Blues 2022
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@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etc@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
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@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
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@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
I wouldn’t bundle the two.
Tana got appointed partly because he had a good coaching record (albeit short by some standards). CM thrived under his guidance (including removing their Shield monkey)
I think there was a view that some of the problems in the team around culture would be fixed with a PI coach.
It proved a step up a bit too quick but when the new board and support structures came in he was able to produce a lot as defence coach. Was consistently up there in end of year defence stats doing very good work. -
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
I wouldn’t bundle the two.
Tana got appointed partly because he had a good coaching record (albeit short by some standards). CM thrived under his guidance (including removing their Shield monkey)
I think there was a view that some of the problems in the team around culture would be fixed with a PI coach.
It proved a step up a bit too quick but when the new board and support structures came in he was able to produce a lot as defence coach. Was consistently up there in end of year defence stats doing very good work.@Crucial said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
I wouldn’t bundle the two.
Tana got appointed partly because he had a good coaching record (albeit short by some standards). CM thrived under his guidance (including removing their Shield monkey)
I think there was a view that some of the problems in the team around culture would be fixed with a PI coach.
It proved a step up a bit too quick but when the new board and support structures came in he was able to produce a lot as defence coach. Was consistently up there in end of year defence stats doing very good work.I wouldn’t bundle them together either, one had international experience and had average super rugby results.
The other was very inexperienced and delivered the worst results of any Blues coach only winning 5% of his games against kiwi sides.
Even his replacement as defence coach has been a huge step up, we have improved massively in this area since he’s gone.
A cautionary tale of selecting a coach on his playing status.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
I wouldn’t bundle the two.
Tana got appointed partly because he had a good coaching record (albeit short by some standards). CM thrived under his guidance (including removing their Shield monkey)
I think there was a view that some of the problems in the team around culture would be fixed with a PI coach.
It proved a step up a bit too quick but when the new board and support structures came in he was able to produce a lot as defence coach. Was consistently up there in end of year defence stats doing very good work.@Crucial said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Given how JK comes across in the media after coaching, this is not surprising.
phenomenal human being, terrible analyst and by inference a poor coach. Remarkable how he and Tana got selected and reappointed
I wouldn’t bundle the two.
Tanato be clear - was talk about JK. JK had some form of coaching credentials - but his abiliyt to understand how to play the game appears woeful.
Tana is a magnificent human being for other reasons, but a real challenge as head coach.
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How much involvement is Schmidt having and do you think it is making a difference, I have seen him in the box a few times and I wonder if the bug has hit him, and he is spending more time that he first anticipated?
I have to say the Blues forwards are a model for the AB's in my opinion.
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How much involvement is Schmidt having and do you think it is making a difference, I have seen him in the box a few times and I wonder if the bug has hit him, and he is spending more time that he first anticipated?
I have to say the Blues forwards are a model for the AB's in my opinion.
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@chimoaus I think the Blues ruck and defensive work seems to have changed a bit, so I'm thinking (hoping) it is linked to Schmidts involvement.
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2022:
@chimoaus I think the Blues ruck and defensive work seems to have changed a bit, so I'm thinking (hoping) it is linked to Schmidts involvement.
Don't forget Craig McGrath. I think Schmidt's had more of an impact on our attack pattern this year.
Coventry's work in the forwards has been huge. It's a great team of coaches at this point - and wasn't Leon using Schmidt as a mentor last year?
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@taniwharugby said in Blues 2022:
@chimoaus I think the Blues ruck and defensive work seems to have changed a bit, so I'm thinking (hoping) it is linked to Schmidts involvement.
Don't forget Craig McGrath. I think Schmidt's had more of an impact on our attack pattern this year.
Coventry's work in the forwards has been huge. It's a great team of coaches at this point - and wasn't Leon using Schmidt as a mentor last year?
@Kirwan said in Blues 2022:
Coventry's work in the forwards has been huge
When people talk about future AB coaching setups, I'm surprised his name doesn't come up more often
He turned around the Chiefs pack, he added a hard edge to Harbour, then he fixed an under achieving Blues pack. Obvious improvements, multiple times, across different teams
I can't think of any current coach who would be a better forwards coach for the AB's
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@Daffy-Jaffy His "Happy Mothers Day" at the end hits hard. Good interview.
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@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any current Crusader centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props - who are considerably larger, more powerful & dynamic compared to the Crusaders.
And meanwhile in the backs Crusaders have 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any current Crusader centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props - who are considerably larger, more powerful & dynamic compared to the Crusaders.
And meanwhile in the backs Crusaders have 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
@kiwi_expat said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any Crusaders centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props.
Meanwhile the humble Crusaders have the 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
You are way off on your stats for those Crusaders players they are old stats have you seen them up close they are bigger than that.
They have all bulked up a lot since those old stats.
And that I get from the crusaders trainer who works with them. -
@kiwi_expat said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any Crusaders centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props.
Meanwhile the humble Crusaders have the 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
You are way off on your stats for those Crusaders players they are old stats have you seen them up close they are bigger than that.
They have all bulked up a lot since those old stats.
And that I get from the crusaders trainer who works with them.@Chris said in Blues 2022:
@kiwi_expat said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any Crusaders centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props.
Meanwhile the humble Crusaders have the 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
You are way off on your stats for those Crusaders players they are old stats have you seen them up close they are bigger than that.
They have all bulked up a lot since those old stats.
And that I get from the crusaders trainer who works with them.The point stands though regarding size.
Blues have bigger backs than Crusaders
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@Chris said in Blues 2022:
@kiwi_expat said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any Crusaders centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props.
Meanwhile the humble Crusaders have the 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
You are way off on your stats for those Crusaders players they are old stats have you seen them up close they are bigger than that.
They have all bulked up a lot since those old stats.
And that I get from the crusaders trainer who works with them.The point stands though regarding size.
Blues have bigger backs than Crusaders
@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2022:
@Chris said in Blues 2022:
@kiwi_expat said in Blues 2022:
@nzzp said in Blues 2022:
@Mackerzzzz said in Blues 2022:
@Tim said in Blues 2022:
The Blues held the Chiefs scoreless and Cully was full of praise for the impact of Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi who coached Ireland from 2013-2019 and returned to NZ as an assistant to Leon MacDonald this season.
“When you look at the Blues I’ve got two words for you – Joe Schmidt,” said Cully.
“He was hired at the start of the year. His influence is really becoming apparent.
“When they were down in Dunedin at the start of the season I watched him before the games started. He is a magnificent, world class coach and the word is that the Blues players, including their senior All Blacks are hanging on his every word, rate him incredibly highly.
“The Blues have been building for two or three years but I think Schmidt’s addition has taken them to another level.”
Tis amazing how much good coaching can do. With all respect to Tana, but the Blues have been a much better side since he stepped down from head coach.
Even back when JK was coaching, the Blues had all the talent, but just had no idea how to controll or take advantage of it.
Eg. JKs squad had the likes of, woodcock, mealamu, Charlie f, Kaino, Luatua, Braid, Pulu, Moala, Halai, Visinia, Piutau, etc etcI'll take my broken record award and point out it ain't just the new coach, but the change in board that drove excellence in the organisation and enabled success on the field
The heart of the crusaders success has been a competent back office. The Blues haven't had that fo rdecades, until 3 years ago. Then you see everything lift - the relationships between unions, the fan experience, the coaching/off field admin support - it all got better year on year. That's why Leon could drive what he needed.
With Clarke, Lam, Heem, Ioane, and Sullivan etc.. they've been able to consistently field 103kg+ tall backs in every game. This has really helped them get over the advantage line with mostly simple moves.
In turn, that's helped allow their forwards to get on the front foot and hit their breakdown targets.
Heem did a great job as a stop-gap at 12. He's the same height and weight as SBW & more effective than any Crusaders centre in his core roles.
I believe the size options you have in the backs has played a big part in your winning this season, and huge loosies & props.
Meanwhile the humble Crusaders have the 92kg Ennor, 95kg Bridge, Havili, 94kg Jordan, 83kg Mo'unga, etc..
The disparity in the backline talent is enormous. The Blues simply have far better players - forwards and backs.
You are way off on your stats for those Crusaders players they are old stats have you seen them up close they are bigger than that.
They have all bulked up a lot since those old stats.
And that I get from the crusaders trainer who works with them.The point stands though regarding size.
Blues have bigger backs than Crusaders
Yes agreed but those quoted weights are BS.
