@Tim said in All Blacks vs Springboks - Twickenham:

Some real dud selections in this squad. Williams and Newell are nowhere near ready for test rugby, Vaa'i has no physical impact, and Jacobson is a converted seven who is absolutely lost at test level. Then there is the thoroughly unathletic Lienert-Brown.

France will destroy that forward pack.

De Groot is back to slow and ponderous.

Ryan needs to open both eyes.

Call me hindsight Harry, but I wanted to post something fairly similar when I saw the bench.

It was made worse by the fact that Bok 23 was named well in advance. Nche is probably the Bok's best scrummaging LH, and same can be said for Nbonambi at hooker. And Nyakane their no. 2 TH. With serious power in second row.

Both Vaa'i and Lord are LH locks, so it ought to have been clear second half scrums were going to be a BIG challenge.

So Nepo and Ofa ought to have been a given.

Likewise, Finau would have been closest LFL swap for Frizell.

Of course, that's assuming to win the Qatar Cup was the priority.

Obviously not. At the cost of the Baby Blacks getting a spanking in second half, TWM have learned some pretty important lessons for French game, one being that the mobile, looser, forwards which prosper in Super get found out against the top level in the tight.

The biggest issue is the injury squeeze with BBBR and Frizell, as that leaves us without a heavy duty 6.

To paraphrase the Matrix, 'Tell me, Mr. Foster, what good is a gamebreaking winger, if you're unable to secure any pill?'.

The Silver Fern

pakman