Bledisloe #2
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I have a foot in two camps: I can absolutely see merit in keeping the same side (sans S Barrett and Goodhue) and telling them to man up, but I also think there could be gains in shaking the team up as well. So I'd mix it up.
Pat T is a big soft fuck, so I'd bring Romano in for Barrett and this also benefits our close quarter ball running. But I'd leave the front row as-is because I think they're our best scrummagers and ultimately that's what they're there for. I think Coles will go nuts this weekend too so he starts again. I'm not convinced about the loose forward combination but much like the 10/15 experiment I think they're worth another go together.
In the backs it's the three-quarter line which presents all the issues. I'd retain A Smith, Mo'unga, ALB and Barrett, and bring in Ennor for Goodhue with SBW on the bench. I wouldn't like to see ALB moved to 13 as I think he's a 12 and he needs to bed in there. If they didn't think Ennor might be capable of starting a test at 13 they wouldn't have named him in the squad, and it's the most like-for-like change we can make there. Now on the wings, to be honest I'd like to drop both of them for simply being bloody anonymous or even poor, but I'm also wary of making too many changes and creating too much disruption to systems and stuff, so I'd fire a 10" shell across Ben Smiths' bow and in another like-for-like change bring in Bridge for Smith. My full team:
Moody
Coles
Franks
Romano
Whitelock
Savea
Cane
ReadA Smith
Mo'unga
Ioane
ALB
Ennor
Bridge
B BarrettAngus T
Ofa T
Taylor
Pat T
Frizzell
Perenara
SBW
B Smith@shark said in Bledisloe #2:
I have a foot in two camps: I can absolutely see merit in keeping the same side (sans S Barrett and Goodhue) and telling them to man up, but I also think there could be gains in shaking the team up as well. So I'd mix it up.
Pat T is a big soft fuck, so I'd bring Romano in for Barrett and this also benefits our close quarter ball running. But I'd leave the front row as-is because I think they're our best scrummagers and ultimately that's what they're there for. I think Coles will go nuts this weekend too so he starts again. I'm not convinced about the loose forward combination but much like the 10/15 experiment I think they're worth another go together.
In the backs it's the three-quarter line which presents all the issues. I'd retain A Smith, Mo'unga, ALB and Barrett, and bring in Ennor for Goodhue with SBW on the bench. I wouldn't like to see ALB moved to 13 as I think he's a 12 and he needs to bed in there. If they didn't think Ennor might be capable of starting a test at 13 they wouldn't have named him in the squad, and it's the most like-for-like change we can make there. Now on the wings, to be honest I'd like to drop both of them for simply being bloody anonymous or even poor, but I'm also wary of making too many changes and creating too much disruption to systems and stuff, so I'd fire a 10" shell across Ben Smiths' bow and in another like-for-like change bring in Bridge for Smith. My full team:
Moody
Coles
Franks
Romano
Whitelock
Savea
Cane
ReadA Smith
Mo'unga
Ioane
ALB
Ennor
Bridge
B BarrettAngus T
Ofa T
Taylor
Pat T
Frizzell
Perenara
SBW
B SmithI agree, I would keep the front row too. Franks has only ever been a scrum go to guy so I don't see why we should expect anything different
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Romano from a few years ago would be a good call - 2019 Romano? No thanks.
He barely played for the Crusaders this year and when he did play he wasn't very effective at all.
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
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@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
If that's what you want then Squire is probably the best go.
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@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
If that's what you want then Squire is probably the best go.
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@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
If that's what you want then Squire is probably the best go.
@Crucial said in Bledisloe #2:
@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
Hemopo needs to be in the 23. His workrate would be very useful.
I'll be surprised if we don't see the biggest, nastiest 6 we've got rolled out. I just don't know who that is ... maybe Hemopo?
If that's what you want then Squire is probably the best go.
His head doesn't appear to be in it, if not then he's out
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I can't see them bringing in anyone from outside the Bledisloe squad for this weekend (e.g. Squire, Frizell etc)
@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
I can't see them bringing in anyone from outside the Bledisloe squad for this weekend (e.g. Squire, Frizell etc)
if the coaches are good, they'll get a performance out of Pat T. On form, he was very good, but has been off the pace for a couple of years.
Angry Akira would be good here too, but I can't see that happening for a variety of reasons.
after that I think we're struggling ... Romano at his best would be a lock, but he seems to have peaked at Mitre 10 and solid Super for a while. Don't know if he has the step up left in him
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@KiwiMurph said in Bledisloe #2:
I can't see them bringing in anyone from outside the Bledisloe squad for this weekend (e.g. Squire, Frizell etc)
if the coaches are good, they'll get a performance out of Pat T. On form, he was very good, but has been off the pace for a couple of years.
Angry Akira would be good here too, but I can't see that happening for a variety of reasons.
after that I think we're struggling ... Romano at his best would be a lock, but he seems to have peaked at Mitre 10 and solid Super for a while. Don't know if he has the step up left in him
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@nzzp Angry Akira couldn't keep his place in the Maori team for obvious reasons. I can't believe people are still bringing his name in the conversation this year.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack That was Fat Akira, not Angry Akira.
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@NTA said in Bledisloe #2:
Thought Genia was a step down from White - that fucking aimless midfield box kick was poo. Rather have Gordon.
I was with you until this. Gordon over Genia? That's a dumb opinion to have. Genia is still one of our best four or five players.
The box kick was on, it just sat up a bit too much. If it takes a kick and rolls into the corner it's a smart move with less than 10 minutes to play.
@barbarian said in Bledisloe #2:
I was with you until this. Gordon over Genia? That's a dumb opinion to have. Genia is
still one of our best four or five players.a big part of the Rebels being fucking shit this year despite one of the best rosters in the compFixed.
As @ACT-Crusader says: the decline of Genia is notable. He's a fucking whiner when things aren't going his way. He's also got an attitude problem in general with his team mates. No surprises really with Quade hanging around.
@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
Fair play to [White], but he's been hiding that form for ages in his career. Well done to Cheika for getting him rolling
The time in Europe suited White. Away from the fairly aimless bash-bash of the Brumbies setup he left, he was actually given an opportunity to manage a game (the quality of flyhalves in the Gallagher Premiership actually made a lot of 9s stand up) and expand his game vocab.
One of the few who have actually come back from Europe better than when he left.
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@barbarian said in Bledisloe #2:
I was with you until this. Gordon over Genia? That's a dumb opinion to have. Genia is
still one of our best four or five players.a big part of the Rebels being fucking shit this year despite one of the best rosters in the compFixed.
As @ACT-Crusader says: the decline of Genia is notable. He's a fucking whiner when things aren't going his way. He's also got an attitude problem in general with his team mates. No surprises really with Quade hanging around.
@nzzp said in Bledisloe #2:
Fair play to [White], but he's been hiding that form for ages in his career. Well done to Cheika for getting him rolling
The time in Europe suited White. Away from the fairly aimless bash-bash of the Brumbies setup he left, he was actually given an opportunity to manage a game (the quality of flyhalves in the Gallagher Premiership actually made a lot of 9s stand up) and expand his game vocab.
One of the few who have actually come back from Europe better than when he left.
@NTA said in Bledisloe #2:
@barbarian said in Bledisloe #2:
I was with you until this. Gordon over Genia? That's a dumb opinion to have. Genia is
still one of our best four or five players.a big part of the Rebels being fucking shit this year despite one of the best rosters in the compFixed.
How much of the Rebels did you actually watch this year? He was easily their best player for the first ten or so weeks, and his form dipped a bit after that but you could hardly blame him for the team's issues.
And he has an 'attitude problem in general with his teammates', does he? Well OK. Guess those games he played for the Rouse Hill Renegades gave you a pretty good insight into that.
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@KiwiMurph After all this rest he's been given, you'd probably now get Sleepy Akira.
@Stargazer said in Bledisloe #2:
@KiwiMurph After all this rest he's been given, you'd probably now get Sleepy Akira.
The Seven Dwarfs of Akira
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@NTA Genuine question around excitement (not expectation) of this weekends match.
Are you really pumped for this weekends game? (Compared to say the WC 2015 final which was the last time I was excited about a Aussie test match)
I am honestly amped! Aussie did a great thing for me by towelling us up last weekend. I had forgotten how much I should look forward to these test matches! Long may it continue
Like your wife, I still hope you come second on Saturday though
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@NTA Genuine question around excitement (not expectation) of this weekends match.
Are you really pumped for this weekends game? (Compared to say the WC 2015 final which was the last time I was excited about a Aussie test match)
I am honestly amped! Aussie did a great thing for me by towelling us up last weekend. I had forgotten how much I should look forward to these test matches! Long may it continue
Like your wife, I still hope you come second on Saturday though
@Hooroo said in Bledisloe #2:
Like your wife, I still hope you come second on Saturday though
i hope you are less disappointed than she is
My mates are stoked with the win, but pretty much writing this weekend off already. The last 16-odd years have really hit Wallaby supporters pretty hard.
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@Hooroo said in Bledisloe #2:
Like your wife, I still hope you come second on Saturday though
i hope you are less disappointed than she is
My mates are stoked with the win, but pretty much writing this weekend off already. The last 16-odd years have really hit Wallaby supporters pretty hard.
@mariner4life The TAB has us at $1.17 and Australia at $4.70.
Scope for an insurance bet on watching the Bledisloe go sailing across the Ta$man!
I reckon those odds would be about right if we had Big Brodie coming back among the cavalry - but, we don't.
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@mariner4life The TAB has us at $1.17 and Australia at $4.70.
Scope for an insurance bet on watching the Bledisloe go sailing across the Ta$man!
I reckon those odds would be about right if we had Big Brodie coming back among the cavalry - but, we don't.
@Chris-B said in Bledisloe #2:
I reckon those odds would be about right if we had Big Brodie coming back among the cavalry - but, we don't.
It's true that Wallaby fans are generally pessimistic about Saturday. We've not won at Eden Park since the 80s, so it's not unfounded.
But in all honesty this is the best chance we've had to win at Eden Park in a long time. Provided we don't mess around with our starting pack, it's hard to see how the All Blacks will gain any sort of forward dominance. Our scrum was clearly dominant (against both 8 and 7) and unlucky not to be given more penalties, and we won the ruck contest comfortably.
So if we've got stability at set piece and parity at the ruck, at the very least you'd suggest it's going to be a close game.
The All Blacks should still be favourites and I still expect them to win, but I'm now confident enough to tip that it's not going to be a blowout.
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Hemopo will come into the side just a matter of whether he or Patty T start or possibly both of them start and one of Cane or Savea is dropped.
Another injury, another midfield combo. Sonny Bill fit for action he will get a chance you’d think. I wouldn’t have Laumape on the bench and would have Ennor.
They would drop Mo’unga before dropping Ben Smith. Can’t see either happening for Eden Park.
