All Blacks vs Tonga
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If I'm honest, the midfielder selection doesn't worry me in the slightest. While I really like ALB (hard to believe I know) any combination of the 4 will be pretty fucking good. We're very stacked at 12 and 13.
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Only watched the first half, but will drop these truth bombs and then vacate
Bridge looks to me like RW or utility playing on the wrong wing. But still good, but would like to see Reiko back on his game.
Smith still looked a bit slow when put in space.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
If I'm honest, the midfielder selection doesn't worry me in the slightest. While I really like ALB (hard to believe I know) any combination of the 4 will be pretty fucking good. We're very stacked at 12 and 13.
Yeah.
After yesterday I can't believe I'd leave Crotty out of the 23, but I would. (12 Dubs, 13 Goodhue, 22. ALB)
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@booboo said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
If I'm honest, the midfielder selection doesn't worry me in the slightest. While I really like ALB (hard to believe I know) any combination of the 4 will be pretty fucking good. We're very stacked at 12 and 13.
Yeah.
After yesterday I can't believe I'd leave Crotty out of the 23, but I would. (12 Dubs, 13 Goodhue, 22. ALB)
From being an area of uncertainty MF is now looking pretty flush with options. The team are coming together right on time
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@canefan said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
The team are coming together right on time
you mean like the coaches knew what they were upto all along?
#trusttheprocess
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
One more, what was with the ball? It looked like they lost the match ball and had to play with the old faded training ball
Yeah I never noticed but it looks crap
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@Machpants said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
One more, what was with the ball? It looked like they lost the match ball and had to play with the old faded training ball
Yeah I never noticed but it looks crap
That's what happens when you keep grounding it for a try.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Machpants said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
One more, what was with the ball? It looked like they lost the match ball and had to play with the old faded training ball
Yeah I never noticed but it looks crap
That's what happens when you keep grounding it for a try.
I saw it but couldn't make out the pattern. Thought it might be a tropical flower on each end
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@booboo said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Nepia said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
TBH, the coaches can't have learned anything from this match.
Really? Think they did some good stuff they'll build on. Particularly early. Later on, not so much.
I was more meaning about making comparisons between players. It was nearly an opposed training run rather than a proper match.
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Very one-sided affair. ABs forwards looking to be in great condition. Excellent passing performance by the inside backs. Woeful defence from Tonga. ABs' Back Three had enough about them to cut a disorganised defence to pieces again and again. Good to give Josh Ioane some game time, just in case they need to fly him out to Japan later in the tournament.
Two negatives for me.
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No Jack Goodhue. Been out with the hamstring injury for a while. Is he going to be fit for RWC?
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Beauden Barrett's kicking from hand was substandard. Richie M is now the clear first-choice First Five.
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This is probably not a very popular opinion, but I think that ALB is playing a bit better right now.
So, assuming they keep either Crotty or SBW at 12, Goodhue may not get a run.
Btw, I’d probably have ALB and Goodhue as my first choice - although I doubt that is the selector’s thinking.
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@booboo said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Salacious-Crumb said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
@Machpants said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
Still listening to the conference, Hansen very grumpy, back to bad old Hansen
His jab at the press at the 6:12 mark was awesome. Calls them out for being lazy boring useless time-wasters.
Didn't think his reactions were all that necessary.
What are the questions they should have been asking?
Something not along the lines of the boring "emotional" crap most were.
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@Siam said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
I might be alone but I thought Bridge was a bit of a hungus actually. Fluffed a couple and scored one which benefited from weak tackling rather than rugby skill.
He's perfectly adequate but I strongly prefer Reiko in the next game.
Yeah he definitely was, even when he looked to pass he'd somehow run away from his support. That does seem to be a fairly common thing for new AB wingers though - I reckon they get told in first few games to just go for it.
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@Siam said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
I might be alone but I thought Bridge was a bit of a hungus actually. Fluffed a couple and scored one which benefited from weak tackling rather than rugby skill.
He's perfectly adequate but I strongly prefer Reiko in the next game.
I think his hungusness was discussed in the thread when the match was on, he’s making a run for the new Hungus Masaga title - although Hungus Bridge doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Luckily for him we usually scored despite his hungusness. I’m fully in the Rieko camp, as @No-Quarter stated there’s no way Rieko wouldn’t have carved up in that match. I’d like us to try Bridge on the right wing.
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@Siam said in All Blacks vs Tonga:
I might be alone but I thought Bridge was a bit of a hungus actually. Fluffed a couple and scored one which benefited from weak tackling rather than rugby skill.
He's perfectly adequate but I strongly prefer Reiko in the next game.
Bridge didn't have the perfect game, but still scored four tries. Even allowing for the pants opposition defence and the brilliant ABs midfield passing, he did okay.
The ABs have three excellent wings in Bridge, Reiko and Reece. All three will be used at some point for the tournament's key games. Fitness will influence which of the two start. Ben Smith and Jordie Barrett might be used on right wing in Japan but are behind the top 3.
