All Blacks 2022

Bones

@gt12 yeah he's got good hands too, seems a solid option taker.

broughie

@old-samurai-jack yep. He shows more than Sotutu and adds more in grafting yards than Ardie. He always is breaking the gain line. Ardie then to 7.

KiwiMurph

@bones said in All Blacks 2022:

Can't be far off being eligible?

Ainsley played for the Wallabies in 2018 so should be eligible this year for ABs (three year stand down period).

I agree he's been impressive.

Crazy Horse

@kiwimurph said in All Blacks 2022:

@bones said in All Blacks 2022:

Can't be far off being eligible?

Ainsley played for the Wallabies in 2018 so should be eligible this year for ABs (three year stand down period).

That still doesn't feel right to me.

kiwi_expat

I want to see brave selections in 2022, not afraid to leave out established players, something like this:

De Groot
Taukei'aho
Mafileo
Rettalick
Whitelock
Vaa'i
Papali'i
Ioane
Smith
Barrett
Ioane
Umaga-Jenson 1
Umaga-Jenson 2
Jordan
Barrett
Coles
Williams
A.Moli
Barrett
Savea
Fakatava
Mo'unga
Lienert-Brown

Greater emphasis on size and physicality in selecting the starting XV, and a lot less limited Crusaders players.

Crucial

@kiwi_expat I like the concept but you still have three old locks that are failing to make ground.

kiwi_expat

@crucial said in All Blacks 2022:

@kiwi_expat I like the concept but you still have three old locks that are failing to make ground.

Yeah, I just wanted to retain some experience in there somewhere. But Scooter isn't that old.

McWhannell, Parkinson, Ah Kuoi, Josh Lord, Sam Darry, Fabian Holland, all need time to mature.

Crucial

I just want players that fight for every inch and make the opposition do the same. The culling needs to be the passive runners and tacklers.

In that respect we need the likes of Ardie and Cane. Some argue that the balance is out but Cane at least makes runners fight for ground (as does Papali'i).while Ardie is all elbows and knees with great leg drive. I'd rather 5 metres from Ardie drawing in defenders to stop him than 7 metres from someone else that takes the tackle.
I get that AIoane can also attract defenders with a charge but his workrate and ground covered is nowhere near. Remember that the 8 is usually tasked with dropping back to support from a kick.

Definitely our old props need to go.
And there is no room at all for the likes of Bridge who cannot beat a tackle. Clarke and Reece can.

Edit: just checked some stats from ABs last year and Reece isn't much better than Bridge. Each only beat a defender once a game on average and it happens once every 7 runs.

Ioane beats defenders once every 4 runs at over 2 defenders beaten per game.
Jordan once every 4 runs at just under 2 per game
Dmac beat defenders once every 2.5 runs at 2 per game

The base numbers are arguable but are presumably consistent in the methodology of measuring so Jordan and Ioane are twice as good as Bridge and Reece.

Higgins

@crucial said in All Blacks 2022:

Dmac beat defenders once every 2.5 runs at 2 per game

Are there separate statistics for defenders beaten whilst running forwards and running sideways or are they just all lumped together?

Crucial

@higgins said in All Blacks 2022:

@crucial said in All Blacks 2022:

Dmac beat defenders once every 2.5 runs at 2 per game

Are there separate statistics for defenders beaten whilst running forwards and running sideways or are they just all lumped together?

That’s so 2018

gt12

@higgins said in All Blacks 2022:

@crucial said in All Blacks 2022:

Dmac beat defenders once every 2.5 runs at 2 per game

Are there separate statistics for defenders beaten whilst running forwards and running sideways or are they just all lumped together?

I thought @antipodean would have got in here with that comment first!

From the way he is going over here, I don't know that he'll want to come home. He's killing it, making heaps of cash, and is adored.

cgrant

@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2022:

I want to see brave selections in 2022, not afraid to leave out established players, something like this:

De Groot

Taukei'aho

Mafileo

Rettalick

Whitelock

Vaa'i

Papali'i

Ioane

Smith

Barrett

Ioane

Umaga-Jenson 1

Umaga-Jenson 2

Jordan

Barrett

Coles

Williams

A.Moli

Barrett

Savea

Fakatava

Mo'unga

Lienert-Brown

Greater emphasis on size and physicality in selecting the starting XV, and a lot less limited Crusaders players.

If you play a lock at 6, then I think Selby-Rickitt looks to be more suited to that role.
I am not convinced by Mafileo. He is a strong scrummager and is absent in the loose. Ainsley is the form THP in the country.

I'd go with :

De Groot
Taukei'aho
Ainsley
Retallick
Whitelock
Ioane
Cane / Papali'i
Sowakula
Smith
Mo'unga
Clarke
T. Umaga-Jensen / J. Barrett
Ioane / P. Umaga-Jensen
Jordan / Ioane
J. Barrett / Jordan

Coles
Hogdman
Lomax
Barrett
Savea
Weber
B. Barrett
Fainganu'uku

Daffy Jaffy

@cgrant Ainsley played 3 time for the Wallabies in 2018 so likely not eligible. NZ born though.

Grooter

@daffy-jaffy so he's now completed his 3 year stand down period and would therefore be eligible for the ABs?

Daffy Jaffy

@fakatavafuture Or has it now changed to five years? Then there was some Olympic loophole thing. I'm not up to speed with the latest rules.

Dan54

@fakatavafuture said in All Blacks 2022:

@daffy-jaffy so he's now completed his 3 year stand down period and would therefore be eligible for the ABs?

He actually qualified last year, but as he was injured and didn't play, he has to wait for the 5 years, (end of this year) I think it starts from when he left college or something now too.

Bones

@dan54 said in All Blacks 2022:

@fakatavafuture said in All Blacks 2022:

@daffy-jaffy so he's now completed his 3 year stand down period and would therefore be eligible for the ABs?

He actually qualified last year, but as he was injured and didn't play, he has to wait for the 5 years, (end of this year) I think it starts from when he left college or something now too.

Sounds like you're talking about Fakatava, not Ainsley.

Crucial

@bones said in All Blacks 2022:

@dan54 said in All Blacks 2022:

@fakatavafuture said in All Blacks 2022:

@daffy-jaffy so he's now completed his 3 year stand down period and would therefore be eligible for the ABs?

He actually qualified last year, but as he was injured and didn't play, he has to wait for the 5 years, (end of this year) I think it starts from when he left college or something now too.

Sounds like you're talking about Fakatava, not Ainsley.

Standard Fern diversion.

Machpants

@daffy-jaffy said in All Blacks 2022:

@fakatavafuture Or has it now changed to five years? Then there was some Olympic loophole thing. I'm not up to speed with the latest rules.

5 years is to get residency for non born (or parents/g parents). Ainsley born in NZ, new rule that after 3 years of not playing test rugby you are then ‘re-eligible’ for your birth (parent/g parent) country. So Ainsley, born in NZ not played for wallabies for more than 3 years, is now eligible for ABs. Piutau, born in NZ but Tongan parents & hasn’t played for ABs for over 3 years, is now eligible for Tonga - etc. No need for Olympc loophole, which still works.

Crucial

Consensus here seems to be that we can't ditch the old locks yet as the replacements aren't ready.

That points to a need to get them ready.

Vai'i and Lord are in the prime position to put their hands up playing alongside BBBR in Super.

It still may be a season too early for some but even so they need to be in the 23 mix to get experience. I would alternate starts alongside a veteran with another vet on the bench.
I like the energy that Vai'i brings but he seems to be lacking mass in collisions

The Silver Fern

All Blacks 2022