakdown menace.
Cane isn't that guy. I'm not actually sure Papali'i is either. Savea is good for a last ditch turnover but he's not a battle in the trenches guy. And who ever we have at 6 definitely aren't. Ireland have two in VdF and Doris is a massive pest. And they create a constant stream of shit ball for their opponents.
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
S Barrett can get a little scrappy..
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
watching the 6 Nations, especially Ireland, it has rammed home to me that the ABs are really missing a front line breakdown menace.
Cane isn't that guy. I'm not actually sure Papali'i is either. Savea is good for a last ditch turnover but he's not a battle in the trenches guy. And who ever we have at 6 definitely aren't. Ireland have two in VdF and Doris is a massive pest. And they create a constant stream of shit ball for their opponents.
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
Hugh Renton has statistically been the biggest pest in the breakdown the last few years - but I don't think he'd ever be rounded enough that the All Blacks will look at him
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
Boshier?
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@Chester-Draws said in All Blacks 2023:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
Boshier?
The brother? Or has Lachlan returned? I read he was happy in Japan: https://www.instagram.com/lachybosh/
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@Crucial said in All Blacks 2023:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
watching the 6 Nations, especially Ireland, it has rammed home to me that the ABs are really missing a front line breakdown menace.
Cane isn't that guy. I'm not actually sure Papali'i is either. Savea is good for a last ditch turnover but he's not a battle in the trenches guy. And who ever we have at 6 definitely aren't. Ireland have two in VdF and Doris is a massive pest. And they create a constant stream of shit ball for their opponents.
I'm battling to think of who around the country fits the bill?
Part of the problem IMO is that our comps are 'hard' on spoilers. Hopefully the new WR directives are closer to that with stricter ruling of 'off feet'. When Ireland were here last year we saw their players actually lying on top of rucks and disrupting ball and getting away with it. I hope that changes.
On the player front probably Kirifi and Robinson fit the spoiler category but neither, IMO, have the full range of qualities to be considered.We haven’t had that kind of player for some time and I used to get frustrated watching us line up in a 13/2 defence split so we could have 2 players available for counter attack opp off broken play and never effecting turnovers.
I think we started to see more turnovers last year, once the quality of our pack improved but we don’t have a player like a McCaw who is a master in the dark arts as such.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2023:
I think the main thing of interest in that article is that Barrett will play 12 in Super Rugby this year.
Surprised to read he only played 6 games at 12 last year and 11 times in his whole career - compared to 87 at Fullback and that Holland only thinks it "likely" he will play at 12. I thought the Canes & Holland saw him as a natural 12 and it was the AB being over-cautious.
Be interesting to see how Rueben Love goes this year and if he can stake an AB claim post-RWC2023.
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@mariner4life Retallick used to perform that role pretty well, as did Taylor/Coles when they had form - which does bring to light one "shortcoming" of Taukeiaho.
Blackadder could be that guy, but to me he's a 7, could maybe have him at 6 if we've got a bruiser at 8.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2023:
Be interesting to see how Rueben Love goes this year and if he can stake an AB claim post-RWC2023
Why just Love? I don't get the attention this guy gets.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2023:
Be interesting to see how Rueben Love goes this year and if he can stake an AB claim post-RWC2023
Why just Love? I don't get the attention this guy gets.
Simpy as he's a contender for an AB slot and the article was mainly about him & JB.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2023:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2023:
Be interesting to see how Rueben Love goes this year and if he can stake an AB claim post-RWC2023
Why just Love? I don't get the attention this guy gets.
Simpy as he's a contender for an AB slot and the article was mainly about him & JB.
I was just trying to get you to say you read an article. Enjoy your ban.
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Lomax has certainly come on in leaps and bounds over the last year - https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sports/other/just-backing-myself-lomax-s-journey-from-all-blacks-snub-to-scrum-star/ar-AA184nnu?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=de73820cc30d496193fc90582fadcb68&ei=9
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2023:
Lomax has certainly come on in leaps and bounds over the last year - https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sports/other/just-backing-myself-lomax-s-journey-from-all-blacks-snub-to-scrum-star/ar-AA184nnu?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=de73820cc30d496193fc90582fadcb68&ei=9
Holland's coaching?
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2023:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2023:
Lomax has certainly come on in leaps and bounds over the last year - https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sports/other/just-backing-myself-lomax-s-journey-from-all-blacks-snub-to-scrum-star/ar-AA184nnu?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=de73820cc30d496193fc90582fadcb68&ei=9
Holland's coaching?
Yeah, all down to the scrummaging maestro that is Holland.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2023:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2023:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2023:
Lomax has certainly come on in leaps and bounds over the last year - https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sports/other/just-backing-myself-lomax-s-journey-from-all-blacks-snub-to-scrum-star/ar-AA184nnu?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=de73820cc30d496193fc90582fadcb68&ei=9
Holland's coaching?
Yeah, all down to the scrummaging maestro that is Holland.
I think @Crazy-Horse was having a dig that Lomax doesn't mention Holland but rattles of a bunch of others that have helped him.
To be fair Holland employed Whopper to do that job. -
This Super season is not preparing us well for a world cup. It's great to watch, but the pace is way higher than the knockout stages will be, and I fear the physicality wont' be as high.
Seems crazy to play for most of the year with one set of laws, and then go into a different interpretation for the most critical stage of the 4 year cycle. Reminds me a bit of ELV years; we played low impact rugby all Super, and then ran into a good physical French side in Dunedin played under a slower, more grinding style. We lost, it sucked. I fear we could see something similar this year.
