AB squad for the Rugby Championship
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The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.
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@akan004 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
After Argentina, I thought we would never see Fifita in black again. Losing confidence in Shag and co very quickly. You never want to see an AB get injured but I might just have to make an exception for Fifita.
I said it last season, but the frustration around AB game plans and selections reminds me of the Chiefs when Fozzie was running the show. Wonder if he is having a lot more influence now Smith has jumped ship.
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The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.
Or he is still struggling with his health.
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@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.
Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.
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There you go, I can’t pick my nose.
Quite stoked that they want to see more of Jacobson. I feel a bit for Paps though, he’s been hardly used.
They also clearly haven’t made up their minds about the outside backs either.
@gt12 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
I feel a bit for Paps though, he’s been hardly used.
Yup. The Retallick injury really screwed him over against SA
As soon as Fafita subbed on, Papali'i was never going to get more than a couple of minutes
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@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.
Or he is still struggling with his health.
@Stargazer said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
The articles say that Laulala will play for C-M before joining the squad for Perth. No mention of the reason behind Tu'inukuafe's exclusion (yet) so he might have been overtaken by Moli with Tu'ungafasi also able to play LH. It could be down to Laulala vs Ta'avao now.
Or he is still struggling with his health.
Quite possible. They haven't been forthcoming about his illness or current health. But as I said, Tu'inukuafe will need to play as it's been months since he last did. He seems to be a player that needs regular time on the field to remain in top form.
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To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
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@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.
Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.
Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.
He's one of those players you would have no faith in to dig deep and scrap when the shit hits the fan. Not a quality I want at the World Cup.
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To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
@mofitzy_ said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
If they intend to play Ardie at 8 in pool games, keeping Todd in the squad is IMO the right decision. Nobody else but Read and Ardie play 8 well enough at test level, esp with Squire out of the picture. None of the other loosies (not including Cane and Ardie) are better than Todd at 7 (they're possibly not even good enough at 7 at test level, full-stop). It's a no-brainer to keep Todd at this stage.
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@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.
Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.
@MN5 said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Bovidae said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@Crazy-Horse I'd point the finger at Hansen and Cron for the continued selection of Fifita.
So annoying when you know he's capable of this sorta stuff.
Is it part of "keeping the powder dry" to do absolutely fuck all until the WC ? if so it's a great plan.
His talent is tantalizing. Here's hoping Shag knows something we don't
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@mofitzy_ said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
If they intend to play Ardie at 8 in pool games, keeping Todd in the squad is IMO the right decision. Nobody else but Read and Ardie play 8 well enough at test level, esp with Squire out of the picture. None of the other loosies (not including Cane and Ardie) are better than Todd at 7 (they're possibly not even good enough at 7 at test level, full-stop). It's a no-brainer to keep Todd at this stage.
@Stargazer said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@mofitzy_ said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
If they intend to play Ardie at 8 in pool games, keeping Todd in the squad is IMO the right decision. Nobody else but Read and Ardie play 8 well enough at test level, esp with Squire out of the picture. None of the other loosies (not including Cane and Ardie) are better than Todd at 7 (they're possibly not even good enough at 7 at test level, full-stop). It's a no-brainer to keep Todd at this stage.
Our other pool games are against Canada, Namibia and Italy. We could play Fifita at 8 and it wouldn't matter.
Secondly - I guess we'll never know as they've never given them a go....
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Here is a left field suggestion. Maybe Frizell has been left out because the three selectors have decided he is a certainty for the World Cup and they are playing off the remaining two No 6s to see which will be his back up?
@Higgins said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
Here is a left field suggestion. Maybe Frizell has been left out because the three selectors have decided he is a certainty for the World Cup and they are playing off the remaining two No 6s to see which will be his back up?
How does Squire fit into that equation though??
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@mofitzy_ said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
If they intend to play Ardie at 8 in pool games, keeping Todd in the squad is IMO the right decision. Nobody else but Read and Ardie play 8 well enough at test level, esp with Squire out of the picture. None of the other loosies (not including Cane and Ardie) are better than Todd at 7 (they're possibly not even good enough at 7 at test level, full-stop). It's a no-brainer to keep Todd at this stage.
@Stargazer said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
@mofitzy_ said in AB squad for the Rugby Championship:
To me you keep Todd on ice as we already have 2 world class opensides in the squad. Don't see the point in picking a 3rd openside who isn't versatile. Would rather see Papalii or Frizzell - though hopefully they pick Hemopo at 6.
Fifitas selection is a real head scratcher though.
If they intend to play Ardie at 8 in pool games, keeping Todd in the squad is IMO the right decision. Nobody else but Read and Ardie play 8 well enough at test level, esp with Squire out of the picture. None of the other loosies (not including Cane and Ardie) are good enough to play at 7 at test level. It's a no-brainer to keep Todd at this stage.
I get the point that 7 is the most specialised position in the back row but if he isn't starting then he isn't a versatile bench pick. Maybe they want to ensure Cane and Ardie are as fresh as possible.
