All Black Squad for Rugby Championship

[pakman]

@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:

Awesome news for Buckmann! He's a smart player and they tend to do well at test level. Good on him.

[Crucial]

Cantablacks is so Millennial.

[Crucial]

Last years squad for TRC was 32. This training squad is 34. A couple of Crusaders to slot back in as well.
A possible final squad... (33 with an extra outside back to cover Bender's departure)

All Blacks squad for two-day camp:
Forwards
Hookers: Dane Coles, Nathan Harris. +Codie Taylor

Props: Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Ofa Tu'ungafasi. + Crockett, Franks, Moody

Locks: Dominic Bird, Tom Franklin, Brodie Retallick and Patrick Tuipulotu. + Romano, Whitelock, Barrett

Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Akira Ioane, Jerome Kaino, Ardie Savea and Liam Squire. +Read

Backs

Halfbacks: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith.

First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Lima Sopoaga.

Midfielders: Richard Buckman, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Charlie Ngatai, Sonny Bill Williams. +Crotty

Outside backs: Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Julian Savea, Ben Smith. +Dagg

[Unco]

@pukunui TKB doesn't leave till the end of the year, so there's no point dropping him beforehand.

[reprobate]

mounga isn't ready. he's been vastly better this year, but choked a bit in a couple of big games. fine for him to spend a bit of time with the squad, but in terms of any game time he needs another year of soup rugby (and this final to show peformance under pressure) to show that once other teams have seen a bit of him and had the opportunity to plan, that he can still perform - i.e. no second season blues.

[rotated]

@Crucial said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:
Nehe Milner-Skudder

Based on Hansen's comments they back when the Lions squad was picked they are very keen to get NMS back in the squad, and his exclusion was given with a nod and a wink that he would make it for the TRC squad.

He may be released to get maximum game time with a view to bringing him in when Bender goes on sabbatical. But I don't see any scenario where he doesn't make it back during TRC.

[Crucial]

@rotated said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:

@Crucial said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:
Nehe Milner-Skudder

Based on Hansen's comments they back when the Lions squad was picked they are very keen to get NMS back in the squad, and his exclusion was given with a nod and a wink that he would make it for the TRC squad.

He may be released to get maximum game time with a view to bringing him in when Bender goes on sabbatical. But I don't see any scenario where he doesn't make it back during TRC.

That's a fair assessment. I can't see that as a non-goer.
Who would be left out then? My list already has 5 outside backs with Bender being an 'extra'. Who gets swapped out for NMS? Rieko?

[pakman]

For me the biggest surprise is no Moala. Sure, his form this year wasn't great. But he was very good last year for ABs and his elbow injury swung the game in Chicago just when ABs were about to run away with it.

They are one midfielder short of being able to run 15 v 15.

Clear that Moli and JTA are there because we're thin on ground at TH: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/rugby/steve-hansen-reveals-owen-franks-achilles-issues-before-rugby-championship

With Read also having to manage knee, 8 also looks weak in the absence of Luatua.

[Milk]

Both TKB and Fekitoa are available until the end of the year. I'm assuming they feel the gap between TKB and Pulu et al is big enough to warrant keeping him in the squad as opposed to the gap between Fekitoa and Buckman.

[pakman]

@Milk said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:

Both TKB and Fekitoa are available until the end of the year. I'm assuming they feel the gap between TKB and Pulu et al is big enough to warrant keeping him in the squad as opposed to the gap between Fekitoa and Buckman.

Good to see Buckman and Ngatai there. Both have good experience and rugby brains. Fekitoa is a hell of an athlete but hard to believe will ever be known for his decision making.

[Billy Tell]

@Crucial said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:

Last years squad for TRC was 32. This training squad is 34. A couple of Crusaders to slot back in as well.
A possible final squad... (33 with an extra outside back to cover Bender's departure)

All Blacks squad for two-day camp:
Forwards
Hookers: Dane Coles, Nathan Harris. +Codie Taylor

Props: Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Ofa Tu'ungafasi. + Crockett, Franks, Moody

Locks: Dominic Bird, Tom Franklin, Brodie Retallick and Patrick Tuipulotu. + Romano, Whitelock, Barrett

Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Akira Ioane, Jerome Kaino, Ardie Savea and Liam Squire. +Read

Backs

Halfbacks: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith.

First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Lima Sopoaga.

Midfielders: Richard Buckman, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Charlie Ngatai, Sonny Bill Williams. +Crotty

Outside backs: Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Julian Savea, Ben Smith. +Dagg

I'd like to see the AB selectors back themselves to get Tuipolotou and Ioane up to speed. Just think Romano as a 4th lock is a bit meh. Doesn't le the side down, but he has a ceiling. I'm quite underwhelmed by Naholo these days also. Dagg, Smith, Barrett, Ioane & NMS for mine.

[antipodean]

@Billy-Tell Romano just doesn't have the physicality of Tuipulotu. The coaching staff seem happy to bring guys in to help them deal with issues and are confident they can bring out the best in guys so I hope they achieve that with Patrick.

[DMX]

Buckman easily the most pleasing thing about the squad he has been so consistent at Super level and his utility value is massive, You have him on the bench then you dont have to worry about shifting around backline when someone is injured.

[Stargazer]

http://twitter.com/AllBlacks/status/893097168654876672

[Crucial]

Result of disciplinary appeal: Sonny Bill Williams

An appeal by New Zealand centre Sonny Bill Williams (pictured above) against the matches which a disciplinary committee counted towards his four-week suspension following his red card for dangerous charging contrary to Law 10.4(g) during the second New Zealand versus British and Irish Lions test in Wellington on 1 July has been upheld by an appeal panel independent of World Rugby.

A game being played by New Zealand against Counties Manukau and Taranaki on 11 August that had been excluded from the suspension by the original disciplinary committee has now been deemed to comply with the regulations’ definition of a “match” and, as such, that match will be included as part of the player’s suspension. Accordingly, Williams is suspended from all forms of rugby up to and including 11 August.

The hearing took place on 1 August and was heard by an appeal committee that is independent of World Rugby, chaired by Mr Justice Graeme Mew (Canada) along with Shao-Ing Wang (Singapore) and Stefan Terblanche (South Africa).

The full written decision http://worldrugby.matchdaymail.com/lt.php?c=688&m=713&nl=5&s=c16128a635dfcd13a6d2da69b48c7087&lid=6682&l=-https--pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/worldrugby/document/2017/08/03/0bb9ca9f-7f83-47b8-af94-a3854f87b212/170803-Williams-Appeal-Decision.pdf

[Crucial]

What a bunch of arse covering lawyers. No wonder it takes so long to publish a decision. Someone has to spent days pouring over words to say 'we do not criticize the previous decision' but then go on in detail to shoot down their flawed logic.
At no cost withheld can anyone be seen to be in error, that would be unthinkable.
Therefore they search around for a legal argument to explain how you can be wrong but not wrong.

[Kruse]

@Crucial said in All Black Squad for Rugby Championship:

What a bunch of arse covering lawyers. No wonder it takes so long to publish a decision. Someone has to spent days pouring over words to say 'we do not criticize the previous decision' but then go on in detail to shoot down their flawed logic.
At no cost withheld can anyone be seen to be in error, that would be unthinkable.
Therefore they search around for a legal argument to explain how you can be wrong but not wrong.

Starting with just "Australians... huh?" - would have reduced the billable hours far too much.

[Stargazer]

From a legal perspective, a very well motivated decision.

The crux, obviously, is that the Judicial Committee - in reaching its original decision - applied the wrong principles in the exercise of its discretion (in assessing the playing consequences of a suspension) by giving an incorrect interpretation of the rules around what constitutes a "meaningful match". This resulted in the erroneous decision that the "game of three halves" was not a meaningful match.

The Appeal Committee comes to another interpretation of what is a "meaningful match" and this leads to a different conclusion: the game of three halves is considered meaningful. For that reason, it upholds the appeal and the game of three halves counts towards the suspension. As a result, SBW is now free to play Bledisloe I.

[Billy Tell]

I haven't really studied all the detail...but am I correct in saying that in the original decision

1. The game of 3 halves didn't count towards the suspesnsion...

2)...but SBW was still banned from playing in the match?

[JayCee]

@Billy-Tell
2) no, he would have be available to play.