The Silver Fern

Mate I'd hate to live with a lot of you blokes. Seems a few watched this thread rather than the game.

Positives:

• We won
• Our back three + Jordie had a great game under the high ball, won a huge majority of the contests
• BB kicked well to that, seemed like a plan they'd worked on - many kicks were just at the far end of contestable range, so perfect to run on to with speed.
• Sititi played a blinder
• Telea played a blinder
• We had lots of forwards running into holes followed by forwards running onto offloads
• Both wings played well with ball in hand
• Great leg drive from a few key forwards - Ardie, Pat T, Sititi in particular
• Excellent bench scrum - good signs for Tosi, and impressive by Aumua after 70 min
• 4/4 goalkicking with none of them easy

Negatives

• Kicking tactics:
  • chips, although one was regathered and almost led to a try. That was under penalty advantage, debatably the only good time to try it
  • couple of aimless kicks by BB and Jordie. Need calmer heads or more tactical clarity.
• Discipline. Need to find a solution/train harder to stop tackling off the ball. Yes they're running decoys but you can't full-on tackle them. A lot of the other penalties were unlucky/fairly standard
• Cane poor. Certainly true of his carrying and the tackle off the ball hurt. I didn't study his work in the tight stuff though, so not writing him off yet.
• Handling. I think this was by far our biggest issue. The amount of times we had opportunity let down by poor hands/forced 50/50 offloads/passes poorly located was frustrating. Need to work on the basics more, catching/passing in contact at pace.
• Midfield distribution. Jordie had an off game, but Rieko just doesn't do it for me as a midfielder. So so much better as a wing, ALB can fill the midfield role till Proctor/someone else comes through. I think we've given Rieko enough time there to prove himself.

Mixed

• Jordan. Moments of brilliance, couple of brainfades. High effort though.
• Ardie? Made some metres no one else in world rugby would've made, but anonymous elsewhere. Not sure why, tackling stats (1/3) are weird and suggest a role I didn't spot at the time.
• Scrum. Bad early, good late. Keep working on it.

Overall stoked, we had a gameplan that we executed at times, and we gritted out the win - we scored points where we needed to.

This is year one of a four year process - way too early to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

@mariner4life said in Foster signs 2 year extension:

@kiwimurph said in Foster signs 2 year extension:

Now that I think about it - this whole place runs on confirmation bias on basically every topic - me especially!

i've been here a while, i don't think i have seen anyone change their mind on here ever. They may concede a point every now and then

but

if there is any evidence that will back the initial assertion up they'll pile back in with "i told you so"

What are we sposed to do? Admit we're wrong? On the internet?

@booboo said in RWC 2027:

@nzzp said in RWC 2027:

@nta said in RWC 2027:

@nzzp said in RWC 2027:

Resurrecting this

Looks like USA are going to bid.

fluffybunnies.

yeah, but how damn good would a US based tournament be?

the only downside is distance - it'd be like having a games in Iraq and Ireland as part of a tournament

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350334308/damian-mckenzie-takes-hold-all-blacks-no-10-jersey-while-richie-mounga-looms-large

Voerman presuming Barrett or Perofeta will start the Fiji match.

Would there really be any reason to rest Mckenzie? There's a three week break till the next test after Fiji, and the longest run of consecutive tests is five, to finish the year.

I can see the point of bringing another player in at 10 vs Fiji to ensure they're up to running the cutter in Robertson's scheme, but Barrett shouldn't need to have a sample game after 124 caps. If Perofeta is a fullback and to be replaced by Jordan when he comes available, neither should he.

I see more value in continuity learning the new system, especially in a lower pressure game where more risks can be taken.

We've still got Australia and Japan to come if we need to introduce another 10 to the game plan later.

We have 3 fullbacks, 2 wings and 2 halves in the backline. I don't think they're bad selections for this game, but I think they're a serious reflection on who NZR have invested in for the centres in the last few years. Yes we have Goodhue and ALB and Ennor in the wings, but 3 midfielders is nowhere close to enough depth.

Honestly, who else is up and coming? Quinn Tupaea? So why isn't he getting game time? There's literally no-one else - Aso and Laumape have been pushed overseas, and most of the other prospects are still at least 3 years off test level. Blues only have two true midfielders in their entire squad for goodness sake.

We get annoyed at the trend of playing 10s at 15, but I think the trend of playing outside backs in the midfield is worse tbh. It's no wonder our backline seems so much more clunky than it should - we're using finishers as distributers.

@Bones said in Positions and players to watch - 2021:

@MN5 pfftt...umscathed.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-nonu-nurses-thumb-injury/SKTSUNSFW6UVEZTELDGDMN36H4/

Former All Black centre Ma'a Nonu is in a cast with a possible broken thumb, but it is unclear how the injury happened or how long it will keep him off the field.

The 22-year-old turned up to Wellington representative training yesterday in a "precautionary cast" as medical staff assess whether he has suffered a break.

Bit premature

Much as I hate to see us lose, the more pressure on fozzie the better. Also love watching this French team play. It's a jolly fun brand of rugby.

Please may we rename this AB Porps?

credit to the ref she's been good so far

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/boxing-exclusive-joseph-parker-splits-with-trainer-kevin-barry/S4Z3OOYNZUI2YCWP4QRLMK32WQ/
More good news

https://globalelitesports.com/job/general-manager-rugby-hurricanes/

There's a spot spare on the bus for any willing ferner - it's not like they're going to hire someone with sensible ideas.

Bloody realists.

This thing is ours to lose, boys!

@tim nice and relevant and not petty, good comment

@landp said in Wallabies vs All Blacks 3 (Perth):

@booboo Yeah, well I won't mock the accent as I developed a fair old kiwi twang to avoid the piss-taking at school ... like apparently we say "fark" as opposed to "f*ck" (I'm told a bit remains, mainly wore off after years working all over)

Does Lemon and Paeroa even exist these days, or is that one for the "Old guys discuss old stuff thread"?

Yeah but it's L&P - I keep reading your name as Land Pee which is very confusing and way too lowbrow for this esteemed forum.

@pukunui said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:

@Bones said in 'Super Rugby' 2021:

Sounds naff

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/300225984/super-rugby-aotearoa-radical-law-changes-for-2021-include-captains-referral?cid=app-iPhone

FFS, I hate this shit. How about they work on getting the TMO to not fuck up clear decisions. Referring them more things to get wrong is not going to improve the game.

Not sure how allowing the defending team to kick the ball away after the attacking team has been held up over try line is going to promote attacking play.

But hey, lets go all out like the BBL and introduce power plays and power surges and mega awesome lightning periods where tries are worth 100 and fans can vote on removing the boots of an opposition player for 10mins.

This has my full and unwavering support.

If dangerous contact with the head is a red card offence (no matter the intent, nor the outcome), then shouldn't whoever knocked Savea and Codie's heads be carded too? Just cos they weren't out in the open, doesn't mean they aren't dangerous.

The ref probably made the right call on the Barret face kick, but that makes a mockery of the idea that rugby wants to protect player welfare. Rugby only wants to protect the image of player welfare.

@Tim said in Positions and players to watch - 2021:

Laumape - not suited to test rugby. Too small to play his direct, physical game at that level. Poor distribution, running lines aren't adequate at that level.

I disagree. He's not been given a chance at test level with a game plan that suits his style. He can change a game with that power and linebreak ability, and he's shown really good option-taking after that line break, which is where a lot of physical backs break down.

The games he's been in have at test level have been frustrating to watch with no clear game plan that I could see, let alone one which took advantage of his or other players' strengths. When he's running on to the ball at pace, there are few better line breakers in world rugby.

@bovidae said in Hawkes Bay vs Ta$man (RS):

A sensational start by HB in this game. I thought that their loose forwards completely outplayed the Ta$man trio. Segner was anonymous in the 1st half.

I didn't think there was as much in the Tu'ungafasi/Dixon incident as Smith was trying to make us believe. A penalty was suffice and Hawke's Bay scored anyway. It did seem like there was a South African director in the Sky OBU when replays start being shown without any warning. Apikitoa got away with a no arms tackle to the legs later in the game which was equally as dangerous.

How is a no arms tackle to the legs as dangerous as to the shoulder/neck area?

I thought definite yellow, but we couldn't hear the TMO side of the convo. There weren't any real good angles, but it was clearly no arms, with very significant force, very close to the head. If they really want to come down hard on head contact, plays like that that run so much risk of a serious head contact should be dealt with fairly severely.

canefan: