Ireland vs All Blacks (2018)
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Thats it! We can't win the RWC now. The golden reign is over! Darkness descending upon our national game. Wait for the journos to go batshit...
This is what I find interesting...
In Test 1 v the BIL. We demonstrated a clinically brutal and efficient game - and then we put it away. We've brought it out in patches, the odd half, but thats it.
Some of the reason is Aaron Smith - go back and watch highlights of the AB's 2013-2016 - he used to skip to each ruck. Get it and fling accurate 20m passes and give us momentum - thats just not happening - except today, when TJ did it - what the hell is up with Smith?Theres so many little 1%-ers we're not nailing, 3 time in tests we've dropped the ball at the end chasing the W, Sam Cane v Australia, Dmac v SA, Retallick v Ireland today. Droppsies at the end don't lose a test but they're a sign we're a. fatigued, or b. not mentally getting it right - why aren't we getting the clarity we used to?
Was Richie such a standard setter and a freak in this regard - he was able to demand it?
I read a story on Read & Whitelock who say they operate differently and don't demand things quite the same - issue?I really don't believe Barrett is the issue. I think it lies with who is around him.
2016 he was incredible, when he was getting quick ball, and Crotty was on his shoulder.
I think hes shown in the last two tests he can control things and push us into parts of the field we want to be (not without saying, a few of his grubbers were a bit long v England)I like that we can scramble through game-plans to find one that works - I wonder though - are we getting a bit muddled because we have too many options?
We're a great chance to get the RWC three-peat, we'll win through our pool, quarters will be fine. As long as our coaches get clarity and we sharpen our focus over the summer.Lastly, what pisses me off, is that we just seem to be playing dumb & loose. The Irish showed the value of keeping possession. If you've got it, they can't score. And thats what happened today.
All of our starters can fuck-off for summer. They don't get to fix it vs. Italy. They can go let that niggly little rock fester all several months. -
@crucial Agreed, they have looked flat. I thought this was the year that they wouldn't be flat on the EOYT considering a lot of our forwards had not played many minutes. Perhaps Shag is getting stale, not sure...but in the three big games this year (Pretoria, London, Dublin), we have looked out of sorts.
@akan004 said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@crucial Agreed, they have looked flat. I thought this was the year that they wouldn't be flat on the EOYT considering a lot of our forwards had not played many minutes. Perhaps Shag is getting stale, not sure...but in the three big games this year (Pretoria, London, Dublin), we have looked out of sorts.
Agree totally. How can you say the first half kicking game is working as they have been when we have behind in just about every match. The disappointing thing tonight was our much vaunted skills let us down in pressure situation.
And at the end we looked like we didn’t know how to create space. Passing from side to side with passes going to the wrong person. -
If we look back at this poor run as the first sign of the end of the shag era, it has been a great ride. I think we still have the pieces, but we are in a funk at the moment and I'm not sure Foz and Scott McLeod can help provide him with suitable answers
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@westcoastie said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
Wow.
Ireland clearly betterer today.
Tactics odd.
50-65min mark we were coming, then stopped. Maybe should've pushed for the corner instead of taking the penalty.
Retallick - that wasn't one of his best was it?
Read - is he cooked?
Whitelock
I think Perenara should've started - hes in better form than A.Smith.
We need something different in midfield - we're not making any metres there (even when SBW plays)If Nonu is serious about making a tilt, and he's 85% as good as 2015 or better, he'll walk in
@canefan said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
If Nonu is serious about making a tilt, and he's 85% as good as 2015 or better, he'll walk in
Yeah, but who would Ma'a replace in our settled midfield combination?
(Irony alert)
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Just watched it.
So disappointing. Played right into their hands and made some shocking errors. One to forget for poor Brodie.
Thoroughly deserved Ireland.
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@akan004 said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
Looks like Moody was a much bigger loss than many on here thought. Karl still has a lot of work ons.
Karl off the bench still looks good to me. The coaches have said he is nowhere near where he needs to be physically, and that is to be expected when you consider where he was at the start of the year.
@bovidae said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@akan004 said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
Looks like Moody was a much bigger loss than many on here thought. Karl l has a lot of work ons.
Karl off the bench still looks good to me. The coaches have said he is nowhere near where he needs to be physically, and that is to be expected when you consider where he was at the start of the year.
Karl looked buggered at the end, but consider where hes come from, and the games hes played. We've got depth in props. Our scrum gives us the platform we want 99% of the time, and often can disrupt others.
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@akan004 said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@crucial Agreed, they have looked flat. I thought this was the year that they wouldn't be flat on the EOYT considering a lot of our forwards had not played many minutes. Perhaps Shag is getting stale, not sure...but in the three big games this year (Pretoria, London, Dublin), we have looked out of sorts.
Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I just hope that the coaches didn't want to play the game they have in mind for the RWC, just because they don't want to give anything away.
@stargazer while I think there is some truth in what you are saying, I think they needed to be able to adjust when it was evident the game plan wasnt working, rather than persist...so why we didnt respond and adjust our game is more concernign to me.
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@canefan said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
If Nonu is serious about making a tilt, and he's 85% as good as 2015 or better, he'll walk in
Yeah, but who would Ma'a replace in our settled midfield combination?
(Irony alert)
@victor-meldrew said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@canefan said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
If Nonu is serious about making a tilt, and he's 85% as good as 2015 or better, he'll walk in
Yeah, but who would Ma'a replace in our settled midfield combination?
(Irony alert)
I think I'm leading the Ma'a fan club, he would definitely give us some midfield presence that we're missing. But he won't be the panacea.
Ma'a version 2.015 and Goodhue in the midfield would be amazing. Big question mark over whether Ma'a can come back like that. -
The one massive positive from this game is that we have finally found a top class blindside flanker. Thought Scott Barrett was outstanding. Now we need to find his back up as Squire, Frizell and Fifita are not up to it.
@akan004 said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
The one massive positive from this game is that we have finally found a top class blindside flanker. Thought Scott Barrett was outstanding. Now we need to find his back up as Squire, Frizell and Fifita are not up to it.
He's played really well this year at every opportunity hasn't he this year - and played a lot of minutes also. If Squire doesn't go down injured (and had been playing a bit better) I think we would've seen Scott on for Retallick or Whitelock.
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Thats it! We can't win the RWC now. The golden reign is over! Darkness descending upon our national game. Wait for the journos to go batshit...
This is what I find interesting...
In Test 1 v the BIL. We demonstrated a clinically brutal and efficient game - and then we put it away. We've brought it out in patches, the odd half, but thats it.
Some of the reason is Aaron Smith - go back and watch highlights of the AB's 2013-2016 - he used to skip to each ruck. Get it and fling accurate 20m passes and give us momentum - thats just not happening - except today, when TJ did it - what the hell is up with Smith?Theres so many little 1%-ers we're not nailing, 3 time in tests we've dropped the ball at the end chasing the W, Sam Cane v Australia, Dmac v SA, Retallick v Ireland today. Droppsies at the end don't lose a test but they're a sign we're a. fatigued, or b. not mentally getting it right - why aren't we getting the clarity we used to?
Was Richie such a standard setter and a freak in this regard - he was able to demand it?
I read a story on Read & Whitelock who say they operate differently and don't demand things quite the same - issue?I really don't believe Barrett is the issue. I think it lies with who is around him.
2016 he was incredible, when he was getting quick ball, and Crotty was on his shoulder.
I think hes shown in the last two tests he can control things and push us into parts of the field we want to be (not without saying, a few of his grubbers were a bit long v England)I like that we can scramble through game-plans to find one that works - I wonder though - are we getting a bit muddled because we have too many options?
We're a great chance to get the RWC three-peat, we'll win through our pool, quarters will be fine. As long as our coaches get clarity and we sharpen our focus over the summer.Lastly, what pisses me off, is that we just seem to be playing dumb & loose. The Irish showed the value of keeping possession. If you've got it, they can't score. And thats what happened today.
All of our starters can fuck-off for summer. They don't get to fix it vs. Italy. They can go let that niggly little rock fester all several months.@westcoastie said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
I really don't believe Barrett is the issue. I think it lies with who is around him.
Good point. Carter & Cruden had stability outside them - almost always Nonu - plus a firing on all cylinders Aaron Smith,
BB had SBW, Crotty, ALB, Laumape - almost like a revolving door - and a strangely out-of-form Smith
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Akira Ioane says hello
@nightmarehitter said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
Akira Ioane says hello
Not in top-50 AB's remember...
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Akira Ioane says hello
@nightmarehitter said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
Akira Ioane says hello
Uh oh when @Bones sees this....
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Unlike some, I'm not hitting the panic button yet. Still plenty of time to go until the RWC. Need to get things right during the shortened Rugby Championship though.
Fair point. Better to clean up the shit from the fan now rather than in 9 months time
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This was not a game for 2018 Akira at all.
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ALB and Goodhue are the next long term midfielders if they ever get a chance to form a combo.
Totally agree.
I'd really like to know what is in Hansen's head with his midfield selections. It's like Graham Henry's Rotation policy at 12/13.
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@westcoastie said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
I really don't believe Barrett is the issue. I think it lies with who is around him.
Good point. Carter & Cruden had stability outside them - almost always Nonu - plus a firing on all cylinders Aaron Smith,
BB had SBW, Crotty, ALB, Laumape - almost like a revolving door - and a strangely out-of-form Smith
@victor-meldrew said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
@westcoastie said in Ireland Vs All Blacks:
I really don't believe Barrett is the issue. I think it lies with who is around him.
Good point. Carter & Cruden had stability outside them - almost always Nonu - plus a firing on all cylinders Aaron Smith,
BB had SBW, Crotty, ALB, Laumape - almost like a revolving door - and a strangely out-of-form Smith
And again, in 2016, BB slayed it.
This is how our backline should look...
9. A halfback who gets to the ball quickly and gives it to our 10 to run things quickly - TTT is probably the best at this currently, TJP 2nd, Aaron Smith 3rd.
10. Beaudy
11. Ioane - who we need to give some fucking space to do some stuff in
12. A midfielder who can bend the line - SBW isn't doing it, so Ma'a and Laumape should come into reckoning.
13. Goodhue
14 & 15. Ben Smith, and another fullback who can do the business at FB or wing. Naholo might've been a better bet today, bend the line.
