@Nepia said in World Cup all time AB team:

@Chris-B said in World Cup all time AB team:

@jegga said in World Cup all time AB team:

I do love the story about Wayne Bennett being invited to talk to the 2007 rwc squad after the loss and tearing into the coaches about playing people out of position.

Three rwcs with a fullback at centre ffs .

To be fair, we won the first one with a centre at fullback!

So what you're saying is Ben Smith to centre?

A ridiculous suggestion!

Anton Lienert-Brown to fullback!

@jegga said in World Cup all time AB team:

I do love the story about Wayne Bennett being invited to talk to the 2007 rwc squad after the loss and tearing into the coaches about playing people out of position.

Three rwcs with a fullback at centre ffs .

To be fair, we won the first one with a centre at fullback!

@Nepia said in World Cup all time AB team:

That bait was the equivalent of throwing a 24 pack of KFC over the side to catch a Piri Weepu fish who hasn't eaten in 6 weeks.

Mark Hammett made that 2003 squad!

I watched this. It was OK, but with two big things wrong with it:

1. Why did they keep jumping around all over the timeline? Even being pretty familiar with most of the story it made it very hard to follow. I ended up on Wikipedia because I'd forgotten how many wives he had and was trying to work out who was who.

2. Major problem working out who all the characters were. Maybe they needed Gandalf to intone, "Behold, Laurie Mains, coach of the All Blacks" (Peter Jackson's go to continuity play).

I've got no idea how anyone who didn't know Jonah's story would have followed that.

@dogmeat said in RWC squad. Who's in, who's out?:

.....suggests that the TWM actually have been working to a plan and may even know what they're doing; hard though it is to imagine that they could do a better job than the collective wisdom of The Fern.

Sez you!

Feckers have got a 50% winning record this year, which is marginally better than Ivan Vodanovich.

@sparky Alex Nankivell is worth watching as a midfield option - he's become a very good player over the past 12 months.

@canefan I'd expect so - though probably both to start the final pool game vs Italy - which will likely be a dress rehearsal.

@pakman Hansen with a sacrifice bunt to the kneecap?

With Richie and Beauden slated to play a lot of minutes across eight tests it will be pretty surprising if one of them doesn't pick up some sort of injury along the way.

@sparky We're in agreement with Jordie vs Ben. I think the signs are also pointing that Jordie and Ben will both be going.

But, if I was a selector, I'd take Josh Ioane and not Jordie. Which is pretty harsh on Jordie, but no more than several others. I see more value in having a third first five compared to a third fullback.

I think a 31 man squad is designed to allow 23 in the matchday team, plus eight spares - particularly in case someone gets injured the day before the match - one of each of: prop, hooker, lock, loose-forward, halfback, first five, midfielder, outside back.

If Beauden is playing fullback and say Rieko and Reece are the starting wings, Ben Smith is on the bench and Bridge is the spare - Jordie is the second spare.

But, we don't have any specialist back up at first five if Richie or Beauden gets injured the day before. We're just hoping whichever first five is left will be able to play 80 minutes.

Doesn't seem balanced to me.

@sparky said in RWC squad. Who's in, who's out?:

Ben Smith is probably more at risk if they decide to take only 13 backs to accomodate 4 Locks and 6 Backrow players. Jordie Barrett will make it as the third-choice goalkicker and is playing well enough to justifying being in the squad.

I can't see them leaving either of Ben Smith or Rieko at home. After the weekend, Bridge and Reece must be pretty good shots, but I still wouldn't quite lock both of them in.

I think Jordie is most at risk in the back five, unless he's somehow pushed himself ahead of Ben Smith as the 2nd fullback option. I can't really see a crucial role for him - his biggest strength, I guess, is that he can plug in at a lot of positions in an absolute pinch, though really I wouldn't want to see him anywhere except fullback in a big RWC game.