The Silver Fern

@Bones said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@nostrildamus we're the only team that Australia beat this year.

So we are worse than Argentina. That makes me feel so comfortable.

@chimoaus said in The Cane vs Savea Debate:

I think Pocock and Hooper showed you cant just put two great players out and expect it to work. I feel for Ardie because clearly, he is good enough but Akira, Sotutu and Cane is simply better balanced. And Ardie would benefit the team more coming on with 30 to go with those three starting IMO.

The bench should be used and thought of in a strategic way, there is nothing wrong IMO of having a different type of player who is simply better suited to tired defences, and I think Ardie is that type. BB was electric off the bench early in his career and was a great weapon for us. Not sure we have that right balance with the bench just yet.

Not to go too off topic but I think RM is that type of player as well. Thrives when the defenses are tired and the game is opening up a bit, but is a possum in the headlights against an aggressive team in the first 40 - 60 minutes. Injecting him and Ardie fresh with 20 to go would be a bit of a nightmare for teams to defend against. I agree with you completely we are not utilising our bench as a weapon the way we used to.

Luatua and Vito-doing well overseas, I understand. Charlie would have been useful too (33 now though). I'd say decline. Stale tactics, so-so selections.
Would have liked to have seen a bit of Jordan in a Bledisloe, hoping it will still happen.

@Nepia I'm pleased it's not the other way around because then I'd be branded with the other favourite TSF Cantab stereotype and TSF might have its first litigation 🙂

Or Telea even...

With the rise of Eklund and Slater and the continued rise if Aumua, Hooker suddenly doesn't look like such a problem position at all.

@Catogrande said in RWC - how the poms beat us..:

@Smuts said in RWC - how the poms beat us..:

@antipodean that is some very tough marking.

But pretty much true. Eddie virtually admitted as much during an evening audience with him. From the word go he was targeting NZ in RWC 2019. It was the same in 2003 and both times it worked but maybe came a game too early.

I think the opening line of the vid summed it up well - he’s the master of the upset.

I wonder if he thought to himself (secretly) that he could afford to do that because England would have enough talent to beat whoever made it to the final from the other side of the draw without giving them as much focus as the All Blacks (certainly a year out I thought that might be his approach just looking at the way draw was likely to pan out)

@Bones YOU are the annoying one, how dare you summon me into the sports chat, you know I'm not to be trusted in here....

"I'm the chairman of Sanzaar and there's not been a Sanzaar board meeting since the 4th of August," Impey said.

"The notes that have been published are not board minutes, and they've got a fundamental error in it as far as we're concerned, which says the six-week draw was agreed by all. I can tell you that it wasn't – we know that, and Rugby Australia and Sanzaar know that.

"The notes also quite clearly refer to an impasse and there are many emails that prove this... our position has never changed."

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12369674

Oh Captain, My Captain, Our Captain!

@ACT-Crusader said in Wallabies v All Blacks - Bledisloe 1 Sydney 2000:

@SidBarret said in Wallabies v All Blacks - Bledisloe 1 Sydney 2000:

Funnily enough I watched this game on Saturday on youtube.

Wow Larkham and Gregan were good.

There are periods in that test where the Aussie attack led by these two was so dominant. They were getting clean ball and had runners just lining up. Scary to watch at the time...

The ACT way?!

this mirrors my thoughts.
if we have proven 6 and 8 in team ardie comes into converstion as 7.but ardie in a inexperenced trio at 7 is a no goer. we are a long way from that so ardie fills in at 8 or comes off the bench.
if hansen wanted to play barrett at 6 he should have played cane and dropped ardie.

@Duluth said in All Blacks jersey sponsor:

There was a solid rumour that Nike was going to take over.. I guess Adidas had to increase their payments to keep this

id missed that rumor, in fact id heard a couple of years back that nike were pulling out of rugby....but then continued to sponsor argentina

@Nepia said in All Blacks Try Scoring Record:

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks Try Scoring Record:

@Nepia said in All Blacks Try Scoring Record:

Would have been interesting to see where Reiko would have wound up this year trywise if he had played the Argentina match and been benched for the Perth debacle. Bridge ran in 7 tries in his spot, and in a supposedly poor year for Reiko he still managed 9 tries for the poor performing Blues.

He would have been sitting pretty for a tilt at the record in the next couple of years but instead it seems like his wing days are already over.

Perhaps we would’ve just seen more running into contact, and space not being used....

Shit, shields went up pretty quickly for the holiday period. 😉

And the 2019 fluffing goes the distance😎

@chchfanatic Anyone but! He's a disaster mate. Has such a shocker with the Tahs, not just performance-wise, but internal management. Poor pre-season prep, awful player retention and succession, fcked the team around with his plans (demanded extension only to walk out on them once the assistants had made other plans). He is by all accounts a nice guy, but he is not a HC

I have zero idea of the viable alternatives for the Saders, but you really don't want him

@rancid-schnitzel said in Worst All Black RWC exits:

@booboo said in Worst All Black RWC exits:

@rancid-schnitzel said in Worst All Black RWC exits:

@dogmeat said in Worst All Black RWC exits:

@rancid-schnitzel Still had 6 of the pack that would play in 95 RWC Final and 96 SA tour so should have won IMO.

Fox had retired and Little broke his leg so options were limited I guess. Mains should have selected Preston but for some reason despite him being halfback against the Lions he never made the tour.

Preston (a good goal kicker and decent fly half) was on the bench for some reason. Actually I know the reason - Mains had a major hard-on for anyone from Otago.

I’ve never actually seen a replay of the game but was that disallowed try fair?

I'm struggling to remember but was it a foot in touch? And I have a vague recollection I grudgingly accepted the decision...

I think so. If a fair try had been disallowed I’m sure we’d still be hearing about it.

Fuck. Wouldn’t we just 😳

@Crucial said in MotM v Wales (3rd/4th Game):

Not a lot of love for Reado.?

Was awesome with his link play and tackle count.

He had a very good game. Ever since his injury he's had to reinvent himself as a tighter loose forward. At his best he was absolutely magnificent - hard hitting and beautiful skills.

The playing too wide off the ruck and getting always hit behind the advantage line has already been covered in detail here,but it just seems to me the forwards weren't fully recovered from the previous week and weren't recovered mentally and physically for the onslaught. With the benefit of hindsight,the game was won by halftime against Ireland,perhaps even earlier subs in that game would of kept a bit of energy in the tank for the next bigger challenge. Some of our forwards aren't young bucks and gave a flat performance.

Eddie had us sussed.

@mariner4life said in AB squad next RWC (2023)?:

@booboo said in AB squad next RWC (2023)?:

So, Kaleb Trask debuts for Chiefs. He a contender, or possible future option?

wait @Crucial someone wants a shot at your title

So ... Hoskins Sotutu ...

Rieko