V Auckland

taniwharugby

That game was there for the taking, we had the measure across the paddock bar line outs and smarts. 
Not an ideal first hit as captain for Olsen, some poor decisions by him and some other players that should know better, injuries, wtf! Thought some subs were ill timed also, as for our handling, ugh, yes poor conditions but gee.... 
Positives, our scrum, the way the lads pulled in despite the injuries. We need to get Jone involved a lot more, as a decoy, as a runner, just get him involved.

Chiefy

I'm not too worried about it. It wasn't an ideal result but there were still some good signs there. The lineout wasn't good but with the conditions and with the size of the Auckland pack they were always going to trouble us there - Luatua was a thorn in our side all over the field but especially at the lineout. I think the scoreline flattered Auckland a bit - they deserved the win but not by such a margin. Breens disallowed intercept should've been given - that was basically a 14 point try if that gets given it's a tighter scoreline and I think a truer reflection of the game.
 
I think our scrum is starting to look very good and the bonus for us is 3 of our props - Waa, Kite and Sililoto have good skills and are quite mobile. 
 
Jack Ram had a massive game - he's such an awesome ball carrier and so tough in the contact. He would've easily been our best player for me barring the crazy kick! Matt Matich was great off the bench, such a big workload and was a good physical presence at the ruck. I don't think Faleafa has the biggest engine but he definitely gives us a physical presence and it was a shame he went off so early.
 
Alaimalo again looked like he will be a dangerous player from fullback - think he should stay at fullback for now. Thought Tamati Tua had a good game as well - looked solid on defence but wonder if he might be better suited to centre than 2nd five? Think a combination of Hyland 12, Tua 13 might be a good option to try against Otago.
 
The biggest worry for me is the injury toll - we lost a lot of players throughout that game adding to Kara Pryor being out, with a short turnaround we might stretched thin.
 
Definitely wasn't the result I was wanting but I'm not too bothered by the scoreline. We need to start winning some games though! We need to get into that top 4!

justin77

What the hell is up with all these injuries? It seems to happen to us every year. All good and well in a bigger city team, but with our lot, an injury list like that can be season hinging. I'm not relying on any local source (Advocado-ate, Taniwha FB page) to update us either, as they are shockers.. 
 
As for the match, was very impressed with our scrum and battling attitude, but not a hell of a lot else. the conditions were terrible and hard to adjust to no doubt, but that Auckland side was very beatable in my opinion. 
 
Whilst Olsen was his usual terrier self, I think someone else should have been handed the skippers armband (Pryor, Breen??). Surely it should have been worked out our line out was malfunctioning early on, and a plan B executed in turn.
 
Very impressed with Ram, Matich and Waa. Ram and Matich were into everything as usual, and Waa was a rock in the scrum and solid around the field..
 
The idea of Jordan Hyland at 12 is growing on me too, I was impressed with his hard, direct gain line running. The juries still out on his defence, but if he can sort that he'll nail that jersey. I would like to see Tua at 13 aswell, That guy with a little more space away from traffic could be the ticket..
 
Moving onto Otago now. Tough ask under the roof, all will depend on what sort of team we can put out I guess. Will be tipping Otago 13+ in the hope I'm very wrong.
 
Oh, and good to see Hawkins back too, eh TR!!

kev

I think the team will be really disappointed. The effort and physicality was great but the performance lacked accuracy. Dropping so much ball on attack and not winning line outs from penalties just killed our game. That has been our problem in the past - being poor at set piece and therefore not being able to implement a game plan. It is frustrating to watch so for the guys who train and play it would be doubly so. 
The scrum is awesome this year so hats off to the coaches and players. It just goes to show that we can get things right. But I think we should expect to see the same improvements in line out and backline play next week. Every now and then that happens with line outs so I think the lesson will be learnt quickly. With the backline, you could see we had moves to create space but the conditions were so windy that the cutout passes were drifting away from players and we needed to change what we were trying to achieve. Those moves will work better in different conditions. As you guys suggest, we should try a Hyland / Tua combination. Still think Alaimalo is a good option as well if that doesn't work. We need to look for improvements early in the season rather than wait for things to happen. 
Hope the injuries are not serious

Steven Harris

Just an update on the injuries, 
2 of them are not good, 
Dan Pryor has a knee injury,possibly season ending 
Josh Goodhue has a very bad concussion,this could be a week by week proposition, 
Jone Macilai and Micheal Faleafa both out for a week, 
Going to watch the bs play Auckland this afternoon,I would imagine a few reinforcements will be required for the A team.

taniwharugby

Hopefully a couple from the bs might step up... 
Loosie is our best position depth wise and yes Dan is a huge blow, but Kara, Ram and Matich are still a very good trio...expect Manu to come in now? 
Who was locking behind Larsen?

kev

Robinson has concussion issue so the young Fijian lock loosie comes into play.

African Monkey

A few smart decisions (such as staying away from the lineout after receiving penalties) and you guys were a real chance of victory I felt especially with the way you guys were making plenty of yards through the middle which we were struggling to contain. Still, great character shown by your lot after losing key players during the match, there's some good young players there (and Dan Hawkins too). Can't say I was too impressed by my team but we can only get better I suppose.

Chiefy

After 2 rounds of the comp there are some players with good stats:
 
Carries:
 
Luke Whitelock Canterbury 40
Greg Foe Wellington 26
Michael Collins Otago 25
Murphy Taramai North Harbour 25
Jordan Olsen Northland 24
Christopher Vui North Harbour 24
Monty Ioane Bay Of Plenty 22
Michael Little North Harbour 22
Isaia Walker-Leawere Wellington 22
Johnny McNicholl Canterbury 22
 
Clean Breaks:
 
Ngani Laumape Manawatu 6
Fa'asiu Fuatai Otago 6
Matt Vaega North Harbour 6
Nathan Earle Canterbury 5
Mitchell Scott Otago 5
Kara Pryor Northland 5
Wes Goosen Wellington 5
Joe Hill Wellington 5
Solomona Alaimalo Northland 4
Willis Halaholo Waikato 4
 
Metres Gained:
 
Solomona Alaimalo Northland 184
Johnny McNicholl Canterbury 182
Fa'asiu Fuatai Otago 182
Michael Little North Harbour 181
Matt Proctor Wellington 176
Jordie Barrett Canterbury 174
Matt Duffie North Harbour 166
Sam Vaka Counties Manukau 150
Afa Fa'atau North Harbour 147
Melani Nanai Auckland 146
 
Offloads:
 
Luke Whitelock Canterbury 9
Hamish Northcott Manawatu 6
Jack Goodhue Canterbury 6
Michael Collins Otago 6
Solomona Alaimalo Northland 5
Viliame Rarasea Counties Manukau 5
Teihorangi Walden Otago 5
Marty McKenzie Taranaki 5
Joe Tupe Bay Of Plenty 4
Matt Garland Hawkes Bay 4
 
Tackles:
 
James Lentjes Otago 33
Hugh Renton Hawkes Bay 28
Ash Dixon Hawkes Bay 27
Jacob Skeen Waikato 27
Mark Abbott Hawkes Bay 25
Tony Lamborn Hawkes Bay 24
Matt Matich Northland 24
Shane Christie Ta$man 23
Michael Little North Harbour 23
Heiden Bedwell Manawatu 23
 
Solomon Alaimalo will turn some heads if he keeps putting those numbers up...

taniwharugby

We should be winning the lineouts lost stat....
 
Despite losing our opening matches, I see far more positives about our rugby already this year than last year, and looking at our draw, a winless season is again on the cards, but if we lose every game fighting, then I'll be able to deal with it easier than last year
<img src="https://scontent-syd1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14115028_1371651159530811_4090615459994224916_o.png" alt="14115028_1371651159530811_40906154599942">

The Silver Fern

V Auckland