AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?

[Bones]

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Reiko needs to be left at centre now. He has made the move a bit earlier than most wingers but now he has, he needs to develop the experience there. Moving him around again will be a backward step.

So who does he replace in the midfield?

Crotty...

[pukunui]

@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@taniwharugby Clarke is keen to go based on a quote only a week ago.

“I want to go to Tokyo,” he says. “It’s a big goal, especially while I’m still young. But we’ll just see how this season pans out. The ultimate goal is always the black jersey. If there’s a shot of that it would be something real cool to pursue. **But the Olympics is once in a lifetime as well**.”

Does he realise the olympics are every 4 years?

[Bovidae]

I'm sure he thinks going to the Olympics at 21/22 years old would be preferable, and then he focuses on playing XVs.

[Crucial]

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Reiko needs to be left at centre now. He has made the move a bit earlier than most wingers but now he has, he needs to develop the experience there. Moving him around again will be a backward step.

So who does he replace in the midfield?

There’s room for him

[junior]

@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Machpants said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Word. Clarke had to be in, he is a real weapon with all the extra skills.

Needs a touch more experience and he looks like he could be Bridge with a bit more power.

Clarke is young, but needs to get himself more involved if the ball isn't going his way.

how many games had our starting wingers in a RWC semi final played? combined? If you are good enough...

I'm pretty over the "safe" wing spot. I think the trench warfare of test rugby needs a couple of game breakers out wide.

Agree with this. Look at the Pom and Safe wings at the 2019 RWC and every one of them had that "extra" ability to beat a man, which can be a crucial outlet in a tight test match. Look at the value the Poms got out of their wings in that semi as compared to the 3/5 of fuck all we got from ours. It was almost like they'd swapped jerseys before the match. Similarly, the Saffa wings were absolutely terrific in the final, especially late on when defenders are fatigues and there to be beaten by someone capable of using a bit of footwork.

[junior]

@dogmeat said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@gt12 @Chris-B 11 mths out from RWC I was told Bridge was a certainty.

A certainty for the squad or a certainty to playing in a RWC knockout match ahead of the world's best left wing?

[Bones]

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@dogmeat said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@gt12 @Chris-B 11 mths out from RWC I was told Bridge was a certainty.

A certainty for the squad or a certainty to playing in a RWC knockout match ahead of the world's best left wing?

Iirc he was being touted as a fullback?

[junior]

@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Reiko needs to be left at centre now. He has made the move a bit earlier than most wingers but now he has, he needs to develop the experience there. Moving him around again will be a backward step.

So who does he replace in the midfield?

Crotty...

So Rieko is midfield squad cover now?

[Bones]

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Reiko needs to be left at centre now. He has made the move a bit earlier than most wingers but now he has, he needs to develop the experience there. Moving him around again will be a backward step.

So who does he replace in the midfield?

Crotty...

So Rieko is midfield squad cover now?

I don't know. IMO he's certainly moved ahead of Ennor. And SBW. And Smith.

[KiwiMurph]

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@junior said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Reiko needs to be left at centre now. He has made the move a bit earlier than most wingers but now he has, he needs to develop the experience there. Moving him around again will be a backward step.

So who does he replace in the midfield?

Crotty...

So Rieko is midfield squad cover now?

He can be centre/wing if your 3 other midfielders are goodhue, alb and laumape, all of whom can play 12.

[Tim]

Is there a single test match quality 12 in NZ at the moment? All of them have major deficiencies. ALB would have been my 13, but has been well down on form. Rieko has been hot shit on attack, but is still learning some of the defence aspects at 13.

[gt12]

@taniwharugby

ESPN

@Bones

Yeah, I don't quite get how Clarke gets so few metres but has a clean break. They're clearly a bit dodgy.

[mariner4life]

@gt12 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@taniwharugby

ESPN

@Bones

Yeah, I don't quite get how Clarke gets so few metres but has a clean break. They're clearly a bit dodgy.

stats courtesy of @Chris-B

[gt12]

@Bones

I think he was touted as the NMS/Smith FB/wing replacement/addition

[Bones]

@Tim said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Is there a single test match quality 12 in NZ at the moment? All of them have major deficiencies. ALB would have been my 13, but has been well down on form. Rieko has been hot shit on attack, but is still learning some of the defence aspects at 13.

Hopefully the AB coaches can see that Goodhue is clearly wasted at 12. ALB will be fine in black.

[Tim]

@Bones ALB at 12 just makes for another crappy, low physicality midfield. Not as bad as some in the past, but pretty average too.

I fear that we are going to get the same high workrate, "high skill" team that would get smashed back behind the advantage line while trying to go extra wide early.

[Crazy Horse]

The weekend was the first time I really started to think Rieko might evolve into a bloody good centre. Need to watch him more on defence, but I thought he showed some nice touches ball in hand (passing to set up others) that I hadn't really seen from him before. Good to see him evolve

I wonder if a Goodhue/Reiko partnership could develop? With Goodhue the glue that allows the dynamic players to flourish.

[Bones]

@Tim said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Bones ALB at 12 just makes for another crappy low physicality midfield. Not as bad as some in the past, but pretty average too.

Definitely not low physicality. Not exactly Tuilagi but not many are.

[Bovidae]

We don't have a Nonu available. Laumape isn't that either as his distribution is more like Nonu c2003.

You need to have all 3 on the field so that's (11) Ioane, (12) ALB and (13) Goodhue.

[Tim]

@Bones ALB/Goodhue, ALB/Ioane, Goodhue/Ioane, and Goodhue/ALB all lack a dominant midfield ball carrier, and rely on a player who looks to take the outside break.