All Blacks 2024
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Out of interest, how many kegs is Tosi carrying these days?
He said himself about 140.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Holland on SENZ
Reading between the lines they don't rate Sotutu's defensive work as they keep saying both sides of the ball.
I did chuckle at Holland agreeing that set piece will be huge vs England (then why select Bell).
Ardie and Sititi both seen as 8s.
lol, Sotutu was part of a team that dominated up front and had the best defence. Are they really trying to say the rest of the back row was covering for him.
He was excellent in attack and defence for the Blues this year.
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@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Holland on SENZ
Reading between the lines they don't rate Sotutu's defensive work as they keep saying both sides of the ball.
I did chuckle at Holland agreeing that set piece will be huge vs England (then why select Bell).
Ardie and Sititi both seen as 8s.
lol, Sotutu was part of a team that dominated up front and had the best defence. Are they really trying to say the rest of the back row was covering for him.
He was excellent in attack and defence for the Blues this year.
Pretty tough break for him. Razor has picked his team, he feels these guys will do the business, now they will have to because he's in the hot seat
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Reckon that's 90% of the squad most predicted, a couple tough calls to go with a couple of lucky ones.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
no specialist 15 really. 10/15s and a 12/15.
Eh? Beaudy has only started once at 1st 5 in the last 20 test matches, but 12 times at fullback.
For me he is a better fullback than 1st 5 these days.
Damned with faint praise
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as ive said before....i will reserve final condemnation for after we actually see the team play...some weird and disappointing selections...but maybe he can get something out of these guys....there is no excuse now if someone like bell has a bad day throwing lineouts
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i really would love to see a squad picked purely on form, no one there on potential or past glory's
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Reading between the lines they don't rate Sotutu's defensive work as they keep saying both sides of the ball.
Interesting.
I think this was also what Fozzie and co didn't like.
Flat track bully behind a dominant pack is how they might see him. -
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Reckon that's 90% of the squad most predicted, a couple tough calls to go with a couple of lucky ones.
And it is ever thus.
We could go through many a squad naming in the past 30 years and pick out the players that stunned, surprised and even bewildered.
And I’m sure we could all put a provincial/franchise flavour to it
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chester-Draws said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chester-Draws said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
So just to be clear: The team that couldn't make a finals series of top eight in a 12 team competition has more All Blacks than the team that won?
They won how many in a row?
All the crusaders haven't turned to poo because their coach has.
(Not supporting the Bell pick though)
So form means nothing. Got it.
Only if last year you wanted the ABs to be largely Crusaders, by your same logic.
A couple of Blues had very ordinary form in super last year but were still picked. Now it's the crusaders turn.
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Dalton Papali’i
Finlay Christie
Beauden Barrett
Rieko Ioane
Caleb Clarke
Mark TeleaWhich of those had a legitimately better player miss out? Keep in mind I think Laulala offered zero outside of his scrummaging, but if you wanted a rock in that regard I could see why he was picked.
I would not have ever picked Finlay Christie for the RWC. Nor would half the Fern
Caleb Clarke could consider himself lucky last year, and I thought there were better at the time. He was running powerfully, but his defence remains awful.
I wouldn't pick Beauden Barrett either, then or now. If are talking about people getting in because of their history, then he's top of the list -- more so than any of the veteran Crusaders.
People are getting worked up about Bell, but if the choice is the small and 29 year old Riccitelli, then really? Is RR the future?
The only bad home pick, in my opinion, is Blackadder, who I don't rate and is always broken anyway.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Havili shouldn't even be cover IMO. I don't mind the Bower cover choice but the Havili call shits me. Surely there is more reliable or fresh talent to build up. A J Lam for example.
Havili was dreadful this year. So cover is on past performances whilst a Crusader.
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I was going to come here and troll hard out, and there is so much rich, fertile soil here to do it
But
I'm on record over a few years now calling Hoskins Sotutu the best all-round loose forward in the country. The fact he has missed selection here is disgraceful. For years we sat back and watched Ioane get overlooked, while coaches sat up there and made vague statements in favour of clearly inferior players. He's gone now, while worse players are in. Sotutu is exactly the same. This is a bullshit decision. That loose forward mix is all over the place.
Blackadder and Jacobson are the same player (but Jacobson is better). For a former loose forward it appears he knows fuck all about loose forward play at test level. I shouldn't be surprised, this is a guy who was a barely adequate test player picking similar players. John Mitchell-esque.
6 loosies. Finau and Ioane. Papali'i and Jacobson. Savea and Sotutu. That was easy. Next group.
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@Machpants said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Guys, guys.
We're missing the wood for the trees.
Strange wasn't selected.
And cane
I could easily have lived with his selection
