AB EOYT 2018

@bones said in AB EOYT 2018:

Jesus, every hour Akira gets more and more legendary as the most amazing player in the world ever. Poor old Gibson, so easily forgotten.

Perfectly valid to want to see what he could with an AB forward pack in front of him. The same chance that Whitelock, Frizzel, Fifita, Squire, Savea and now bloody Evans have had.

I agree wholeheartedly. However, that's not what my post was aimed at - the hype being built up around a player that occasionally looks very good at super level is ridiculous. This is blowing the Ngatai nonsense clean outta the water.

Edit: The coaches have different plans for him - at least they have plans. As I said earlier, I really won't be surprised if they break him out for the RWC, when no bugger has had a chance to have a good look at him and see how he's being used.

Kirwan

@bones said in AB EOYT 2018:

@kirwan said in AB EOYT 2018:

@bones said in AB EOYT 2018:

Jesus, every hour Akira gets more and more legendary as the most amazing player in the world ever. Poor old Gibson, so easily forgotten.

Perfectly valid to want to see what he could with an AB forward pack in front of him. The same chance that Whitelock, Frizzel, Fifita, Squire, Savea and now bloody Evans have had.

I agree wholeheartedly. However, that's not what my post was aimed at - the hype being built up around a player that occasionally looks very good at super level is ridiculous. This is blowing the Ngatai nonsense clean outta the water.

Edit: The coaches have different plans for him - at least they have plans. As I said earlier, I really won't be surprised if they break him out for the RWC, when no bugger has had a chance to have a good look at him and see how he's being used.

I've not seen anybody say anything other than they want to see him in the squad, so they can see what he can do. Or that he's better than the other plodders they are picking, which he's already proven for a few years now at Super level.

Bones

@kirwan What? There has been a lot more than that said!

Kirwan

@bones said in AB EOYT 2018:

@kirwan What? There has been a lot more than that said!

Not really, most posts fall in the two camps I posted. Better than dross like Whitelock, or give him the same chance as their project players.

Tim

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/all-blacks-omission-akira-ioane-snapped-up-by-nz-maori

The chance to pick Ioane came as a surprise to head coach Clayton McMillan, who jumped at the chance to use the ball-carrying eight.

“We didn’t really anticipate Akira being involved with us and he’s going to be a significant boost for our team,” McMillan said at the announcement of the squad.

“We’re all well aware of his strengths and we’ll welcome him into our fold with open arms.

“He’s been a part of the All Blacks environment for the last 12-18 months.

“We make a few assumptions fairly early on, on who might be available to us and we obviously got that one wrong.”

antipodean

Why wouldn't the Māori coach have an inside word about which players would be probably available to him?

Tim

@antipodean Apparently they generally do:

“It had its challenges, but the All Blacks management and coaching staff have been extremely open around who might become available to us, post the Japan commitments,” he said.

antipodean

@tim said in AB EOYT 2018:

@antipodean Apparently they generally do:

“It had its challenges, but the All Blacks management and coaching staff have been extremely open around who might become available to us, post the Japan commitments,” he said.

So it's a non-story.

Chris B.

@nepia said in AB EOYT 2018:

@chris-b said in AB EOYT 2018:

@act-crusader ...the dropping of Cully. The whole Mitch era really.

Henry over Deans in 2008.

The Hammettuer thread - you did great service at keeping that one going and going.

I don't like to see wrong-headed thinking prevail!

Tim

@antipodean The thing is that they normally do know who's available, but with Ioane they didn't, and were surprised that he was.

Nepia

@chris-b said in AB EOYT 2018:

@nepia said in AB EOYT 2018:

@chris-b said in AB EOYT 2018:

@act-crusader ...the dropping of Cully. The whole Mitch era really.

Henry over Deans in 2008.

The Hammettuer thread - you did great service at keeping that one going and going.

I don't like to see wrong-headed thinking prevail!

I know, yet it did for four years before the Canes saw the light and appointed a new coach and won their first Super trophy.

Nepia

@tim said in AB EOYT 2018:

@antipodean The thing is that they normally do know who's available, but with Ioane they didn't, and were surprised that he was.

Maybe it was a last minute swap out with the white version of Akira - Evans and they didn't get round to notifying McMillan?

Chris B.

@nepia said in AB EOYT 2018:

@chris-b said in AB EOYT 2018:

@nepia said in AB EOYT 2018:

@chris-b said in AB EOYT 2018:

@act-crusader ...the dropping of Cully. The whole Mitch era really.

Henry over Deans in 2008.

The Hammettuer thread - you did great service at keeping that one going and going.

I don't like to see wrong-headed thinking prevail!

I know, yet it did for four years before the Canes saw the light and appointed a new coach and won their first Super trophy.

Just a pity that the cleaning lady found Hammer's blackboard after that!

antipodean

@tim said in AB EOYT 2018:

@antipodean The thing is that they normally do know who's available, but with Ioane they didn't, and were surprised that he was.

It's a shit article because it has no timeline. They 'make a few assumptions fairly early on', 'didn’t really anticipate Akira being involved' and 'the All Blacks management and coaching staff have been extremely open'.

mariner4life

@tim my favourite one from Sunday didn't result in a try because think Nanai kicked it dead. But he smashed some bloke, dislodged the ball, regathered the ball, and then moved it on instantly. Physicality and skill.

Definitely the 14th best loose forward in the country...

The Silver Fern

AB EOYT 2018