Time to civilise those heathens: All Blacks v. Barbarians

[cashead]

Courtesy of rowan over in the ABs EOYT squad thread.

All Blacks side named to face the Barbarians this weekend. Should be an exciting clash!
1. Kane Hames (6)
2. Nathan Harris (9)
3. Nepo Laulala (10)
4. Luke Romano (29)
5. Scott Barrett (14)
6. Vaea Fifita (3)
7. Ardie Savea (22)
8. Jerome Kaino (81)
9. TJ Perenara (39)
10. Beauden Barrett (59) - captain
11. Seta Tamanivalu (3)
12. Ngani Laumape (4)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (19)
14. Waisake Naholo (15)
15. David Havili (3)

16. Asafo Aumua *
17. Tim Perry *
18. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (1)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (15)
20. Sam Cane (50)
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (27)
22. Lima Sopoaga (13)
23. Matt Duffie *

Meanwhile, here's the Barbarians.

1. Jacques van Rooyen (South Africa, uncapped [Lions/Golden Lions])
2. Adriaan Strauss (South Africa*, 66 caps [Bulls/Blue Bulls])
3. Atu Moli (New Zealand, uncapped [Chiefs/Waikato])
4. Sam Carter (Australia, 16 caps [Brumbies/NSW Country Eagles])
5. Dominic Bird (New Zealand, 2 caps [Chiefs/Canterbury])
6. Steven Luatua (New Zealand*, 15 caps [Bristol])
7. Kwagga Smith (South Africa, uncapped [Lions/Golden Lions])
8. Luke Whitelock (Vice-Captain, New Zealand, 1 cap [HIghlanders/Canterbury])
9. Andrew Ellis (Captain, New Zealand*, 28 caps [Kobelco Steelers])
10. Richie Mo'unga (New Zealand, uncapped [Crusaders/Canterbury])
11. Vince Aso (New Zealand, uncapped [Hurricanes/Auckland])
12. Harold Vorster (South Africa, uncapped [Lions/Golden Lions])
13. Richard Buckman (New Zealand, uncapped [Highlanders/Hawke's Bay])
14. Julian Savea (New Zealand, 54 tests [Hurricanes/Wellington])
15. George Bridge (New Zealand, uncapped [Crusaders/Canterbury])

16. Akker van der Merwe (South Africa, uncapped [Lions/Currie Cup Sharks])
17. Ben Franks (New Zealand*, 47 caps [London Irish])
18. Ruan Smith (South Africa, uncapped [Toyota Verblitz])
19. Willie Britz (South Africa, uncapped [Sunwolves/NTT Shining Arcs])
20. Ruan Ackerman (South Africa, uncapped [Gloucester])
21. Mitchell Drummond (New Zealand, uncapped [Crusaders/Canterbury])
22. Robert du Preez (South Africa, uncapped [Stormers/Western Province])
23. Dillon Hunt (New Zealand, uncapped [Highlanders/Otago])

* for the Baabaas indicates player is either no longer eligible or has retired from test rugby.

[rowan]

Savea brothers go head-to-head. Wonder if Lizard can tell us how many times brothers have played against each other in games involving major test sides. I seem to recall a couple of incidents whereby brothers lined up for the All Blacks and Samoa back in the days when the eligibility laws were a bit more lax, but the memory's a bit fuzzy on the actual players themselves.

[cashead]

The Umaga brothers, back in 1999. Tana played at 11, and his brother Mike was at 15 for Samoa.

[rowan]

Yes, that might have been it. I knew those guys too, though not particularly well.

Anyway, it's a strong enough Baabaas side but I think the All Blacks' momentum and cohesion will see them home comfortably enough, despite the changes to the starting lineup. 15-20 points.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

Amazing to see no NH players in that side, there was a time when we'd marvel at the thought of some SH player from some far flung part of NZ or SA turning out for the BaaBaa's, how things have changed...

[zer0]

Why aren't there any? Clubs not willing to release players?

[Puja]

I'd say the choice of coach has a big say in the matter. SANZAR coach and SANZAR selection. I haven't heard anything about clubs not releasing players and, given Ackermann's there from Gloucester, I'd be surprised if it was the case.

There's a lot of injuries in England at the moment, but I'd still expect you could easily have unused capped players like Goode, Haskell, etc if you wanted them.

This XV shouldn't be any danger to NZ, even with them having rotated. 50 point win to the ABs.

Puja

[rowan]

Does seem a bit curious. You'd think the coaches might have been able to let the Baabaas know about fringe players they weren't intending to use in the AIs. Would've been a great chance for those guys to have a gallop.

[Puja]

Barbarians is an invitation side though, not a suggestion one. I'm guessing the coach just flat out didn't want anyone he didn't know already and doesn't watch any NH rugby. Shame really.

Puja

[J Dory]

Maybe they wanted to win.

[morepork]

Maybe they wanted to win.

Oooohh, you juvenile beatch.

[Puja]

Maybe they wanted to win.

Hey! I'll have you know that Haskell has been ineffective for some of the finest teams on the planet!

I don't know winning was ever a reasonable ambition for them. A scratch side, with very little time to prepare, is rarely competitive. England's second string usually make short work of stronger BaaBaas sides than this in their end of season game, so I expect New Zealand's seconds to have very little difficulty with putting away New Zealand's fifths.

Puja

[cashead]

For the purposes of comparison, this is the last Barbarians team that played and beat the All Blacks in 2009.

1. Salvatore Perugini (Italy)
2. Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa)
3. WP Nel (South Africa*, uncapped)
4. Carlo del Fava (Italy)
5. Victor Matfield (Captain, South Africa)
6. Rocky Elsom (Australia)
7. Schalk Burger (South Africa)
8. George Smith (Australia)
9. Fourie du Preez (South Africa)
10. Matt Giteau (Australia)
11. Bryan Habana (South Africa)
12. Jamie Roberts (Wales)
13. Jaque Fourie (South Africa)
14. Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand)
15. Drew Mitchell (Australia)

16. Stephen Moore (Australia)
17. Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa)
18. Quintin Geldenhuys (Italy)
19. Andy Powell (Wales)
20. Will Genia (Australia)
21. Morne Steyn (South Africa)
22. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)


*He would go on to be capped for Scotland



So yeah, a much different kind of team from what the All Blacks will be playing this weekend. Like, if you were to bundle together a scratch side to play and beat the All Blacks in the late 2000s, that team is pretty much what most people would've been putting together with some minor variations.

[rowan]

Yes, that might have been it. I knew those guys too, though not particularly well.

Anyway, it's a strong enough Baabaas side but I think the All Blacks' momentum and cohesion will see them home comfortably enough, despite the changes to the starting lineup. 15-20 points.

Only 9 in the end after coming from behind. That's a least 4 times this year the All Blacks have been in arrears at the interval, I believe...

[rowan]

Drummond is a better half than TKB, Harris is not worthy of being an ABs hooker, Kaino is well past it. Fafita and Squire are the present and future. SBW works well with Crotty. Smith is daylights ahead of Perenara. Julian deserved to be left out after that showing, Props were okay but really missing the big guns. Mounga is a better 10 than Sapoanga.

[rowan]

[cashead]

Not really much to read into the game, but a valuable outing for the second-stringers. It was perhaps a tougher game than anticipated, but it would do those young 'uns a world of good.

Savea didn't really do much all game, and unless something drastic is done (like shifting to 12 or 13 like Tana did), he won't be playing in black for much further - unless said team happens to be Wellington. One of the key things about Savea was that if play didn't go his way, he'd go towards the play so that he could contribute. I don't recall seeing much of that this morning.

It was also sad to see Kaino playing so poorly. This has been a real shit year for him, and it's starting to look like Rodders' last year as the ABs 8, where it was obvious to everyone that he wasn't going to regain his form and that jersey was Read's for the taking. Similarly, Kaino has got a hell of a lot of work to do if he is to regain the 6 jersey.

Mo'unga definitely played better than Sopoaga did, but there were some glaring errors late in the game when the All Blacks took back the momentum. Guys like him, Bird, Luke Whitelock and Bridge were definitely in "I have a point to prove" mode.

My boy Richard Buckman had a solid, if unspectacular game. A fairly solid shift with few errors, but not much in the way of highlights.


We also have to keep some perspective - many of these guys hadn't played in a while, and were up against a team that had stuck together for a bit (a fair chunk of them played against Japan as a "World XV" last weekend, under Robbie Deans' coaching) so they'd have been a slightly different prospect to an end-of-season "we've been drinking all week and do you honestly think that's water in our waterbottles?" type of Barbarians team they'd be up against.

P.S. Kwagga Smith should be wearing green by this time next year.

[Mellsblue]

Big fan of Buckmam. Mainly because he looks like an 80’s porn star but also because he showed a handful of quality moments. My favourite was when the BaaBaa’s were playing out of their 22 in the first half. NZ’s defence were drifting across nicely, Buckman stepped back towards the defence to check and then went back on the outside, five seconds later Savea is on the halfway line. Class.

[cashead]

Buckman's one of those guys that has played so well for so long, but doesn't really get as much recognition as he deserves.

[rowan]

Hansen re Owens:

“Most of the banter came from Nigel,” said Hansen.

“It would’ve been good if he’d have reffed this one”

“It was a festival game wasn’t it, and he is like the rest of us,”

“He’s fallen into the trap of getting caught up in it. He did a good job – I’m not saying he didn’t, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he wasn’t as focused as he would have been if it was a Test match.”

“The crowd that came here wanted to see the rugby that was played and they wanted to see tries, hence why they clapped and then booed when the try under the post wasn’t awarded. It’s difficult for a player to get their head around that and it’s also difficult for the ref.”

http://sportlocker.ie/all-blacks-boss-s ... gel-owens/

[Lizard]

Savea brothers go head-to-head. Wonder if Lizard can tell us how many times brothers have played against each other in games involving major test sides. I seem to recall a couple of incidents whereby brothers lined up for the All Blacks and Samoa back in the days when the eligibility laws were a bit more lax, but the memory's a bit fuzzy on the actual players themselves.

The only one I can think of off the top of my head was when Graeme and Stephen Bachop went-head-to-head twice in 1999 for Japan and Samoa respectively, after also appearing in the same All Blacks side together four times in 1994.

Gary Whetton played against the All Blacks in 1992 for the World XV but Alan had already been dropped after RWC1991.

There might be some others, possibly involving dual-qualified Islanders or Brits.

[Lizard]

Sinali-Tui Latu played for Japan (after representing Tonga) against a Tongan side including his brother Peneili Latu in 1995.

I reckon that's actually it. Bachops, Umagas and Latus.

[cashead]

Vunipolas or Tagicakibaus?

[Lizard]

Billy and Mako only ever played for England. Michael Tagicakibau never played against Samoa.

[cashead]

Sorry, I was thinking of the Tuilagis.