Final: Blues vs Crusaders
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That was bitterly disappointing to put it mildly.
Losing to the Crusaders in the final was always a 50/50 possibility as they are the benchmark and have been for years. But losing the final while playing your worst game of the season at home is something else altogether.
The line out? It’s not all his fault but Eklund may as well just thrown it to the Crusaders. Blues we’re just beaten all over the park but a much better Crusaders side.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Ardie & Sotutu > Grace
Error free? Grace missed four tackles tonight, the most misses of any Crusader or Blues player. He’s a good player and plenty of very good players just miss the AB cut
I would like to see him move back to 6 post Matera. It’s the position he first made the ABs and it’s the position he has the best chance of making it back in
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Ireland have named a pretty strong squad, and a decent scrummaging unit. At least we may get an insight as to what they will bring with the MABs first up on the 29th. Lets hope Fozzie is watching.
@Jailbreak7 said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Ireland have named a pretty strong squad, and a decent scrummaging unit. At least we may get an insight as to what they will bring with the MABs first up on the 29th. Lets hope Fozzie is watching.
Nah he’ll be still out on the beers celebrating with the Crusaders…
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@Bones said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Duluth said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Ardie & Savea
Harsh
Ha, oops. Fixed the original post
Ardie & Sotutu
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bones I think you are stuck on this obsession of highlight reels to gauge players.
I don't think highlight reels change their hair colour but sure ok. Great call mate.
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@Bones :face_with_tongue: My bad!
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bones :face_with_tongue: My bad!
I didn't even say anything about their level of play! -
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bones :face_with_tongue: My bad!
I didn't even say anything about their level of play!@Bones Don't need to.
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May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
You cannot fault his endeavour. He is very active around the field and at set piece. His size and athleticism is a real asset at lineout time. But accuracy is still an issue in my view.
His game funnily enough reminds me a bit of Razors. I know Razor had his detractors but for the Saders he was very good.
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May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Ardie & Sotutu > Grace
Error free? Grace missed four tackles tonight, the most misses of any Crusader or Blues player. He’s a good player and plenty of very good players just miss the AB cut
I would like to see him move back to 6 post Matera. It’s the position he first made the ABs and it’s the position he has the best chance of making it back in
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@Duluth Nah, Grace has been very good at the business end of SR. The type of player at this stage of development would awesome coming on late in a tense test match. But at the moment, agree about Savea and Sotutu being ahead.
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Duluth Nah, Grace has been very good at the business end of SR. The type of player at this stage of development would awesome coming on late in a tense test match. But at the moment, agree about Savea and Sotutu being ahead.
So what are you disagreeing about?
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
Ardie is not your classic number 8. Rather have a guy that’s big in the collision zone for first 60, and then have his acceleration in the last 20. Or he goes back to being a 7.
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@Mattasaurus said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@WillieTheWaiter said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Duluth of course he’s going to make metres when he’s standing on the fucking wing!!
Did anything come from those metres? Nope.
Did you get smashed off the park in the collisions and breakdowns? Yep
Would having your biggest loose forward at the breakdown help?I would also add, how many of the tackles were dominate?
It's the same shit we saw from frizzel... Just goes missing when the going gets tough.
what we need is a hard hitting scary mofo in the 6 that can turn the tide in a game like tonight ...Last one to come close was Squire imo
I can’t recall Jerry or Kaino spending half the game on the wing. Other thing about Akira is that for a big Hua his post contact metres are non existent
@WillieTheWaiter said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Mattasaurus said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@WillieTheWaiter said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Duluth of course he’s going to make metres when he’s standing on the fucking wing!!
Did anything come from those metres? Nope.
Did you get smashed off the park in the collisions and breakdowns? Yep
Would having your biggest loose forward at the breakdown help?I would also add, how many of the tackles were dominate?
It's the same shit we saw from frizzel... Just goes missing when the going gets tough.
what we need is a hard hitting scary mofo in the 6 that can turn the tide in a game like tonight ...Last one to come close was Squire imo
I can’t recall Jerry or Kaino spending half the game on the wing. Other thing about Akira is that for a big Hua his post contact metres are non existent
He actually slows down and jinks a little prior to contact.
Not direct enough at all. -
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
But the blues had 3 AB props.and 3 players in Eklund,Hodgeman and Robinson a lot of people were saying should have been in the ABs,
After the chief’s SF a lot of people were writing off Whitelock as past it, Bower and Jager as average. -
Well done Crusaders, too good.
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@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
But the blues had 3 AB props.and 3 players in Eklund,Hodgeman and Robinson a lot of people were saying should have been in the ABs,
After the chief’s SF a lot of people were writing off Whitelock as past it, Bower and Jager as average.@Chris Bower put in a big shift tonight. Had a touch of peak Ben Franks about him. Running hard and getting in past the first tackler, hit the tackle hard and really drove over the ruck. Was great to see.
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@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
But the blues had 3 AB props.and 3 players in Eklund,Hodgeman and Robinson a lot of people were saying should have been in the ABs,
After the chief’s SF a lot of people were writing off Whitelock as past it, Bower and Jager as average.@Chris said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@TheMojoman said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
May I use this opportunity to say Grace needs to be in the ABs squad. Error free, one of the defensive titans, links well, and as Sam Whitelock said, he is the lineout master/leader. Sotutu and him need to be battling it out for the ABs No.8 position for the future.
Grace was v.good tonight but what’s always in the back of my mind is he’s playing behind a Crusaders tight-five so he should stand out. Harder for someone like Ardie or Mikaele-Tu’u
But the blues had 3 AB props.and 3 players in Eklund,Hodgeman and Robinson a lot of people were saying should have been in the ABs,
After the chief’s SF a lot of people were writing off Whitelock as past it, Bower and Jager as average.Robinson had a strong shift as a 6 playing lock. Blues scrum was good with Hodgeman.
Not sure who was calling for Eklund to be an AB but he shouldn’t be grouped with the other two.
