The Silver Fern

I’d go Aussie vs Hk tournament opener. We played italy (a minnow) in the first game in 1987 and M jones debut and Jks try ensured rugby got it’s supporter base for the rest of the cup. Max Jorgensen with a 100 metre try. I’ll be interested if Hk has any ethnically Chinese players in their top squad. A mate last played sevens for Hk a decade ago - took up CrossFit bug and is contemplating a comeback - he’s a month younger than nonu:

@sparky pretty sure he negotiated his own contract in 2022. I remember he was on John Isaac pod and telling iice that.

@Duluth great stats - where you getting them from? And do you have ruck speed? Last years blues were clearing a lot of their rucks in 3 secs. Not going any wider this year but slower in my eyes. This year it’s often been Dalton on his own over the ball and as a result slower ruck speed.

dp.playing lock.

Busted hand. Cane let it slip that the loosies had an injury when he said earlier in the week that everyone was ready with injury cloud.

English loosies are good on the ball but earl and undehill tackling about 50 percent … one side of the ball - exploit it?

Thank Christ Dalton is out there. Mostly Rubbish apart from Perefota at points, the scrum and loose forward defence by our 7 and 9.

Paps, Perofeta and Sevu.

People forget the controversial leadership meeting razor had before departure to France with last years blues captain down in Chch (amongst 4-5 others including a barret back).

@Kirwan all year the blues loosies have cleared their own ball in 1 seconds and hold oppositions for up to 3 secs. That power at contact just gets them over the top of teams eventually.
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So now two tries from pick and goes for the canes.

Blues at the breakdown - like all year faster to release their ball and slowing down the hurricanes. I think they need to pick and go more.

Blues at the breakdown - like all year faster to release their ball and slowing down the hurricanes. I think they need to pick and go more.

@KiwiMurph agree. Great lines on support. We’ve got some great support runners in our halves atm with him Ratima and TJ. Cam R is excellent at this too.

@MN5

He’s still got that weak glass shoulder that was identified in his all black review when he was one of 65 players that played in Covid year 1 … his 65 - 70 percent tackle rate accuracy in his super career at least it makes Tom Christie get noticed covering up for him.

@ploughboy

Yes all players in Nz who appeared at rwc weren’t to train pre Christmas with super squads. Lord and finau would have had their bronco/strength testing base with the chiefs for example.

No Christie in ab xv.

@Victor-Meldrew

Long time ago and the board/management has gone from geriatric fishheads to whatever we can label them atm but he was a player (like Cullen) that sued the NZR for Mitch dropping him.

@kiwi_expat Yes and the team drivers were not the most professional either. We had a gaping hole in the 10 channel on defence that the French had splintered to pieces in '99 and it was very much even leakier in the Smith year and a bit.

@taniwharugby Eddie is possibly the best at getting a team to improve/turn around in his first year. Biggest years for him with all of Japan, Tahs, Wallabies, South Africa and England all came in his first years with those teams. But a 5 year gig ….