Brumbies vs Blues
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I'm assuming at least two of the halfbacks will be moved on.
Where possible there should still be recruitment from the region and through the Blues Dev program. The guy that should get promoted if he has a decent NPC is Gjaltema
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Well, didn't that just suck!
Hadn't watched a Blues game live for a while, for obvious reasons, but given this year they are looking better, I decided to catch up with a mate who lives just outside of Canberra and go and watch the game.
Cold and windy, so whichever commentator said it wasn't windy must have been sitting in a booth or studio somewhere.
Had dinner and a few warm up beverages at Bentspoke brewery first then off to the game so we were about 5 minutes late but oh well.
Observations from watching from the ground:
Ref was clearly being influenced by the crowd who I have to say, begrudgingly, are a little more knowledgeable than the Warratah fans.
Of the loose trio, Gibson went well, but the other two, not so much.
I watched Akira as much as I could and boy, was I disappointed. As some have pointed out, he's played a lot of rugby this year and he did look tired. He was walking behind the play a lot and seemed disinterested at times. In the scrums, he looks more like he is leaning rather than pushing and lifts his head quickly when it's the oppositions feed. Based on this performance, he wouldn't make my RWC squad.
Based on my first time watching Robinson live, anyone saying he could be an AB bolter this year better think again. Headless chook is what I saw. He constantly moves but seemed frequently out of position for a blindside. Then would go hang on the wing a bit with Duffie or Clarke. Oh and his scrum work didn't look good either. Looked more interested in getting out of the scrum as quick as he could rather than pushing.
Black, OMG, Black. Looks like a kid playing men. He's small, like very small compared to the other players. Not necessarily his height but rather his frame just looks very slight and not particularly robust. He plays quite deep and looks to shovel the ball on. Doesn't seem to have that ability to look and play what's in front of him and see what the next play or two should be.
Ma'a, well damn, that man is a beast and was the best back on the day. You can see that old head just reads the game so well. And his speed wasn't all that bad but he looks slow to accelerate but not slow once he get's going. My mate at one point said, wow, he's fast.
Duffie, looked shit. Positionally, got caught out a few times. Also rarely looked for extra work and instead waited for the ball to come his way.
Clarke looks much better on the wing.A very disappointing result and always looked that way once the refereeing favoured the Brumbies and they just couldn't adjust but rather, kept making some stupid decisions and mistakes.
Game management overall looked absolutely shite to be honest.
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Well, didn't that just suck!
Hadn't watched a Blues game live for a while, for obvious reasons, but given this year they are looking better, I decided to catch up with a mate who lives just outside of Canberra and go and watch the game.
Cold and windy, so whichever commentator said it wasn't windy must have been sitting in a booth or studio somewhere.
Had dinner and a few warm up beverages at Bentspoke brewery first then off to the game so we were about 5 minutes late but oh well.
Observations from watching from the ground:
Ref was clearly being influenced by the crowd who I have to say, begrudgingly, are a little more knowledgeable than the Warratah fans.
Of the loose trio, Gibson went well, but the other two, not so much.
I watched Akira as much as I could and boy, was I disappointed. As some have pointed out, he's played a lot of rugby this year and he did look tired. He was walking behind the play a lot and seemed disinterested at times. In the scrums, he looks more like he is leaning rather than pushing and lifts his head quickly when it's the oppositions feed. Based on this performance, he wouldn't make my RWC squad.
Based on my first time watching Robinson live, anyone saying he could be an AB bolter this year better think again. Headless chook is what I saw. He constantly moves but seemed frequently out of position for a blindside. Then would go hang on the wing a bit with Duffie or Clarke. Oh and his scrum work didn't look good either. Looked more interested in getting out of the scrum as quick as he could rather than pushing.
Black, OMG, Black. Looks like a kid playing men. He's small, like very small compared to the other players. Not necessarily his height but rather his frame just looks very slight and not particularly robust. He plays quite deep and looks to shovel the ball on. Doesn't seem to have that ability to look and play what's in front of him and see what the next play or two should be.
Ma'a, well damn, that man is a beast and was the best back on the day. You can see that old head just reads the game so well. And his speed wasn't all that bad but he looks slow to accelerate but not slow once he get's going. My mate at one point said, wow, he's fast.
Duffie, looked shit. Positionally, got caught out a few times. Also rarely looked for extra work and instead waited for the ball to come his way.
Clarke looks much better on the wing.A very disappointing result and always looked that way once the refereeing favoured the Brumbies and they just couldn't adjust but rather, kept making some stupid decisions and mistakes.
Game management overall looked absolutely shite to be honest.
@RoninWC having a loosie stationed wide is pretty commonplace nowadays.
@Duluth disappointed Kitto went back to the UK, reckon he could have stepped up (was in Dev side but dropped out) I believe Northland has just signed Harrison Levien (currently playing for OBM up here, has a good pass and looks quick) who has played for Waikato, be interesting to see if he can press Nock.
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Well, didn't that just suck!
Hadn't watched a Blues game live for a while, for obvious reasons, but given this year they are looking better, I decided to catch up with a mate who lives just outside of Canberra and go and watch the game.
Cold and windy, so whichever commentator said it wasn't windy must have been sitting in a booth or studio somewhere.
Had dinner and a few warm up beverages at Bentspoke brewery first then off to the game so we were about 5 minutes late but oh well.
Observations from watching from the ground:
Ref was clearly being influenced by the crowd who I have to say, begrudgingly, are a little more knowledgeable than the Warratah fans.
Of the loose trio, Gibson went well, but the other two, not so much.
I watched Akira as much as I could and boy, was I disappointed. As some have pointed out, he's played a lot of rugby this year and he did look tired. He was walking behind the play a lot and seemed disinterested at times. In the scrums, he looks more like he is leaning rather than pushing and lifts his head quickly when it's the oppositions feed. Based on this performance, he wouldn't make my RWC squad.
Based on my first time watching Robinson live, anyone saying he could be an AB bolter this year better think again. Headless chook is what I saw. He constantly moves but seemed frequently out of position for a blindside. Then would go hang on the wing a bit with Duffie or Clarke. Oh and his scrum work didn't look good either. Looked more interested in getting out of the scrum as quick as he could rather than pushing.
Black, OMG, Black. Looks like a kid playing men. He's small, like very small compared to the other players. Not necessarily his height but rather his frame just looks very slight and not particularly robust. He plays quite deep and looks to shovel the ball on. Doesn't seem to have that ability to look and play what's in front of him and see what the next play or two should be.
Ma'a, well damn, that man is a beast and was the best back on the day. You can see that old head just reads the game so well. And his speed wasn't all that bad but he looks slow to accelerate but not slow once he get's going. My mate at one point said, wow, he's fast.
Duffie, looked shit. Positionally, got caught out a few times. Also rarely looked for extra work and instead waited for the ball to come his way.
Clarke looks much better on the wing.A very disappointing result and always looked that way once the refereeing favoured the Brumbies and they just couldn't adjust but rather, kept making some stupid decisions and mistakes.
Game management overall looked absolutely shite to be honest.
@RoninWC to be fair to Robinson he’s only been playing in the 6 jersey for not even a year, he played a hand full of games for the Taniwha last before being injured and what we have seen in this years super rugby..the Blues from what I understand have been asking him to range wide because of his pace and offloading skills..on Saturday night the Blues could not even string any phases together little alone packing a half decent scrum..rest of your points a very fair.
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Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
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Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
Given everything else at the Chiefs, I'll side with Occam's razor.
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Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
I think these calls are more of a case of a 2018 All Black being an upgrade for the Blues at halfback which they definitely need. I don't think it's a stretch to say that TTT would be an upgrade on the Blues current halfbacks.
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Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
@Stargazer regardless, maybe (not saying is the case) he might also think the Chiefs coaches are being tougher on him and not giving the opportunities he feels he deserves...
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@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
I think these calls are more of a case of a 2018 All Black being an upgrade for the Blues at halfback which they definitely need. I don't think it's a stretch to say that TTT would be an upgrade on the Blues current halfbacks.
@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
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@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
I think we can all agree there are players whose Test status is at best a trivia question, not a reflection of their international standing.
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Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
Seeing so many calls for signing TTT for the Blues, I wonder whether anyone has considered the possibility that his limited game time for the Chiefs may not solely be the preference of the coaches for Weber? Could it be that there is something lacking in the way TTT is training, his skillset or mentally that causes them to overlook him?
I'm not saying that's the case; I don't know. But I think, generally speaking, many Ferners are very quick to blame the coaches, maybe too quick.
There's probably something in that. I think Weber gets the starts due to his experience more than anything. I'd like to see TTT get more gametime to develop but when you've had a tough season and wins are paramount every week, coaches generally choose experience.
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@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
@Stargazer said in Brumbies vs Blues:
@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
Sure but what's the alternative? Pass on recruiting an AB 9 when you have a need at 9?
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Wasn't Leon MacDonald involved in the NZ U20s coaching group with Razor the year that TTT was halfback? (same year as Akira, Jack Goodhue etc).
Blues absolutely should be chasing TTT. It's no good for NZ Rugby that he is wallowing away on the Chiefs bench with barely any game time.
@KiwiMurph said in Brumbies vs Blues:
Wasn't Leon MacDonald involved in the NZ U20s coaching group with Razor the year that TTT was halfback? (same year as Akira, Jack Goodhue etc).
Blues absolutely should be chasing TTT. It's no good for NZ Rugby that he is wallowing away on the Chiefs bench with barely any game time.
Yeah, Leon was attack coach and Tana was defensive coach.
I remember one of the backlines for that team being
9 - TTT
10 - Otere Black
11 - Tevita Li
12 - TJ Faiane
13 - Anton Lienert-Brown
14 - Jack Goodhue
15 - Mitch HuntLooking at the squad now, it's one of the more stacked U20 teams. Almost everyone in that team has a Super Rugby contract.
http://www.allblacks.com/news/27229/nz-under-20-squad-named-for-world-champs-in-italy
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@KiwiMurph Yeah, fair point, although Pulu is a capped player, too and look how that has turned out.
@Stargazer Yeah Pulu's a funny one. Full of energy and will always give it 100%, problem is he doesn't use his brain a lot of the time if ever and ends up costing his team more often than not. He's always been a bit of an enigma.
We're in a real sticky spot at 9. We'd be stupid not to go for TTT but if we can't land him, then we're probably better off sticking with Ruru/Nock as our 2 choices as there isn't a hell of a lot out there. Who knows, maybe Nock is finally starting to realise his potential and might kick on next year if given another contract. Ruru's not bad to have around the squad. He has his bad moments but he's ok as a squad member.
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@Steven-Harris surely a no brainer for the Blues to target him?
I dont expect he is overly happy sitting on the bench at the Chiefs, and the blues need a 9...
For me, Nock is on a precipice right now, if he wants to continue his career in NZ, he needs to step it up and find some consistency, as I have always said, has the skills (pass and kicking game) but seems to struggle with decision making which makes him hesitant resulting in errors.
@taniwharugby That was Nock's first start this year and he played really well - quick decision making, fast pass, good box kicks, covered well. The Blues look so good when their big forwards maintain their structure and hit the advantage line and he was part of that. Of recent times he has had some time off the bench and looked much better than last year (even with one intercept pass) - the key being the quicker decision making. I don't know what has happened but either he has woken up or the coaching and tactics have improved. I do think with MacDonald we are seeing a more structured uptempo game plan. I want to see him get some more game time and see how he goes. If he plays like he did on Saturday then he deserves to be there. The fact that the Coaching team gave him a start says that they were also are pleased with his cameo's to that point. He is the perfect example of a player selected too early - his quiet nature has probably been part of that, but to me he looks like he starting to step up. But I wold like to see him run more more as he is quick and to keep working on his physicality which has improved.
