AB EOYT 2018
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@tim I think those in the main squad will miss out as the final Bledisloe is next week. So the likes of Dalton might miss Saturday's match against Wellington.
Those players named in the Japan squad will probably play the NPC final and then fly out afterwards.
Can someone confirm?
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@canes4life The Australia game is on the 27th, so two weekends away.
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@tim So Dalton will miss the final if Auckland make it, but play this week?
@canes4life He'll miss the semi this weekend i'd say (as will Fifita for Wellington).
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@canes4life He'll miss the semi this weekend i'd say (as will Fifita for Wellington).
@kiwimurph yeah I think so aswell. I wonder if they will fly someone like Coles out late just to give him some more minutes.
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@canes4life He'll miss the semi this weekend i'd say (as will Fifita for Wellington).
@kiwimurph Really emphasises what little respect the NPC is accorded.
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No Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen. Other props with much less experience picked ahead of him. Is he injured or was he one of Akira's drinking buddies?
@sparky As a Wellington fan I'm glad he's missed out on the All Blacks. Not because we have him for the finals but because I frankly can't see him getting any better. He is too nice, too soft and for a prop at International standard you are going to be taken to the cleaners.
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@kiwimurph Really emphasises what little respect the NPC is accorded.
@tim I think Ta$man has probably come off best from the latest All Blacks announcement. Their favouritism for the title would have gone up a few notches, especially if they can get Frizzell back.
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@tim I think Ta$man has probably come off best from the latest All Blacks announcement. Their favouritism for the title would have gone up a few notches, especially if they can get Frizzell back.
@canes4life Check the Mitre 10 Cup thread.
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@kiwimurph Really emphasises what little respect the NPC is accorded.
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No Will Jordan, but I suspect it's a case of not yet and George Bridge having a more rounded game at the moment.
@sparky Yeah Will Jordan will 100% be an All Black. Looks like a very natural Fullback.
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@rocky-rockbottom said in AB EOYT 2018:
Reado and Ardie: always going to pick these two:
Dick Frizzle: injured (RSI bum splinters from Landers bench. could've happened to anyone)Luke Whitelock: a cantab so must be a good bloke. On tour it's all about having good blokes around that I can relate to. I can't relate to that huge terrifying hua from Auckland. He scares me. Holding up mauls by himself, all that frightening rugby stuff, gah, no thank you.
I can't stand LW either - but i did have to laugh the other day when i was at a presso taken by none other than my "fav" invisible man / rugby player Ruebs Thorne (Phooey - wherever you are i thought of you)... and the first slide they put up was why they'd always pick Whitelock ahead of Ioane.
Anyway obviously Akiras 'attacking' stats were good.. but the rest were mud -
@tim even more daft when you look at Manawatu who had 3 ABs released for thier must win clash with Southland, while no other ABs released, all odd and clearly above my pay grade!
@taniwharugby said in AB EOYT 2018:
@tim even more daft when you look at Manawatu who had 3 ABs released for thier must win clash with Southland, while no other ABs released, all odd and clearly above my pay grade!
Those released players, Hemopo, Laumape and NMS are not in the main squad though. Only in the extras.
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@williethewaiter What competition was these stats from? Because his other (avaialble) stats in Super rugby weren't that mud (especially compared with a similar player who made the ABs like Taufua).
I'm hoping they have better stats than we get, including breakdown attendance, cleanouts, metres run, dominant tackles etc.
I've written about my observations of him in Mitre 10 threads and had the Auckland mafia come down hard on me, but I think itis simply about workrate off the ball. He's a monster with it, and does some great things on defence (e.g., holding up players in the tackle), but is still not always making the effort of others. In the games I watched, he made star plays, but Papali'i always looked like the player who was at a level above in all facets.
NB: To be clear, I'd have picked him. I personally believe that the AB coaches should be good enough coaches to get the best out of him. Of course, it could be that they had a look at him during the French series and he didn't perform, in which case he has a very long road back. If so, he'll be on the Luatua track - off at the end of next year.
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I'm hoping they have better stats than we get, including breakdown attendance, cleanouts, metres run, dominant tackles etc.
I've written about my observations of him in Mitre 10 threads and had the Auckland mafia come down hard on me, but I think itis simply about workrate off the ball. He's a monster with it, and does some great things on defence (e.g., holding up players in the tackle), but is still not always making the effort of others. In the games I watched, he made star plays, but Papali'i always looked like the player who was at a level above in all facets.
NB: To be clear, I'd have picked him. I personally believe that the AB coaches should be good enough coaches to get the best out of him. Of course, it could be that they had a look at him during the French series and he didn't perform, in which case he has a very long road back. If so, he'll be on the Luatua track - off at the end of next year.
@gt12 yeah we know they have access to a host of other stats, one assumes GPS data as well, but still, just watching how a player plays doesnt seem too far off in most cases; Akira, Brett Cameron, Reuben O'Neill excepted
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Is Brett Cameron signed to play for the Crusaders for next year? Or is he still without a contract for next year?
I wonder what Reuben O'Neill's Super Rugby future is looking like too?
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Interesting re: the drinking in Dunedin, and how the selectors have explained subsequent omissions.
Laumape was needing to work on his communication.
Akira needing to work on his whatever.I'm taking form this that the current management aren't prepared to publicly crucify social behaviour if it isn't already outed in the media, and will come up with rugby explanations for ommisions. Although to be fair, Akira really, really does have some raw parts to his game.
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Is Brett Cameron signed to play for the Crusaders for next year? Or is he still without a contract for next year?
I wonder what Reuben O'Neill's Super Rugby future is looking like too?
@southernmann said in AB EOYT 2018:
Reuben O'Neill
Did someone post that the Blues were looking at him, or was it just a "the Blues should look at him" post?
Doesn't seem a standout, but most of the Auckland and Harbour looseheads are very young.
