All Blacks v. Argentina is a Yarrow to the knee

[cashead]

Teams named:

All Blacks
1. Joe Moody
2. Dane Coles
3. Nepo Laulala
4. Luke Romano
5. Brodie Retallick
6. Vaea Fifita
7. Ardie Savea
8. Kieran Read (C)
9. TJ Perenara
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Nehe Milner-Skudder
12. Sonny Bill Williams
13. Anton Lienert-Brown
14. Israel Dagg
15. Damian McKenzie

16. Codie Taylor
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Sam Cane
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow
22. Lima Sopoaga
23. Ngani Laumape


Pumas
1. Lucas Noguera Paz
2. Agustin Creevy (C)
3. Nahuel Tetaz Chapparo
4. Guido Petti Pagadizábal
5. Matias Alemanno
6. Pablo Matera
7. Javier Ortega Desio
8. Benjamin Macome
9. Tomas Cubelli
10. Nicolas Sanchez
11. Emiliano Boffelli
12. Jeronimo de la Fuente
13. Matias Moroni
14. Santiago Cordero
15. Joaquin Tuculet

16. Julian Montoya
17. Santiago Garcia Botta
18. Enrique Pieretto
19. Marcos Kremer
20. Tomas Lezana
21. Martin Landajo
22. Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias
23. Matias Orlando

[Banquo]

Savea J injured, or totally off radar?

aaron smith?

[rowan]

Savea - not looking hungry enough lately.

[Banquo]

Savea - not looking hungry enough lately.

will resist the obvious....

[Lizard]

Well, I'm in New Plymouth wishing I had covered seats. Rain, hail, wind...

[cashead]

Savea J injured, or totally off radar?

aaron smith?

Aaron Smith didn't have the best game last weekend, although overall his form has been good. It's also a case of giving Perenara another run, as he's been in pretty damn decent form as well.

As for Savea, he's just looked sluggish and indifferent. He's currently playing for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup, where he's trying to rediscover his form.

[Banquo]

Savea J injured, or totally off radar?

aaron smith?

Aaron Smith didn't have the best game last weekend, although overall his form has been good. It's also a case of giving Perenara another run, as he's been in pretty damn decent form as well.

As for Savea, he's just looked sluggish and indifferent. He's currently playing for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup, where he's trying to rediscover his form.

Cheers. I guess Smith needs a touch of toilet freshener

Tangentially, Toad Barnes wrote an article over here, banging on that Smith/9 had stopped box kicking, in a tweak to game plan for the AB's; is that a 'known' policy?

[zer0]

Scrum has been good, otherwise it's largely been another scrappy performance capped off with a duffed lineout to let Argentina lead at half time. Mckenzie needs to be kicking until Sopoaga gets on the field. Barrett's in a game-loosing kicking mood today.

[rowan]

2nd test in a row the All Blacks find themselves behind at HT, playing at home. I said the Pumas would give them a fright . . .

[canta_brian]

There were some sloppy basics from the Abs there. And seriously, can we not get someone else in the team to kick a goal? Can McKenzie kick?

[rowan]

B Barrett not having the best game. Story of his year. Also when SBW plays there is no flow in the backline.

[zer0]

There were some sloppy basics from the Abs there. And seriously, can we not get someone else in the team to kick a goal? Can McKenzie kick?

85% (29/34) in SR this year. For comparisons sake, B.Barrett was 61% (13/21) and J.Barrett 77% (21/27).

[canta_brian]

Cheers zer0. Seems like an obvious answer to me. Alan Hewson managed after all.

[rowan]

Argies really needed to take advantage of that yellow if they wanted a chance of a major upset here. The All Blacks will finish strongly, as usual.

[zer0]

More Sopoaga at first five pls.

[rowan]

Argies really needed to take advantage of that yellow if they wanted a chance of a major upset here. The All Blacks will finish strongly, as usual.

You can predict Tier 1 rugby 9/10

[canta_brian]

Do you genuinely want a pat in the back for predicting the Abs would finish strong and manage to beat a team they have never lost to? You should put your money where your mouth is. NZ were at £1.01 so you would be mining a rich seam with your unique and insightful analysis.

[rowan]

I think you missed the entire point there, Canta. I was actually saying completely the opposite, which should have been clear. Tier 1 rugby is a predictable borefest. In saying that, I also predicted the Pumas would give the ABs a fright today, which they certainly did. Nowhere did I see anyone in the press or on a chat forum making the same call. Hindsight experts, the lot of 'em!!

[morepork]

Somewhere out there is a retired English teacher that needs shooting...

[rowan]

Don't blame the teacher for a failed education system.

Now, back to the rugby . . .

[rowan]

I've had time to watch more of the game now and saw little to dispel my concerns over SBW & McKenzie, the latter's brace of tries notwitstanding. Silly Billy still thinks he's playing league and takes the momentum out of the attack, while McKenzie's defensive frailties will certainly have been noted by the Boks - who I personally think will win their home test against NZ this year. Sopoaga should stay at 10 and stick B Barrett back at 15. & how about giving Fifita a run on the wing

[Spiffy]

I've had time to watch more of the game now and saw little to dispel my concerns over SBW & McKenzie, the latter's brace of tries notwitstanding. Silly Billy still thinks he's playing league and takes the momentum out of the attack, while McKenzie's defensive frailties will certainly have been noted by the Boks - who I personally think will win their home test against NZ this year. Sopoaga should stay at 10 and stick B Barrett back at 15. & how about giving Fifita a run on the wing

McKenzie is not a bad tackler, but he's just a small bloke who will always lose out in collisions with large forwards and will not drive back a massive opponent on the goal line. Set against this is his speed, exhuberance and natural attacking play when the game opens up. NZ finshed up with McKenzie and Milner-S on the wings, two of the smallest ment to play the position, but two great finishers who always seem to light up the game. I love to watch McKenzie play, warts and all, but fear he will be squeezed out of the setup mainly on the size issue.

[J Dory]

I'm not sure size is an issue, his defense seems ok. He wasn't as good under the high ball as he could have been, made a couple of passes to nowhere, but I thought this was his best game for the ABs. The question with the backs right now is, who do you leave out?

If everyone was fit and available I'd go with:

9 Smith
10 Barrett
11 Skud
12 Laumape
13 Crotty
14 Ioane
15 Smith

Reserves:
Perenara, Barrett2, Can't Choose.

Meaning the following are inline for the can't choose spot or miss out.

Sopoaga, Savea, Mackenzie, Naholo, Dagg, SBW, no doubt others I'm not thinking of right now, and of course the next tier of players who have been in the mix recently.

Who'd want to be a selector?

[rowan]

I was referring to his defensive positioning rather than his tackling. His lack of height is more of an issue under the high ball than it is in the tackle, from what I've seen of the fellow so far. I think the All Blacks are going to lose one this year and probably at Cape Town. Then we'll see changes come into effect which will set a course for the All Blacks' 2019 RWC campaign. If I'm wrong and they keep the team in tact, I think they'll be caught out in 2019.