All Blacks XV v Georgia

[Bovidae]

Referee: Jordan Way (RA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeremy Rozier (FFR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

This will be the first time a NZ rep team has played Georgia. A pity it isn't in Tbilisi.

As to the team, Jacomb will start at 1st 5, Eklund will be in the 23. You would expect the players who weren't involved in the Munster game get their chance - Ma’u, Delaney, Parker, Higgins and McLeod.

[reprobate]

Hope we get to see Higgins, he's got quite a different set of skills to most of the 12s running around NZ.

[Mr Fish]

Assuming everyone gets some minutes, we're looking at a team along the lines of...

1 Xavier Numia
2 Kurt Eklund
3 Saula Ma'u
4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi
5 Fabian Holland
6 Caleb Delany
7 Du'Plessis Kirifi
8 Simon Parker
9 Noah Hotham
10 Josh Jacomb
11 Quinn Tupaea
12 Dallas McLeod
13 Riley Higgins
14 Chay Fihaki
15 Shaun Stevenson

16 Bradley Slater
17 George Bower
18 Marcel Renata
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Corey Kellow
21 Finlay Christie
22 AJ Lam
23 Kini Naholo

Obviously a few different combos they could run.

[Bovidae]

I'd put McLeod on the wing rather than Tupaea. Scrums and maul defence will be important. The latter was an issue against Munster.

[family man]

What about Narawa? Is he injured?

[Bovidae]

@family-man said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

What about Narawa? Is he injured?

He never toured due to the HIA fail in the NPC final.

[Mr Fish]

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

I'd put McLeod on the wing rather than Tupaea. Scrums and maul defence will be important. The latter was an issue against Munster.

Could put any of the three on the wing and any at 12. I think Tupaea or Higgins are both more likely than McLeod though.

[SouthernMann]

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Assuming everyone gets some minutes, we're looking at a team along the lines of...

1 Xavier Numia
2 Kurt Eklund
3 Saula Ma'u
4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi
5 Fabian Holland
6 Caleb Delany
7 Du'Plessis Kirifi
8 Simon Parker
9 Noah Hotham
10 Josh Jacomb
11 Quinn Tupaea
12 Dallas McLeod
13 Riley Higgins
14 Chay Fihaki
15 Shaun Stevenson

16 Bradley Slater
17 George Bower
18 Marcel Renata
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Corey Kellow
21 Finlay Christie
22 AJ Lam
23 Kini Naholo

Obviously a few different combos they could run.

I'd be pretty surprised if Oli Haig is left out completely after being one of the guys who spent time in Japan. I'd say he will keep his blindside spot

[KiwiInLondon]

@SouthernMann obvious highlanders bias from myself but agree with you. He ruck work is just so good. Completely under appreciated imo

[Canes4life]

When is this team being announced?

[nostrildamus]

@KiwiInLondon said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@SouthernMann obvious highlanders bias from myself but agree with you. He ruck work is just so good. Completely under appreciated imo

Looks oldschool to me. In a good way.

[Bovidae]

@Canes4life said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

When is this team being announced?

Tomorrow I would think, as the game is Monday NZT.

[Mr Fish]

The team's being announced at 7pm on Friday (NZT).

[Bovidae]

https://www.allblacks.com/news/all-blacks-xv-team-named-for-match-against-georgia

Rotation. A 6:2 bench.

1 George Bower (Crusaders / Otago)
2 Kurt Eklund (Blues / Bay of Plenty)
3 Marcel Renata (Blues / Auckland)
4 Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
6 Caleb Delaney (Hurricanes / Wellington)
7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes / Wellington)
8 Simon Parker (Chiefs / Northland)
9 Finlay Christie (Blues / Ta$man)
10 Josh Jacomb (Chiefs / Taranaki)
11 Kini Naholo (Hurricanes / Taranaki)
12 Riley Higgins (Hurricanes / Wellington)
13 Dallas McLeod (Crusaders / Canterbury)
14 Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs / Waikato)
15 Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs / North Harbour)

16 Bradley Slater (Chiefs / Taranaki)
17 Xavier Numia (Hurricanes / Wellington)
18 Saula Ma’u (Highlanders / Otago)
19 Fabian Holland (Highlanders / Otago)
20 Corey Kellow (Crusaders / Canterbury)
21 Devan Flanders (Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay)
22 Noah Hotham (Crusaders / Ta$man)
23 Chay Fihaki (Crusaders / Canterbury)

[Bones]

Oh fuck off, is Fihaki covering 10?

[Bovidae]

Stevenson I reckon. No AJ Lam, who has the most utility value.

[Bones]

@Bovidae this doesn't feel like a purely McMillan selection...

[Bovidae]

Yeah. We can assume that Bower is rated ahead of Numia, and Christie ahead of Hotham.

[Mauss]

I think this is a big game for Simon Parker. I watched him pretty closely this Super Rugby season because I think he has a lot of good facets to his game – high defensive work-rate, physical in contact, solid skills in the lineout – but there were times where he just didn’t get involved enough. I remember Finau getting injured midway through the season and Parker being asked to fill in at 6 and he sort of just drifted throughout those games. The game against the Rebels in Melbourne especially he just couldn’t find a way to impact the game, and the lack of physical edge was really noticeable for the Chiefs team and the way they want to play.

As the starting number eight he has to be able to demand the ball and make plenty of carries. That Georgian defence is going to sting, though, so it’s going to be a pretty big test for him. That said, it certainly looks like he feels more comfortable at eight than at six, so hopefully he can provide good impact there.

[KiwiInLondon]

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Yeah. We can assume that Bower is rated ahead of Numia, and Christie ahead of Hotham.

Surely some of these selections are to see how fringe players go. Holland and Hotham not starting? Tupea on the wing? No AJ Lam? Simon Parker in the team. Flanders on the bench.

I seriously worry about the maul and offensive ruck. Without Holland, Dyer, and Haig in that lineout, I think the Georgians will see a massive opportunity to flex a bit of physical dominance