All Blacks vs Wales

booboo

Taylor didn't play poorly in his last start at all, in a very good team performance at Eden Park. And I think it's good to manage resources honestly. Especially as it should be a fast, flowing game under the roof at Millennium which could suit Taylor. Taukeiaho's power game will be more useful later in the tour.

It's a very strong team.

I'm confident of getting good results this tour but still gotta get lucky with injuries (and judiciary).

Apparently that's utter rubbish, and sacrilegious.

sparky

@Daffy-Jaffy said in All Blacks vs Wales:

Omen?

https://www.allblacks.com/news/barnes-to-mark-100th-test-with-whistle-from-famous-1905-match/

The thought of Barnes in Cardiff in 2007 makes my blood boil. The French committed offence after offence after offence at the breakdown in the last 15 minutes of game. And Barnes forgot to whistle any of them.

The thought of John Dewar Dallas in Cardiff in 1905 makes my blood boil over. The Originals had won every other game on that tour. Bob Deans scored a fair try. The Welsh moved the ball and conned the ref. Unforgivable.

Never forget!

Crucial

Sami on the bench is purely a workload thing. We have other tough tests to come and he wasn't meant to play last week until Coles got injured.
As log as it is a pointer to using him more in the remaining games I'm fine with it.

foobaNZ

Obviously if it was the top 15 Samisoni would start, but must be a rest thing. A shame Jordan is injured but I like the team otherwise.

sparky

@Daffy-Jaffy said in All Blacks vs Wales:

Wales:
15. Leigh Halfpenny, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. George North, 12. Nick Tompkins, 11. Rio Dyer, 10. Gareth Anscombe, 9. Tomos Williams, 1. Gareth Thomas, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Will Rowlands, 5. Adam Beard, 6. Justin Tipuric, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Dillon Lewis, 19. Alun Wyn Jones, 20. Christ Tshiunza, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Owen Watkin.

Strong Welsh team who will be chasing immortality. Mixture of experienced wise heads and promising youngsters. Tommy Reffell at 7 will be a handful. Rio Dyer's first test.

Crucial

@foobaNZ said in All Blacks vs Wales:

Obviously if it was the top 15 Samisoni would start, but must be a rest thing.

Just to put this topic to bed. Foster has been asked and the answer confirms. If it wasn't for Coles injury he may have started but they are managing the hooker workloads as there isn't experience in the number 3

Victor Meldrew

@sparky said in All Blacks vs Wales:

The thought of Barnes in Cardiff in 2007 makes my blood boil. The French committed offence after offence after offence at the breakdown in the last 15 minutes of game. And Barnes forgot to whistle any of them.

I wasn't there and it didn't happen.

sparky

@Duluth said in All Blacks vs Wales:

I'd have gone for Akira Ioane at 6 and Hoskins Sotutu on the bench ahead of Frizzell. But the rest of the team makes sense. Go Black!

Victor Meldrew

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Chris-B o would prefer a fullback who is an actual attacking threat from fullback

JB is very much a defensive fullback. I miss Mils

But yeah I really miss Cully

Mils was a more complete fullback. Great alround skilz. I'll go one further, Bender was better than both.

Anyone being a better fullback than Cully does not compute in my simple brain, sorry.

Cully's up there with Blanco & JPR in the GOAT Pantheon. Mils was bloody great though and his consistency was astonishing but not on that level.

As this is the Wales thread, I'll give a mention to Leigh Halfpenny. Hugely underrated player IMHO - does he ever have a bad game?

Canes4life

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Chris-B o would prefer a fullback who is an actual attacking threat from fullback

JB is very much a defensive fullback. I miss Mils

But yeah I really miss Cully

Mils was a more complete fullback. Great alround skilz. I'll go one further, Bender was better than both.

Anyone being a better fullback than Cully does not compute in my simple brain, sorry.

Cully's up there with Blanco & JPR in the GOAT Pantheon. Mils was bloody great though and his consistency was astonishing but not on that level.

As this is the Wales thread, I'll give a mention to Leigh Halfpenny. Hugely underrated player IMHO - does he ever have a bad game?

Still my favourite player of all time. Cullen just shredded teams with ease back in the day and his strength was something else for such a small guy.

MN5

@Canes4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Chris-B o would prefer a fullback who is an actual attacking threat from fullback

JB is very much a defensive fullback. I miss Mils

But yeah I really miss Cully

Mils was a more complete fullback. Great alround skilz. I'll go one further, Bender was better than both.

Anyone being a better fullback than Cully does not compute in my simple brain, sorry.

Cully's up there with Blanco & JPR in the GOAT Pantheon. Mils was bloody great though and his consistency was astonishing but not on that level.

As this is the Wales thread, I'll give a mention to Leigh Halfpenny. Hugely underrated player IMHO - does he ever have a bad game?

Still my favourite player of all time. Cullen just shredded teams with ease back in the day and his strength was something else for such a small guy.

Yeah people forget he had a very good all round game to compliment the absolutely astonishing attacking skills. I just don’t believe JPR, Blanco or whoever were as good ( only going off highlights but still….)

The only weakness I can think of was he was occasionally a bit of a hungus with the ball in hand.

Canes4life

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Canes4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Chris-B o would prefer a fullback who is an actual attacking threat from fullback

JB is very much a defensive fullback. I miss Mils

But yeah I really miss Cully

Mils was a more complete fullback. Great alround skilz. I'll go one further, Bender was better than both.

Anyone being a better fullback than Cully does not compute in my simple brain, sorry.

Cully's up there with Blanco & JPR in the GOAT Pantheon. Mils was bloody great though and his consistency was astonishing but not on that level.

As this is the Wales thread, I'll give a mention to Leigh Halfpenny. Hugely underrated player IMHO - does he ever have a bad game?

Still my favourite player of all time. Cullen just shredded teams with ease back in the day and his strength was something else for such a small guy.

Yeah people forget he had a very good all round game to compliment the absolutely astonishing attacking skills.

The only weakness I can think of was he was occasionally a bit of a hungus with the ball in hand.

Guys like Lomu, Umaga, Wilson etc were a bit average so I understand his desire to tuck and run.

MiketheSnow

@JC said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in All Blacks vs Wales:

Wales:
15. Leigh Halfpenny, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. George North, 12. Nick Tompkins, 11. Rio Dyer, 10. Gareth Anscombe, 9. Tomos Williams, 1. Gareth Thomas, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Will Rowlands, 5. Adam Beard, 6. Justin Tipuric, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Dillon Lewis, 19. Alun Wyn Jones, 20. Christ Tshiunza, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Owen Watkin.

Adams injured?
Did not see Dyer in there

He’s going to be targeted like fuck
Could be an easy & enjoyable afternoon for Sevu Reece

And did not see Tips at 6 and Reffell at 7

Happy for Reffell
He was the find of the S Africa tour

But on the other wing Caleb Clarke will need to bring his A game lining up in front of Rees-Zammit, especially on defence.

If LRZ gets a pass

Billy Tell

Is this the first time in history wales have no-one named jones in the starting XV?

MN5

@Canes4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Canes4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@MN5 said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks vs Wales:

@Chris-B o would prefer a fullback who is an actual attacking threat from fullback

JB is very much a defensive fullback. I miss Mils

But yeah I really miss Cully

Mils was a more complete fullback. Great alround skilz. I'll go one further, Bender was better than both.

Anyone being a better fullback than Cully does not compute in my simple brain, sorry.

Cully's up there with Blanco & JPR in the GOAT Pantheon. Mils was bloody great though and his consistency was astonishing but not on that level.

As this is the Wales thread, I'll give a mention to Leigh Halfpenny. Hugely underrated player IMHO - does he ever have a bad game?

Still my favourite player of all time. Cullen just shredded teams with ease back in the day and his strength was something else for such a small guy.

Yeah people forget he had a very good all round game to compliment the absolutely astonishing attacking skills.

The only weakness I can think of was he was occasionally a bit of a hungus with the ball in hand.

Guys like Lomu, Umaga, Wilson etc were a bit average so I understand his desire to tuck and run.

I know, they could only dream of having the attacking talents of Ralph, Hamilton, Bridge etc.

Kirwan

Pleased they are sticking with JB at 12, could be the way forward from here on.

I can understand the workload thing for ST, but Taylor is a big drop down these days.

Interesting that Christie can get dropped for a poor performance against Japan, but Frizzell stinking up the joint does not. Made no impact with his supposed power game against a pretty small Japan side.

Similar to JB at 12, it's time to play Akira at 6 - same with Dalton at 7 and start building that combo. I like what the other posters above mentioned with Sotutu being on the bench instead, gives options for real impact from the bench combined with impact from the start.

taniwharugby

@Kirwan said in All Blacks vs Wales:

but Taylor is a big drop down these days.

and thats on the coaching team for persisting with CT & DC rather than dropping one of them and getting someone else up to speed.

BerniesCorner

RM-JB-RI could become a very good combo
SW captain is a good permanent option

KiwiMurph

With Taylor it sounds like plans might have changed when Samisoni had to start last week vs Japan with that late change.

Will be interesting when Havili and ALB come on and at what positions.

ACT Crusader

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks vs Wales:

Will be interesting when Havili and ALB come on and at what positions.

It certainly covers all bases especially with ALB back and we have genuine centre cover. Quinn or LF may be that player in the future.

Clarke or Reece get injured or replaced, Ioane to wing and ALB to centre.

Richie or Beaudie and Havili comes on and Jordie moves to fullback.

I know many don’t like the two changes when a replacement comes on, but such is the game these days given the bench is not just about injury replacements. Versatility is critical with both starters and bench players.

The Silver Fern

All Blacks vs Wales