Dmac , despite his haters , starting to look the goods as an impact weapon

@mariner4life said in Tuivasa-Sheck:

If he switched he would be the AB right wing instantly

Not tall or slow enough

funny interview with Mrs Ioane today with Veitch ,

She met a lions supporter who was sleeping in his van outside ponsonby rugby club ,

Took him home for a feed , made him a bed on a matress on the lounge room floor , told him to make himself at home ,

Sons come home an hour later ( both still live at home and share the same bedroom since they were kids ) introduces her sons Reiko and Akira

Guy had no idea , could not believe it

@Machpants it’s funny listening to the nh analysis,

Listening to Stuart Barnes before the game , Barrett should be playing 10 but they can’t trust his goal kicking, so mounga has been brought into the side. That is a weakness.

They have no idea.

Jordies defence in midfield is great

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Scotland:

@dogmeat said in All Blacks vs Scotland:

Taylor and Stanley had played ONE test together prior to the 87 WC

95 Lomu Kronfeld Mehts and Osborne had 5 tests between them

2011 On top of the injury issues at 10 the back 3 practically got introduced on the way to Eden Park for the first test.

they are 3 of our 4 most successful WC's 2015 is the outlier.

Sure it's nice to have a setlled experience team with viable back-up options across the fiels, but it hardly ever happens.

Another example for 2011 is halfback. If you look at 2010 it was clear that Jimmy Cowan was the first choice starting halfback starting 9 matches including Wales x3, Ireland, Boks x2, Oz x2. In 2010 Weepu came off the bench in 6 matches and started 3. He hadn’t started a test match since 2008 EOYT before he got the start in 2010 Welly test vs the Boks.

Come 2011 prior to the RWC, Cowan starts tests vs Fiji Boks x2, but they give the two Bledisloe starts to Weepu.

RWC rolls on and Cowan starts the first match against Tonga. We have Weepu on the bench in the second match (vs Japan) as a reserve 1st 5 (Ellis started and Cowan was the reserve halfback). Match 3 is France our most important pool match and Henry goes to Weepu (with Ellis as reserve). Final pool match vs Canada and he starts Cowan with Ellis as the reserve. Weepu is selected as reserve 1st 5.

QF vs Argies - starts Weepu with Cowan as reserve. By this time Cruden has joined the squad and into the team.

SF vs Boks - starts Weepu with Ellis as reserve. By this time Beaver has joined the squad and is named in the 22 but doesn’t play.

Final vs France - starts Weepu with Ellis as reserve.

So a long winded way to say - given how it played out in the RWC with our halfback position, what happened the year prior had very little bearing IMO. The critical thing was that Weepu had experience and was called on in 2011 despite up and down form and fitness in 2010.

Thought Andy Ellis was fantastic closing out that final too, Beaver got all the plaudits , but Ellis calmness in difficult circumstances probably doesnt get the credit it deserves , you just never know who you may need to rely on .

@Kirwan said in All Blacks v England:

@Catogrande said in All Blacks v England:

@Nevorian said in All Blacks v England:

Thing that annoyed me most was that up to the 70th minute I was content in knowing we were going to show Twickenham what happens when you disrespect the haka

Tell that to Campese!

Seriously though, I have heard of several ways in which it is respectful to address the Haka and it keeps changing. Is there a definitive response? Is it indeed necessary for this to be "respected" or are some Kiwis just a bit too precious about it?

Do what you like, it's your stadium. I thought it sounded cool having the english crowd singing. Only response I wouldn't like is booing, that would be a bit much.

Yeah I’m the same , don’t see why other countries are supposed to put the haka on a pedestal and just sit there and shut up . I have no problem with them doing their own form of song that gives them a feeling of patriotism while it’s happening like the haka does for us , all adds to the us against them vibe for me

This thread is starting to resemble the good old days around AB selection time ,

All we need is Toeava to make himself available .

Blues are definitely better ,

Listening to them trying to put the daggers into tana today on radio sport was unfair I thought ,

I can see progress even if it isn't reflected in the wins .

After we lost to Australia in 03 ,

Ted and co when taking over , put lots of emphasis back into our forwards , Making them dominant Again,

It’s like we have done the full cycle, and it needs to happen again

@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2022:

@kiwiinmelb I think you need BB for a couple of things, among the most important, we don't have another backline leader. I perhaps not as convinced about Jordan at 15, as I really think he goes missing under high ball etc too much. Wonderful attacker, but on this years form pretty erratic, was pretty average in Irish series where he looked almost to have no interest at all at times.

You could well be right , I’m not convinced he should go , but I would at least have liked to see Jordan there to see what it looks like .

I wonder if that was about to happen on the eyot, in the game when Jordie played 15 .

@Crucial said in All Blacks 2022:

@broughie said in All Blacks 2022:

@Crucial would like to see him at 1st five. At FB he is rocks or diamonds. Can he kick for territory and control the game that way. Always thought he would have been a brilliant halfback. Do we need one of those :-).

Halfback would reduce his opportunity to do some of the things he did well but I agree that it would be interesting.
I’m not saying he should be AB 10 just that he has some of the qualities that the others lack.
As a bench option instead of BB (with Jordan at 15) he could be the ideal spark.

I’ve been a big beaudie fan but if everyone is fit and available, you could now ask the question without being a hater , is he needed in the 23 ?

Heading into similar territory as cane .

What I found interesting through the week , putting aside all nz loyalties ( we have our own issues too )

England in most areas such as their fan base were claiming last week as a moral victory when they were beaten up for most parts of the game , the late tries imo saved a bit of face and camouflaged how average they mostly were .

I’m guessing this thread will have an interesting life , particularly next year .

Will Need a good supply of popcorn 😁

@Victor-Meldrew said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Chris said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Victor-Meldrew said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Chris said in Foster, Robertson etc:

if this is the criteria to be selected as an international coach,How do you get selected as one if you need it to be selected.

Probably why Robertson was offered an Assistant role.

I don’t believe he was, Where did that come from.
I have never heard that.
Adding to that I can 100% inform you he was never offered an Assistant role , You have just made that BS up.

Really? I thought I read here he was, but turned it down. Happy to stand corrected though.

Yeah I was unaware of that and read it here somewhere as well , it was news to me, not that I probably follow it as closely as some

@Crucial said in All Blacks v England:

@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks v England:

@mariner4life attack strategy = do something amazing and score....if cant, kick away

to be fair that is a strategy that most top teams play to now as, apart from set piece manipulations, it is getting harder and harder to break down defences and phases run risks of random penalties. Look at England's reasons for not having a crack at the end of the game. The short kick down the middle put them in an awkard situation of having to run some phases to get aligned for an attack and the risk of turnover or penalty was too high.

Yeah I found it interesting in interviews after the game Foster defended TJ kicking and then Eddie defended them kicking it out and accepting the draw ,

Both giving almost identical answers saying its become very risky trying to maintain possesion for long periods now without conceding a penalty

England probably only started moving the ball wide because we were a man down , I wonder if they are thinking, why didn’t we try that earlier ?

@Kirwan said in All Blacks v England:

@Catogrande said in All Blacks v England:

@Nevorian said in All Blacks v England:

Thing that annoyed me most was that up to the 70th minute I was content in knowing we were going to show Twickenham what happens when you disrespect the haka

Tell that to Campese!

Seriously though, I have heard of several ways in which it is respectful to address the Haka and it keeps changing. Is there a definitive response? Is it indeed necessary for this to be "respected" or are some Kiwis just a bit too precious about it?

Do what you like, it's your stadium. I thought it sounded cool having the english crowd singing. Only response I wouldn't like is booing, that would be a bit much.

Yeah I’m the same , don’t see why other countries are supposed to put the haka on a pedestal and just sit there and shut up . I have no problem with them doing their own form of song that gives them a feeling of patriotism while it’s happening like the haka does for us , all adds to the us against them vibe for me

@antipodean said in All Blacks v England:

Why for the love of god would you attempt a dinky little kick in behind the English defence, just outside our 22, when we've only got three fucking defenders covering more than half the pitch?

Apparently Ardie called TJ to kick it there , and then stuffed up the chase , got himself in front and had to back off

Number 1 v number 7 in world rankings and nothing in it ,

Some of the number 1 Allblacks sides of the past would more than likely be up by more than 20 by this stage against a number 7 ranked side

Rugby has never been more competitive