RWC Week 1: France v All Blacks
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@Frank said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Our great hope is the one and only Shannon Frizell - one good game on our home ground against a shell-shocked Bok side after repeated failures in black for years.
Now we are about to select another openside at 6 because our backup guy Jacobsen) isn't good enough and the guy that would have been a perfect replacement (Finau) wasn't picked in favor having of 5 wingers.
Saying all that - expectations are so now low that we could beat the Frogs on the weekend.
After all the shit he got on the fern and after some folk favouring A Ioane over him it really is staggering how much hope now resides on his shoulders after ( as you put it ) one really good game ( and it was a goody )
New Zealand’s inability to effectively replace a Collins/Kaino type sure is baffling.
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@Frank said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Our great hope is the one and only Shannon Frizell - one good game on our home ground against a shell-shocked Bok side after repeated failures in black for years.
Now we are about to select another openside at 6 because our backup guy Jacobsen) isn't good enough and the guy that would have been a perfect replacement (Finau) wasn't picked in favor having of 5 wingers.
Saying all that - expectations are so now low that we could beat the Frogs on the weekend.
To be fair you can add Joburg last year and the Argies this.
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Christ, the moaning and hysteria in this thread is reach 1999 levels and we have even played a fucking game yet!
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@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
With this game, I'm less interested in a win than I am in coming out with as few injuries to key players as possible.
It's a fair assumption we will qualify and we need as many of our no. 1 squad of 23 as fit as possible for the knockout stages if we are to do well in this thing.
This, together with a performance that suggests we are not as dead and buried as many people think we are. That might come in the form of a narrow win or a narrow loss, but a better performance where we are not completely emasculated, and show glimpses of what we can do we get it right, would be the ideal outcome. In short, we need a performance that restores some of the confidence. However, given the draw, we do not necessarily need a result from this match.
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@DaGrubster said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Christ, the moaning and hysteria in this thread is reach 1999 levels and we have even played a fucking game yet!
This might have something to do with it:
1999 last ABs game before RWC. Wallabies 28 All Blacks 7
2023 last ABs game before RWC. Boks 35 All Blacks 7.
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@KiwiMurph 2011 Wallabies 25 Abs 20
Second to last game SA 18 ABs 5
I honestly don't think we should be too worried about this opener against France - we've got to peak for the QF and the two subsequent games, so we don't need or want to be peaking a month prior.
We haven't forgotten how to play footy!
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Something to get everyone hyped for Saturday, how good were the ABs in this performance.
Snakey Smith makes an appearance in the video below, is it me or has he aged quite alot since his playing days?
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@Chris-B said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@KiwiMurph 2011 Wallabies 25 Abs 20
Second to last game SA 18 ABs 5
I honestly don't think we should be too worried about this opener against France - we've got to peak for the QF and the two subsequent games, so we don't need or want to be peaking a month prior.
We haven't forgotten how to play footy!
im worried how many people im seeing talking about peaking being like over no more than a week or 10 days
do we really think fozzie and this team are SO PRECISE that they are building to be on fire for one or two game only
we use to bag teams for "peaking too early" when they were on form a year or 18 months out....now we think losing games in the group stage isnt a problem because they'll turn it all around a week later...against harder opposition....in a knockout game
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@Windows97 said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Jacobsen - but he got exposed cruelly against SA.
We can now watch Papps get cruelly exposed against France.
Good times...
This is a joke post right?
He was the player subbed. He had fuck all time to be cruelly exposed.
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Stat check says with 40 minutes played Jacobson had:
3 passes, 3 runs, 6 metres, 6 tackles made (1 missed), no turnovers conceded and no penalties conceded.
During the first half, we had 49% possession and 48% territory and were in deep shit. I'm not sure that he is the answer at 6 but he certainly wasn't the problem.
Look to our game drivers who couldn't keep the ball in front of the hard workers.
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How many of the current team played in that match against the Aussies?
That game against the boks was the perfect storm for them.
We will be fine. If we can get on top of France early they will struggle.
We may lose the game, especially with 4 key players out. But either way, there is no real reward for beating France. It’s the qtr final or bust for me.
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6 weeks isn’t it?
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French team named:
France Rugby
🇫🇷🇳🇿 𝐎𝐍 𝐘 𝐄𝐒𝐓 🔥 Voici votre #XVdeFrance pour le match d'ouverture de la #RWC2023 face à la Nouvelle-Zélande 🤩 #UnisPourUnRêve #FRAvNZL
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@Kiwiwomble Remember though, how hard Graham Henry said it was to play three big games in a row.
And look how awful we were vs SA after most of the team not playing for a month.
My theory is - don't get hung up on France. Build your way into the QF with a couple of solid games in the pools and perhaps play your best game in the QF, hope for an easier passage through thew semis where you don't concede a red card, and two teams - a bit battle weary face each other in the final.
RWC is littered with teams who played their final early and didn't get back up the next week.
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Here. They. Are. 🇫🇷 The men tasked with delivering a huge home performance! #FRAvNZL | #RWC2023 | France Rugby
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@pakman said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Injuries will dictate 23, but I’m guessing:
EDG/CT (if fit)/NL/Big Sam/SB/SC/DP/AS Nuggie/RM/MT/JB/RI/WJ/BB
Bench: OT/ST/FN/TV/LJ/FC/DMac/ALB
If starters could argue for Newell and Jacobsen, but I prefer strongest scrummage to start and Pap’s extra bulk.
Biggest uncertainty is backline bench, where arguments can be made for CR, DH, LF and even CC.
Three days on the starting XV only complicated by le genou de Jordie.
Bench will be the interesting bit.
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@Canes4life said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Here. They. Are. 🇫🇷 The men tasked with delivering a huge home performance! #FRAvNZL | #RWC2023 | France Rugby
With their injures that is a very beatable French lineup.
