All Blacks v France III
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We was robbed that the Frogs didn’t bring a lunch and - given the ABs injuries - could have been talking about a 3-0 sweep.
Instead we’re talking about varying degrees of depth that won’t matter one bit come the business end of any RWC.
And I hate to mention the RWC 2 years out but when a series is approached like that and becomes meaningless, what else can you do?
Could have lit up world rugby with a Dupont vs Cam best of 3. Instead we’re talking about Harry Wilson kicking the ball out.
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One thing that Kirifi did bring was good link play when we transition to the backs. 2 tries came from his tag / back door balls. The only other player that is really succinct in that play is Tupou Vaai. Ardie etc stagnate our attack when running as first reciever/pod
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks v France III:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v France III:
I thought Finau's clean was his stand out attribute.
He did the same in the earlier tests but haters don't want to see it. It was especially evident in the last 5 mins of the Dunedin test.
Yep,I thought Finau went ok. I admit a a fan of Vaa'i staying at 6 going forward, but it's not that Finau no good. I like we getting options in these positions.
Oh and is good being back after the Fern disappeared from my computers etc.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France III:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks v France III:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v France III:
I thought Finau's clean was his stand out attribute.
He did the same in the earlier tests but haters don't want to see it. It was especially evident in the last 5 mins of the Dunedin test.
Yep,I thought Finau went ok. I admit a a fan of Vaa'i staying at 6 going forward, but it's not that Finau no good. I like we getting options in these positions.
Oh and is good being back after the Fern disappeared from my computers etc.
I'm happy to continue with Vaa'i and Finau at blindside and there are other options who may step up. The other two loose forward positions still have question marks over them, in terms of the size of the players the coaches are currently selecting and the way those players play. Sititi and Lakai may make a difference when they're back but we'll have to wait and see there.
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@booboo said in All Blacks v France III:
Can I just say though, we were significantly better than the score.
Yeah we were held up 4 times (? Four or five?). Whilst we can complain that was dumb, add those 4 or 5 tries to the 29-19 and it's far more comfortable.
I actually don't agree with this! They had a clear tactic of soaking people up over the line to get a goal line dropout. It's a tactic we struggled with - and have for some time.
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Some interesting stats form Stuff.co.nz. Below is a graph that shows points for and against for all three-test mid-year tours of New Zealand, dating back to 2005. A key takeaway for me is that we are scoring plenty of points, however we seem to be leaking a lot more compared to previous years (apart from Ireland in 2022).
Maybe a worry when you factor in the French side that toured this year could have been much stronger.
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@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks v France III:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France III:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks v France III:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v France III:
I thought Finau's clean was his stand out attribute.
He did the same in the earlier tests but haters don't want to see it. It was especially evident in the last 5 mins of the Dunedin test.
Yep,I thought Finau went ok. I admit a a fan of Vaa'i staying at 6 going forward, but it's not that Finau no good. I like we getting options in these positions.
Oh and is good being back after the Fern disappeared from my computers etc.
I'm happy to continue with Vaa'i and Finau at blindside and there are other options who may step up. The other two loose forward positions still have question marks over them, in terms of the size of the players the coaches are currently selecting and the way those players play. Sititi and Lakai may make a difference when they're back but we'll have to wait and see there.
I actually probably as excited about Lakai coming back as Sititi, these 2 could be a big part of our future in loosies.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France III:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks v France III:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France III:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks v France III:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks v France III:
I thought Finau's clean was his stand out attribute.
He did the same in the earlier tests but haters don't want to see it. It was especially evident in the last 5 mins of the Dunedin test.
Yep,I thought Finau went ok. I admit a a fan of Vaa'i staying at 6 going forward, but it's not that Finau no good. I like we getting options in these positions.
Oh and is good being back after the Fern disappeared from my computers etc.
I'm happy to continue with Vaa'i and Finau at blindside and there are other options who may step up. The other two loose forward positions still have question marks over them, in terms of the size of the players the coaches are currently selecting and the way those players play. Sititi and Lakai may make a difference when they're back but we'll have to wait and see there.
I actually probably as excited about Lakai coming back as Sititi, these 2 could be a big part of our future in loosies.
With Lakai's ability to cover 7 and 8 equally, he'll be a massive asset on the bench, especially if they continue to use Va'ai as a 6. Wouldn't be too displeased at 6. Va'ai, 7. Savea and 8. Sititi with Lakai on the bench moving forward. Here's hoping they both play some NPC soon.
