Blues 2021
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@chris-b it isnt quite as bad when you have 2 9s alternating starting/bench roles, but the Blues do it with 3 halves, and while Ruru has a longer rope than the other 2, none really have had much chance to get going, as I think only Christie has had an injury but that was in the 1st game.
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
@chris-b it isnt quite as bad when you have 2 9s alternating starting/bench roles, but the Blues do it with 3 halves, and while Ruru has a longer rope than the other 2, none really have had much chance to get going, as I think only Christie has had an injury but that was in the 1st game.
After game 1, Ruru has had 4 starts in 6 games and came off the bench in the other two - so he's arguably had a pretty decent run. I'd guess he'd have a similar pattern of starts to Hall and Drummond, who have switched around a fair bit - and maybe even Smith and Fakatava.
The other two have had a decent amount of game time, so neither can sit there like Ere Enari thinking, "I'm clearly number 3, I think I'll try my luck elsewhere".
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@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
@chris-b it isnt quite as bad when you have 2 9s alternating starting/bench roles, but the Blues do it with 3 halves, and while Ruru has a longer rope than the other 2, none really have had much chance to get going, as I think only Christie has had an injury but that was in the 1st game.
After game 1, Ruru has had 4 starts in 6 games and came off the bench in the other two - so he's arguably had a pretty decent run. I'd guess he'd have a similar pattern of starts to Hall and Drummond, who have switched around a fair bit - and maybe even Smith and Fakatava.
The other two have had a decent amount of game time, so neither can sit there like Ere Enari thinking, "I'm clearly number 3, I think I'll try my luck elsewhere".
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@chris-b so the halfback who was 3rd choice last year, never proven at Super Rugby level and who has a game least suited to Super Rugby Aotearoa is the one who has been given the most chances.....
@kiwimurph It's Ruru who's had the most chances.
I don't know about the other stuff.
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So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
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So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
Is that certain? All I could find in the media is this (from 1 May 2021):Caleb Clarke says he’ll use next week to decide whether he’ll go to the Olympics or play Super Rugby trans- Ta$man for the Blues and then for the All Blacks.
The team will then have week off, before preparing for their first game of the inaugural Super Rugby trans- Ta$man competition.
But the 22-year-old Clarke says he’ll spend the next few days deciding whether he’ll chase a gold medal at the Tokyo Games, or spend the rest of the season in the 15-man game.Clarke says right now he doesn’t know which way he’s leaning, but it will be one that Blues coach Leon MacDonald, All Blacks coach Ian Foster and sevens coach Clark Laidlaw will be anxiously waiting on.
“I’m talking to both parties at the moment,” Clarke said.
“Personally I feel like I haven’t really got to my full potential, it’s been a lot harder this year, trying to get into these games.
“So that’s one side of it, but on the other, the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we’ll see how we go.” -
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
@nzzp said in Blues 2021:
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
I would go for Lam as well
It's interesting how many 14's there are. Caleb started every match at 11, Telea mostly was the 14 but occasionally it was Heem.
So the Blues really are looking for an 11Lam, Narawa and Kneepkens consistently started on the right wing for their provinces
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@nzzp said in Blues 2021:
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
I would go for Lam as well
It's interesting how many 14's there are. Caleb started every match at 11, Telea mostly was the 14 but occasionally it was Heem.
So the Blues really are looking for an 11Lam, Narawa and Kneepkens consistently started on the right wing for their provinces
@duluth said in Blues 2021:
@nzzp said in Blues 2021:
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
I would go for Lam as well
It's interesting how many 14's there are. Caleb started every match at 11, Telea mostly was the 14 but occasionally it was Heem.
So the Blues really are looking for an 11Lam, Narawa and Kneepkens consistently started on the right wing for their provinces
I want them to move Reiko there, he's their best left wing.
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@duluth said in Blues 2021:
@nzzp said in Blues 2021:
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
I would go for Lam as well
It's interesting how many 14's there are. Caleb started every match at 11, Telea mostly was the 14 but occasionally it was Heem.
So the Blues really are looking for an 11Lam, Narawa and Kneepkens consistently started on the right wing for their provinces
I want them to move Reiko there, he's their best left wing.
@nepia said in Blues 2021:
he's their best left wing
and he's the best centre
There's a queue of exciting young wingers that are worth a look. The same can't be said for 13
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@nepia said in Blues 2021:
he's their best left wing
and he's the best centre
There's a queue of exciting young wingers that are worth a look. The same can't be said for 13
@duluth said in Blues 2021:
@nepia said in Blues 2021:
he's their best left wing
and he's the best centre
There's a queue of exciting young wingers that are worth a look. The same can't be said for 13
For all those people moaning about his distrubition, check out his pass to Sullivan for his try. Perfect.
Some of the other Blues players could take a leaf out of his book, so many passes going behind the player, kills the attack.
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@nepia said in Blues 2021:
he's their best left wing
and he's the best centre
There's a queue of exciting young wingers that are worth a look. The same can't be said for 13
@duluth said in Blues 2021:
@nepia said in Blues 2021:
he's their best left wing
and he's the best centre
There's a queue of exciting young wingers that are worth a look. The same can't be said for 13
I don't disagree with any of that, but I'd like to see him reinstalled as AB 11.
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the blues need to find a backline and stick to it. the Plummer in 12 idea and even piriofeta in 15 has not worked.
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the blues need to find a backline and stick to it. the Plummer in 12 idea and even piriofeta in 15 has not worked.
@mackerzzzz said in Blues 2021:
the blues need to find a backline and stick to it. the Plummer in 12 idea and even piriofeta in 15 has not worked.
There best backline for me:
- Nock
- Black
- Clarke/ or Lam
- Faiane
- Ioane
- Heem
- Sullivan
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@mackerzzzz said in Blues 2021:
the blues need to find a backline and stick to it. the Plummer in 12 idea and even piriofeta in 15 has not worked.
There best backline for me:
- Nock
- Black
- Clarke/ or Lam
- Faiane
- Ioane
- Heem
- Sullivan
@mackerzzzz said in Blues 2021:
@mackerzzzz said in Blues 2021:
the blues need to find a backline and stick to it. the Plummer in 12 idea and even piriofeta in 15 has not worked.
There best backline for me:
- Nock
- Black
- Clarke/ or Lam
- Faiane
- Ioane
- Heem
- Sullivan
Don't kind 14 and 15.
For me, swap 10 BB, 14 Lam and 15 JB and it's all good
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@nzzp said in Blues 2021:
@nogusta said in Blues 2021:
So with Clarke heading off to the Mount now - who out of Narawa/Lam/Kneepkens/Heem should get first crack for the SR TT!?
AJ Lam had a tremendous few minutes on the park. High workrate, chased down the kickoff from the Blues at 19-19, and did a good job.
Not saying he'll keep that up for 80 min, but I was impressed.
I would go for Lam as well
It's interesting how many 14's there are. Caleb started every match at 11, Telea mostly was the 14 but occasionally it was Heem.
So the Blues really are looking for an 11Lam, Narawa and Kneepkens consistently started on the right wing for their provinces
@duluth Mark Telea back on the left wing? He was way better on the left wing than on the right last year, but got shifted to the right because of Caleb.
Lam played on the left wing in pre-season and played left wing off the bench against the Canes, so he's an option there.
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@snowy said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
@nzzp said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
@bovidae second year syndrome - suddenly you get marked, and you lift your game
Yep. Use the extra attention to distribute / offload and find the space that is created elsewhere. Maybe that is why he keeps heading infield rather than trying to go outside? Trying to link up, rather than go over or through a couple of defenders.
yeah but it helps if you have the ball..
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching. -
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching.@nostrildamus said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching.The talent is actually what is obscuring the other issues in a way. In a number of Blues games they give the overall impression of being rabble but then you look at the scoreboard and they are performing as well as the more organised looking opposition. They are second highest on the try tally, top in the metres carried tally and offloads, yet bottom in the defenders beaten ranks.
Opposition teams have to work hard to score as well.
However something just doesn't seem right. It could be just a confidence/headspace thing. Visible frustration from coaches is usually a good indicator that the players aren't following the plans or that they aren't executing as well as they train.
Personnel clarity from coaches hasn't helped but is that desperate attempts to get players out there that will follow instructions? -
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching.@nostrildamus said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching./shrugs. I'd agree, if you hadn't seen major improvements in the last couple of years under Leon. What I think we're lacking is leadership and rugby nous out there. BB probably papered over those cracks last year with confidence from fullback, and you saw it losing Parsons and then Tuipolotu and Robinson this year. We didn't have leaders out there for most of the season, and we lacked the rugby IQ to really drive the team into the right places.
Three good games, followed by 5 poor ones. Hopefully SRTT gives the team a chance to get some confidence, hit their straps and work their butts off. I'm still reasonably confident about our medium term future - we're attracting and keepign decent players, we've got a decent coach, and we are miles away from the rabble we had in the past.
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@nostrildamus said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching./shrugs. I'd agree, if you hadn't seen major improvements in the last couple of years under Leon. What I think we're lacking is leadership and rugby nous out there. BB probably papered over those cracks last year with confidence from fullback, and you saw it losing Parsons and then Tuipolotu and Robinson this year. We didn't have leaders out there for most of the season, and we lacked the rugby IQ to really drive the team into the right places.
Three good games, followed by 5 poor ones. Hopefully SRTT gives the team a chance to get some confidence, hit their straps and work their butts off. I'm still reasonably confident about our medium term future - we're attracting and keepign decent players, we've got a decent coach, and we are miles away from the rabble we had in the past.
@nzzp said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
@nostrildamus said in SRA Round 10: Blues v Chiefs:
overall impression I get is the Blues have talent, not always in the right position, but skill-wise and tactically have stalled or gone backwards.
That suggests limitations in coaching./shrugs. I'd agree, if you hadn't seen major improvements in the last couple of years under Leon. What I think we're lacking is leadership and rugby nous out there. BB probably papered over those cracks last year with confidence from fullback, and you saw it losing Parsons and then Tuipolotu and Robinson this year. We didn't have leaders out there for most of the season, and we lacked the rugby IQ to really drive the team into the right places.
Three good games, followed by 5 poor ones. Hopefully SRTT gives the team a chance to get some confidence, hit their straps and work their butts off. I'm still reasonably confident about our medium term future - we're attracting and keepign decent players, we've got a decent coach, and we are miles away from the rabble we had in the past.
I agree regards overall improvements. Then we only differ on skills. I'm not saying he's a bad coach, fundamentally, but they need to consistently get to the next stage, and there needs to be leadership and rugby nous in the backs (and replacement forwards).
My suggestion (and having BB at 15 is too far from the action for this) is at 10 or 12 a genuine, intelligent, astute playmaker.Oh and the 9-10 weekly lolly scrambles aren't helping. Alternate pairings, not just position.
