AB RWC Squad
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Speaking of midfielders...
Lengthy rehab finally over for All Blacks midfielder
Chiefs rugby player Quinn Tupaea is back playing with Waikato after a 10 month rehabilatation.
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A lot obviously depends on who gets a chance this weekend. You'd have to say that Narawa, Fainga'anuku, Finau, McLeod, Newell, Lord/Vaa'i are all out of the equation if they don't get significant minutes in Dunedin.
I think Jacobson needs a big game (as a starter) to get his foot on the plane to France. Finlay Christie is probably in a similar boat, with Weber nipping at his heels.
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Jacobson has only played 20 minutes of Test rugby since the beginning of 2022.
He's fifth in the pecking order at best (behind Cane, Savea, Frizell, Papali'i), with Barrett also an option at No 6. I think there are major upsides to taking him to France but if, for example, Finau gets a start against Australia and delivers a massive performance then where does that leave Jacobson?
I think the other five guys are all safe whatever happens in Dunedin, but I don't think Jacobson is in that camp just yet.
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@sparky said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
@Bones said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
I can't see them ignoring Moody if he's available.
Assuming Joe Moody gets picked, which of Williams or Newell gets the nod as well?
Williams. Newell would need to get up to speed, so take the guy who's performing. Plenty of TH cover in Ofa and Tamaiti
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@sparky said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
@Bones said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
I can't see them ignoring Moody if he's available.
Assuming Joe Moody gets picked, which of Williams or Newell gets the nod as well?
Williams. He's been playing, and playing well.
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Someone mentioned before but I forgot, is Williams better at 1 or 3? And still serviceable at the other?
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@nostrildamus said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Someone mentioned before but I forgot, is Williams better at 1 or 3? And still serviceable at the other?
Was good at 1 in Super rugby and against Boks.
Wouldn't want to see him at 3 against Frogs or Boks.
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@Mr-Fish said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Jacobson has only played 20 minutes of Test rugby since the beginning of 2022.
He's fifth in the pecking order at best (behind Cane, Savea, Frizell, Papali'i), with Barrett also an option at No 6.
Jacobson is the backup no.8. I don't think there was a scrum when Jacobson was on the field in Melbourne to see whether he had directly replaced Frizell, or Savea would move from no.8.
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@Bovidae said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
@Mr-Fish said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Jacobson has only played 20 minutes of Test rugby since the beginning of 2022.
He's fifth in the pecking order at best (behind Cane, Savea, Frizell, Papali'i), with Barrett also an option at No 6.
Jacobson is the backup no.8. I don't think there was a scrum when Jacobson was on the field in Melbourne to see whether he had directly replaced Frizell, or Savea would move from no.8.
For sure, but if he has a bad game in Dunedin, I can see him dropping out of the squad - whereas I don't think that's the case for the other guys.
If the WC final was tomorrow and Ardie Savea was unavailable, would Jacobson get the nod at 8 or would they just play Sam Cane there? I'm not certain what the answer is yet, based on the fact that Jacobson hasn't been used much over the past 12 months.
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@Mr-Fish said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
@Bovidae said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
@Mr-Fish said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Jacobson has only played 20 minutes of Test rugby since the beginning of 2022.
He's fifth in the pecking order at best (behind Cane, Savea, Frizell, Papali'i), with Barrett also an option at No 6.
Jacobson is the backup no.8. I don't think there was a scrum when Jacobson was on the field in Melbourne to see whether he had directly replaced Frizell, or Savea would move from no.8.
For sure, but if he has a bad game in Dunedin, I can see him dropping out of the squad - whereas I don't think that's the case for the other guys.
If the WC final was tomorrow and Ardie Savea was unavailable, would Jacobson get the nod at 8 or would they just play Sam Cane there? I'm not certain what the answer is yet, based on the fact that Jacobson hasn't been used much over the past 12 months.
Sam cane at eight? No I don't so! Luke is ironed on certainty for the squad
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@Stargazer said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Oops, you meant the RWC squad.
Not sure I’ve seen a date. Absolute latest would be 13 August if they wanted to see two rounds of NPC.
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@nostrildamus said in AB RWC Squad predictions:
Someone mentioned before but I forgot, is Williams better at 1 or 3? And still serviceable at the other?
The Crusaders' plan was that Tamaiti would be a tighthead and there's several articles where he says that's where he wants to specialize.
At the start of this year, he was possibly their third choice tighthead behind Newell and Jager.
In the end, because both those guys got broken early, he played most of the regular season starting at tighthead - but, towards the end, he went to loosehead, because all of Moody, Bower and Brewis got broken and our other tighthead options (esp. Afoa and the returning Jager) were stronger than our other loosehead options.
