All Blacks tour of South Africa

[Equalizer]

NZ Herald, the Dominion, Stuff will be all baying for blood. Boks physically dominated the AB's who looked pedestrian. Plenty of problems with NZ rugby at the moment. Maybe not an easy fix.

 

[ACR]

Unpopular opinion but the ABs have major issues beyond simple mistakes. These issues are all interrelated:
- Our forwards are relatively poor ball-carriers. We keep neglecting the weights for fitness and finesse. It's not a dichotomy. Every team has monsters, except us.
- We have no strategy on attack. Everything is one-out runners. Combine this with the above, and our attack is blunt.
- We don't really defend at Super Level. Defences is very optional. But at the highest level, our lack of commitment on defence at club level shows
- This is worsened because we do not rush in defence. Every top defence rushes. It is the only way to defend.
- Our wingers and FB dont get much practice under the high ball. In contrast, the North and the Boks have some killer FBs.
- Some of our cattle isn't as good as the past. Our tighthead today was Angus Ta'avao and Tyrel Lomax. Our bench looks so inexperienced and undynamic. Old man Coles. Lomax. Vai'i. Christie. Tupeau. It's not names that strike fear into anyone. But there's no next tier coming up.
- Some of the players have very poor basics. Reiko Ioane for example, is really only a reasonable player when the ball is in his hands. He doesn't offer much in support, spacing, or decoy. It's either him running or its nothing. His brother Akira tackles upright. At schoolboy level, it was too easy for the 2 of them. So they never really learnt to play. Now at international level, they can't change their habits.

There is 1 silver lining though. No one can be worse than Foster. I'm not sure Robertson is the answer. But he cant be worse than Foster. 1 more loss, and hopefully we never see Ian again.

Couldn't agree more with everything you said.

Thoroughly outclassed tonight. We've really lost our golden generation haven't we. It's almost as simple as that. McCaw, Kaino, Read, Prime Retallick, Franks brothers, Prime Coles, Carter, Nonu, C.Smith, B.Smith. + countless world class backups. We had world class players ineligible overseas because they couldn't get a look in. MICK BRYNE! Every single one of these positions is weaker. Guess it's our turn to be wistful about days gone by, haha. When the U20 tournament first came around we won it every year. Not so much since. Bit of a talent drop-off.

The coaching staff is going to be changing hands fairly soon at this rate.. he said this was "the best game we've played all year"... Fingers crossed they can play another personal best next week.

 

[Derpus]

Lol

 

[Jeffrey]

One last comment on foster.

before the Irish series, there was some pressure. Then, he talked about how he was the only coach to had to deal with Covid. It’s the most ridiculous excuse, because every country had to deal with Covid. Some of the Irish players also came down with Covid during this tour.

after the Irish series, he added a second excuse. We have never been a good July team. Yea ok every other AB coach coped with this. They also don’t lose games to tier 1 opposition freely in November while playing absolutely shitty rugby. They don’t lose to Argentina at home. Foster is externalisjng the fault.

after the bok game, foster said that this is the best performance of the year. The ABs, at no point of the game, looked like they could win. His own captain, Sam cane, said they didn’t even throw a punch.

foster elaborates that they worked really hard, and it’s very challenging as we all know, and it’s about allowing the players to plau while still having a smile on their faces.

Up till now, we’ve still yet to find out if the AB coach really understands why we’re not doing well. To him, it’s about starting better, working harder, defending mauls, and playing with a smile on your face. Zero tactics. Zero strategy. He doesn’t even know why we’re failing. Oh and also, Covid, July, and we played well.

there are a sizeable number of foster apologists, who claimed that what is the shame is losing the world champions in the backyard. And Ireland were great. And we win some and lose some.

I just have one question. How badly must the ABs perform before we can replace the coach? Or he can keep losing because, it’s ok. We win some and lose some. And we show no sign of improvement.

I’m also quite disappointed that the ABs seem to have gone all into a defensive mode now, as if they have been victimised. Arron smith talked about how we’ve gone too far criticising the team. Richie said they felt hurt from the words that have been said. Reiki is still posing on Instagram. Is anyone going to stand up and just for once, be honest enough to admit it. Look, it’s not just the results. We’re just not good enough at the moment. We need to improve. And we will! Can we be honest enough to admit our shortcomings?

 

[zer0]

Soon.

 

[zer0]

Just a shame it was Frizell who benefitted from Clarke's work, but the big old oopsie at the end balanced it out.

 

[Dan54]

Actually one thing that struck me was someone like Jordan has to be 15 or out of team, he looks almost like a petulant schoolboy at moment and seems to be saying if you make me play at 14, I won't compete for ball in air, or try very hard to get ball, it's crazy how bad he is playing at moment. And to be fair he hasn't played well in tests this year, got more than super rugby defence to handle.

 

[Marce]

How was the Sam Cane's performance? I couldn't watch the first half

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ Cully rated him a 4.5 which is fair. Outplayed by Kolisi & on a par with Smith when he came on.

Actually one thing that struck me was someone like Jordan has to be 15 or out of team, he looks almost like a petulant schoolboy at moment and seems to be saying if you make me play at 14, I won't compete for ball in air, or try very hard to get ball, it's crazy how bad he is playing at moment. And to be fair he hasn't played well in tests this year, got more than super rugby defence to handle.

JBar looked out of sorts again even before the injury so you may get your wish.

 

[Dctarget]

Aye aye, thought we were going to see NZ go try less.

Long week in camp for them, a long way from home. Not sure what the answer is, sure they’ll find it before the Bledisloe. Shame we’re missing half our best team though.

Was just about to praise that great little zippy saffa winger who managed to contain Clarke and do damage himself until he absolutely fucking tried to end Barrett’s life. That was painful to watch.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

NZ utterly incohesive and lost. Half the "senior players" appear to be in an unarrested terminal tumble down Soialo's Cliff. Coles, BB, Afterdavid, Creaky Whitelock, the fucking captain. God only knows what shape these tenured chumps will be at RWC2023

Jordie = complete failure at fullback to take any control over his domain, that being catching ANYTHING in the air.

Most discouraging part was the lazy and unco kick contesting. Didnt recollect a single one. If no one knows how to recollect the rugby football in the air then just dont fucking kick it away in the first place

A precise yet quite average Die Bokke side, barely interested in scoring points, yet they still dawdle their way to 27

 

[Shiggins]

I blame the referees and world rugby for that red card at the end. We went from Izzy back in the day getting smashed like that all the time with no penalties. Then when he left world rugby said it's a card for farting on a player who is in the air. Recently they have allowed the player coming from depth to do what they want as long as they have eyes on the ball and jump. Because of that Barret almost has a serious injury. Clear cut red card but the boks were running into that channel all night and we're not penalised once for it so why not keep doing it.

 

[qwerty51]

The aerial contest needs an overhaul. Need to protect the receiver more, even if it's all legal it just causes too many errors (and therefore stoppages) and encourages teams to box kick and bomb.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

AB's had scored 3 motherfucking points after 76 minutes and afterwards the deluded, deranged, dead-man-walking coach comes out and says this:

".....you don’t achieve growth if you get too panicky and start making dramatic changes and put too much pressure on players."

"I thought we shifted up a couple of cogs in this test"

I felt it was probably our most improved performance this year"

 

[zer0]

Was just about to praise that great little zippy saffa winger who managed to contain Clarke and do damage himself until he absolutely fucking tried to end Barrett’s life. That was painful to watch.

Arendse didn't really have to do much there because Clarke had exactly two one-on-one moments against him. Most of Clarke's involvements were midfield phase movements where he was lining up against de Allende and Am.

Clarke's first one-on-one came early in the second half where he dominates contact (as you'd expect), makes good post-contact metres, and isn't stopped until Am gets across to make a tackle assist. Though he is put into touch before he gets his offload away, so probably counts as a Bok win, but it was very much due to Am, not Arendse. In the second instance, Arendse manages to knock Clarke's foot into touch before he can get his offload away, so that was good defensive work on his part.

Clarke's big break at the end of the match was off a Mo'unga offload in the middle of the field, so is unlikely Arendse would've been marking him in the frontline, even if he had been on the field. As it was, Clarke broke the tackles of two front-rowers to get into the backfield.

 

[qwerty51]

Something is wrong in AB's land. Don't think the personnel mix is right, maybe the wrong coach and they aren't playing as a team. Individuals doing their own thing and making mistakes. Pressure building and they can't respond. Series over, this isn't the team to do it and as said above, the Wallabies best chance at the Bledisloe in a long time.

I hope you're prepared to still lose 2-0.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Beaudy and Jordie looking crocked might be just the impetus this team needs for T2. It's not like chickenshit coward Fozzie would ever deign to actually drop a healthy Barrett brother

10 Mounga
12 Tupeaua?
13 Goodhue? (he's looking better and better the less he plays for this woeful bedraggled pack of lost children)

11 Rieko
14 CC
15 Will Jordan

 

[Dismal Pillock]

If I'm Fozzie I'm no longer standing by the hapless shower of coddled instagram lightweights that have cost him his job. I'm saying fine then, fuck you, thanks for fucking nothing shitheads, we're going the Baby Blacks route for Test 2

George Bower Ethan de Groot
Samisoni
Ta'avao Newell
Scott Barrett
Sam Whitelock
Akira
Sam Cane (c), Ardie
Ardie Savea, Sotutu
Aaron Smith Christie, Barkays Fakatava, Brad Weber, Graeme Bachop, Justin Marshall, ffs pick any prick who will actually provide any sort of running threat now and then
Beauden Barrett, RM
Caleb Clarke,
David Havili, QT
Rieko Ioane, Fuck knows really
Will Jordan, Rieko vs Reece
Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan

Dane Coles, Tyrel Lomax, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane, Bower, Taavao and Havili can all absolutely just jog the fuck on please. 2022 All Blacks World Ranking: 5ffs

 

[KiwiM]

Where do you begin?

Ryan seemed to improve the maul defence and lineouts.

The attack is horrendous - zero plan - I'm glad physically Beauden is ok but he should be dropped anyway - he's playing on reputation - he has no ability to drive a team around the field - it's telling his best moment basically came from fullback.

Of course he isn't the only problem - there's issues all over the field - the midfield is a failure - Jordie is safe but doesn't help the attack at all - the 9 never runs.

If they aren't going to shift Savea to 7 i'd like to see Sotutu get given a crack at 6 just to see how he would go - we know Frizell isn't the answer and Akira is hot/cold. Of course it won't happen - best can be hoped for is a bench spot.

 

[Juan Cote]

I wonder if the NZRU CEO packed his red strides for his trip to SA? He’ll most likely need them.