All Blacks v Pumas

[Bones]

@MajorRage tsf isn't harsh on DMac. He's just a bit cake and I've seen Dagg cop all sorts of grief for not being Ben Smith.

[MajorPom]

@Bones gotcha ...

Not saying he doesn't deserve criticism ... but his good points from last night (and there were many) seem to have been forgotten. Hence, harsh.

[Nepia]

@Bones said in All Blacks v Pumas:

@MajorRage tsf isn't harsh on DMac. He's just a bit cake and I've seen Dagg cop all sorts of grief for not being Ben Smith.

I think you calling him cake kind of makes MRs point. He's had mixed games but the focus around here is only on the errors. Certain players get their errors focused on and certain players get them excused ... that's always the way around here, and that's not going to change, DMac gets his focused on.

Damn, MR beat me and made my point more succinctly.

[Bones]

@Nepia I said a bit cake and that's definitely not harsh. His good points last night are what you would expect of a test player, other than that he made one very nice break, although that should probably have been shifted earlier.

What makes him a bit cake is the errors, the running around like a headless chook. That's not harsh.

[Nepia]

@Bones Fair enough, I took 'a bit cake', to just mean 'cake'.

Anyway, as MR said, no one thinks he didn't make some errors, but my point is they do seem to be focussed on more than errors made by other players in the team ....

[Tim]

Errors made by a fullback are more likely to cost points. That is a good reason why they receive more attention.

[Bones]

@Nepia you've got to admit his stand out and as said are costly or can be costly. At times he looks like how I imagine Beaker would play rugby.

[Crash]

Early days, but there may be a new 10 on the radar to add to the riches; and give BB some kicking lessons - Mitch Hunt. Another off the Canterbury conveyor belt.

[Nepia]

@Bones @Tim With the preface again that I don't think DMac had a great game. Yeah, of course those errors are notable, but as I said earlier two of those drops he probably shouldn't have been the guy having to go in to take them.

But, for some context, f we're talking that game then (goalkicking aside as that's a separate issue) BB's errors could also have been costly, two unforced fluffed kick offs and a yellow card - yet there's hardly been a peep about those around here.

[taniwharugby]

IMO I think DMacs errors are the least of our problems, unless people think he is the cause of all the other issues in the team...:thinking:

[Crucial]

Can someone please list these DMac errors?
If you are talking about not collecting high balls from 20 metres away they are missed opportunities rather than errors. I wonder why the ball was put in that no mans land? To make it 50/50 perhaps.

[Mokey]

@Bones said in All Blacks v Pumas:

@Nepia you've got to admit his stand out and as said are costly or can be costly. At times he looks like how I imagine Beaker would play rugby.

About the harshest call ever made on TSF.

[antipodean]

@Crucial said in All Blacks v Pumas:

Can someone please list these DMac errors?
If you are talking about not collecting high balls from 20 metres away they are missed opportunities rather than errors. I wonder why the ball was put in that no mans land? To make it 50/50 perhaps.

Good grief. He's the fullback. Are they only errors if the opposition kick straight down his throat?

[nzzp]

@Mokey said in All Blacks v Pumas:

About the harshest call ever made on TSF.

And one of the funniest. Once you see it ...

[hydro11]

@Crucial said in All Blacks v Pumas:

Can someone please list these DMac errors?
If you are talking about not collecting high balls from 20 metres away they are missed opportunities rather than errors. I wonder why the ball was put in that no mans land? To make it 50/50 perhaps.

Ben Smith, Dagg, Jordie, Lima, Beauden, Reiko and Havili all probably would have caught more of them than D Mac did. If we pick D Mac the South Africans will do the exact same thing to him.

[Crucial]

@hydro11 said in All Blacks v Pumas:

@Crucial said in All Blacks v Pumas:

Can someone please list these DMac errors?
If you are talking about not collecting high balls from 20 metres away they are missed opportunities rather than errors. I wonder why the ball was put in that no mans land? To make it 50/50 perhaps.

Ben Smith, Dagg, Jordie, Lima, Beauden, Reiko and Havili all probably would have caught more of them than D Mac did. If we pick D Mac the South Africans will do the exact same thing to him.

You know this how?

I'm not disputing that the tactic of mid range bombs is a good one. I seem to recall plenty of these type of kicks being missed during Super by the players you mention. I even recall Bender being beaten to the claim by DMac on one occasion.
Yes, it isn't a strength and his size does offer an opportunity when he has to run forward and can't gain as much height, but I still don't see those examples as being kicks that the players you mention would take 90% of the time as standard.

[Bones]

@Nepia I think the thing is probably that it's a culmination, rather than one specific game. The difference between DMac and BB being that BB is well proven.

[kiwiinmelb]

If Jordie had not got injured , no doubt he would be fb , I reckon that was their plan ,

Now with bender unavailable on top of that , they are playing what is effectively the number 3 in Dmac ,

I've got a feeling they will back him in until the other 2 return to keep the structure they want with the other players .

[Chris B.]

@Crash said in All Blacks v Pumas:

Early days, but there may be a new 10 on the radar to add to the riches; and give BB some kicking lessons - Mitch Hunt. Another off the Canterbury conveyor belt.

...except he's from Nelson!

A way to go for Mitch yet, I think.

[Winger]

@canefan said in All Blacks v Pumas:

@pukunui I don't think it helps that BB doesn't kick for the canes

He kicked quite a bit this year. and last. But Jodie eventually took over but not from the word go