2018 Rugby Championship

[taniwharugby]

@machpants kinda disproves the other thing NH like to shout about, that refs are afraid to card us.

What would that look at pre-2017, 2016, 2017 (when comparing) and 2018 aint been kind to us, it's like the refs are against us and there is some conspiracy to try to keep us from dominating the world!

[Tim]

Rugby: Sonny Bill Williams eyes return for All Blacks 'game of three halves'

[Stargazer]

The match officials for the TRC have been announced:

The full list can be found here.

[Crucial]

Nooooooo!
Rasta makes his way up the ranks!

[booboo]

Gauzere and Raynal. Sheesh.

Makes having Poite at the end there seem like a good thing.

[MajorPom]

@booboo said in 2018 Rugby Championship:

Gauzere and Raynal. Sheesh.

Makes having Poite at the end there seem like a good thing.

Gonna be interesting to see how these French guys go - after all thst was written in last few months.

At least Rasta hasn’t got a game.

[Tim]

Loosehead prop depth might get a big test:

Fox said the balance of the squad changed slightly because of TRC's travel element. Plus there are returning bodies to factor in, with skipper Kieran Read tracking well post-back surgery, and Nepo Laulala and Dane Coles both not far from returns.

"Nepo and Colesy are not far away, and despite Sonny having injury problems he should be available in the Rugby Championship," said Fox.  "Joe Moody too, even though he might miss one or two early. There will be some discussion around how we manage that.

Might see us going into some tests with Karl Tuinukuafe and Ofa T as the looseheads.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/105484296/midfield-wealth-creates-headaches-for-all-blacks

[Chester Draws]

I'm pretty comfortable that five will go into four reasonably easily. That both Crotty and Williams are fit at the same time is possible, but not common.

[Tim]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/105605930/wallabies-blow-for-rugby-championship-with-tevita-kuridrani-out-for-three-months

[KiwiMurph]

@tim that sucks. A bigger loss than Kerevi imo.

[Duluth]

Hodge to 13?

[barbarian]

Probably, yeah. It's a huge loss.

[antipodean]

@tim that is a major blow - both of their leading centres out. Strangely for Australia it's not a position they currently have great depth in.

[Unite]

Looking like a lot of All Blacks either out of form, under cooked or played lots of minutes at Super level. The first and second Bledisloes are going to be pretty ropey I reckon.

[Tim]

@unite At least Read's back. We need to find a six, and get Cane back into for though.

[ACT Crusader]

@unite said in 2018 Rugby Championship:

Looking like a lot of All Blacks either out of form, under cooked or played lots of minutes at Super level. The first and second Bledisloes are going to be pretty ropey I reckon.

We wouldn’t miss a beat if we went with something like....

1. Moody
2. Taylor
3. Franks
4. Retallick
5. Whitelock
6. Squire
7. Todd
8. Read
9. A. Smith
10. B. Barrett
11. Ioane
12. Crotty
13. Lienart-Brown
14. B. Smith
15. J. Barrett

[Bones]

@unite said in 2018 Rugby Championship:

Looking like a lot of All Blacks either out of form, under cooked or played lots of minutes at Super level. The first and second Bledisloes are going to be pretty ropey I reckon.

How about that falling sky?

[Tim]

All Blacks selector Grant Fox calls for Damian McKenzie to make 'better choices'

[Machpants]

@tim Strangely Aaron Smith not mentioned in there too...

[nzzp]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/25/wallabies-well-placed-ahead-of-first-bledisloe-test-after-waratahs-success

well, I couldn't disagree more wtih this guy.

Super rugby success is not corrleated with international success. Going deep into the playoffs just gets the Tahs another return trip to SA, which catches up later in the year.