All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I see Vai has announced he’s gone for the season, having done his knee at training on Thursday before Bledisloe II. Eight to 10 weeks, which means he misses the EOYT and won’t return until the new Super season 2026. I assume this means Darry comes in as the fourth lock?
Would assume Lord is ahead of Darry in the pecking order but that could have changed during the season.
Lord doesn't do it for me. Yes, he has height, but I don't now what else he really brings. He has no sting in his play around the field, and I wouldn't call him a set piece disruptor or anything. I guess if Holland goes down, we bring him in as a main lineout option, but I feel he's just waiting to get exposed the moment he starts his first major test. Could be wrong of course, but so far, I don't see anything from him.
Like this decade's version of Dom Bird/Mark Cooksley.
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I see Vai has announced he’s gone for the season, having done his knee at training on Thursday before Bledisloe II. Eight to 10 weeks, which means he misses the EOYT and won’t return until the new Super season 2026. I assume this means Darry comes in as the fourth lock?
Would assume Lord is ahead of Darry in the pecking order but that could have changed during the season.
Lord doesn't do it for me. Yes, he has height, but I don't now what else he really brings. He has no sting in his play around the field, and I wouldn't call him a set piece disruptor or anything. I guess if Holland goes down, we bring him in as a main lineout option, but I feel he's just waiting to get exposed the moment he starts his first major test. Could be wrong of course, but so far, I don't see anything from him.
Like this decade's version of Dom Bird/Mark Cooksley.
He’s probably the second best at pinching ball in the country and properly good on our ball, so very unlike the last two in that regard. I wouldn’t have him ahead of Darry but he’s not Bird level.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
Not to labour the point but it really is pointless to pick Love just to give him 8 mins on the wing.
I get that Razor may not want to throw him into the deep end but if you put a player on the bench and just give him a few minutes out of position it's clear you don't rate him. May as well just pick a winger in that case because it's clear you don't think he has what it takes.
You still need insurance picks on the bench even if they are behind a starter that you intend to play for the majority / all of the match.
True but what if the player Love was replacing went down in the 10th minute? Is he being prepped to go 70 minutes with two 8 & 15 minute cameos?
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
Not to labour the point but it really is pointless to pick Love just to give him 8 mins on the wing.
I get that Razor may not want to throw him into the deep end but if you put a player on the bench and just give him a few minutes out of position it's clear you don't rate him. May as well just pick a winger in that case because it's clear you don't think he has what it takes.
You still need insurance picks on the bench even if they are behind a starter that you intend to play for the majority / all of the match.
True but what if the player Love was replacing went down in the 10th minute? Is he being prepped to go 70 minutes with two 8 & 15 minute cameos?
The way I see it, for players in certain positions when you get your chance, that’s your prep. Just how it happens.
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@reprobate I agree the bar is low. But I thought he did enough and the backs looked generally better than they have for ages.
@canefan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate I agree the bar is low. But I thought he did enough and the backs looked generally better than they have for ages.
The bar is low but the thirst is high.
We need some sparkle. -
McKenzie looked rusty, uncharacteristically poor off the T though hit the ones that mattered, and in very poor conditions it wasn't the great 'thank fuck let's leave him there' performance which most of us were hoping for. However, he covered well in defence, made some good tackles, his high kicks were on the money, and I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Most importantly, he took the ball moving forwards instead of standing still, and passed it. Consequently the defence had to hold, everyone else was moving already and looked better - same as last week. Jordie's 2 best performances since the start of the season no coincidence. Tupaea getting 3-4x more play than Proctor has been.
So let's not forget the bar right now is not Daniel Carter - the bar is the slop that BB has been dishing up over the previous 5 weeks. And for those advocating Love - and I myself do want to see him play there - we need to remember he has started a handful of super games at 10, and those were pretty much as 3rd choice for the Hurricanes, behind Cameron and Godfrey.@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
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@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
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@canefan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate I agree the bar is low. But I thought he did enough and the backs looked generally better than they have for ages.
The bar is low but the thirst is high.
We need some sparkle.@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@canefan said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate I agree the bar is low. But I thought he did enough and the backs looked generally better than they have for ages.
The bar is low but the thirst is high.
We need some sparkle.Sparkle is great. But not when it's BB style rocks and diamonds. I'd rather a steady Eddie right now, who can give his outsides space to work. JB and QT looked good last night. Maybe because DMac didn't crab across field everytime he touched the ball?
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McKenzie looked rusty, uncharacteristically poor off the T though hit the ones that mattered, and in very poor conditions it wasn't the great 'thank fuck let's leave him there' performance which most of us were hoping for. However, he covered well in defence, made some good tackles, his high kicks were on the money, and I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Most importantly, he took the ball moving forwards instead of standing still, and passed it. Consequently the defence had to hold, everyone else was moving already and looked better - same as last week. Jordie's 2 best performances since the start of the season no coincidence. Tupaea getting 3-4x more play than Proctor has been.
So let's not forget the bar right now is not Daniel Carter - the bar is the slop that BB has been dishing up over the previous 5 weeks. And for those advocating Love - and I myself do want to see him play there - we need to remember he has started a handful of super games at 10, and those were pretty much as 3rd choice for the Hurricanes, behind Cameron and Godfrey.@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
McKenzie looked rusty, uncharacteristically poor off the T though hit the ones that mattered, and in very poor conditions it wasn't the great 'thank fuck let's leave him there' performance which most of us were hoping for. However, he covered well in defence, made some good tackles, his high kicks were on the money, and I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Most importantly, he took the ball moving forwards instead of standing still, and passed it. Consequently the defence had to hold, everyone else was moving already and looked better - same as last week. Jordie's 2 best performances since the start of the season no coincidence. Tupaea getting 3-4x more play than Proctor has been.
So let's not forget the bar right now is not Daniel Carter - the bar is the slop that BB has been dishing up over the previous 5 weeks. And for those advocating Love - and I myself do want to see him play there - we need to remember he has started a handful of super games at 10, and those were pretty much as 3rd choice for the Hurricanes, behind Cameron and Godfrey.A good perspective. He missed touch on a penalty and a conversion in front. In general play his kicking was no worse than BB - I wonder how much of that is just shit tactics/ a rote response to modern day defences. But your comments about moving onto the ball are bang on. I liked seeing Jordon running at half gaps ( I think he is a full back ) and the metres we made with ball in hand.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
Jordie put down a few, don't think Leroy or Leicester took one between them?
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
Jordie put down a few, don't think Leroy or Leicester took one between them?
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
Jordie put down a few, don't think Leroy or Leicester took one between them?
Leroy dropped at least one and then didn’t contest one when he was right there.
Fainga’anuku went up for two both heavily contested and knocked one back and knocked the other one on.
Jordie lost a couple but both he and Jordan took one each in traffic.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
Jordie put down a few, don't think Leroy or Leicester took one between them?
Leroy dropped at least one and then didn’t contest one when he was right there.
Fainga’anuku went up for two both heavily contested and knocked one back and knocked the other one on.
Jordie lost a couple but both he and Jordan took one each in traffic.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
@reprobate said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I think he was about our only player who caught a high one all day.
Jordie?
Both Jordie and Jordan took a high ball.
Jordie put down a few, don't think Leroy or Leicester took one between them?
Leroy dropped at least one and then didn’t contest one when he was right there.
Fainga’anuku went up for two both heavily contested and knocked one back and knocked the other one on.
Jordie lost a couple but both he and Jordan took one each in traffic.
Sweet. Hardly a compelling effort with thenhigh ball, but at least both wingers gave it a fair crack ball in hand.
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Aussies didn’t kick it a heap to our wings. Speaking of Aussie kicking and play, Quade has given his 2 cents worth and got stuck into Schmidt and the Wallaby tactics or lack thereof
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Aussies didn’t kick it a heap to our wings. Speaking of Aussie kicking and play, Quade has given his 2 cents worth and got stuck into Schmidt and the Wallaby tactics or lack thereof
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
Aussies didn’t kick it a heap to our wings. Speaking of Aussie kicking and play, Quade has given his 2 cents worth and got stuck into Schmidt and the Wallaby tactics or lack thereof
What? The tactics were good, they were killed by errors.
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Aussies didn’t kick it a heap to our wings. Speaking of Aussie kicking and play, Quade has given his 2 cents worth and got stuck into Schmidt and the Wallaby tactics or lack thereof
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
Aussies didn’t kick it a heap to our wings. Speaking of Aussie kicking and play, Quade has given his 2 cents worth and got stuck into Schmidt and the Wallaby tactics or lack thereof
If GC had stolen Joe's laptop he could have seen the tactics were sound
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Still catching up on the thread, but my biggest concern with Tupea is they "ALB" him, constantly chopping and changing between 12 and 13 (and sometimes wing) depending on the needs of the team, instead of letting him really settle in one position. If they're going to play him at 13, they need to do that 100% of the time from now or he'll never improve defensively as that will take time for him to learn.
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Still catching up on the thread, but my biggest concern with Tupea is they "ALB" him, constantly chopping and changing between 12 and 13 (and sometimes wing) depending on the needs of the team, instead of letting him really settle in one position. If they're going to play him at 13, they need to do that 100% of the time from now or he'll never improve defensively as that will take time for him to learn.
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
Still catching up on the thread, but my biggest concern with Tupea is they "ALB" him, constantly chopping and changing between 12 and 13 (and sometimes wing) depending on the needs of the team, instead of letting him really settle in one position. If they're going to play him at 13, they need to do that 100% of the time from now or he'll never improve defensively as that will take time for him to learn.
Agreed. No other centres are putting their hands up ( someone in another thread mentioned Ennor and McLeod, yuck )
Tupaea has the upside to perform there consistently.
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I also still think BB and DMac are much of a muchness, and by far the most influential change in the backline is having Roigard back at 9. Ratima was really poor this season, and Christie is, well, Christie. We are so reliant on Roigard it's not even funny.
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And I really, really want to see a trio of:
- Vaa'i
- Dalton
- Lakai
Bench: Ardie
That would be by far the best use of our talents in NZ right now IMO. Size, height, work rate and threat ball in hand off the back of the scrum, with an absolute weapon on the bench to go nuts in the 2nd 40.
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I also still think BB and DMac are much of a muchness, and by far the most influential change in the backline is having Roigard back at 9. Ratima was really poor this season, and Christie is, well, Christie. We are so reliant on Roigard it's not even funny.
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks vs Wallabies Bledisloe II:
I also still think BB and DMac are much of a muchness, and by far the most influential change in the backline is having Roigard back at 9. Ratima was really poor this season, and Christie is, well, Christie. We are so reliant on Roigard it's not even funny.
Ratima has steadily gone backwards for a little while now. He's now just racking up caps basically because he's on the bench so the coaching team feel obliged to put him out there for the last 7 mins.
