RugbyRebels

After the last couple of weeks, I just want to see 30 men on the pitch for 80 minutes.

We will see some changes by Hansen to the starting XXIII with Beaudy (head), Fifita (head) and Harris (new baby) out. Squire is iffy with an AC issue. Jackson Hemopo is brought in as utility forward cover and to troll Brad Shields. Riccitelli gets a deserved call-up and a virtually guaranteed spot on the bench. Shag rolled the subs early on Saturday (2 in the first half, the rest before 60 minutes) but some other squad members should also get some game time before the Championship starts.

The big question is who starts at 10. The answer is likely to be Mo’unga. I reckon Hansen sees McKenzie as a specialist benchman. He got a shot at running the cutter for almost 70 minutes last week, and didn’t exactly stamp his mark as a game manager (to be fair, spending 10 minutes covering 9 didn’t help him).

I think France will take great heart from dominating large portions of the last test with only 14 men. I think they will come out roaring. The All Blacks also have a lot to prove after a shoddy performance. Atmosphere should be cracking in the Lunch Box.

My team:
1. Moody (due a spell, I think, but new props are generally eased into it and Tu’inukuafe and Perry are pretty raw)
2. Taylor (no option with Harris out)
3. Tu’ungafasi (After 16 runs off the bench, time to see what he can do)
4. Whitelock (dead cert as captain)
5. S. Barrett (doing well and should be encouraged)
6. Squire (if fit. If not, there’s a big problem without Fifita. Do you go double 7s with Todd? Or biff Frizell in the deep end?)
7. Cane (too important to leave out)
8. L. Whitelock (not much choice, really. Taufua might get a shot but only if Squire is fit)
9. A. Smith (TJ blew his chance for a start with the yellow card, I reckon)
10. Mo’unga (he’s being groomed as the next first-choice)
11. Ioane (sorry, Waisake, we can only change one wing at a time)
12. Crotty (irreplaceable organiser)
13. Lienert-Brown (hasn’t hit his mark yet, but it’s too important a position to start Goodhue, and Laumapi is clearly an impact player.)
14. Milner-Skudder (let’s test that shoulder out)
15. J. Barrett (he’s hitting his straps so should continue)
16. Riccitelli (no option, but certainly deserved)
17. Perry (Tu’inukuafe has proven he can cut the mustard. Time to blood Perry)
18. Franks (in case the wheels come off Tu’ungafasi)
19. Franklin (I can’t see a new squad member covering lock. Romano is a known and aging quantity – time to try someone new)
20. Savea (or maybe Todd? Hard to call)
21. To Toiroa Tahuriorangi (time to give him a shot)
22. Laumape (#1 impact player)
23. Naholo (actually, maybe Smith)

It’s possible that Tu’inukuafe might be fast-tracked into the XV given his good form, in which case Moody should ride pine to steady the ship if things don’t go well, and to support a rookie hooker at the end of the game. The balance of loose-forwards is also interesting with the injury issues. Outside backs and cover are also areas where the dice might be rolled.

Why is centre too important a position to start Goodhue? He's been the best SR centre in NZ, at the very least, and possibly the competition. Lienert-Brown, on the other hand, is chugging along tackling people but offering nothing in attack.

Should've selected a proper #8 in A.Ioane instead of yet another defensive blindside, in L.Whitelock.

Centre (actually, which ever mid-field position is non-Crotty) is important because we sacrifice x-factor for stability with Crotty (that’s not a criticism, he’s a vital cog) and it’s a combination where we don’t know our best players yet, especially with SBW out. I just don’t think it’s a good time time to be fucking around with it when Mathieu Bastereaud is steaming up the channel.

Absences/injuries have disrupted nearly every other combination when you take cover into account - front row (Harris), locks (sort of with Fifita), Loosies (Squire maybe, Fifita), halfbacks (Barrett). The back three are bound to be stuffed about with to try to cram 2 full backs and three world class wingers into the side. At least one area of stability should be maintained.

We also want someone to help marshal the defence in the midfield, which Crotty does in spades. For all the shit that he has got, Crotty has always been a reliable player that provides a platform for others around him, so it's a case of managing his health.

Also, Tu'ungafasi is not a starting 3, he's a finisher at the test level.


With the series won though, I think it's time to go big or go home.

1. Tu'inukuafe
2. Taylor
3. Franks
Tu'inukuafe has had a great introduction to test rugby, so he's earned a start. I'd put Franks and Taylor out there with him though, just to have some on the spot mentors in the setpiece.

4. Whitelock
5. Scotty Barrett
No change there. They've been fab.

6. Frizzell
7. Cane
8. Luke Whitelock

9. Aaron Smith
10. Mo'unga

12. SBW (if fit)
13. Crotty

11. Naholo
14. Ben Smith
15. J Barrett

16. Riccitelli
17. Perry
18. Toomaga-Allen
19. Franklin
20. Todd or Tuafua
21. Tahuriorangi
22. McKenzie
23. Milner-Skudder

Sounds like SBW is half a chance to be fit. They’ve called him into the camp. You’d expect him to come off the bench if anything.

Word from the French camp is that the dry, hybrid pitch in Dunedin is considered too fast for Bastareaud, who will be rested. Parra wil captain. Doumayrou has an ankle problem so Fofana and Lamerat will start. No other changes are forecast.

Leaked All Black XXIII:

1. Moody
2. Taylor
3. Franks
4. S. Whitelock
5. S. Barrett
6. Frizell
7. A. Savea
8. L. Whitelock
9. A. Smith
10. D. McKenzie
11. Ioane
12. Williams
13. Goodhue
14. Naholo
15. B. Smith

16. Coltman
17. Tu'inukuafa
18. Tu'ungafasi
19. Hemopo
20. Todd
21. Perenara
22. Mo'unga
23. J. Barrett

So that's:
The same starting tight five, but two fresh faces on the bench at hooker and lock.
One brand new loosie, one moving from bench to the XV, and one coming onto the bench.
A heavily re-worked backline with only 9 and 11 unchanged. There's one shuffled position, one move from bench to starting, 1 debut with two coming back into the team. 2 of 3 backs on the bench change with one dropping down from the XV and the other on debut.

Don't expect a free flowing, coordinated, 80 minute effort.

I'm still trying to figure out if Cashead or I was the least accurate.

Lizard wrote:Word from the French camp is that the dry, hybrid pitch in Dunedin is considered too fast for Bastareaud, who will be rested. Parra wil captain. Doumayrou has an ankle problem so Fofana and Lamerat will start. No other changes are forecast.

Yes, the team will be :

Fall – Thomas, Fofana, Lamerat, Fickou – Belleau, Parra (cap) – Galletier, Gourdon, Babillot – Maestri, Le Roux – Atonio, Chat, Priso

It'd be just like France to go and win this game, but then again............

Against a rookie loose trio, somewhat flakey 10, and a new midfield combo, you’ve a good a chance as any

Team was named about half an hour ago, here it is.

1. Joe Moody
2. Codie Taylor
3. Owen Franks
4. Sam Whitelock (Captain)
5. Scott Barrett
6. Shannon Frizell
7. Ardie Savea
8. Luke Whitelock
9. Aaron Smith
10. Damian McKenzie
11. Rieko Ioane
12. SBW
13. Jack Goodhue
14. Waisake Naholo
15. Ben Smith

16. Liam Coltman
17. Karl Tu'inukuafe
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Jackson Hemopo
20. Matt Todd
21. TJ Perenara
22. Richie Mo'unga
23. Jordie Barrett

Looks like the leaked team was accurate. I'm also liking the SBW-Goodhue combo, a nice balance of experience and potential as a long-term alternative to Crotty, who has had his share of injury issues.

Fofana has not played in ages. Wonder how good he will be.

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zer0 wrote:

• Tight five is fine.
• Blindside's claim to fame is being a reserve who scored a hat-trick against the Blues. Yes, the Blues. Not the Crusaders or Hurricanes. The Blues. The half-our-original-selected-squad-is-injured-and-we're-basically-just-rounding-up-blokes-from-nearby-pubs-to-fill-in-the-side Blues.
• Two opensides are the wrong way round.
• #8 is a blindside. But, as we're stuck with him due to daft selections, he might as well swap with Savea so our #8 will have at least some go-forward.
• We're shoehorning another f*cken fullback into first five. Hopefully the French take full aim at McKenzie and end this daft experiment one and for all.

1. Frizell's defensive stats are as good as anyone's and his tackle accuracy is actually quite high. In fact, the Blues game you refer to was one of his worst performances to date with 3 missed tackles. The fact is, Frizell has shown something worth having a closer look at.
2. Savea was selected ahead of Todd. In an ideal world, it would be Dillon Hunt starting at 7 with Todd on the bench, yet here we are.
3. Luke Whitelock has more or less spent his entire career, at every level at 8. At the age group level. For Canterbury. At the Crusaders he was a reserve 8 who occasionally played 6 because Read was there. At the Highlanders he's played at 8. All of his tests have been at 8. Just because he logged some minutes at 6 at the Crusaders because a literal all-time great happened to already have the no. 8 jersey and the captaincy doesn't mean Luke Whitelock suddenly is permanently converted to the blindside forever in the eyes of the lord.
4. McKenzie has actually overall been a far more effective running 10 than Barrett has, statistically. You may not like it, but he's proven on the field that it's worth developing his ability to fill in at 10, and no amount of your shitfits over it is going to change this fact.

Just because you play a lot of time in a position doesn't mean it suits you or is your best position. McKenzie -- and to a lesser extent, B.Barrett -- plays at first five when he's a fullback. Folau plays at fullback when he's a winger. L.Whitelock is a very good defensive blindside, but a mediocre #8 as he produces next to no go-forward. He can play at #8 for the Highlanders as they play with 7% possession. Given the abundance of defensive loosies and the general lack of punch from the pack, selecting A.Ioane in his stead would've made much more sense. That or at least playing Squire or Savea at #8 and Whitelock at blindside.

Adder wrote:Fofana has not played in ages. Wonder how good he will be.

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Hopefully he'll be back to his usual self, I like the combination of him and Lamerat, Lamerat offers some footwork which is missing when Basteraud plays.

zer0 wrote:Just because you play a lot of time in a position doesn't mean it suits you or is your best position. McKenzie -- and to a lesser extent, B.Barrett -- plays at first five when he's a fullback.

Nope. Barrett is a 10 that can cover fullback. McKenzie is a fullback that can play 10, and there's no reason not to continue developing his ability to play there effectively.

zer0 wrote:L.Whitelock is a very good defensive blindside, but a mediocre #8 as he produces next to no go-forward. He can play at #8 for the Highlanders as they play with 7% possession.

Funny how Whitelock regularly tops the stats at metres run amongst the forwards at the Highlanders.

zer0 wrote:selecting A.Ioane in his stead would've made much more sense. That or at least playing Squire or Savea at #8 and Whitelock at blindside.

Akira Ioane is not in the squad, and Squire is injured. Aside from that, Ioane suffers from Lauaki-itis - he may be flashy, but he's lazy as fuck, and has patches, lengthy ones at times, in games where he does fuck-all.

What a game this is.

What the hell....

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Not sure about that!?!?!?!?

Adder wrote:What the hell....

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That’s a better way of putting it.

Expect some ridiculous decision to make up for it later in the match.

I mean serin was milking it, but that is the most ridiculous decision I have seen in ages.

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Indeed

Mellsblue wrote:Expect some ridiculous decision to make up for it later in the match.

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Yes, tough call. Bloody good game though. France offloading well.

Mellsblue wrote:Expect some ridiculous decision to make up for it later in the match.

And there it is.