All Blacks 2022

Victor Meldrew

I sense Foster will make minimal changes so Knowler's XV is closer I think. I don't see Frizell making the cut (I'd go for Akira if fit) and the front row could change a bit.

Robert van Royen’s is weird. No way would you leave Jordie Barrett or Aaron Smith - two world-class players - out of a starting XV to play Ireland.

mariner4life

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2022:

@mariner4life Do you start the better rugby player OR do you play the better No.8?

Well, traditionally, when the ABs fuck about, ypu pick the best rugby players

Then you get Cullen at centre.

I want A Savea at 7 or 20 because his skill set is too good to ignore all together. And he will provide great balance to the starting trio or great energy off the bench.

But he's not got the right attributes to be the best #8

KiwiMurph

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

Just as well our Stuff scribes aren't the AB selectors.

Knowler said he wouldn't even have Finlay Christie in his AB squad. Cripes they are battlers.

Chris B.

Fozzie was on The Breakdown tonight.

He said two interesting things:

He's expecting to select 36 players in the initial squad for Ireland (won't be more, could be less depending on who is injured).
The problem with red cards appear to not be so much with the tackle heights of the initial tackler as with the second man coming in to make a two man dominant tackle failing to adjust to the dynamics. He thinks they will need to look long and hard at how the All Blacks play this. Whether they send the second man in less hard, or whether they decide it's too risky to be worth doing at all.

My thought was maybe choose who can do it - don't use Scott Barrett for one.

Bones

@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2022:

Fozzie was on The Breakdown tonight.

He said two interesting things:

He's expecting to select 36 players in the initial squad for Ireland (won't be more, could be less depending on who is injured).

The problem with red cards appear to not be so much with the tackle heights of the initial tackler as with the second man coming in to make a two man dominant tackle failing to adjust to the dynamics. He thinks they will need to look long and hard at how the All Blacks play this. Whether they send the second man in less hard, or whether they decide it's too risky to be worth doing at all.

My thought was maybe choose who can do it - don't use Scott Barrett for one.

Yeah, Blackadder, Vaai, DP, Cane don't seem to suffer so much from this affliction.

Bovidae

Unco props and locks are the problem.

number9

These selections are joke, these reporters selected most of the time based upon fan favorites and have done no research.

I watched this weekends games with our props in mind especially the props. Looking at these selections I would have to say you can forget about de Groot.

I have never been impressed by him at all, he was solid at scrum time but was non-existant f
with his work around the paddock. George Bower is another mistake, strong Crusadera pack did not really trouble the Rebels in the first half. Williams off the bench with the game in the bag, he has a long way to go and his fitness is not up to scratch.

My selections for the July series would be at TH Ofa, Lomax and Laulala on the LH side Hodgman, Ross and Big Karl.

Bovidae

I still have doubts about Lomax's scrummaging, and he got penalised a few times against Qld. The Canes have the Brumbies next week so let's see how he goes against Sio and Slipper.

Laulala and Tu’inukuafe offer nothing around the field (slow and very lazy defenders) so are we only picking them for their scrummaging ability?

booboo

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2022:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2022:

Anyone know when the dates get confirmed for the Tests this year? Doesn't seem to be anything online

Irish travel sites are saying the 3 tests are

Saturday 2nd July
Saturday 9th July
Saturday 16th July

Those dates are confirmed on the WR website but the venues are still listed as TBC.

And these are the refs for those tests:

Karl Dickson (RFU)
Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Wayne Barnes (RFU)

Are those guys still alive?

Bones

@booboo said in All Blacks 2022:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2022:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2022:

Anyone know when the dates get confirmed for the Tests this year? Doesn't seem to be anything online

Irish travel sites are saying the 3 tests are

Saturday 2nd July
Saturday 9th July
Saturday 16th July

Those dates are confirmed on the WR website but the venues are still listed as TBC.

And these are the refs for those tests:

Karl Dickson (RFU)
Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Wayne Barnes (RFU)

Are those guys still alive?

Wayne is reffing every game I seem to switch on over here. Jack was over here for 6n I think.

African Monkey

People keep wanting to get rid of Laulala, but he's the only decent scrummager at TH in this country so unless someone can do it better, then he stays there with Tu'ungafasi off the bench.

Tu'inukuafe makes the squad too with Moody injured, but he either starts or doesn't play at all imo as he is a slug around the field. Hodgman is good off the bench, so he can fill that role.

Bovidae

@African-Monkey So do we follow the Boks lead and play each front row 40 mins?

I think we have to move on from Big Karl. Whether it's age or something else, but both Laulala and Tu’inukuafe contributed so much more around the field when at the Chiefs. I know Tu’inukuafe has had his health issues but he doesn't currently look like he can even play a full half.

gt12

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

@African-Monkey So do we follow the Boks lead and play each front row 40 mins?

I think we have to move on from Big Karl. Whether it's age or something else, but both Laulala and Tu’inukuafe contributed so much more around the field when at the Chiefs. I know Tu’inukuafe has had his health issues but he doesn't currently look like he can even play a full half.

I think that if we have a problem where Laulala is the only (fit) player who can scrum at that level, we have to take the pain this year of finding/developing players who can.

We might then have a chance of putting out players next year who can carry out set piece and contribute.

The ABs are and are not a representative team - whether we agree or not, there is a development need that can't be ignored. I hope their time developing Lomax is going to pay off...

Dan54

Ok well found it intereting hearing Foster talk last night on Breakdown and say they be naming 36 player for Steinlager series, And he said maybe a couple less, but probably not more. I got impression they wanting to be playing bulk of WC squad from here on in, and more or less they almost a year behind where they want to be for WC, they were kind of forced to take extra players etc last year because of covid etc. I thinking you would look at 2 staring teams of 15 players, plus extra front row halfback and a 10/15 player if you looking at a 36 man squad?
Also mentioned they may have to look at changing defence and using a second man in tackle as that's where a lot of cards are happening with players coming over top of first tackler , and attacking players coming down a bit. If it happens can see game opening up a lot.

Chris B.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

@African-Monkey So do we follow the Boks lead and play each front row 40 mins?

I think we have to move on from Big Karl. Whether it's age or something else, but both Laulala and Tu’inukuafe contributed so much more around the field when at the Chiefs. I know Tu’inukuafe has had his health issues but he doesn't currently look like he can even play a full half.

Worrying times if guys can't contribute around the field because they're 29 and 30!

The other thing Fozzie said of interest is that positions causing most difficulty are midfield, loose forwards and front row (he listed them in that order and seemed like it was in order of his priority - front row came not quite as an after-thought, but somewhat tacked on).

Which in some ways is more revealing that he's more settled at lock, inside and outside backs.

Tim

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

So do we follow the Boks lead and play each front row 40 mins?

I'd say it's worth a try if we can't find the more rounded players we'd like to have.

Tim

Possible squad of 36, with a few alternatives.

Prop 6
Hodgman
Moody
de Groot
Tu'ungafasi
Laulala
Lomax (Newell)

Hooker 3
Taukei'aho
Taylor
Aumua/Coles

Lock 5
Whitelock
Retallick
S Barrett
Tuipulotu (Vaa'i)
Lord

Loose Forward 7
Cane
Papalii
Savea
Sotutu
A Ioane
Blackadder
Robinson (Frizell)

Half Back 3
Smith
Christie
Weber (Perenara)

First Five 3
B Barrett
Mo'unga
McKenzie (Perofeta)

Midfield 5
Goodhue
Ioane
Tupaea
Havilli (RTS, TUJ)
Fainga'anuku (PUJ)

Outside Back 4
J Barrett
Jordan
Reece
Clarke

Dan54

@Tim tend to think there will one or two less loose forwards and maybe 5 locks with one a couple to cover 6 ie Vai'i and Barrett. But don't think I would argue a lot with players you named there. Would be pretty happy with most of them if not all, certainly noone I can think of should or should not be there.

Bovidae

@Tim
Tuipulotu is another whose time has passed.

Bones

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2022:

People keep wanting to get rid of Laulala, but he's the only decent scrummager at TH in this country so unless someone can do it better, then he stays there with Tu'ungafasi off the bench.

The old Owen Franks argument, that never really has anything behind it other than gut feel, right? What is it that proves he's the only decent scummager?

The Silver Fern

All Blacks 2022