QF Blues v Highlanders
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Highlanders were going bloody well in the forwards, but that red card really affected them - de Groot was excellent at loosehead, also impressed with the passing & running game of Fakatava at 9.
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
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Highlanders were going bloody well in the forwards, but that red card really affected them - de Groot was excellent at loosehead, also impressed with the passing & running game of Fakatava at 9.
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
@NZbloke said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
Is there really anyone else though, Akira is head and shoulders ahead, coming into great form, no one else comes close right now.
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@NZbloke said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
Is there really anyone else though, Akira is head and shoulders ahead, coming into great form, no one else comes close right now.
@taniwharugby said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@NZbloke said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
Is there really anyone else though, Akira is head and shoulders ahead, coming into great form, no one else comes close right now.
The defence and the turnovers were the best parts of his game last night. And the fact he was doing it late in the game.
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De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs. Lots of talk about RTS but Tupaea the form midfielder. Sotutu keeps impressing for me. He has been really physical this year.
@Old-Samurai-Jack being a Blues and Ofa fan I hate to admit that de Groot got the better of him. Truth is he did. Ofa was off his game all night. Nepo came on and the scrum went a lot better.
I thought Makalio smiling after the Red Card was unprofessional, the card was justified. -
@Old-Samurai-Jack being a Blues and Ofa fan I hate to admit that de Groot got the better of him. Truth is he did. Ofa was off his game all night. Nepo came on and the scrum went a lot better.
I thought Makalio smiling after the Red Card was unprofessional, the card was justified.@number9 said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack being a Blues and Ofa fan I hate to admit that de Groot got the better of him. Truth is he did. Ofa was off his game all night. Nepo came on and the scrum went a lot better.
I thought Makalio smiling after the Red Card was unprofessional, the card was justified.Give Ofa Romano and Goodhue behind him and I suspect you would see the good scrummaging again from Ofa.
We should start Tucker and Goodhue next week and bring on Romano again.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack being a Blues and Ofa fan I hate to admit that de Groot got the better of him. Truth is he did. Ofa was off his game all night. Nepo came on and the scrum went a lot better.
I thought Makalio smiling after the Red Card was unprofessional, the card was justified.@number9 said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
I thought Makalio smiling after the Red Card was unprofessional, the card was justified.
Dunno that he was smiling cos of what he did or thought it was funny, more bemused and pissed at himself, I do dumb shit and smile at myself thinking what a knob!
I mean Tom was pretty low, but it was the leading shoulder and no wrap that contacted with Tom's head made it a problem.
That took away any remote chance for the Highlanders to steal a huge upset, or at least a more competitive match, 1 player did that, stupidly, but unintentionally IMO.
am sure this is what some think goes on after a RC
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs. Lots of talk about RTS but Tupaea the form midfielder. Sotutu keeps impressing for me. He has been really physical this year.
I want the Blues to win SRP as its boring the Crusaders always winning. But they need to fix their scrum.
@Winger said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs. Lots of talk about RTS but Tupaea the form midfielder. Sotutu keeps impressing for me. He has been really physical this year.
I want the Blues to win SRP as its boring the Crusaders always winning. But they need to fix their scrum.
Don’t worry @Winger we will be lucky to make the final playing against a red hot Chiefs side this weekend.
I’ve heard they’ve got the form midfielder, a lock that is “Big” and “Bad”, the AB captain and a halfback that many think should return to the ABs.
We’ve been underdogs all season and this weekend will be no different.
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De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs. Lots of talk about RTS but Tupaea the form midfielder. Sotutu keeps impressing for me. He has been really physical this year.
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
@booboo said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
Yep Boo , LH is one of the positions the selectors are real worried about too. Thought De Groot made a good statement on weekend. I know what sumarai is saying, but I would be interested to actually hear how it unfolded etc, was Ofa getting disconnected from Eklund etc?
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@booboo said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
Yep Boo , LH is one of the positions the selectors are real worried about too. Thought De Groot made a good statement on weekend. I know what sumarai is saying, but I would be interested to actually hear how it unfolded etc, was Ofa getting disconnected from Eklund etc?
@Dan54 said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@booboo said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
Yep Boo , LH is one of the positions the selectors are real worried about too. Thought De Groot made a good statement on weekend. I know what sumarai is saying, but I would be interested to actually hear how it unfolded etc, was Ofa getting disconnected from Eklund etc?
The locks have a huge amount to do with it I think. Last week we were winning scrum penalties with 6 forward and two power locks. I love Tom Robinson, but I think he's too light to be a front line lock, particularly in the scrum.
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@Winger said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs. Lots of talk about RTS but Tupaea the form midfielder. Sotutu keeps impressing for me. He has been really physical this year.
I want the Blues to win SRP as its boring the Crusaders always winning. But they need to fix their scrum.
Don’t worry @Winger we will be lucky to make the final playing against a red hot Chiefs side this weekend.
I’ve heard they’ve got the form midfielder, a lock that is “Big” and “Bad”, the AB captain and a halfback that many think should return to the ABs.
We’ve been underdogs all season and this weekend will be no different.
@ACT-Crusader Tupaea will be dying to give Bridge a Noogie
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havent read the whole thread so forgive or ignore as needed
pretty much turned out as expected, a lucky eighth placed team was never going to have the depth to turn up at eden park and win, TUJ summed up the attempt though, leave it all on the pitch
Perofeta, love seeing guys who actually improve for the big games, sometime i think the ABs pick flat track bullys too often and not guys like that
MMT and sotutu, two great 8's in form, they should be fighting each other for the black jersey...not struggling to even get a shot
Fakatava was great, was a little rusty at the start of the season but have been better and better every week
as i said, havent read the whole thread, any news on TUJ's injury?
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Ofa has regularly had his scrummaging problems for the ABs, so I wouldn't be putting that all on the locks. It's for this reason that I think Laulala will get an AB lifeline. If de Groot was a marginal selection, he gave the AB selectors a timely reminder.
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@NZbloke said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
Is there really anyone else though, Akira is head and shoulders ahead, coming into great form, no one else comes close right now.
@taniwharugby said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
@NZbloke said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
Blues blindside Akira Ioane showed again how fast & skillful he is for a big bloke... surely he has to be starting at 6 for the ABs in the first test this year.
Is there really anyone else though, Akira is head and shoulders ahead, coming into great form, no one else comes close right now.
True... but with Foster as AB coach you're never sure who he's going to start.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in QF Blues v Highlanders:
De Groot schooling Ofa is not good for the ABs.
How empty is your glass? Maybe it's good that a young loosehead is putting his hand up. Was good around the paddock too.
I am Groot.
@booboo As a Clan fan, the glass was overflowing. I was focusing on that rather than the scoreboard:beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:
Ofa can scrum obviously, he is rock solid at times (and a huge unit) but seems to lose concentration occasionally? Like other posters have said though, it is always complicated.
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watching the replay now, so early comments on the first half
Holy hell, how did the refs manage to decide Akira didn't score. It's ridiculous.
Makalio is a muppet. Stupid, deserved red. Just lift your arm.
Sotutu is a weapon. As is Rieko.
Scrum was a shambles. Weird. Next week will be critical to deliver in that area - teh Brumbies are really strong. If we can't get back to where we are, we'll probably lose - and deservedly so. Crusaders seem to just milk penalties from a dominant scrum.
Perofeta's looking magnificent out there
Blues did well to weather the scrappy storm early, and thens trike back
