AB's v Wales

pakman

Checks watch. 10am UK time

Checks calendar. Thursday

Genuine question: when is the team named?

5 ayem U.K. Time. Gives Read a chance to participate in Captain's run.

MiketheSnow

WALES TEAM TO PLAY NEW ZEALAND
(Saturday 25 November KO 17.15)

Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (72 Caps)
Hallam Amos (Dragons) (13 Caps)
Scott Williams (Scarlets) (49 Caps)
Owen Williams (Gloucester) (2 Caps)
Steff Evans (Scarlets) (3 Caps)
Dan Biggar (Ospreys) (58 Caps)
Rhys Webb (Ospreys) (29 Caps);

Rob Evans (Scarlets) (18 Caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) (51 Caps)
Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (25 Caps)
Jake Ball (Scarlets) (27 Caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (CAPT) (Ospreys) (111 Caps)
Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) (11 Caps)
Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues) (5 Caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (68 Caps)

REPLACEMENTS:
16. Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues) (6 Caps)
17. Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (3 Caps)
18. Leon Brown (Dragons) (2 Caps)
19. Cory Hill (Dragons) (8 Caps)
20. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (51 Caps)
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
22. Rhys Priestland (Bath) (49 Caps)
23. Jamie Roberts (Harlequins) (93 Caps)

Best we can do I guess considering the squad and injuries.

Would have had Watkin instead of Roberts.

Stargazer

@mikethesnow If you want the numbers in front of every player, just add them but remove the dot everywhere.

MiketheSnow

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

@mikethesnow said in AB's v Wales:

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

@mikethesnow said in AB's v Wales:

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

I see that the stadium management at Cardiff are asking people to arrive 2 hours before kick off so they can process everyone through security.
Apparently at the Oz game punters missed half the game.
Funny, because at Edinburgh there was no searching done at all. Easy in, easy out.

It was always a badge of honour / selling point that pub to seat took about 15 mins.

In light of the stadium attacks around the world and British Royals in attendance, adequate security measures seem sensible to me.

What stadium attacks?

Couple in the US, Manchester, Paris

How many more do you want?

I concede that I forgot that Paris involved someone trying to get into the ground with something.
I just think that on balance, 100s of 1000s of people attend sports and group events every day. The risk level doesn't need to be mitigated so far as to impede people from actually getting in IMO. Another example of shitbags actually winning by eroding our way of life.
Even airport security realised fairly quickly that there needs to be a risk balance. Intelligence and targeted searching rather than monkeys searching everyone.

It's a combination of a number of things I think

Heightened security when quite fankly there was almost zero in the past

A different crowd coming to the matches - more drunkeness, trying to bring drinks in, not knowing the layout of the stadium

And it's a bit like the school run. We all know when school starts and we all know how long it takes us to get there when it's busy, but today there'll be no crowds and I'll just waltz in.

Uh wrong

MiketheSnow

@stargazer said in AB's v Wales:

@mikethesnow If you want the numbers in front of every player, just add them but remove the dot everywhere.

Cheers

Just copied and pasted

Crucial

@mikethesnow said in AB's v Wales:

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

@mikethesnow said in AB's v Wales:

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

@mikethesnow said in AB's v Wales:

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

I see that the stadium management at Cardiff are asking people to arrive 2 hours before kick off so they can process everyone through security.
Apparently at the Oz game punters missed half the game.
Funny, because at Edinburgh there was no searching done at all. Easy in, easy out.

It was always a badge of honour / selling point that pub to seat took about 15 mins.

In light of the stadium attacks around the world and British Royals in attendance, adequate security measures seem sensible to me.

What stadium attacks?

Couple in the US, Manchester, Paris

How many more do you want?

I concede that I forgot that Paris involved someone trying to get into the ground with something.
I just think that on balance, 100s of 1000s of people attend sports and group events every day. The risk level doesn't need to be mitigated so far as to impede people from actually getting in IMO. Another example of shitbags actually winning by eroding our way of life.
Even airport security realised fairly quickly that there needs to be a risk balance. Intelligence and targeted searching rather than monkeys searching everyone.

It's a combination of a number of things I think

Heightened security when quite fankly there was almost zero in the past

A different crowd coming to the matches - more drunkeness, trying to bring drinks in, not knowing the layout of the stadium

And it's a bit like the school run. We all know when school starts and we all know how long it takes us to get there when it's busy, but today there'll be no crowds and I'll just waltz in.

Uh wrong

All I can say is that is is a massive achievement for the Welsh if they are surpassing Scots levels of drinking.

pakman

Team I'd LIKE to see:

Hames
Taylor
Laulala
Whitelock
Patty T
Squire
Cane
Ioane (A)
Smith
Sopoaga
Naholo
Crotty
SBW
Seta T
Barrett (B)

Bench:
Ofa
Harris
JTA
Barrett (S)
Todd
TJP
Albie
DMac

Like to see how BB goes starting at 15, and likewise tempo of top backline with Lima in control.
Power lock to start.
Would also like to see Akira in top team against good oppo.
Sufficient interchangeability in loosies that one ought to cover tactical requirements.

But looking forward to same old at 5 p.m.!

Wurzel

Luke Whitelock to start. That should get the thread humming

Wurzel

ALL BLACKS: Damian McKenzie, Waisake Naholo, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; Luke Whitelock, Sam Cane, Liam Squire, Sam Whitelock (capt), Patrick Tuipulotu, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Kane Hames. Reserves: Nathan Harris, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Scott Barrett, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Lima Sopoaga, Anton Lienert-Brown.

Crucial

Shit DMac has put some miles on the clock this year.

Crucial

@wurzel said in AB's v Wales:

ALL BLACKS: Damian McKenzie, Waisake Naholo, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; Luke Whitelock, Sam Cane, Liam Squire, Sam Whitelock (capt), Patrick Tuipulotu, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Kane Hames. Reserves: Nathan Harris, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Scott Barrett, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Lima Sopoaga, Anton Lienert-Brown.

Given the availability situation that is probably the best we can trot out.

Kruse

Our forward pack containing only 2 first-choice players...
Luckily everybody's all about the wide/expansive/"playing with intent" game nowadays, and all that forwards-nonsense doesn't matter anymore.

Crucial

@kruse said in AB's v Wales:

Our forward pack containing only 2 first-choice players...
Luckily everybody's all about the wide/expansive/"playing with intent" game nowadays, and all that forwards-nonsense doesn't matter anymore.

The backline is only really one player short of full strength (or two depending on wing selection)

JayCee

Excited about Whitelock's captaincy - could be the shot in the arm this team needs.

JayCee

@crucial said in AB's v Wales:

@kruse said in AB's v Wales:

Our forward pack containing only 2 first-choice players...
Luckily everybody's all about the wide/expansive/"playing with intent" game nowadays, and all that forwards-nonsense doesn't matter anymore.

The backline is only really one player short of full strength (or two depending on wing selection)

Yeah we're missing two - but we're deep into our depth chart for those two positions. 4th FB, and 3rd for Right Wing.

DMX

This is Wales’ best shot since 2004 but the changes don’t make us worse than last weak. I think fully fit Luke will be more effective than Crocked Read, I expect heaps of tackles from him and Cane with Squire able to play wider. You would also expect Sam Whitelock to have a lot more opportunities with the arm band in the future. If we can get through this we will just be that much deeper for next year.

pakman

After Whitelock (L) was leaked only surprise Rieko. Seems shoulder not right but they're choosing to risk it. But one decent fall away from further injuring it and reconstruction time.
Odd that after replacing JK Akira is on outer -- or do ABs see him as 6 only?

Frye

@pakman said in AB's v Wales:

After Whitelock (L) was leaked only surprise Rieko. Seems shoulder not right but they're choosing to risk it. But one decent fall away from further injuring it and reconstruction time.
Odd that after replacing JK Akira is on outer -- or do ABs see him as 6 only?

I think with Squire being tasked with playing fairly wide, they want someone who is comfortable playing a tighter role. And that's certainly Whitelock.

So yeah, they see Ioane as more of a 6 option.

I've been impressed by Whitelock for the past couple of seasons so don't think he doesn't deserve to be there. Ioane's time will come.

Tordah

Hopefully it's last chance saloon for Harris. Has been less than impressive this year.

Cantab79

So do some posters still think that Akira Ioane is higher up the pecking order than Luke Whitelock? I'm very happy for Luke, he was gifted a test cap years before he was actually ready, and was perhaps deservedly ridiculed by some people because of this. However he has become a very reliable and accurate player for both Canterbury and the Highlanders and has thoroughly deserved this call-up. I hope he plays really well.

The Silver Fern

AB's v Wales