All Blacks - Rugby Championship 2012

[Athilnaur]

In terms of yardage, Vito is the clear winner over the Super Rugby comp. Read has struggled all year. Work rate wise it is hard to pick between them other than to say Read has had a poor comp stats wise. Messam has the highest tackle rates and the highest tackle accuracy.

But the main difference for Messam is that in the past 4 games where Chiefs played against Crusaders, Hurricanes an Sharks, Messam has been immense by any measure you care to make - seat of pants, tackles, huge metres, rucks and mauls, whatever. And for me that makes him for me a must pick All Black - as we all know the great players for any test team have always been the ones that lift in the toughest games.

 

[FrankLind]

I agree, he seems to be living on his brother's name, I've never really seen Ben do anything of note.

He is selected as the best option to cover both sides of the scrum,

Once the new two props allowed as substitutes is allowed, he'll struggle to hold his place I reckon.

 

[whatty]

Am I the only one that finds Veto overrated?
His defence goes missing at times and he tends to loose the ball in contact fairly regularly. Messam by a distance

 

[Bullrush]

He is selected as the best option to cover both sides of the scrum,

Once the new two props allowed as substitutes is allowed, he'll struggle to hold his place I reckon.

Faumuina can play both sides as well

 

[teach]

Good to the see the front row depth and the competition for spots.



http://www.allblacks.com/news/20064/Hansen-explains-AllBlacks-selections-up-front

Hansen explainsAllBlacksselections up front
James Mortimer - (5/08/2012)

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen is looking forward to the only new face to the All Blacks squad - Blues prop Charlie Faumuina - to put pressure on incumbent Owen Franks to ensure that there is plenty of healthy competition within the team.


Faumuina has been rewarded for a series of barnstorming displays for the Blues earlier in the season, and now that he has recovered from his injury, will look to become the newest member of the All Blacks front row fraternity.

Picked also due to his ability to play on both sides of the scrum, with the All Blacks favouring a dual purpose prop within their squad, Hansen did say that Faumuina would play primarily as a tighthead, meaning that Faumuina, Wyatt Crockett and Ben Franks will look to put selection pressure on Owen and Tony Woodcock.

"We think he'll (Faumuina) put a lot of pressure on Owen (Franks) and that'll be good for Owen and good for the team," he said.

Liam Messam has been rewarded by inclusion in the squad, meaning that he will likely continue to battle with Adam Thomson and Victor Vito for the starting blindside position, while Sam Cane again is featured, indicating his performance against Ireland in the third test of the Steinlager Series, like Messam, ensured he remained part of the World Champion's squad.

Hansen said that Messam has been delivering what he has been asked to.

"He provided exactly what we were looking for, what we wanted, and he's continued to do that for the Chiefs so he deserves his spot," Hansen said.

While some eyebrows have been raised with the selection of just three locks, with Brodie Retallick and Luke Romano combining for four-test caps, with the second row without the massive experience of Ali Williams, who was ruled out via injury.

Hansen said that any lock would be replaced if injured, although he said the All Blacks would rely on their back rowers to provide cover in the air.

"We'll cover any emergencies with Kieran Read going into lock and Thomo (Adam Thomson) jumping as a lock in the lineout," Hansen said.

"Any long-term injury in the three that we've got then we'd replace them."

 

[Scorz]

Like most people who watch rugby and take not, I completely ignored Wyatt Crockett's inclusion.

Hopefully a clear successor to the Great Myth becomes apparent soon. I have no faith in props who try to play both sides, the only one that did it well was Loe, and Faumuian ain't fit to carry his boot bag at this stage.

If Messam isn't named to start Vito or Thompuff* have photos of Hansen and Fox doing naughty things to Foster.

*That's the sound as he is blown out of a ruck in Tests.

 

[John Coffee]

Give yourself an uppercut. Messan and Vito don't have tackle busting ability?

What Vito and Messam have that Thompson don't is an ability to hurt the opposition. I'm not talking about dirty play or anything like that but they can hit hard both in defense and ball-in-hand. Kaino just probably did it harder and more often.

I miss him already

Nope I cant uppercut myself. Messam has had a great year goes without saying. But thats Super15. Agree that they hit hard but thats not really what I'm talking about. You're talking about the kind of hard hitting defensive play that is not the fluid expansive rugby thats scores points and puts the opposition away beyond reach in the second half. They dont strike me as that kind of dynamic. 1 point against France after 20 years of RWC finals over-ratedness. The AB's have not remedied the nail in the coffin play in the only tournament anyone cares about, thats the RWC. We used to do that ... we need to get that back. Messam and Vito is not the way forward. Doesn't matter what you're workload is, you dont score enough points you lose. Read and Thompson do that. They score points.

 

[Bullrush]

Nope I cant uppercut myself. Messam has had a great year goes without saying. But thats Super15. Agree that they hit hard but thats not really what I'm talking about. You're talking about the kind of hard hitting defensive play that is not the fluid expansive rugby thats scores points and puts the opposition away beyond reach in the second half. They dont strike me as that kind of dynamic. 1 point against France after 20 years of RWC finals over-ratedness. The AB's have not remedied the nail in the coffin play in the only tournament anyone cares about, thats the RWC. We used to do that . we need to get that back. Messam and Vito is not the way forward. Doesn't matter what you're workload is, you dont score enough points you lose. Read and Thompson do that. They score points.

OK.....I'll give you an uppercut then.

Are you seriously using one game, the RWC Final (which we won BTW - by one point or 20, who cares......WE WON) to say that the ABs do not have some sort of 'nail in the coffin play'?!?! What the hell is a 'nail in the coffin' play?? A drop-kick?? A penalty kick?? Because more games have probably been won using those two tactics then some kind of play designed for your loosies to score tries.

And how many games have we lost?

 

[No4918]

Have another uppercut.

From an Aussie perspective the ABs are the undisputed heavy weight champs of the 'nail in the coffin' play.

 

[FrankLind]

Nope I cant uppercut myself. Messam has had a great year goes without saying. But thats Super15. Agree that they hit hard but thats not really what I'm talking about. You're talking about the kind of hard hitting defensive play that is not the fluid expansive rugby thats scores points and puts the opposition away beyond reach in the second half. They dont strike me as that kind of dynamic. 1 point against France after 20 years of RWC finals over-ratedness. The AB's have not remedied the nail in the coffin play in the only tournament anyone cares about, thats the RWC. We used to do that . we need to get that back. Messam and Vito is not the way forward. Doesn't matter what you're workload is, you dont score enough points you lose. Read and Thompson do that. They score points.

Are you on drugs? Thomson???

 

[Dan54]

I really suspect that although I never write off Thomson, he will be fighting Cane for a bench spot as I think Shag would now be comfortable moving Sir Richie, Messam or Vito(whoever starts) to No8 and also play the 2 openside game if required.

 

[Dan54]

Also probably another uppercut to suggest that Vito is slow, the boy has got wheels, played 7s for NZ.