England v All Blacks
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@ACT-Crusader said in England v All Blacks:
@pourfasse we often have one of our outside backs around the ruck in attack.
We want him to carry because he actually makes metres when he does.Sounds good, except when he's doing it on defence too, without even opening his gob and just walking around a handful of metres behind it - that does smell to me a lot like "I'm awaiting a miracle turnover or ball bobbling out so I can get an eye catching run".
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think it was the Ben Youngs and Dan Cole podcast that suggested that England are playing better than the sum of their parts. They mentioned that if you picked a world XV today barely any Englishmen would make it in and I have to agree with the possible exception of Itoje / Underhill / Curry who would be there or there abouts. Some may become world class but almost none are.
With the ABs, I would say that the cattle are in a similar position, I don't think there are many that would make it into a world XV, but the coaching seems not to be making the best of them at the moment. The lack of direction and intensity on Saturday was something i can't remember seeing from the ABs, don't know if they're not drilled well enough (particularly in defence), or if they're not fit enough, or simply not understanding instructions. Playing 10 behind a pack going backwards in almost every contact (except the lineout) is always horrible and even the best players look can look awful. BB looks a bit lost at the moment
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The moment Mick Byrne left the ABs our kicking and high ball has gone to shyte.
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@Kirwan said in England v All Blacks:
Watching this game, I remember thinking how lucky we were that England weren’t playing better. They had a chance to put more than 25 in a row in us.
The score massively flattered us.
We should have won that. Coaching own goal.
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@Dodge England are a damn good side at the moment. Lots of balance to their game, they are really well drilled and confident in what they are doing, they have threat in so many aspects of their play, young guys like Feyi-Waboso, Pollock and Pepper are coming on leaps and bounds at the moment.
The Triple Crown, the Six Nations Title and the Grand Slam are all realistic objectives for England in the spring and making the Nations Championship final and the World Cup Final beyond that.
There was no shame in losing to England.
What there was deep shame in for the All Blacks was the manner of the defeat and the performance that proceeded it. We were way off.
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Is this the first year that no AB has been nominated for mens player of the year??
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@Young-Hamiltons said in England v All Blacks:
Is this the first year that no AB has been nominated for mens player of the year??
If you were picking a world 15 , I can’t remember a time when there would be so few allblacks in it .
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@mikey07 said in England v All Blacks:
So a little bit of inside knowledge from a source there’s tremendous friction in the camp (don’t know what about they wouldn’t spill) and that after that loss to England in the weekend Scott Barrett was on the verge of tears in the changing sheds.
You'd have to think there is a terminal problem with harmony within the group, either between the coaches, the coaches and players, the players themselves, or a combination. Even in Fozzie's darkest hours there did not appear to be cracks within the group themselves. Or at least no one broke ranks.
The bold play will be to bin the coaching group and at least salvage some of the wider player group, install someone for two years who can at least rebuild some esprit de corp within the team. I'm not sure NZR have the balls or the appetite for that
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@mikey07 said in England v All Blacks:
So a little bit of inside knowledge from a source there’s tremendous friction in the camp.
This rumour has been doing the rounds since August at least. If anyone has any precise details, I'm all ears.

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@mikey07 said in England v All Blacks:
Scott Barrett was on the verge of tears in the changing sheds.
May sound stupid, but good for him. Indicates passion.
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@canefan said in England v All Blacks:
I'm not sure NZR have the balls or the appetite for that
Or the money, possibly.
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@mikey07 said in England v All Blacks:
Scott Barrett was on the verge of tears in the changing sheds.
I'd expect nothing less from an All Blacks captain in the circumstances.
One of the All Black great strengths over the years is that they fucking hate losing.
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@Tim said in England v All Blacks:
@mikey07 said in England v All Blacks:
Scott Barrett was on the verge of tears in the changing sheds.
He seems like a good guy who shouldn't be in that position.
Hes definitely got that Taine Randall look right now