AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?

Crucial

@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Sparky's 23 to take on Whoever:

Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Whitelock, Tuipulotu, Frizell, Cane (c), Sotutu, A. Smith, Mo'unga, C. Clarke, ALB, R. Ioane, Jordan, J. Barrett

Coles, Hodgman, Ofa T, Strange or Grace, A. Savea, TJP, B. Barrett, Goodhue

Nothing really screams Fozzie about this squad, I am still of the opinion he will be very conservative with first match
Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Whitelock, Tuipulotu, Frizell, Cane (c), Savea, A. Smith, Mo'unga, Bridge, ALB, Goodhue, Reece, B. Barrett
Coles, Hodgman, Ofa , Strange. Sotutu, TJP, J. Barrett, R. Iaone

New blood will be introduced via the bench or through injury as usual.
The locks will rotate on the pine and I can see Savea playing cover while the likes of Sotutu are given a start.
Lomax and Hodgman will get some bench roles too.
The starting changes should be ditching Bridge and Reece (who have been fizzers IMO) and establishing Clarke and Jordan.

nzzp

@Crucial said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

The starting changes should be ditching Bridge and Reece (who have been fizzers IMO) and establishing Clarke and Jordan.

Yes to Bridge being dumped - I watched him again in the Ireland game last year. He's the ultimate low risk boring winger - would go well in the NH. Highish work rate, but can't beat people and runs into contact way too much.

Reece, on the other hand, is electric going forward. I can see a game plan with space for him.

Clarke is a talent, can't wait to see him go at the top level.

Gunner

@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0

I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.

MN5

@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0

I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.

Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.

Nepia

@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0

I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.

Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.

So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.

My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.

Crucial

Reiko should be given opportunities as a midfielder too. It has been a while since we had a good centre/wing option ala Kahui.
When you have 10s that can play 15 well, a centre/wing is a great option in the 23. Helps the bench makeup by either having an impact wing or a midfield rather than an all rounder.

MN5

@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0

I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.

Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.

So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.

My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.

You need to be more specific. The one who won Player of the Year but whose abilities may be waning or the one who used to be a bit shit but now seems really good ?

Nepia

@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Nepia said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@MN5 said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@Gunner said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@nzzp @Crucial Bridge = Ralph v 2.0

I'll be pissed if they go with the safe boring option. Clarke should be the starter every day of the week ending in a y.

Well seeing as tests are often on a Satdee or a Sundee I can see them going with Bridge on occasions.

So he'll get the odd Bledisloe but nothing else.

My preferred back three are Barrett (the good one), Rieko and Clarke, with Goodhue and ALB in the midfield.

You need to be more specific. The one who won Player of the Year but whose abilities may be waning or the one who used to be a bit shit but now seems really good ?

The one who's currently injured, he's not really a fullback, but he wasn't really a blindside either and that didn't matter in the biggest game of the year.

shark

@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@sparky Ioane only burst onto the scene 3-4 years ago. He must be in his mid-20s. Yet you speak of him like he's 30 years plus and/or coming back from a knee injury.

He is 23. Played Centre at School/Under 20. Started pro-Rugby on the Wing. Was oustanding in 2017. Had some calf/hamstring problems in 2018 and 2019. Now says he prefers 13. Looking good there.

Thanks for the player bio. How about explaining how or why he's no longer fast enough to play wing, in your opinion?

I'd guarantee he's quicker than Ben Smith was the last few years, quicker than CJ at his peak etc etc.

Crucial

@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@sparky Ioane only burst onto the scene 3-4 years ago. He must be in his mid-20s. Yet you speak of him like he's 30 years plus and/or coming back from a knee injury.

He is 23. Played Centre at School/Under 20. Started pro-Rugby on the Wing. Was oustanding in 2017. Had some calf/hamstring problems in 2018 and 2019. Now says he prefers 13. Looking good there.

Thanks for the player bio. How about explaining how or why he's no longer fast enough to play wing, in your opinion?

I'd guarantee he's quicker than Ben Smith was the last few years, quicker than CJ at his peak etc etc.

I have a suspicion that speed is not the reason at all.
No one will admit this type of flaw publicly but I suspect that if you analysed his natural play on the wing you can also work out how to shut him down easily. It could be a body position thing or a one way step or an initial movement.
Good defensive coaches pour over tapes to find these flaws and neutralise good players.
Those same attributes may not show up when playing without the sideline as a defender or when taking the ball on running lines.
Just a possibility

shark

For what it's worth, my 23:

Moody Ofa T
Taylor Coles
Laulala Lomax
Whitelock
Tuipolutu Strange
Frizzel
Savea Cane
Sotutu

Smith Perenara
Mo'unga
ALB
Goodhue
Clarke R Ioane
Jordan J Barrett
B Barrett

Yeah I know there no chance Savea will usurp Fosters' named skipper, but it's the 23 I'd select.

Crucial

@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

For what it's worth, my 23:

Moody Ofa T
Taylor Coles
Laulala Lomax
Whitelock
Tuipolutu Strange
Frizzel
Savea Cane
Sotutu

Smith Perenara
Mo'unga
ALB
Goodhue
Clarke R Ioane
Jordan J Barrett
B Barrett

Yeah I know there no chance Savea will usurp Fosters' named skipper, but it's the 23 I'd select.

I'd go that with Savea/ Cane swapped around. BB starting at 10, Mounga bench and JB at 15

sparky

@shark Looks like he's fast over 30-40 metres then slows relative to a fast winger. (Maybe wrong). See 2018 long-distance try Vs France where Teddy Thomas gains on RI over 50+ metres. From 3:07 below. (TBF he scored a double on the Left Wing in that game.) See perhaps as well Will Jordan's first try on Saturday.

Centre allows RI to use offload game more.

AB squad teamnaming identified Reiko Ioane as a Midfielder now, but that doesn't rule out seeing him as a Wing I guess.

sparky

@Billy-Tell said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Hard to get excited about this. I mean you need opposition.

This. It was obviously all pre-booked with Sky TV, but it was absurd seeing a squad named for Fixtures that don't exist yet and may never do so.

At the moment, this is no more than a training squad.

Machpants

@sparky so what don't name a squad, plan anything, learn the plays until kick off? They've gotta name the squad and get the ball rolling, otherwise leaving it far too late to get shit in one sock

sparky

@Machpants Agree. But this is a Training Squad at the moment. The 7 newbies are no more All Blacks than Brad Shields or Ben Tameifuna until they take the field in a game.

taniwharugby

@sparky said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

The 7 newbies are no more All Blacks than Brad Shields or Ben Tameifuna until they take the field in a game.

but that is always the case anyway when newbies are named for the EOYT tours?

Snowy

@Machpants said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

@sparky so what don't name a squad, plan anything, learn the plays until kick off? They've gotta name the squad and get the ball rolling, otherwise leaving it far too late to get shit in one sock

Yep. We have to get on with it. If we can't have matches then so be it, but at least prepare.

It's navigator and pilot thinking, and we're somewhat brainwashed, but what else are you going to do? The All Blacks cease to exist for a year, two, three?

sparky

@taniwharugby I guess, but for previous tours for a very long time there have always been confirmed fixtures before the squad's named.

KiwiMurph

The Bledisloes are going to be locked in shortly.

The Silver Fern

AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?