All Blacks World Cup bolters

[Crucial]

@Chris-B

LF I'm not so sure on and CC needs to shake out the errors or he wont be going.

A back three of WJ, SS and SR has appeal. It means no 'power winger' but finishing ability is probably more important.

[Bovidae]

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

[nostrildamus]

@Machpants said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

Stevenson

https://www.planetrugby.com/news/shaun-stevenson-chiefs-coach-clayton-mcmillan-tips-star-utility-back-for-all-blacks-call-up

Gotta love the non news articles of coach A think his player B is great. A real article would beat coach saying nah they're not good enough

I don't see many of those.

[Crucial]

@Chris-B said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

3 halfbacks
3 first fives (including two of BBarrett, DMac and Perofeta)
4 midfielders (including Jordie)
5 outside backs

Try this

AS, FC, BW
RM, BB, DMac
JB, RI, ALB, LF
WJ, SS, CC/SP, MT, SR

[Chris B.]

@Crucial I don't expect Big Leicester to be going either, barring injuries - unless he improves significantly this year.

I'll be pretty surprised if they don't take Caleb Clarke given he was their first choice left wing all of last year.

[Chris B.]

@Crucial

AS, TP, FC
RM, BB, Dmac
JB, RI, ALB, DH
WJ, CC, SR, MT, SP/SS

[Duluth]

@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

..and Telea came in and did a decent job

I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.

For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans

[Crucial]

@Chris-B said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Crucial

AS, TP, FC
RM, BB, Dmac
JB, RI, ALB, DH
WJ, CC, SR, MT, SP/SS

Forgot DH.

Pretty clear that injuries aside one of DMac/SS/SP won't be required.

[ACT Crusader]

@Duluth said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

..and Telea came in and did a decent job

I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.

For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans

I know they’re not exactly apples for apples comparisons but I remember in 2010 that Joe started and played in quite a few games but then was left out of the ABs in 2011. We had Hosea start all the EOYT games in 2010 a dress rehearsal of sorts for our RWC prep but then he didn’t make the RWC squad.

I don’t doubt Clarke is in their plans, given his physical attributes, but whether that is Plan A B or C, we may not have that answer until selection time. My take is that unless an outside back is absolutely playing the house down, they do seem the most dispensable (based on past squad selections at least).

[Crucial]

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Duluth said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

..and Telea came in and did a decent job

I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.

For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans

I know they’re not exactly apples for apples comparisons but I remember in 2010 that Joe started and played in quite a few games but then was left out of the ABs in 2011. We had Hosea start all the EOYT games in 2010 a dress rehearsal of sorts for our RWC prep but then he didn’t make the RWC squad.

I don’t doubt Clarke is in their plans, given his physical attributes, but whether that is Plan A B or C, we may not have that answer until selection time. My take is that unless an outside back is absolutely playing the house down, they do seem the most dispensable (based on past squad selections at least).

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Duluth said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

..and Telea came in and did a decent job

I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.

For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans

I know they’re not exactly apples for apples comparisons but I remember in 2010 that Joe started and played in quite a few games but then was left out of the ABs in 2011. We had Hosea start all the EOYT games in 2010 a dress rehearsal of sorts for our RWC prep but then he didn’t make the RWC squad.

I don’t doubt Clarke is in their plans, given his physical attributes, but whether that is Plan A B or C, we may not have that answer until selection time. My take is that unless an outside back is absolutely playing the house down, they do seem the most dispensable (based on past squad selections at least).

and also that most likely spot for 'bolters'.

(just bringing the discussion around to the thread title to keep the powers happy)

[Duluth]

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Duluth said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

I'm not sure Reece is a certainty either. He was a peripheral player on the EOYT, but in his favour he offers something different from the other wingers and can play on the left or right.

..and Telea came in and did a decent job

I think it’s worth considering what the selectors actually did when talking about people possibly being discarded.

For instance Clarke started 10 tests last year, basically he started when fit. His possible like for like replacement barely got a game. He seems to be firmly in the selectors plans

I know they’re not exactly apples for apples comparisons but I remember in 2010 that Joe started and played in quite a few games but then was left out of the ABs in 2011. We had Hosea start all the EOYT games in 2010 a dress rehearsal of sorts for our RWC prep but then he didn’t make the RWC squad.

I don’t doubt Clarke is in their plans, given his physical attributes, but whether that is Plan A B or C, we may not have that answer until selection time. My take is that unless an outside back is absolutely playing the house down, they do seem the most dispensable (based on past squad selections at least).

Yeah, I would never claim he was undroppable. Just that there are players who are much more at risk based on the revealed preferences of the selectors. Some people get confused between the preferences of the selectors and what they want to see happen

[Chris B.]

And since I'm going out for a few hours....

EdG, JM, GB
ST, CT, DC
TL, OT, NL
BR, SW, SB, TV
SC, DP, SF, EB, AS - possibly plus one and minus an outside back. Nonetheless "Incoming...." BOOM....

[Bones]

So I think we can put to bed the idea of a prop who gets ragdolled by Hanigan and Harris, being a bolter for the ABs. Numia should move to hooker and be loosehead cover, he'd be a shoe in if he can throw.

[Winger]

@Bones said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

So I think we can put to bed the idea of a prop who gets ragdolled by Hanigan and Harris, being a bolter for the ABs. Numia should move to hooker and be loosehead cover, he'd be a shoe in if he can throw.

I thought the Canes scrum went well

[Bones]

@Winger I've only seen up to the first ten minutes after half time, so the one scrum where the canes crushed it, but then another one with Numia hitting the deck are my standouts at the scrum.

[SBW1]

@Bones Cam Roigard has to be in the reckoning, one of the form halfbacks if not the form halfback of the competition.

[Bones]

@SBW1 said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Bones Cam Roigard has to be in the reckoning, one of the form halfbacks if not the form halfback of the competition.

Better than Fakatava so far, think with the selectors preference for Christie, Roigard is going to be fighting it out with Weber.

[Steve]

Roigards claims are becoming undeniable

[Victor Meldrew]

@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Nepia said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

Turning up with the likes of Perenara, ALB, Goodhue, Havili et al won't cut the mustard anyway.

They weren't the answer 4 years ago.

He doesn't belong in that group.

I hear you, but vanilla won't win this World Cup. We need to put his brain in Ioanes body.

ALB is a decent defender, but Ringrose, Danty, Fickou, Henshaw, Aki etc will eat him without salt on attack.

We need a scalpel or a wrecking ball. He is neither.

We tried all this in 2019. It didn't work.

IMHO, ALB has one of the most important qualities in a midfielder than any other AB contender in that he is consistently rock-solid. He may not set the world on fire (TBF neither did Conrad) but it's hard to remember a game where he has played badly - apart from when he came back from nearly a year off last year.

I think he could have been the player a new midfield was built around but Foster & co. screwing about position-wise since 2019 and his injuries contributed to the sticking plaster approach we've had since.

As for bolters, I've always liked Nankivell. There's a big opportunity for someone to step up in the next few months and Pohipi looks really promising.

[Steve]

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Nepia said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

@Steve said in All Blacks World Cup bolters:

Turning up with the likes of Perenara, ALB, Goodhue, Havili et al won't cut the mustard anyway.

They weren't the answer 4 years ago.

He doesn't belong in that group.

I hear you, but vanilla won't win this World Cup. We need to put his brain in Ioanes body.

ALB is a decent defender, but Ringrose, Danty, Fickou, Henshaw, Aki etc will eat him without salt on attack.

We need a scalpel or a wrecking ball. He is neither.

We tried all this in 2019. It didn't work.

IMHO, ALB has one of the most important qualities in a midfielder than any other AB contender in that he is consistently rock-solid. He may not set the world on fire (TBF neither did Conrad) but it's hard to remember a game where he has played badly - apart from when he came back from nearly a year off last year.

I think he could have been the player a new midfield was built around but Foster & co. screwing about position-wise since 2019 and his injuries contributed to the sticking plaster approach we've had since.

As for bolters, I've always liked Nankivell. There's a big opportunity for someone to step up in the next few months and Pohipi looks really promising.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of that, but im trying to think of players who give the other teams something to worry about.

I think the Irish would look across at ALB and feel like they have nothing to worry about.

As opposed to a Nonu, SBW, Danty, Levi Aumua type.

I don't think Ioane is a good centre but you'd still be shitting yourself when he gets the ball because those wheels give any defender a nightmare. His try in Paris 2021 being a good example.

Although......I would like ALB at centre with Ioane Jordan/Stevenson on the wing. I could live with that concession. if it means getting Rieko back at 11.

I just can't get the 2019 George Bridge, Goodhue, ALB triumvirate out of my head.

It was meh meh meh.