Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2
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@frugby said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@booboo said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@Darth-Sader said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
A win is a win. Peace out, enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Frankly think it's better than that.
4 tries to 1. Against the 3rd ranked team in the world (by the worst All Black team in 50 years). Battled past stupid handling errors. Battled past injury so that our 4th and 5th best locks were on the field for most of the game. Disrupted midfield. And pretty much dominated the last 20mins.
Tick. Job done.
Yep. Defensively very good. I wouldn’t have said the All Blacks were terrible in the first half, more the game was extremely stop start.
Lineout was poor, but I think the standards some people are trying to hold this team to is unrealistic for how good these players are.
We aren’t by far and away the best team in the world talent wise anymore, so we aren’t going to absolutely dominate teams.
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Yeah Nah.
We were shocking in the first 60 minutes. We struggled against a very average Irish team that had 14 players.
I dont agree that the current selections are the best players we have so the unrealistic expectations is just a cop out from my point of view.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@brodean said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@Mattasaurus said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
Job done
DeGroot, Carter and Clarke the best of the starters for me.
Dmac impact was noticeable and needed
The scrum was rubbish.
No it wasn’t.
Other than the confusion about the engagement on one, we put them under all sorts of pressure which forced them to wheel. And give away penalties.
Thats all well and good but at the end of the day they won 100% of their scrums and we didn't. The scrum improved in the second half. We should be absolutely dominating a scrum with Porter at loosehead.
The first half wasn't up to the same standards it was earlier in the year.
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Five positives we can take from that, even if a lot of it was ugly.
- We won.
- 91% tackling success is not to be sniffed at.
- The bench did its job, especially the bench front row.
- Caleb Clarke is back.
- Leicester F is a viable midfield option.
But the lineout was appalling and the structure of the attack was frequently chaotic. A better side than Ireland would have been well ahead after 60 minutes.
Big improvements are required if we are to avoid being turned over by Scotland and England.
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@booboo Ireland are in a bit of a decline. Third in the Six Nations this year. Lots of players over 32. I doubt they'll stay Third in the rankings for long.
England have won eight in a row and have a lot of energy about them at the minute. They are a work in progress but they've got lots of talent coming through.
I agree that we'll see what Scotland are made of next weekend. My impression is that their backs are damn good but the ABs will be stronger up front.
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That wasn't a great advertisement for rugby.
The screen not working, lots of early injuries, a pedantic French ref...
Neither team played particularly well, until the final 20 minutes when we were decent.
However, Step 1 of the Grand Slam is achieved.
Apropos to not much except rose coloured spectacles - I refreshed my memory of our famous first Grand Slam tour.
We scored six tries in four matches and apparently struggled home in three matches from four.
Let's hope we don't need diving in the lineout vs Wales!
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@brodean said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
Thats all well and good but at the end of the day they won 100% of their scrums and we didn't. The scrum improved in the second half. We should be absolutely dominating a scrum with Porter at loosehead.
I would also say that the reserve Irish props like Bealham are average, and the LH was on debut. Tougher opponents to follow.
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A few random thoughts.....
Not a great advertisement for the game, but a win is a win is a win. Unsure whether the early injuries to Barrett x 2 and their replacements was a lucky break from the gods a la Sititu or not, but Big Leicester and Lord did OK and the former will rightly pose some selection questions.
Putting his play aside, thought Ardie did pretty well as captain. When things weren't looking great he steadied the side and they weathered periods of pressure pretty well. I feel more comfortable with him at the helm in tight games than Scooter.
Jordan seems wasted at 15. Sure, he's good under the high ball, but lacks flair for me and looks a bit tentative at times. Needs to go back to wing IMHO, where he's a constant danger. Speaking of wings, Clarke and Carter were good tonight. Like Carter's hunger for work.
Best bench and impact use for a long, long time. Liked the way the early (and TBF green) replacements fitted in and their impact from 65 mins or so was outstanding
Still not sure what the game-plan is. Play shit for 60 minutes with BB at the helm to lull the opposition into a false sense of security and then bring DMac on?
Overall, the same old mistakes and careless play we've seen in the past in the early part of the game, but really like the way we weathered the storm (had that now-common sinking feeling we'd go to pieces again) and struck when the Oirish tired. The score-line may have flattered us, but we held on and took our chances better than they did.
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@Bovidae said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@brodean said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
Thats all well and good but at the end of the day they won 100% of their scrums and we didn't. The scrum improved in the second half. We should be absolutely dominating a scrum with Porter at loosehead.
I would also say that the reserve Irish props like Bealham are average, and the LH was on debut. Tougher opponents to follow.
The young kid will be a regular soon
Great potential
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@Victor-Meldrew What is the aversion to starting DMac at 10 Been the trend for a year
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@BerniesCorner said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@Victor-Meldrew What is the aversion to starting DMac at 10 Been the trend for a year
I can only think it's part of the game-plan. Play boring, forward-biased rugby to tire out the opposition and then open up the game with DMac when the opposition tires...
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@sparky said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@Chris-B In the 2008 Grand Slam tour, the All Blacks only conceded 24 points and not a single try.
Of course, that 2008 team had the fabulous Crusaders McCaw and Carter wearing the 7 and 10 jerseys, while this outfit has to make do with the ex-Hurricanes Savea and Barrett.
I presume that "absolutely, positively" slogan is long gone from the capital?
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@ACT-Crusader said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@Frank said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
Our scrum is strong against everyone bar the Boks. Unless we come up with a strategy to negate Wilco Louw, they'll win scrum penalties at will.
Lomax and EDG struggled against the Bok scrum, but things were far better with Newell on.
Louw is a tight head and so is Newell.
More important to ask which of our looseheads can contain him.
The evidence so far is none, neither Williams nor DeGroot.
Although I think not having Taylor hurt things. -
@kiwiinmelb said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@His-Bobness said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@kev The Kiwi-born Ireland players demonstrating the tendency of eager-to-please recent immigrants to ape and magnify the worst aspects of the host culture - in this case being obnoxious, petulant whingers with a built-in victim mentality
I think deep down these guys carry a chip with nz because they never got a look in at higher honours and their satisfaction comes with trying to prove a point they were good enough.
Nah, Lowe is the same douche no matter who he's playing.
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@taniwharugby said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
Social media loves him
#manofthepeople
#peopleschampionFor a guy who never uses his shoulders to tackle, having all of that tape seems like a real waste.
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@Bones said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@kiwiinmelb said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@His-Bobness said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:
@kev The Kiwi-born Ireland players demonstrating the tendency of eager-to-please recent immigrants to ape and magnify the worst aspects of the host culture - in this case being obnoxious, petulant whingers with a built-in victim mentality
I think deep down these guys carry a chip with nz because they never got a look in at higher honours and their satisfaction comes with trying to prove a point they were good enough.
Nah, Lowe is the same douche no matter who he's playing.
I don't really watch any NH club rugby, but I'm surprised he is still getting picked, just screams washed up journeyman to me. Offers no threat ball in hand and is quite error ridden, only thing he seems to bring to the table is a decent boot which is not that important for a winger. Do they really not have any quick youngsters coming through at all?
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I know Soldier Field is an iconic venue with Lake Michigan on one side and the backdrop of Downtown Chicago on the other, but it was a terrible venue yesterday for a game of international Rugby.
The pitch was in awful condition and too small. The big screens did screen weren't on.
When the ABs play again in the USA, I hope they play somewhere else.
1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland - Wikipedia
