Highlanders vs Blues
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@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Duluth good coaches use all their players well. Bullshit excuse.
Well they aren’t all his players, still has Tana’s shit selections to phase out.
If they don’t rate the backups, then they need to recruit replacements. If this is happening next year then you have a point.
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Akira was missing badly tonight the tougher it got the more he disappeared and Rieko needs a rest he looks worn out
Blues have a tough run home Crusaders away and Hurricanes twice@Chris said in Highlanders vs Blues:
Akira was missing badly tonight the tougher it got the more he disappeared and Rieko needs a rest he looks worn out
Blues have a tough run home Crusaders away and Hurricanes twiceMost of our forward pack looked flat after the first 30. Akira wasn’t alone there.
Plus the tactics to stand off the rucks just played into their hands.
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The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 6 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.
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The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 6 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.
@Stargazer said in Highlanders vs Blues:
The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 5 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.
Probably because we traveled early in the draw?
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@Stargazer said in Highlanders vs Blues:
The timing of all the byes is a bit of a mystery to me. How do they plan them at SANZAAR? Blues already going into their 2nd bye, and the Crusaders just had their first this weekend. The Jaguares had their first in round 5 and their second this weekend. It's really odd.
Probably because we traveled early in the draw?
@Kirwan Maybe, but that doesn't explain the timing of the Jaguares' byes. They still have to travel to Oz and NZ. If they make the finals, it's going to be a long and exhausting 2nd part of the season for them.
Edit: it also doesn't explain the Waratahs' byes in weeks 3 and 9. They also still have to travel.
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@Chris said in Highlanders vs Blues:
Akira was missing badly tonight the tougher it got the more he disappeared and Rieko needs a rest he looks worn out
Blues have a tough run home Crusaders away and Hurricanes twiceMost of our forward pack looked flat after the first 30. Akira wasn’t alone there.
Plus the tactics to stand off the rucks just played into their hands.
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Nonu and Reiko Ioane were excellent for the Blues. The Blues lost this in the forwards: at scrum time and the breakdown. Big Karl and "King" Akira weren't really there tonight.
Ben Smith as ever, superb for the Landers. Coltman, Lomax and Lietjens all very good.
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@Kirwan shouldnt have been flat They have rotated the props so they haven’t had big minutes Dalton is fresh seems like their belief is wavering after the last 2 weeks they already have had a Bye need to find a spark somewhere
@Chris said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Kirwan shouldnt have been flat They have rotated the props so they haven’t had big minutes Dalton is fresh seems like their belief is wavering after the last 2 weeks they already have had a Bye need to find a spark somewhere
Akiras played pretty much every minute, similar with Parsons (to much annoyance). Robinson has played big minutes, Ofa had to play 70 today due to injury, lock have had some rotation but not hugely so.
So our loosies have the least rotation if you look at it.
It not ideal, but it’s understandable. Like has been mentioned above, it looks like Leon doesn’t trust all of the squad and some players are not being managed as much as they could be.
Buts that’s all looking at the Blues, Highlanders really played well at the breakdown.
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@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Duluth good coaches use all their players well. Bullshit excuse.
Well they aren’t all his players, still has Tana’s shit selections to phase out.
If they don’t rate the backups, then they need to recruit replacements. If this is happening next year then you have a point.
@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.
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@Chris said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Kirwan shouldnt have been flat They have rotated the props so they haven’t had big minutes Dalton is fresh seems like their belief is wavering after the last 2 weeks they already have had a Bye need to find a spark somewhere
Akiras played pretty much every minute, similar with Parsons (to much annoyance). Robinson has played big minutes, Ofa had to play 70 today due to injury, lock have had some rotation but not hugely so.
So our loosies have the least rotation if you look at it.
It not ideal, but it’s understandable. Like has been mentioned above, it looks like Leon doesn’t trust all of the squad and some players are not being managed as much as they could be.
Buts that’s all looking at the Blues, Highlanders really played well at the breakdown.
@Kirwan you are right the squad depth will win you the title Crusaders fantastic depth
Hurricanes like the Blues struggle without their 3 or 4 key players
Where the crusaders haven’t had Read, Whitelock, Franks ,Moody’, Taylor ,Bridge for extended periods also lost Perry, Matale and Saunders for the season -
Hopefully we don’t see much more of Nock. Pulu is flawed but offers something different late in a game
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@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.
@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.
Yes they do, his name is Gibson.
In the game where we have done well, the forwards have worked together to get turnovers. Not sure why they changed that for this game.
I challenge you to come up with a winning game plan with Pulu, Collins and Parsons! And no centre, so you have to play a 12 out of position.
There a serious holes in the squad.
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We were pretty bad and seemed real slow to the breakdown. Our pack looked lethargic, so the bye has come at the right time for us. A lot of players on high minutes.
Papali'i was our best player. He's starting to string the good games together.
@Dice said in Highlanders vs Blues:
Papali'i was our best player. He's starting to string the good games together.
So this would be his first?
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@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.
On the basis he looks shit when comes on
@Duluth said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.
On the basis he looks shit when comes on
That interception he threw just killed us. Didn’t he almost throw two?
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@Duluth said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Duluth on what basis do you say that? Nock looks good when he comes on.
On the basis he looks shit when comes on
That interception he threw just killed us. Didn’t he almost throw two?
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@Dice said in Highlanders vs Blues:
Papali'i was our best player. He's starting to string the good games together.
So this would be his first?
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@kev said in Highlanders vs Blues:
@Kirwan Coaches never get all the players they want. So suck it up and work out a wining game plan with the players you have. But saying that the Blues are better this year. He rightly said they lost the breakdown again. Papalii ( no turnovers ? ) and Robinson were good but quite a gap between those and the others. Plusthey have no genuine fetcher.
Yes they do, his name is Gibson.
In the game where we have done well, the forwards have worked together to get turnovers. Not sure why they changed that for this game.
I challenge you to come up with a winning game plan with Pulu, Collins and Parsons! And no centre, so you have to play a 12 out of position.
There a serious holes in the squad.
