Possible All Blacks 2020
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It’s a weird way of managing workload though.
Take someone like DMac. He trained through summer and had to reach match fitness. Has an early game off followed by a couple of weeks break around the bye playing golf. Sounds ok until you realise that if the Chiefs go long into the tournament and he gets selected for the ABs he could now play and train constantly for the next 9 months.
A couple of weeks at the end of Feb seem a lost cause@Crucial Yeah. Coaches are going to want to get the rests out the way ASAP to maximize their squad flexibility if injuries bite later in the season.
But, it's a pretty blunt instrument.
You'd think it wouldn't be that hard for the AB coaches to work with the Super coaches to map out season programmes for each individual player, with a bit of flexibility for most if they're really needed by their Super team. With "needed" clearly defined.
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It’s a weird way of managing workload though.
Take someone like DMac. He trained through summer and had to reach match fitness. Has an early game off followed by a couple of weeks break around the bye playing golf. Sounds ok until you realise that if the Chiefs go long into the tournament and he gets selected for the ABs he could now play and train constantly for the next 9 months.
A couple of weeks at the end of Feb seem a lost cause@Crucial There is still the rule that ABs can't play more than 6 games in succession (during the regular season). Byes and rest weeks reset the count, but it depends entirely on when a franchise has their byes, whether this will affect a player. A very quick look at the schedule tells me that this rule does affect the Highlanders and Crusaders at the end of the season, but not the Chiefs and Hurricanes, and it affects the Blues (but not in the last two rounds).
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@Crucial There is still the rule that ABs can't play more than 6 games in succession (during the regular season). Byes and rest weeks reset the count, but it depends entirely on when a franchise has their byes, whether this will affect a player. A very quick look at the schedule tells me that this rule does affect the Highlanders and Crusaders at the end of the season, but not the Chiefs and Hurricanes, and it affects the Blues (but not in the last two rounds).
@Stargazer said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
@Crucial There is still the rule that ABs can't play more than 6 games in succession (during the regular season). Byes and rest weeks reset the count, but it depends entirely on when a franchise has their byes, whether this will affect a player. A very quick look at the schedule tells me that this rule does affect the Highlanders and Crusaders at the end of the season, but not the Chiefs and Hurricanes, and it affects the Blues (but not in the last two rounds).
Chiefs have a break in round 12. Cane and ALB likely to have to sit a game out before then. I assume that as you can't plan for finals they are exempt? Would be pretty shit to have to stand down players from finals because you have played them to get there.
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@Stargazer said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
@Crucial There is still the rule that ABs can't play more than 6 games in succession (during the regular season). Byes and rest weeks reset the count, but it depends entirely on when a franchise has their byes, whether this will affect a player. A very quick look at the schedule tells me that this rule does affect the Highlanders and Crusaders at the end of the season, but not the Chiefs and Hurricanes, and it affects the Blues (but not in the last two rounds).
Chiefs have a break in round 12. Cane and ALB likely to have to sit a game out before then. I assume that as you can't plan for finals they are exempt? Would be pretty shit to have to stand down players from finals because you have played them to get there.
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@Stargazer said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
... (during the regular season) ...
Don't expect people to actually read what you type. This is the Fern. I had a point to make
Anyway, that kind of goes back to my OP. Depending on the draw a player could easily have to do 9 games at the crunch end followed by AB camp, more games and a travel schedule around the world.
Not much of a way around that without a clear gap between Super and internationals for a refresh but I can't see how a break in Feb really helps much. -
Shirley a break in Feb is better than no break at all?
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Shirley a break in Feb is better than no break at all?
@Crazy-Horse said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
Shirley a break in Feb is better than no break at all?
And isn't part of the break a mental break as well, not just fitness/game exposure.
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@junior Cruden has a 2 yr contract at Kobe with the possibility of an extension so he won't be playing in NZ beyond this season.
@Bovidae said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
@junior Cruden has a 2 yr contract at Kobe with the possibility of an extension so he won't be playing in NZ beyond this season.
If he is selected for the ABs this year, then in my view there is a chance of him coming back for 2023 - as I said above. Now, we might have an excellent third option by that time, which makes any discussion about selecting Cruden moot. However, we may not and, as a third option, I think he would be a good one.
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A guy I am picking who may not be an All Black this year, but I reckon he could be in the mix for RWC in 2023 is Manaaki Selby Rickett ..I know this selection may not go down well with many, but I believe through a couple of sources , that his form is being monitored..I would imagine on and off the field
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A guy I am picking who may not be an All Black this year, but I reckon he could be in the mix for RWC in 2023 is Manaaki Selby Rickett ..I know this selection may not go down well with many, but I believe through a couple of sources , that his form is being monitored..I would imagine on and off the field
@Steven-Harris
I heard him mentioned in non rugby terms by Southlanders while down that way and his name is still mud.
Might need to look elsewhere for redemption -
A guy I am picking who may not be an All Black this year, but I reckon he could be in the mix for RWC in 2023 is Manaaki Selby Rickett ..I know this selection may not go down well with many, but I believe through a couple of sources , that his form is being monitored..I would imagine on and off the field
@Steven-Harris said in Possible All Blacks 2020:
Manaaki Selby Rickett
Meh ....another athletic 112kg lock. Dime a dozen in NZ.
Fuckin STRINGBEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
@sparky said in Blues v Lions:
Hoskins Sotutu continues to impress. Getting better and better.
When you consider a lot of our loosies over the years have hit their straps in their mid to late 20s and this kid is only 21 ,
he certainly looks like an exciting prospect -
I can’t see how he won’t be selected, at least for the end of year tour as the apprentice, but I suspect as a full playing member of the team - especially because I have my doubts about Jacobson’s return.
He’s not too young - I think both McCaw and Cane were already playing AB rugby at his age, and he’s got the tools and enough size to be a good 8.
We really do have plenty of young loosie talent around. If we had two good locks coming through, I’d feel really confident for the ABs, but hopefully we can keep BBBR and Patty going long enough for another couple to come through.
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I can’t see how he won’t be selected, at least for the end of year tour as the apprentice, but I suspect as a full playing member of the team - especially because I have my doubts about Jacobson’s return.
He’s not too young - I think both McCaw and Cane were already playing AB rugby at his age, and he’s got the tools and enough size to be a good 8.
We really do have plenty of young loosie talent around. If we had two good locks coming through, I’d feel really confident for the ABs, but hopefully we can keep BBBR and Patty going long enough for another couple to come through.
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@Stargazer yep. Grace, Cane Sotutu could be a devastating trio if the young fellas can keep it up at test level. Savea off the bench for the nail in the coffin.
@Bones lol Savea starts before any of those three. Especially on last year's form, he was arguably the best player in the world.
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Foster and Plumtree will want both Cane and Savea in their starting XV so that means finding another loose forward who complements them. The first part of that equation is deciding if Ardie moves to no.8 or Cane could be used as a 6. That 3rd player will need to be a good option in the lineout too.
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Foster and Plumtree will want both Cane and Savea in their starting XV so that means finding another loose forward who complements them. The first part of that equation is deciding if Ardie moves to no.8 or Cane could be used as a 6. That 3rd player will need to be a good option in the lineout too.
@Bovidae said in Blues v Lions:
Foster and Plumtree will want both Cane and Savea in their starting XV so that means finding another loose forward who complements them. The first part of that equation is deciding if Ardie moves to no.8 or Cane could be used as a 6. That 3rd player will need to be a good option in the lineout too.
I can see Ardie being the So’oialo-like number 8 in a back row with Cane and one other. The question become who is the bruiser playing at 6 to balance out that loose trio?
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@Bones lol Savea starts before any of those three. Especially on last year's form, he was arguably the best player in the world.
@Canes4life said in Blues v Lions:
@Bones lol Savea starts before any of those three. Especially on last year's form, he was arguably the best player in the world.
Yeah he's playing fucken awesome right now. Great call. He's like waaaay better than our best loose forward if you're a canes fan.
