All Blacks vs Ireland
-
I wanna see our uglies g'ing up these Mics with good ol' fashioned rib ticklers and fold them 4x over backwards. Can't afford anything remotely high or the whinging bitches in the crowd will call in some homers for Magic Nick to look at. I'm calling out Scooter, Patty T, Ardie, Sam, Ofa, Tyrel, Te Mighty, Sammi etc to level these carnts so Wallace and CC can run through them. Bluuurrrrr
-
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think. -
@Mauss good post but i disagree with heaps of it!
Vaai did not have a great game around the paddock but he wasn't awful. And yep, it's been noticable for a while he is now our most important lineout forward (not hard when you look at his locking partner and the loose forward mix).
But i hate the solution. Scott Barrett is too fucking slow to play blindside. And looking where we station our blindside on attack, he's completely wasted out there. Scott is best buried in the tight. Leave him there. And if he's not fulfilling that duty, drop him to the bench. I really like the current mix though if Vaai returns to his earlier form (he is still only 24! jesus he still has a heap of development in him). Barrett and Vaai early, Patty T for the last 30. The selectors need to be bolder and pull Barrett is Vaai is going better.
Bringing Finau and Patty on at the same time would actually make more sense.
I am also not sure Cane off the bench is the best use of his current talents. I am also far from convinced his current level of play is actually less than Savea's
@mariner4life Itās been great reading everyoneās replies, some really good points made. Iāll try to regain some credibility now, @Booboo, or maybe Iāll lose what little I have left.
Iām also not a particular fan of Barrett at six. The only reason I numbered the players like this is because the suggestion of Tuipulotu at blindside might be even more outlandish. I checked Tuipulotuās playing history and he hasnāt played a single game there, neither for Auckland nor the Blues. But to be honest, Iām not really sure why it wouldnāt work, especially at Test level, where the space is a lot tighter. Heās a big guy, obviously, but heās actually pretty mobile, he moves his feet well, and I feel like heās really fit and conditioned at the moment. So in actuality, he would be the blindside in everything but name in the hypothetical Iām putting forward, only Iād retain his place at tighthead lock in the scrum. Barrett would need to make sure he doesnāt get burned when packing down on the blind, but, apart from that, he would be playing his regular role at lock, doing all the tight stuff through the middle.
Another reason for Tuipulotuās inclusion from the start is related to Saveaās lesser performances this year. Heās being asked to make a lot of carries through the middle and, to be honest, it hasnāt really worked. If Tuipulotu starts, Savea becomes freed to make more carries on the edge and in midfield, where he excels. With Sititi, Savea and Aumua carrying out wide, and Tuipulotu, Vaaāi, Barrett and the props taking care of the middle, I think you have a dynamic and effective carrying unit. On Saturday, Cane often ended up with the ball and, as @ACT-Crusader already remarked, thatās not really a situation you want to end up with.
All that being said, I probably agree with @Mr-Fish that itās a sensible decision to stick with the current team selection right now. @reprobate also makes a good point about the clarity around defensive structures for the Irish test. Cane was immense in the quarter final, so the coaching team will be hoping that he can replicate that performance on Friday.
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
-
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
-
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
shift Scott Barrett to six
Aaand that's where you lose credibility
@booboo said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
shift Scott Barrett to six
Aaand that's where you lose credibility
After last year, Barrettās form has been a major dissapointment this year
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
I'm not opposed to taking the short drop-out in itself - but what we did is take it, win the ball, and then kick downfield making the same ground that we would have from a long drop-out. That's just all added risk for zero extra reward.
-
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
They're going to beat up over 16% of their own players?!
-
@mariner4life Itās been great reading everyoneās replies, some really good points made. Iāll try to regain some credibility now, @Booboo, or maybe Iāll lose what little I have left.
Iām also not a particular fan of Barrett at six. The only reason I numbered the players like this is because the suggestion of Tuipulotu at blindside might be even more outlandish. I checked Tuipulotuās playing history and he hasnāt played a single game there, neither for Auckland nor the Blues. But to be honest, Iām not really sure why it wouldnāt work, especially at Test level, where the space is a lot tighter. Heās a big guy, obviously, but heās actually pretty mobile, he moves his feet well, and I feel like heās really fit and conditioned at the moment. So in actuality, he would be the blindside in everything but name in the hypothetical Iām putting forward, only Iād retain his place at tighthead lock in the scrum. Barrett would need to make sure he doesnāt get burned when packing down on the blind, but, apart from that, he would be playing his regular role at lock, doing all the tight stuff through the middle.
Another reason for Tuipulotuās inclusion from the start is related to Saveaās lesser performances this year. Heās being asked to make a lot of carries through the middle and, to be honest, it hasnāt really worked. If Tuipulotu starts, Savea becomes freed to make more carries on the edge and in midfield, where he excels. With Sititi, Savea and Aumua carrying out wide, and Tuipulotu, Vaaāi, Barrett and the props taking care of the middle, I think you have a dynamic and effective carrying unit. On Saturday, Cane often ended up with the ball and, as @ACT-Crusader already remarked, thatās not really a situation you want to end up with.
All that being said, I probably agree with @Mr-Fish that itās a sensible decision to stick with the current team selection right now. @reprobate also makes a good point about the clarity around defensive structures for the Irish test. Cane was immense in the quarter final, so the coaching team will be hoping that he can replicate that performance on Friday.
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
-
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
I'm not opposed to taking the short drop-out in itself - but what we did is take it, win the ball, and then kick downfield making the same ground that we would have from a long drop-out. That's just all added risk for zero extra reward.
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
I'm not opposed to taking the short drop-out in itself - but what we did is take it, win the ball, and then kick downfield making the same ground that we would have from a long drop-out. That's just all added risk for zero extra reward.
Yeah and that's what I was I getting at when I mentioned other variables. Like, what do you do if you win it back? Like you said the outcome was the same as kicking it deep anyway. I can't imagine teams would be too interested in running it from their own line unless it is a last throw of the dice, so the only benefit I can think of is teams kicking it out and defending from a line-out. And that's not necessarily ideal.
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@mariner4life itās fair to say that Scooter hasnāt been in the form he was from late 2022-23RWC where he was our best performing lock. Whether itās the weight of being captain or not having one of two AB legends right there, but he is well down on the level of impact.
Still does the right stuff very well but he was doing that plus more last year.
he's solidly grafting away in the tough stuff, but you are right, it's the bigger impacts that we're not seeing. I do wonder if he is no longer playing on the edge because of the "c" beside his name.
I don't think he is working as captain at the moment.
Captaincy plus previous cards may well be the reason yeah.
If he's making the decisions like the tap instead of scrum, and short goal line drop out, then I'd rather have someone else do the job. Lineout options have been mentioned and there is also the issue of the poor finishes which has to have on field leadership as a potential cause.
The only other option at the time was probably Ardie, and we'd be having the same conversation or worse I think.The idea for the short goal line drop out may have come from league. Apparently the stats in League say a team is better off going for a short contestable kick rather than a long one that automatically hands the ball over. I know there are other variables at play in Union but I have been wondering if we would see it.
I'm not opposed to taking the short drop-out in itself - but what we did is take it, win the ball, and then kick downfield making the same ground that we would have from a long drop-out. That's just all added risk for zero extra reward.
Yeah and that's what I was I getting at when I mentioned other variables. Like, what do you do if you win it back? Like you said the outcome was the same as kicking it deep anyway. I can't imagine teams would be too interested in running it from their own line unless it is a last throw of the dice, so the only benefit I can think of is teams kicking it out and defending from a line-out. And that's not necessarily ideal.
@Crazy-Horse I guess if you win it back, there's a higher chance of catching the opposition out, with a staggered defence and it's not uncommon to make good yards off a regathered restart. If you don't, then kick it deep for what would have been the result anyway?
-
@Mauss losing credibility was a bit harsh. Am enjoying your analysis. But Scooter at 6 fills me with all the yuckies.
-
@Crazy-Horse I guess if you win it back, there's a higher chance of catching the opposition out, with a staggered defence and it's not uncommon to make good yards off a regathered restart. If you don't, then kick it deep for what would have been the result anyway?
@Bones said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@Crazy-Horse I guess if you win it back, there's a higher chance of catching the opposition out, with a staggered defence and it's not uncommon to make good yards off a regathered restart. If you don't, then kick it deep for what would have been the result anyway?
Agree on the broken play potential, but the downside of losing the ball 10m from your own line without having your own defensive line set does rate a mention - and the take from Clarke was not uncontested.
Perhaps I'm being harsh. Barrett kicked long off the very first ruck after winning it back - their defence was well formed - but I guess that's a good decision after the first decision was not really worth the risk, no point throwing good money after bad. -
@booboo Oh, no worries, I didn't take it as harsh at all. If anything, I'm more uneasy about the fact that I do seem to have some credibility here.
Glad you're enjoying it, it's been fun to write and think about.
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@booboo Oh, no worries, I didn't take it as harsh at all. If anything, I'm more uneasy about the fact that I do seem to have some credibility here.
then don't worry, as the Fern is consistently fickle.
-
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
And the Captain Obvious Award goes to ...
@booboo said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
And the Captain Obvious Award goes to ...
In response to no chance without Keenan and Furhlong
-
@mariner4life Itās been great reading everyoneās replies, some really good points made. Iāll try to regain some credibility now, @Booboo, or maybe Iāll lose what little I have left.
Iām also not a particular fan of Barrett at six. The only reason I numbered the players like this is because the suggestion of Tuipulotu at blindside might be even more outlandish. I checked Tuipulotuās playing history and he hasnāt played a single game there, neither for Auckland nor the Blues. But to be honest, Iām not really sure why it wouldnāt work, especially at Test level, where the space is a lot tighter. Heās a big guy, obviously, but heās actually pretty mobile, he moves his feet well, and I feel like heās really fit and conditioned at the moment. So in actuality, he would be the blindside in everything but name in the hypothetical Iām putting forward, only Iād retain his place at tighthead lock in the scrum. Barrett would need to make sure he doesnāt get burned when packing down on the blind, but, apart from that, he would be playing his regular role at lock, doing all the tight stuff through the middle.
Another reason for Tuipulotuās inclusion from the start is related to Saveaās lesser performances this year. Heās being asked to make a lot of carries through the middle and, to be honest, it hasnāt really worked. If Tuipulotu starts, Savea becomes freed to make more carries on the edge and in midfield, where he excels. With Sititi, Savea and Aumua carrying out wide, and Tuipulotu, Vaaāi, Barrett and the props taking care of the middle, I think you have a dynamic and effective carrying unit. On Saturday, Cane often ended up with the ball and, as @ACT-Crusader already remarked, thatās not really a situation you want to end up with.
All that being said, I probably agree with @Mr-Fish that itās a sensible decision to stick with the current team selection right now. @reprobate also makes a good point about the clarity around defensive structures for the Irish test. Cane was immense in the quarter final, so the coaching team will be hoping that he can replicate that performance on Friday.
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
I hope you are right.
But so far he has been consistently inconsistent at test level. -
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
I hope you are right.
But so far he has been consistently inconsistent at test level.@Frank I think a lot of Test rugby comes down to gambling mathematics. You can't really control the outcomes but you can shift the probabilities. I think Tuipulotu offers something interesting within those probabilities.
I also think that's why Rassie Erasmus is such an excellent coach at Test level while not being similarly as successful at Super Rugby or Pro 14 competitions. He's an incredible gambler (and I mean that in a positive way).
-
@mariner4life Itās been great reading everyoneās replies, some really good points made. Iāll try to regain some credibility now, @Booboo, or maybe Iāll lose what little I have left.
Iām also not a particular fan of Barrett at six. The only reason I numbered the players like this is because the suggestion of Tuipulotu at blindside might be even more outlandish. I checked Tuipulotuās playing history and he hasnāt played a single game there, neither for Auckland nor the Blues. But to be honest, Iām not really sure why it wouldnāt work, especially at Test level, where the space is a lot tighter. Heās a big guy, obviously, but heās actually pretty mobile, he moves his feet well, and I feel like heās really fit and conditioned at the moment. So in actuality, he would be the blindside in everything but name in the hypothetical Iām putting forward, only Iād retain his place at tighthead lock in the scrum. Barrett would need to make sure he doesnāt get burned when packing down on the blind, but, apart from that, he would be playing his regular role at lock, doing all the tight stuff through the middle.
Another reason for Tuipulotuās inclusion from the start is related to Saveaās lesser performances this year. Heās being asked to make a lot of carries through the middle and, to be honest, it hasnāt really worked. If Tuipulotu starts, Savea becomes freed to make more carries on the edge and in midfield, where he excels. With Sititi, Savea and Aumua carrying out wide, and Tuipulotu, Vaaāi, Barrett and the props taking care of the middle, I think you have a dynamic and effective carrying unit. On Saturday, Cane often ended up with the ball and, as @ACT-Crusader already remarked, thatās not really a situation you want to end up with.
All that being said, I probably agree with @Mr-Fish that itās a sensible decision to stick with the current team selection right now. @reprobate also makes a good point about the clarity around defensive structures for the Irish test. Cane was immense in the quarter final, so the coaching team will be hoping that he can replicate that performance on Friday.
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
@Mauss said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
I still think that thereās been something really different about Tuipulotu these past few weeks, a confidence and assuredness I hadnāt really seen before. There arenāt a whole lot of Test matches in a year so when a player makes a case like that, you donāt have a lot of time as a coaching unit to make decisions. For now, theyāve gone with continuity, and I assume Tuipulotu will see a lot of time on the field from the bench again.
I think he's been different all through SR as well. He was a warrior, coming back early from injury to lead the Blues to the title. And he was excellent last week against England. That said, I'd be happy for Razor to actually sub him on just after the half on purpose this week, as opposed to being forced to by injury. We need to take a leaf out of Rassie's book, and utilise some of our bench players for a longer period in order to allow them to make the most impact
-
With Furlong out, I guess EdG's scrummaging is not critically needed. Williams is usually a good scrummager too and a better all round forward than EdG. Ofa T was excellent from the bench and it would not have been a sensible decision to let one of these two out of the 23.
-
@nzzp said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
Friendly reminder: this is 9am SATURDAY morning not Sunday. Don't get caught.
Well shit. I had no clue. I was working out how to watch this on Sunday morning, and would never have clicked that I was a day late if you hadnāt posted this.
Thank you sir
-
@booboo said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
And the Captain Obvious Award goes to ...
In response to no chance without Keenan and Furhlong
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@booboo said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Ireland:
That 23 is more than capable of beating NZ
And the Captain Obvious Award goes to ...
In response to no chance without Keenan and Furhlong
Might not need them. Keenan needs to show interest and a fit Furhlong is some distance away.
