The Roar
The Roar

PapanuiPirate

Roar Pro

Joined February 2015

17.8k

Views

11

Published

580

Comments

Rabid Canterbury, Crusaders and All Black supporter currently based in Sydney. Former Player and Coach at the Sydney Subbies level.

Published

Comments

I think they aren’t willing to pay what it would cost to get those players over. AU sides would rather spend a bit more money and get someone with a bit more class, but those guys already have super rugby contracts!

Bit of a beggars and choosers issue I suspect.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

I wrote an article a few years back about how there’s nothing stopping Australian team from going after Kiwi players. They don’t need a draft to achieve that, but they do need an incentive.

Right now there’s no good reason for an early career Kiwi to play in Australia. You get worse coaching, the standard of living for a squaddie isn’t going to be much different (don’t even get me started on the cost of living) and you are away from your personal networks. There’s just so little upside beyond “maybe the competition for a starting spot is a bit less”.

Besides a draft isn’t going to achieve what McClennan says he wants. A draft is for new talent, so it’s not grabbing current stars. Further I suspect if we had a new player draft then some bright young NZ talent will show up in Australia for a few years, sit on the bench before coming home and getting signed to Kiwi teams.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

Canterbury is a bad example, but on sheer weight of numbers there are plenty of guys running around at NPC level without a contract. 14 teams into 5/6 leaves a lot of bodies.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

You are in fact absolutely right and I have been muddled.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

My point was more that since they ditched the ridiculous June “window” the NPC has started in early August and the Rugby Championship in early to mid August, except in World cup years where it gets played in July.

So in a non-WC year there’s a month between the end of Super Rugby and the start of both the Rugby Championship and the NPC. More than enough time I would imagine for a Kiwi player to come home and be back training with their NPC side and therefore “playing” in NZ. Hell, if a player was VERY keen they could come home ASAP and pull an Ardie, playing club rugby and immediately making themselves eligible, assuming they also had an existing NPC contract.

Again this is all academic as it’s never been tested.

(P.S. How good is it that it’s back to being called the NPC!! So much less confusing)

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

Normally the rugby championship runs concurrently with the NPC so I’m not sure this checks out. Players have been selected for the All Blacks following NPC returns from other nations before so worst case scenario they miss the first squad naming?

If they are good enough and playing well enough, I suspect they would get picked, though we haven’t had an example to bear out what NZR would do in those circumstances.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

Technically this isn’t an issue. A player must be “signed to and playing for a club in New Zealand” to be selected for the All Blacks. This includes NPC sides lower division clubs. An NZ player could be playing for Canterbury in the NPC and the Rebels in Super Rugby and be eligible for the All Blacks.

Kiwi View: Opening up eligibility - the (not so) quick fix to Super Rugby’s inequity?

I like Ennor and physically he is right there, but his decision making on defence can be pretty woolly. Often makes a decision too early to commit outside, which he can only sometimes rectify by being really bloody rapid. Similar issue to R. Ioane.

I just don’t think a player like Goodhue can survive in the current environment. He is genuinely the closest player we have had to Snakey since he left (except maaaaaybe Crotty) but I just don’t think you can be that slow in the centres anymore, especially without significant bulk.

How the NZ Super sides fared tactically, and the similar issue holding back the Blues and Tahs

Love your work HL!

Loose forward balance is even MORE critical right now, because if you haven’t got it right you are getting punished everywhere on the park. Tahs lacking a strong 3rd lineout option (where have I heard that before?) and a bigger body in midfield is a serious problem. Much better off with a Gamble/hooper, Swinton and Gleeson backrow than trying to get two smaller players in the side. I worry for Harris as well not getting significant game time. He was spectacular at times last year and might go hunting for a starting spot in another side.

Every team wishes they had an Ethan Blackadder and I think he is firming for an ABs starting role. Not quite as physical as Frizzell but he’s bloody close and brings a full package. That kind of player, into the 190s in height and supremely mobile with a stiff shoulder is the bedrock for Loose Forwards now imo.

Really interesting seeing blast counter make a resurgence this year in NZ rugby, after a bit of a reversion last year to slightly more structured play. Not sure this bodes well internationally. Have to say the Brumbies gameplan looks like it has the least holes to exploit so will come down to cattle against the better NZ sides.

How the NZ Super sides fared tactically, and the similar issue holding back the Blues and Tahs

Is McLeod actually a centre rather than a 2nd 5? Big body, fast, defensive organiser. Wouldn’t hate to see him and Poihipi linking up for Canterbury later this years!

I’m not sure Ennor has quite got it and much as I love Goodhue I think his potential has been cruelled by injury.

How the NZ Super sides fared tactically, and the similar issue holding back the Blues and Tahs

Perhaps the easiest team to pick all year. Continuity with obvious changes made based on who was available. Lack of bench Lock is short-sighted, you are going to have to have two of 3 big boys playing all game which could lead to a drop off in physicality in the final quarter.

My hot-take is that the Wallabies don’t like playing against burst power players and when Akira Ioane comes on he will get enough highlight moments for people to ask the question “Oh is A. Ioane finally coming into his own as a test player?”. No, he isn’t, he just looks good against Australia.

All Blacks Bledisloe Cup team: Changes to pack with Sotutu and Retallick called up to rattle Wallabies

I don’t really have any particular view on when the players play rugby, only that they get a decent break somewhere. It makes sense to align but…

The big problem with playing in the Southern Hemisphere in the same window as the six nations is the heat. New Zealand is less of an issue but Australia, South Africa and Argentina are unplayable in summer. Furthermore if we include Japan they will be coming from a traditionally VERY cold winter into temperatures that can be north of 30 degrees even in the evening.

A one-stop solution to improve the structure of rugby in the Southern Hemisphere

I made the mistake of editing the comment losing the nice paragraphs too!

Fainga’anuku was good but not great. Solid debut but reminded me a bit too much of George Bridge, plenty of work without enough impact. Still, a debut game against a tough opponent and the ABs not playing a particularly wide game hardly gave him a chance to really shine.

I think I need to do an article about how the front row gets too much of a microscope at set piece while the Locks go under the radar. Ofa T looked like a monster with a real scrummaging Lock behind him!

Time to give the All Blacks' coaching team some credit after innovative solutions overcame Ireland

Let’s not raise the spectre of Phil Kearns commentary….

Time to give the All Blacks' coaching team some credit after innovative solutions overcame Ireland

Doesn’t help that they are all backs….

Time to give the All Blacks' coaching team some credit after innovative solutions overcame Ireland

Top notch analysis HL, perhaps your best so far methinks!
Now, let’s dance!
The game most reminded me of the first lions test in 2017. Aaron Smith’s pass allowing the forward to have a wide one-two option which basically gifted the ABs the advantage line up front. The thing I hate about this game plan is it works for darkness EVERY SINGLE TIME but then they whip away from it in the next game because it seems too simple to keep working. Also it relies entirely on Smith’s godlike pass. It’s basically impossible to play like that without Smith.
I was never worried about the backrow selected. I said last week that Barrett was a fine selection given Cane and Savea were in the side and that bore out. The big thing for me was that Ardie played the loose role but that role was far more traditional for a loose backrower, looking to make a nuisance of himself on attack around the centre channels while defending around 4th man. Haven’t seen that kind of positioning for an AB backrower since before Read introduced the world to the tram tracks. Had a massive impact on the ability of the ABs to pay in the middle of the park and really caused Ireland problems.
The ABs positional kicking was woeful. Mounga normally misses touch one every two games as he tries to carve off too much so I don’t read much into that, but the decision making from BB and JB on long kicks was poor and BB’s kicking out of hand is much shorter than you really want from your main territorial kicker. Every single high kick by the ABs was excellent however and JB’s big boot gives his contestable kicks a lot of air which Ireland struggled with. Frankly other than the intercept I didn’t really see anything about how BB played that suggests he should be starting ahead of Mounga.
The centres are needs-must. Ennor plays for Canterbury and so I am a fan BUT he is basically just a slower Rieko Ioane (still quick mind). He has the same positional weaknesses, often gets turned in but is probably a weaker tackler than Ioane, with a slightly better kicking game. With ALB, Goodhue and Havilli all out Rieko was the best choice. Tupea looked very good and I think he is better off at centre. It makes me feel strange to say it but our best balanced midfield is probably Havilli and Tupea. Love Goodhue, best toolbox in New Zealand but I’ve watched him get beaten for pace defending in the 12 channel and that’s a big problem. Havilli has the next best toolbox, a better kicking game, is faster and while his front up defence trails Goodhue’s he doesn’t get beaten outside.
On coaching, there was a lot of talk about simplifying the playbook and handing it over to the players given the COVID situation. This worked. They also went back to a tighter, ad line based core which I prefer. Set piece functioned well. I’m all for adding more to the gameplan as the season wears on but the coaching staff needs to look at maintaining a core of how the All Blacks forwards will play and adding to it rather than making a big change. We don’t have the right cattle for 1-3-3-1 and we need to accept that.
Finally this coming week’s selection is basically just an available cattle selection. Will Jordan to the bench is good, though it means JB and Fainga’anuku covering midfield which is….fine I guess?Blindside remains a lottery and the backrow is going to be too small with Papali’i but I also think he’s probably the best option available (though I might have been tempted to leave Barrett there, put Big Patty T or Dickson in the starting row and other on the bench). Coaches need to sort out what to do with Akira. Either drop him from the squad and get Frizell, Robertson or Jacobson in there, or get him playing a tight role like he needs to play.

Time to give the All Blacks' coaching team some credit after innovative solutions overcame Ireland

The problem is Ardie, which is a similar problem to Beauden Barrett. Ardie is probably the one of the three best players in the country and it seems ridiculous to leave him out of the starting side where he has more time to have more impact. Problem is that he is really a non specialist backrower who doesn’t fit the requirements.

Grace is a fairly “classic” Kiwi 8, very much in mould of Kieran Read, with excellent ability in the lineout a decent to good defender, with a decent to good workrate and a solid combo of both tight running while being effective also on the break and out wide. Problem is he isn’t big enough or destructive enough defensively to make up for Ardie playing looser (where he is best suited in my opinion).

I would not be shocked if we saw the currently selected backrow workout over this series that me might see a permanent move for Scooter to 6….

All Blacks selectors come up short on courage

In some rather strange ways I quite like this selection. Given the injury/covid issues Tu’ungafasi is probably the only question mark I have and even then it’s not like he can’t scrummage at an elite level, he’s just been inconsistent the last 3 years or so. If he stays on the park of course….

Without Blackadder or Grace I think this is probably the smartest backrow selection available. Cane is a tight 7, Barret is a wide Lock and Ardie is an all rounder who can excel at either being wide or tight (but only one or the other in a single game). Keeps 3 genuine lineout targets in the pack with two solid part time jumpers in support. Saves PGS from having to make a starting-debut against the sort of tough physical side who could expose him a little bit.

The Midfield has enough physical balance in it, but it’s definitely short on kicking, playmaking and proven defensive organisation. If Rieko works hard and runs good lines off Barrett to take some of the carry pressure of Tupaea thatt attack should be okay. Jordie coming into the line a bit more would do the same. Defensively though…..

As for how this selection wants to play, it’s a very clear up the middle and then around sort of group. There’s enough carry and workrate in the pack to grind up the middle if Ireland don’t bring a solid physical defence (something that I thought was strangely lacking against the MAB) with some more strong carry at 12. Then there’s plenty of pace in Ioane and Reece to expose opportunities on the edges.

All Blacks selectors come up short on courage

A second half backrow of PGS, Cane and Savea looks pretty tasty to me Ric!

All Blacks squad: RTS misses cut, surprise Scott Barrett call, Leicester gets debut, Mo'unga on bench

Barrett has started a couple of games at 6 this year I believe and has moved to 6 another 3 or 4 times in the back end of games. It’s not an alien position for him.

All Blacks squad: RTS misses cut, surprise Scott Barrett call, Leicester gets debut, Mo'unga on bench

A 2022 backrow of SBarrett, Cane and Savea looks a lot different to the 2019 backrow of SBarret, Savea and Read. Barett has improved in those 3 years, Read’s powers were waning fast and Savea was faster but less physical. Also in 2019 they were playing against a dual openside backrow, not the sort of style the Irish tend to go with.

PGS is making his debut and hasn;t been around the All Blacks for very long, having him start would be a big step. Generally I think this backrow is reasonably balanced, it doesn’t give up much at lineout time and just lacks a bit of dynamism due to Barrett’s slower pace. At least with Barrett and Cane the backrow is unlikely to get outworked by their opposite, which was a huge issue last year.

All Blacks squad: RTS misses cut, surprise Scott Barrett call, Leicester gets debut, Mo'unga on bench

Oh how do you solve a problem like Ioane?

There’s a whole spate of issues at play here.
1. New Zealand pumps out test quality wingers faster than we pump dairy milk. Ioane is probably our best left winger but when you have options like Sevu Reece, Wes Goosen, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Mark Telea, Bryce Heem, Etene Nanai-Seturo (do I have to go on?) and a grand total of ZERO specialist Centre-Three-Quarters trying to turn a winger into a centre seems like a good idea.

2. Rieko Ioane LOOKS like he should be able to play the Strong Centre role. His tackling (not his positioning) is good and strong, he can pass okay, has excellent acceleration and top end speed and is a big body to boot. His application of these attributes at centre is the problem.

3. Returning to the no specialist centres point there just isn’t a guy really putting his hand up and saying “I am a better choice the Ioane”. Ennor is maturing slowly, probably due to injury, Goodhue has been out and is now playing mostly at Second-Five, ALB is injured and has issues with being a 12.5, Tupea mostly plays 12, Nankiville is playing well but is a pace and footwork guy and the only big 12 we have is Tupea and that’s a very inexperienced midfield. The Umanga-Jensen boys are just another example of great athletes in 12/13 jerseys who light it up on attack but miss the finer points of positioning, passing and defence. There are other options at 13 but the don’t scream out as being being better or being a bit of a risky bet.

I’m on record as liking one power centre and one balance centre and to that end if it were me I would be picking an AB centre pairing of 12.Tupea and 13.Goodhue, but if someone wants to make the point that that’s a pretty slow centre pairing I don’t know I have a rebuttal….

Explain to me why the All Blacks' 13 jersey is a done deal?

Deans was an AB assistant coach, Wayne Smith was head coach and then Assistant Coach. Steve Hanson started his career as an assistant at the Crusaders as well. Current All Blacks Assistant Brad Mooar was also an assistant at the Crusaders.

There has never really been a shortage of Crusaders coaching expertise in the All Blacks set up and frankly the business with Scott Robertson is the only time that a current successful Crusaders coach has been in the running. Robbie Deans was the next closest and he missed out because the then NZRFU had seen 4 consecutive world cup defeats and decided that the coaching-go-round was to blame. History seems to have supported their decision in that regard.

End of an aura: Critics target Foster and 'an empire that's gone soft' after All Blacks 'lose fear factor'

Some really interesting picks here but overall I think this is pretty much the best side available.

Ireland is a great team to play TJ, especially in that rush defending role he played against Wales. His pass and ruck speed might not be what the All Blacks like but can’t fault his defence.

I probably would have had Jacobson over a. Ioane on the bench. If the All Blacks are struggling for meters in the tight, Ioane isn’t the guy to bring on, and if they are making meters up the middle, they don’t really need a wide ranging loose-forward attacking threat. That said Jacobson had a poor game against Italy that wouldn’t have done him any favours.

Midfield musical chairs continues. Rieko has looked good at centre this year so no real qualms with that and ALB is our best midfielder so there’s a decent argument that these two are the form players. They are also reasonably balanced, but I’d always prefer to se ALB in his natural Centre position. Havilli also makes a fantastic bench option, covering the entire backline.

Generally the bench looks the best it’s been all year. MacKenzie has probably played his last game in black, he’s lost a little pace and the shallower high kick is beyond his ability to compete in the air. Mounga is a game breaker type 10 and so should be fine from the bench, though I do think he plays better when he starts. Reserve props are very strong, I’ve seen Lomax as being thoroughly decent if not yet spectacular.

All Blacks make 14 changes for Ireland showdown as Barrett retains key role

Jacobson was pretty poor against Italy, probably counted against him rather heavily.

Havili has been a bit rocks or diamonds and against the more direct, forward oriented rush defending sides you want a bit more consistency in the midfield.

All Blacks make 14 changes for Ireland showdown as Barrett retains key role

close