GTFO Foster, All Blacks vs Ireland III is an Ireland supporter zone

[cashead]

All Blacks squad to play and hopefully lose, getting rid of that useless cunt in the coaching box

1. George Bower
2. Codie Taylor
3. Nepo Laulala
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Samuel Whitelock
6. Scott Barrett
7. Sam Cane (Captain)
8. Ardie Savea
9. Aaron Smith
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Sevu Reece
12. David Havili
13. Rieko Ioane
14. Will Jordan
15. Jordie Barrett

16. Dane Coles
17. Aidan Ross
18. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
19. Akira Ioane
20. Dalton Papalii
21. Folau Fakatava
22. Richie Mo’unga
23. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck


Ireland squad to play and hopefully win, so that we can get rid of Foster.
1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Tadhg Beirne
5. James Ryan
6. Peter O'Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Caelan Doris
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
10. Johnny Sexton (Captain)
11. James Lowe
12. Bundee Aki
13. Robbie Henshaw
14. Mack Hansen
15. Hugo Keenan

16. Rob Herring
17. Cian Healy
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Kieran Treadwell
20. Jack Conan
21. Connor Murray
22. Joey Carberry
23. Keith Earls

Fuck off, Foster.

[J Dory]

Predictions? What about an old fashioned RR comp? ABs v Ireland, Wales v SA, Eng. v Aus., Arg v Scots. Pick the winner by how much. Correct winner and closest differential 2 points, correct winner 1 point. I'll start:
JD:
Abs v Ireland: NZ by 17
Wales v SA: SA by 3
Eng v Aus: Aus by 5
Arg v Scot: Scot by 11

[Puja]

I'll bite, although I am traditionally terrible at predictions:

NZ v Ireland: Ire by 7
Wales v SA: SA by 12
Eng v Aus: Aus by 2, but it'll've been by 9 until we score an injury-time try to make it look good
Arg v Scot: Scot by 16

All Blacks squad to play and hopefully lose, getting rid of that useless cunt in the coaching box.

You not concerned about booting the coach this close to the RWC or do you just have inherent faith that, with anyone else, you'll end up best in the world again?

Puja

[J Dory]

Let's keep it in a single post:
JD:
Abs v Ireland: NZ by 17
Wales v SA: SA by 3
Eng v Aus: Aus by 5
Arg v Scot: Scot by 11

Puja:
NZ v Ireland: Ire by 7
Wales v SA: SA by 12
Eng v Aus: Aus by 2, but it'll've been by 9 until we score an injury-time try to make it look good
Arg v Scot: Scot by 16

[cashead]

You not concerned about booting the coach this close to the RWC or do you just have inherent faith that, with anyone else, you'll end up best in the world again?

Puja

I can tell you with utmost certainty and conviction that this will not happen under Ian Foster. To give the man his due, given an area to specialise in under someone else's coaching bible, he's a proven coach. The fact that the ABs were still there or thereabouts after the mass exodus of quite possibly the greatest test squad ever assembled is a testament to that.

However, he has also proven, beyond any doubt, that he is not up to the task as a head coach. It doesn't even need to be Razor appointed. The fact that in the last 5 tests, 3 have been lost. One win was against a depleted Welsh team missing a big chunk of their first XV, and the other was when Foster was having to isolate from the squad, and ended up under Schmidt's supervision. That speaks volumes.

[zer0]

I've only seen the tests in NZL and AUS, so am guessing for half of them.

NZL vs IRE: IRE by ~10. Relying on Sexton to die, and the opposition to panic, isn't a strategy for sustained success.
SAF vs WAL: SAF by >14. Big pack goes brrr.
AUS vs ENG: ENG by ~5. Because fuck you 'Straya. If we're going down you're coming with us.
ARG vs SCO: SCO by ~5. Because why not.

[zer0]

You not concerned about booting the coach this close to the RWC or do you just have inherent faith that, with anyone else, you'll end up best in the world again?

The last two RWC's finals have featured under-performing teams who changed coaches ~18 months out from the tournament. Just like 2019, I believe the AB's have the players to win the title, just not the coaches.

[zer0]

Not even a real contest tbh. There's a well-organised professional team in green and a random collection of club players rounded up 10 mins before kick off in black. Surely NZR aren't going to sit around and wait for the Boks to sodomise the AB's before making the sensible choice.

[Which Tyler]

You need to be more than 21 points up before you start feeling cocky against NZ (or France). At least until the last 10 minutes.

Both of those teams are capable of putting 15 minutes of performance in where there's basically nothing you can do about it; and are capable of doing that regardless of how the other 65 minutes work out.

[Which Tyler]

Now I'm confident!

[cashead]

Fuck off, Foster.

[zer0]

NZL vs IRE: IRE by ~10.

[Spy]

It’s time for the metaphorical bottle of whisky and revolver to come out of Foster’s desk drawer. Impossible to survive a home series loss like this on top of a mediocre previous record.

[Spy]

Congrats to Ireland. Well deserved series win.

I had previously assumed the above sentence would be typed by my descendants, from a colony on the moon. Thanks Foster.

[Spy]

More seriously, tremendous effort, well deserved.

Very few teams win a series in NZ. It’s hard. Ireland was the better team.

[zer0]

NZL vs IRE: IRE by ~10.
AUS vs ENG: ENG by ~5.

[cashead]

The pisslicking coward didn’t even have the decency to resign at the press conference. Fuck off already, you poor man’s Allister Coetzee.

[Puja]

I've only seen the tests in NZL and AUS, so am guessing for half of them.

NZL vs IRE: IRE by ~10. Relying on Sexton to die, and the opposition to panic, isn't a strategy for sustained success.
SAF vs WAL: SAF by >14. Big pack goes brrr.
AUS vs ENG: ENG by ~5. Because fuck you 'Straya. If we're going down you're coming with us.
ARG vs SCO: SCO by ~5. Because why not.

Three out of four by the precise scoreline (if we're counting SAF vs WAL as >=). Impressive.

Puja

[paddy no 11]

Please Don't give schmidt the job

[Cameo]

I've only seen the tests in NZL and AUS, so am guessing for half of them.

NZL vs IRE: IRE by ~10. Relying on Sexton to die, and the opposition to panic, isn't a strategy for sustained success.
SAF vs WAL: SAF by >14. Big pack goes brrr.
AUS vs ENG: ENG by ~5. Because fuck you 'Straya. If we're going down you're coming with us.
ARG vs SCO: SCO by ~5. Because why not.

Three out of four by the precise scoreline (if we're counting SAF vs WAL as >=). Impressive.

Puja

4/4 until the final play of the day too!

[Cameo]

NZ need a fresh voice and a new gameplan/set of plays. They look like they haven't evolved and are relying on individual magic. I think the players are there* for them to be much better but at the very top, you need a way of playing and it needs to keep updating.

There are a few positions where they need to move on (2, 7, and 10 for me) but even there I don't think the incumbents have become bad players, just there are better younger players who will also bring freshness to the team - there'll still be loads of experience there.

[zer0]

There undoubtedly needs to be a shake up in selection (though this may not come until there's a change in HC). In the front row it's absolutely time to finally drop the props who just waddle between set pieces - and worse yet, can't even guarantee dominance there. Let the younger, more dynamic, options get stuck in. Taylor also need to finally be taken out back behind the shed. His test form basically died in 2019 and he's been hobbling along on life support ever since. Have Oddjob Aumua backup Samsonite Taukei'aho, because at least he'll cannonball himself into the opposition (just as Taukei'aho will do as well).

For the loosies, I'd look at bringing Grace into blindside and Sotutu at the back of the scrum. Together with the two locks that gives you four strong lineout targets as well as physicality around the park, on both sides of the ball (where Sotutu looks to have significantly improved this season). Sotutu is hardly a slouch off the back of the scrum, and can even switch up with Savea at times for different carrying options. Speaking of, only one of Savea, Papalii, or Cane can be on the field at a time. Pooper didn't work for Australia and it wont work here. I think there's still huge value in bringing Savea off the bench - similar to how Samu is used by the Wallabies - but he could start too.

So, altogether, something like:

1. de Groot
2. Taukei'aho
3. Newell
4. Retallick
5. Whitelock
6. Grace
7. Savea/Papalii
8. Sotutu

16. Aumua/Coles (maybe)
17. Hodgman/Norris
18. Williams
19. S.Barrett/Vaa'i/Bird (I hear he was plying quite well in France before returning)
20. Papalii/Savea/Ioane

For the backs, get some big bastards in there. Clarke back on the wing. Probably Rieko on the other, though Reece's footwork could work in a more coherent, or simply existent, attacking structure. If you really have to persevere with B.Barret at first-five then bring Perofeta into fullback and see if they can replicate their dynamic from the Blues. If you keep him there with someone like Jordie at fullback then you risk basically go without a 10 for huge stretches of a match. Otherwise the Crusaders more traditional 10/15 axis of Mo'unga/Jordan would be the alternative. There's too many potential midfield options and considerations to try decipher that Gordian knot.

[cashead]

I'd be looking at

1. de Groot
2. Samisoni Taukei'aho
3. Jager
4. Dickson/Tucker/Darry
5. Whitelock (C)
6. Grace
7. Cane (VC)
8. Savea

de Groot will need to up his game outside of the set-pieces, but that is a front-row designed to scrumfuck the other team into oblivion. Why Jager doesn't even get a look-in is quite frankly puzzling. The second-row pairing of Retallick and Whitelock clearly need someone new coaching them, since they've been quite lethargic when putting on the black jersey since Foster took over (I wonder why?). With Lurch out, I'd take this opportunity to blood someone new, like Josh Dickson, James Tucker or Sam Darry.

The thing with Cane is that his stats still compare incredibly well with the majority of his peers. Across the board, other opensides may have had better individual stats, but Cane's all-round statistics put him in the upper echelon of opensides. Honestly, I wouldn't be blaming him (although nothing about his performances indicate he should be captain. I'd put Whitelock there, at the moment, with Cane and Smith as VCs). I'd also state that Hoopcock worked well enough until they lost Scott Fardy. Savea is simply too good to leave out of the starting line-up, and Cane without the pressures and distractions of a role he's not suited to anyway is a proven performer.


16. Coles/Eklund
17. Bower
18. Ofa, Gus or Owen Franks
19. Barrett
20. Papali'i

I'd stick Coles around, because when fit, he always brings something to the table, and IMO, Eklund probably should have been selected ahead of an out-of-form Taylor to begin with. Bower generally played well in this series in an otherwise dysfunctional team, and Gus Ta'avao was the anchor to one of the best-performing scrums in Super Rugby. Ofa has always worked better as an off-the-bench option. The other option would be Owen Franks, who is a proven big match performer, and it helps to have a mean fucker in the pack as an option. Barrett, despite his discipline issues, is a proven performer, and I'd have Papali'i covering 6/7 off the bench.


9. Smith (VC)
10. Beaudie
11. Reece
12. Tupaea
13. Goodhue
14. Jordan
15. Jordie

21. Christie
22. Mo'unga
23. Rieko

Smith has shown he can still bring the goods, but he didn't get a chance to behind a shit forward pack. I'd also keep Jordie around, as a second playmaker, with Jordan covering fullback when Jordie's popping in at 12 like Ben Smith used to. Plus his howitzer boot should be getting more use as a weapon. Tupaea and Goodhue in the midfield is a bit of a Nonu-Smith at home, but it does somewhat recreate that pairing in aggregate. Christie, Mo'unga and Rieko are all form selections, with Rieko covering wing and centre.

[Cameo]

I don't see an issue with Savea and Papalii (or Cane). Saves isn't quite an orthodox 8 but I think he now plays more like one than a 7.

In the second row, it'll be a good chance for someone else to establish themselves, but S Barrett and Va'i are well ahead of options like Dickson for me.

For me, the backs should be:

9. Smith
10. Mo'unga (I think his lack of international form is overstated - he has more spark than BB now for me and is also a bit easier to build a team around)
11. Reece
12. Havi'ili (not nailed on but I think he has a good combo of skills, power and footwork and works well with RM)
13. Reiko
14. Someone bigger - maybe Clarke
15. Jordan (you just want him as involved as possible)

21. I'm not bothered between Christie and FF. Both offer something. Fakatawa was great as an impact sub in Super Rugby so I'd be tempted to give him some more chances.
22. B. Barrett
23. J. Barrett
(I think two Barretts on the bench gives you good cover and options in terms of mixing it up - e.g. Jordie at 12 or 15 for more power, BB at 10 or 15 as gaps open up)

Starting backline possible a bit short on size, but with a decent (and quicker) gameplan, I think there is enough there.

[J Dory]

Finally got to watch the match, all be it with French commentary. I didn't think the ABs were that bad, with a few more calls from the ref, a few better bounces, a few missed passes sticking, that game could have gone the other way. It was close, and the ABs had long periods of possession.

Having said that, well done Ireland, some wonderful tries off the back of beautiful running rugby, resolute defense, smart tactical play, deserved winners of the series.

But I'm not buying into the doom and gloom, I think we need tweaks rather than a reset. Maybe that means a change of coach, but maybe not too.

Lastly, Sexton, wtf is it with him and post try shitty play. This game, accidentally on purpose puts a knee into the ribs of Jordan after he got burned. Back in 2019 I think it was, smacking Barrett around the head after a high tackle that didn't save the try. He's like a skinny version of Dane Coles. Those kind of cheap shots need to be stamped out.