Blues 2025
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@Mauss said in Blues 2025:
But for now, I do think he can do a job, although I would switch Segner to openside and Papali'i to the blind.
I've had the same thought myself. The other option is to find a better 6 and leave Segner as an impact player.
Papali'i's career is at a bit of an impasse with Savea playing at 7. He could have switched to 6 this year and made a go of that but now Tupou Vaa'i is starting to make strong claims to 6 and that's likely to be a continuing situation after Barrett continues as captain along with the emergence of Holland.
Vaa'i is obviously higher up in the pecking order than Papali'i now.
Jacobson moves around a lot so he has the dibs on the utility role.
Now he is in the AB's against France who have had a strong bench and he's covering lock/blindside in the event of an injury. A tough situation for him.
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@brodean said in Blues 2025:
Now he is in the AB's against France who have had a strong bench and he's covering lock/blindside in the event of an injury. A tough situation for him.
I thought Papali’i did well coming off the bench last Saturday, he brought some more stability to the breakdown while carrying strongly as well. When Vaa’i played blindside against the French, it was clear he was instructed to focus on the breakdown, to complement Savea and Lio-Willie’s ball-carrying. I think Papali’i could perform a similar role, perhaps better than someone like Finau could.
Finau is probably the best ball-carrying option of the blindsides but he’s not a huge presence at the attacking breakdown. In his 65 minutes on Saturday, Finau only attended 16 attacking rucks throughout the game, the least of the loose forward trio. Papali’i, on the other hand, attended 14 attacking rucks in just 15 minutes on the field. He also showed a nice balance between his tight work at the breakdown and his work in the loose, carrying and passing effectively.
With Savea the first name on the team sheet and Sititi still to come back, ball-carrying won’t be seen as a priority for the blindside. So while Vaa’i could easily be tried against the bigger packs, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the coaches would turn to Papali’i if they wanted a more mobile 6, alongside the aforementioned two. He could also retain the 19 jersey as loose forward cover alongside someone like Kirifi or Jacobson, if the ABs continue starting with 3 locks.
So while Papali’i hasn’t played 6 at Super Rugby in a while, it doesn’t look like Robertson has any doubts on whether he can play there at Test level. And judging on his short appearance on Saturday, I tend to agree with him.
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Papali'i played like a man fighting for his future in the Black jersey. He was really good, he showed in his small cameo that he still has plenty to offer, and as you said Mauss, could be the man off the bench with his utility value.
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@Mauss said in Blues 2025:
So while Papali’i hasn’t played 6 at Super Rugby in a while, it doesn’t look like Robertson has any doubts on whether he can play there at Test leve
I love me some Dalts, but if he's playing who's your third lineout option? He's been used, (as has Ardie), but that does not make them feasible. Maybe this is the Holland effect - our lineout height goes up so we can play the midgets that Razor loves in the loose.
If you aren't picking loosies for height, then maybe the trio starts to look different. Dalton then competing with EB (when fit) for the workrate 6 position? We seem to be quite shades of blended average in our loosies at the moment, lots of 6.5 and few specialists.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2025:
I love me some Dalts, but if he's playing who's your third lineout option? He's been used, (as has Ardie), but that does not make them feasible
He has generally been the forth option at the Blues because of guys like Sotutu, Robinson, Suafoa and Segner
I think he is a genuine target though
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@nzzp said in Blues 2025:
I love me some Dalts, but if he's playing who's your third lineout option? He's been used, (as has Ardie), but that does not make them feasible. Maybe this is the Holland effect - our lineout height goes up so we can play the midgets that Razor loves in the loose.
I don't think he's a bad lineout option but I'd agree you wouldn't select him for his lineout ability in the way you would someone like Finau. I was impressed with Sititi's speed off the mark at lineout time last year, so they should be alright, especially if there's genuine tall timber in the second row (Holland, Darry, Lord).
We seem to be quite shades of blended average in our loosies at the moment, lots of 6.5 and few specialists.
I think this is the main issue, there's not a lot of 'complete' loose forwards right now who have a very well-rounded skillset. But that's the skill of selection, though, finding the parts that fit well together. Someone like Finau is a great player but you need to play him in the right loose forward combination, same with Papali'i.
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Hunt is on for a new CEO as Hore departs -
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360765168/blues-ceo-andrew-hore-depart-super-rugby-powerhouse-club
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2025:
Hunt is on for a new CEO as Hore departs
I think most people were underwhelmed when he was first named. He did well. So much better than the admin in the decade before he was appointed
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@Mauss said in Blues 2025:
@brodean said in Blues 2025:
Now he is in the AB's against France who have had a strong bench and he's covering lock/blindside in the event of an injury. A tough situation for him.
I thought Papali’i did well coming off the bench last Saturday, he brought some more stability to the breakdown while carrying strongly as well. When Vaa’i played blindside against the French, it was clear he was instructed to focus on the breakdown, to complement Savea and Lio-Willie’s ball-carrying. I think Papali’i could perform a similar role, perhaps better than someone like Finau could.
Finau is probably the best ball-carrying option of the blindsides but he’s not a huge presence at the attacking breakdown. In his 65 minutes on Saturday, Finau only attended 16 attacking rucks throughout the game, the least of the loose forward trio. Papali’i, on the other hand, attended 14 attacking rucks in just 15 minutes on the field. He also showed a nice balance between his tight work at the breakdown and his work in the loose, carrying and passing effectively.
With Savea the first name on the team sheet and Sititi still to come back, ball-carrying won’t be seen as a priority for the blindside. So while Vaa’i could easily be tried against the bigger packs, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the coaches would turn to Papali’i if they wanted a more mobile 6, alongside the aforementioned two. He could also retain the 19 jersey as loose forward cover alongside someone like Kirifi or Jacobson, if the ABs continue starting with 3 locks.
So while Papali’i hasn’t played 6 at Super Rugby in a while, it doesn’t look like Robertson has any doubts on whether he can play there at Test level. And judging on his short appearance on Saturday, I tend to agree with him.
Agree with your post. Papali'i was excellent and offered real impact. Had my doubts about him in that role but happy to be proven wrong.
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@Duluth said in Blues 2025:
@nzzp said in Blues 2025:
I love me some Dalts, but if he's playing who's your third lineout option? He's been used, (as has Ardie), but that does not make them feasible
He has generally been the forth option at the Blues because of guys like Sotutu, Robinson, Suafoa and Segner
I think he is a genuine target though
I agree that he's a genuine target. Everytime I've seen him go up he's taken the lineout cleanly. He's also a bigger body in mauls compared to some of the smaller options.
ANDREW HORE TO STEP DOWN AS CEO — Blues Rugby
