Blues v Rebels
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It's hard to know what NZR thinks about the Blues, but it looks from the outside they're a bit complacent. I would tell the Blues board etc. that either you fix this or we will. NZ doesn't need the Blues to be strong for NZ rugby to be strong, but it's certainly not helping that they're so woeful.
Seems like they need a complete clean out and then get a hardened coach in there that's actually earned his stripes. -
@kirwan I go back to my conversation with Tony Hanks the Blues high performance Manager who I believe is over in France watching the NZ under 20s..doing what..? Who the fuck knows..I asked Tony at the Condors Sevens last year,why did they not replace Luatua & Famauina with like for like players,because I felt their squad was looking very light on experience IF THEY HAD INJURIES..I was told by Hanks,the Blues would be the surprise packet,I did not believe that for a minute..
Always felt it was the weakest squad out of the 5,but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work that out..When you flip this around and look at the saders,firstly well selected which means Scott Robertson has got any eye for talent and work ethic,the other jewel in the crown they have is Jason Ryan,the forwards coach..expertly drilled and well coached by Razor & Ryan
The Blues on the other hand are poorly selected from the get go,that includes Hanks who apparently has a big say in recruitment,Steve Jackson who is a nice enough guy,but fuck me,despite the injuries,the work ethic of the forwards is lousy,it’s got some good individuals,but as a collective,they are awful..poorly drilled,got not idea how to form a lineout Drive or fucking defend one..they run into contact instead of trying to hit weak shoulders.
Even a player like Akira Ioane,for his talent has,coach him to run forward for fuck sake,that’s what big number 8s do..!As for Tana,it’s all very well lamenting all your injuries,but at the end of the day,Squad selection is huge,injuries have got to be taken into account,and on that note alone,Umaga,Jackson & Hanks are all totally culpable..The CEO Redman needs to have a good look in the mirror as well..The have got everything they desired in terms of a training facility and by the sounds it of their own autonomy..!
Would not be so bad if the sun was out,but it’s a shitty fucking day in Auckland
@steven-harris said in Blues vs. Rebels:
I was told by Hanks,the Blues would be the surprise packet,I did not believe that for a minute...
They have been a surprise package, just not the way most would hope...the surprise is the lowest of the low they are at.
Problem is these guys like Redman know if they backtrack on Tana it makes them look even more incompetent so need to carry on backing him, despite the results being some of the worst by any NZ team in probably a decade?
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@steven-harris said in Blues vs. Rebels:
I was told by Hanks,the Blues would be the surprise packet,I did not believe that for a minute...
They have been a surprise package, just not the way most would hope...the surprise is the lowest of the low they are at.
Problem is these guys like Redman know if they backtrack on Tana it makes them look even more incompetent so need to carry on backing him, despite the results being some of the worst by any NZ team in probably a decade?
@taniwharugby said in Blues vs. Rebels:
Problem is these guys like Redman know if they backtrack on Tana it makes them look even more incompetent so need to carry on backing him, despite the results being some of the worst by any NZ team in probably a decade?
Yes, more reputation protection. That’s all that matters
Worth noting this board took over mid 2013. It’s been a disaster the whole way through
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This has probably already in one of the many earlier threads, but how do the Board keep getting reappointed?
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This has probably already in one of the many earlier threads, but how do the Board keep getting reappointed?
@mariner4life said in Blues vs. Rebels:
This has probably already in one of the many earlier threads, but how do the Board keep getting reappointed?
Root cause of the problems, and unwilling to deal wtih them.
The rot became visible after Pat Lam got sacked a year into a two year extension. If you got it that wrong, fall on your sword.
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Obviously, the media are exaggerating this as usual, but after Jordie's maccas fuelled antics early yesterday morning, now Rieko Ioane also giving ABs management some head ache:
The Blues were also in damage control, after an incident that saw All Blacks wing Rieko Ioane involved in an altercation with a teammate, after their 20-10 loss to the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday night. Newshub believes the two players have since apologised to each other and are embarrassed by their behaviour. Both Barrett and Ioane reported to All Blacks camp on Sunday afternoon to prepare for the upcoming three-test series against France. Ioane will be sporting an injury above his eye.What is a bigger thing to worry about is that it was an altercation between two Blues team mates ...
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Obviously, the media are exaggerating this as usual, but after Jordie's maccas fuelled antics early yesterday morning, now Rieko Ioane also giving ABs management some head ache:
The Blues were also in damage control, after an incident that saw All Blacks wing Rieko Ioane involved in an altercation with a teammate, after their 20-10 loss to the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday night. Newshub believes the two players have since apologised to each other and are embarrassed by their behaviour. Both Barrett and Ioane reported to All Blacks camp on Sunday afternoon to prepare for the upcoming three-test series against France. Ioane will be sporting an injury above his eye.What is a bigger thing to worry about is that it was an altercation between two Blues team mates ...
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@stargazer was probably giving Collins shit for not being able to pass the ball....
@kiwimurph are plenty of players he could be giving shit to in his team, and rightfully so too...
being part of a losing culture cant be easy, gonna take its toll I expect.
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@nta It looked bad when he left the field. Shame, IIRC he has been playing well.
Edit: just read it may be a ruptured ACL: http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/06/03/uelese-suffers-suspected-acl-injury
@stargazer was in an awkward position to make the tackle. He's young, so he'll mend maybe in time for EOYT.
If he was in pain there's a chance it's not as bad as first feared.
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@chester-draws who is the right coach that will get this amazing turn around?
It ain't gonna happen this year, they need to be looking for that new coach for 2020 in early 2019...but this is unlikely as they will want to give Tana and Leon a chance to gel, meaning they will likely miss any coaches coming off RWC duties looking for a new challenge.
I do agree with @Crucial with his comment about when the blues get behind, they lose thier shit and can't buy a trick. Thier leadership is all but non exisitent, a number of senior player seem immune to being dropped, no matter how shit they play.
This is a deep dark hole this team is in, I agree that the right coach would likely get some immediate improvements with the talent available, but as above I can't see that happening Nytme soon...guess it depends how much power Leon has or if Tana is still pulling the strings as to if next year has a decent shot of improving.
@taniwharugby Gatland might do it.
The thing is you have to do due diligence, but great coaches come out of unlikely spots.
No-one picked Dave Rennie to win the competition in his first year. Many predicted that his squad was weak and would struggle.
Tana, on the face of it, did well with Counties, and I thought there was merit in his Blues selection at the time. I'd be very interested in hearing from his players there what made him good there, but doesn't work at the Blues (I suspect "just letting the players have their heads", which is exposed at higher levels by well-drilled sides).
But boards need to check this stuff, and not assume what looks like success on paper is what it seems. I'm always astounded how many successful people assume they are good at everything, including assessing a person's abilities off a short interview. Interviews are a terrible way to pick staff.
There will be some guys out there doing awesome stuff with limited resources, but who don't have a "face" and interview poorly. It's not really the fans job to locate them. The Blues need a hard task-master coach to sort them out -- one who will piss people off no doubt -- but such people can be hard to like.
Waikato has had a run of bollocks coaches for years, for similar reasons. There's a couple of excellent coaches at school and club level that won't get the gig though, because they are abrasive and won't fit the politics.
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@taniwharugby Gatland might do it.
The thing is you have to do due diligence, but great coaches come out of unlikely spots.
No-one picked Dave Rennie to win the competition in his first year. Many predicted that his squad was weak and would struggle.
Tana, on the face of it, did well with Counties, and I thought there was merit in his Blues selection at the time. I'd be very interested in hearing from his players there what made him good there, but doesn't work at the Blues (I suspect "just letting the players have their heads", which is exposed at higher levels by well-drilled sides).
But boards need to check this stuff, and not assume what looks like success on paper is what it seems. I'm always astounded how many successful people assume they are good at everything, including assessing a person's abilities off a short interview. Interviews are a terrible way to pick staff.
There will be some guys out there doing awesome stuff with limited resources, but who don't have a "face" and interview poorly. It's not really the fans job to locate them. The Blues need a hard task-master coach to sort them out -- one who will piss people off no doubt -- but such people can be hard to like.
Waikato has had a run of bollocks coaches for years, for similar reasons. There's a couple of excellent coaches at school and club level that won't get the gig though, because they are abrasive and won't fit the politics.
@chester-draws I think Rennie had served a decent apprenticeship before taking over the Chiefs and was highly rated, plus had a good team around him
I may have my timelines confused, but Tana had a similar path, but probably not as much NPC experience, so I guess you can understand why the appointment was made, but thier continued support of him in the face of some of the worst results in the teams history is an issue.
Twattue is right now and again...
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@chester-draws I think Rennie had served a decent apprenticeship before taking over the Chiefs and was highly rated, plus had a good team around him
I may have my timelines confused, but Tana had a similar path, but probably not as much NPC experience, so I guess you can understand why the appointment was made, but thier continued support of him in the face of some of the worst results in the teams history is an issue.
Twattue is right now and again...
@taniwharugby said in Blues vs. Rebels:
@chester-draws I think Rennie had served a decent apprenticeship before taking over the Chiefs and was highly rated, plus had a good team around him
Rennie had a hard time with Wellington at ITM level and got moved on if I recall -- certainly wasn't seen as a world beater or a locked in super coach.
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@taniwharugby said in Blues vs. Rebels:
@chester-draws I think Rennie had served a decent apprenticeship before taking over the Chiefs and was highly rated, plus had a good team around him
Rennie had a hard time with Wellington at ITM level and got moved on if I recall -- certainly wasn't seen as a world beater or a locked in super coach.
@nzzp said in Blues vs. Rebels:
@taniwharugby said in Blues vs. Rebels:
@chester-draws I think Rennie had served a decent apprenticeship before taking over the Chiefs and was highly rated, plus had a good team around him
Rennie had a hard time with Wellington at ITM level and got moved on if I recall -- certainly wasn't seen as a world beater or a locked in super coach.
He was great for Wellington, won the NPC back when it still mattered.
Then got overlooked for years for higher jobs, eventually went sideways and slightly backwards to coach Manawatu also 'only' at NPC level.
He was the Wayne Pivac of the Lower North Island.
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IIRC he wanted the Canes gig and when they gave it to bloody Hammett that was the final straw so he went to the Chiefs and took Cruds with him. Blues management aren't the only incompetent fools, thankfully we lucked out after Hammett with the Boyd-Plumtree combo and haven't looked back.
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I thought Havili had a very solid debut game. Didn't get much chance on attack, but he got through quite a bit work. His defense in particular was top shelf, notching up a game high 23 tackles with no misses. Backrow should be the least of our worries going forward, there's so much talent to work with in the group.
Kaino turned back the clock last night. Like Havili, he was everywhere on defense. Easily his best outing of the season.
Our tight 5 have been a massive disappointment around the park this season.
Leger has to be the least threatening midfielder in the comp. Per 80 minutes, he has the worst attacking stats of any midfielder in the comp. When I check his game stats each week, I get a bit confused, because you'd think Owen Franks was our centre with how bad his running metres look.
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I thought Havili had a very solid debut game. Didn't get much chance on attack, but he got through quite a bit work. His defense in particular was top shelf, notching up a game high 23 tackles with no misses. Backrow should be the least of our worries going forward, there's so much talent to work with in the group.
Kaino turned back the clock last night. Like Havili, he was everywhere on defense. Easily his best outing of the season.
Our tight 5 have been a massive disappointment around the park this season.
Leger has to be the least threatening midfielder in the comp. Per 80 minutes, he has the worst attacking stats of any midfielder in the comp. When I check his game stats each week, I get a bit confused, because you'd think Owen Franks was our centre with how bad his running metres look.
@dice Along with his awful kicking game. How many times this year has he kicked the ball out on the full?
