@sammyc said in Super Rugby News:

@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby News:

Blues fans getting their excuses in early this year

Of course they have the hardest schedule. They can't play themselves now can they.

No idea why there is debate about 10. DMac clearly has the most experience and even if he isn't exactly a world class first five he's still an excellent 3rd choice. Jordie should be left at fullback for the next 3 tests.

@KiwiMurph said in Blues vs. Chiefs:

On the other hand Collins is starting and Nanai isn't even in the 23 - ridiculous.

I can't believe it took four replies before that was mentioned!

@No-Quarter said in Awesome stuff you see on the internet:

@NTA said in Awesome stuff you see on the internet:

Fucking loved that. The Northern Territory is a special place, still has a sense of humour, and is not shy about taking the piss.

Brilliant stuff. Weird too as every female I've shown that to thinks it's funny and not offensive - when the complainants say it is "offensive to women in general" I wonder who they are reffering to?

fluffybunnies, obviously.

@Crazy-Horse said in Nz maori:

@Milk said in Nz maori:

Thursday?

Never gets old. It'll be dad joke status soon. I can't remember who cracked the shits but it is has given us heaps of material. Thanks whoever that was!

Short odds on Stargazer

@akan004 said in England vs All Blacks:

Karl tends to miss a lot of tackles. Great scrummager but Moody is still the better all round prop. It's Perry that concerns me, hopefully they will opt for Ofa as the bench loosehead cover instead.

Joe also has a habit of getting penalised at very inopportune moments. I don't think it will matter much.

@Chris-B.

That clearance page is fantastic! Fire sale!

I assume the iPhone screen protectors is to help prevent the screen from breaking when you can chuck it against the wall?

@kiwiwomble said in All Blacks vs Pumas I (yay we’re not playing the Aussies again):

we dont think we'll see jordie?

We should. He didn't get a decent crack last weekend. And went well for the time he was on.

@mariner4life said in BIL & AB teams for Test #1 (AKA - who's impressing you at the moment?):

The Lions aren't going to squash our forwards like they did to the Maori, and last night as well. The Blues, while early in the tour, matched them up front (and even shaded them in certain areas) but were able to break the Lions open with skill. That last try to win it was fucking great, but also high risk on a couple of occasions.

I am not overly concerned about the need for a rock solid defensive midfield, as i don't think they are bringing anything any of our midfield options would be able to deal with. However someone who can unlock that rush defense with an in-contact offload would be invaluable.

Something has gone badly wrong if we are relying on that level of magic to win this test. I'm surprised to hear the "x" word popup considering the dark days we used to live in, where the ball would be shoveled out to our flair players in a vain hope that they did something with it.

I was hugely impressed by SBW for the Blues, but his option taking is still ropey at times. Against Samoa, he blew the final try when a regulation pass before contact would have easily sufficed but instead chose to take contact and offload forward. And in the first half he had ALB free on his inside but again chose to take contact and throw a poor flick out the back in contact that fortuitously fell on Barrett's foot. If it wasn't for Barrett's ridiculous skillset that would have been a blown try too.

These seem like minor qualms but the All Blacks have been successful by nailing the basics first and foremost. That means making the pass at the right time, not by executing miracle balls, even if they do happen occasionally too.

If they are happy with Crotty's fitness then I'd start him. He is still ahead on the pecking order, Maybe if SBW didn't choose to play sevens last year, he'd be number one...

Hilarious if he was crucial in a Wallabies win and he still got denied citizenship.

Could be bad news for the Boks. They're going through what must be a crisis of confidence considering their A gameplan isn't working. And it would be a pretty bad idea to try a different gameplan against the All Blacks (of all sides), especially attempting a game that could involve playing wider.

So they might be stuck somewhere in between. And an indecisive Springbok team is not exactly a dangerous Springbok team.

Their best hope is that they find an emotional gear they haven't found since the Lions. Which they're capable of but still, if their execution is lacking it could be a loong day at the office.

@bovidae said in All Blacks vs Springboks I:

Some facts:

Beauden Barrett will be playing his 15th Test against South Africa and Brodie Retallick his 12th. Eight players (Akira Ioane, Luke Jacobson, David Havili, Will Jordan, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ethan Blackadder, Brad Weber and Quinn Tupaea) will be playing them for the first time.

Havili has played South Africa.

@pakman said in All Blacks vs Springboks I:

Why does Jesse Kriel not get a run? Lovely swerve and good player!

The Pierre Spies of centers.

@antipodean said in 2021 Wallabies:

@chris said in 2021 Wallabies:

@stargazer said in 2021 Wallabies:

Decent loose forward

What's four years in Japan done for his game?

I doubt it's hurt it. Probably protracted his career mostly.

He's a great addition though, might allow Hooper to actually be able to take a game off if he's battling concussion symptoms again rather than just throw on some headgear and be told "she'll be right maaate".....

Malherbe hardly in fine fettle either.

Can you imagine what he's gonna look like after retiring? 😲

@yeahtheboys said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@l_n_p have you guys ever watched NRL? Their playmakers (who are far better than Union playmakers imo) just about run sideways more than they run forward… if you’re fast enough and agile enough then running across field occasionally can cause a defence to bite out of the line, leaving holes. If the space is there in front of him, he takes it by running straight. If it’s not there then he tries to create something but changing running lines.

They have 10m of extra space.
Every play.

You know this, right?

@kiwimurph said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

I think Lomax has overtaken Ta'avao in the pecking order. Good.

He definitely has a higher ceiling than Angus.

Let's hope Lomax remembers his last start well!

While there might be some flutters over that forward pack, I think as a player when you look around and don't see a lot of experienced guys you feel the responsibility on yourself a lot more and as a result you can often find something extra you might not have found if you were surrounded by vets.

These tests remind me of that 2005 grand slam tour!

@crucial said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

@bovidae said in All Blacks vs Pumas II:

de Groot (if fit) won't get a game until the USA now.

Patrick needs to step up as the senior lock. a test player

FIFY

When was the last time he got game time? It's incredibly tough to come in cold.

@stargazer how tf has Reece Hodge got 50 tests?

Also that kick that he did with a minute to go was an absolute brain explosion. I can't believe Hooper was considering him to kick the final penalty when he had just shown that kind of bottler mentality.

No idea why there is debate about 10. DMac clearly has the most experience and even if he isn't exactly a world class first five he's still an excellent 3rd choice. Jordie should be left at fullback for the next 3 tests.