@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.
@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.
Bower was excellent. I think he's vastly underrated.
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.
@game_film said in Bledisloe 1:
Look at Foley’s team mate screaming at him to kick it. He knew
The commentators saying it's unprecedented but honestly what Foley was doing was taking the piss.
Two red card offences from Genge that were missed.
One an assist tackle on Whitelock. No arms, head on head contact, with force.
The other a cleanout on Papali'i. Again head on head contact, no binding, with force.
This has got to be my biggest gripe with the game right now. It's an absolute lottery with who gets these calls and who doesn't. Outcome altering decisions that are completely at the whim of the ref or TMO.
@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!
@Nepia said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@chimoaus said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
Ireland go to shit when Sexton is not there and now he failed the hia. Does that mean he's out for next weekend too?
Oh no, are we in for two weeks of Could'o'Doid the sequel?
Marshall saying Cane hit Sexton on the chin without mentioning that Sexton had fallen about a foot and was 6 inches off the ground lol.
There's got to be better commentators out there.
Reece needs to come in for Clark next week.
Clark is completely unable to find his support, butchering opportunities.
@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.
@Chris-B said in So what did we learn from Bled2?:
@Kirwan Beady and Jordie are very different fullbacks. I have quite a strong preference for what Jordie brings.
Of course, it's all fucking Jordie's fault. If he'd just signed with the Crusaders when Razor told him to he would have been playing second-five for the past five years!
Beauden can catch high balls at FB better than David Havili can offer anything remotely resembling a physical presence in midfield.
It wasn't just that Jordie was carrying hard and making big metres but was also putting in a big shift in defence as well. It made a huge difference.
@Duluth said in All Blacks XV:
@Bones said in All Blacks XV:
I guess Heem is someone who could really "fill a role". Only going off super, but he was a pretty safe pick in whatever position he was selected and does cover from 12 out potentially. Perhaps if they're looking at a Jordie 12 type player, he could be fairly like-for-like?
Here's my guess. They really want a midfielder/wing on the bench and they are unsure about the options in the full squad.
Ennor is a decent wing, who isn't in his best form, and hasn't played well in midfield for the ABs
LF does a couple of things well but there some gaps in his skills
RTS is raw
AJ is another option in this squad but he would need time in midfield at SR level
If none of those guys kick on, Heem might become the specialist reserve in the 23. He does that specific role better than the others right now. The others have more potential but time is running out
I don't mind Heem at all but I think something must have gone pretty badly wrong with All Black succession planning etc if the coaches did turn to him. I don't think he should have made this team. Pohipi would have been a better bet. Nankivell hasn't been playing as well as he has in the past either.
I don't like Brewis or Bell being selected as they are mainly bench players. Tyrone Thompson has to be unlucky. Ollie Norris would have been a better bet too (even though I know he's been playing a lot on the bench too, but he has more SR experience). Hodgman omission is a bizarre one.
I've liked what I saw of Gardener but Lio-Willie is a head scratcher. If it was only a couple of iffy Canterbury/Crusader selections then that would be fine, but so many really make it look like a joke honestly. It reeks of nepotism.
@Damo said in Highlanders v Waratahs:
When was the last time an Australian team won in NZ?
A couple of weeks ago in Hamilton.
Chiefs got spanked by the Brumbies.
@Crazy-Horse 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
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:
@Victor-Meldrew and to be fair, IMO SB was not the problem in 2019, our game plan was askew and we had a lock we relied on, just back from injury and horribly out of form.
I'd rather he not be trialled at 6 in test matches though, especially as our game plan hasnt really evolved since 2019....
@Chris Never!
S Barrett didn't play badly in that loss but not attacking the English lineout (that only had 2 jumpers) made no sense whatsoever. Realistically they should have dropped Retallick, started Barrett at lock and kept Cane. Y'know, the backrow that was working.
Ardie at 12.
Let's go
@KiwiMurph Bridge is a good example. He waltzed past LSL in that game to setup Smith, I don't think he's making a line break like that against the top 4(?) teams.
But still I don't think either him or Fekitoa put in anything close to the MOTM performance that Jordie did.
What's exciting about Barrett at 12 is that we might finally have a threat there so that opposition are actually focusing on that channel defensively. Which should finally provide more opportunities to Mounga inside and Rieko outside.
With all due respect to DH, I don't think teams have been structuring their defence to be like "keep an eye on Havili"!
@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.
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...