Bledisloe #4 New Zealand vs Australia Nov 7 2020
- Thread starter Dismal Pillock
- Start date
I'd be interested to know how much the changes have to do with form, and how much they have to do with trying a number of options as a part of a four year plan.
We've seen Samu, Hanigan, L.Wright and Swinton now tried in the back row. We've seen Simone, Paisami, Lolesio, McDermott, Gordon and Daugunu in the backline, and now we'll see Wright as well.
Is Rennie just giving everyone a shot to show their worth, or is this a genuine form based pick?
We've seen Samu, Hanigan, L.Wright and Swinton now tried in the back row. We've seen Simone, Paisami, Lolesio, McDermott, Gordon and Daugunu in the backline, and now we'll see Wright as well.
Is Rennie just giving everyone a shot to show their worth, or is this a genuine form based pick?
I'm not sure how possible it was in the end. We don't really know how much it was pursued.
Getting Skelton and Latu back from France would have been a bit of a logistical issue given the lack of flights and posed a significant risk to them of getting COVID (they're coming back from the general location we're bringing back plenty of COVID cases from and sitting on a plane for 24 hours exacerbates that).
They would have also undergone 2 weeks in hotel quarantine and then potentially had difficulty getting back to France.
I can see them being not overly keen on trying to come.
Last weekend was the first weekend of the international window in which they would have been released so if they'd come then, they would have missed the first two games in Australia anyway due to quarantine.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Lolesio and Harrison will both be better 10s than Ioane and Dmac if given the chance. Big if though.
Ioane is bog standard (though perfectly serviceable and would do a regulation job surrounded by All Blacks). DMac looks good for the ABs against a flat track but otherwise he doesn't bring anything a more physical alternative doesn't. His main trick of zipping into space that you didn't know was there doesn't work in a proper test where there isn't any. He just ends up crabbing.
I wish the boys luck this weekend (boy do they need it).
Ioane is bog standard (though perfectly serviceable and would do a regulation job surrounded by All Blacks). DMac looks good for the ABs against a flat track but otherwise he doesn't bring anything a more physical alternative doesn't. His main trick of zipping into space that you didn't know was there doesn't work in a proper test where there isn't any. He just ends up crabbing.
I wish the boys luck this weekend (boy do they need it).
eastman
John Solomon (38)
It's still a great luxury to be in a position to have such demands- McKenzie has played plenty of fly-half over the last 3-4 years for his Super/ provincial teams (and generally played pretty well when he has).
Hodge has played there sporadically and not very convincingly - he's not even in the top 2 fly-halves at the Rebels.
eastman
John Solomon (38)
Let's see them play consistently well for their Super teams before you make a ridiculous statement like that.
chiraag
Larry Dwyer (12)
10. Jono Lance
12. Kyle Godwin
Would have to be better than what we saw last week and what we're likely to see this week. But folly to think anyone from the Force could make the wallabies.
(COVID / quarantine restrictions could also be problematic though....)
eastman
John Solomon (38)
It's about on par in terms of mediocrity.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
It was a comment on potential
dru
David Wilson (68)
Yeah, nah.
Lance is in Perth so is out of the bubble.
He was also fairly average in the Super AU season.
I'd have Hodge at 10 over him easily.
Joe Blow
John Hipwell (52)
Well. Jono Lance is a distributing 10, which is what we need with Paisami and Petaia outside. He’s also been around the block a few times and is at home in a tough game. I would expect him to handle the pressure better than Lolesio and Harrison at this stage.
There is nothing wrong with our starting pack and they could conceivably get some decent go forward ball. What happens then?
Viking
Mark Ella (57)
Highkicks
Herbert Moran (7)
Hopefully we don’t kick away or drop all our possession. Honestly our pack was probably better the first 3 games with LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), especially for go forward. Our backline didn’t exactly carve theirs up did it? We’ve actually got some hard hitting athletic centres for once, we’re hardly going to out skill them so I guess this is our best shot to out muscle them.
Up the Guts
Steve Williams (59)
White is going to be the playmaker. Hodge is just a link man who will either hit a runner on a short ball or sling it wide to either Petaia or Wright to see if they can use their footwork to create an overlap.
Imo Wright's promotion is about more than just a poor performance from Daugunu last match. He provides ball playing ability and is the best counter attacker in Australia. I expect him to play almost as a second distributor, popping up behind the 13 channel in the second wave of attack as he often does for the Brumbies.
Imo Wright's promotion is about more than just a poor performance from Daugunu last match. He provides ball playing ability and is the best counter attacker in Australia. I expect him to play almost as a second distributor, popping up behind the 13 channel in the second wave of attack as he often does for the Brumbies.
DHP is out with a concussion so Banks coming back in is a forced change.
Joe Blow
John Hipwell (52)
There is really not much difference with that change. Unfortunate for DHP. Banks has been solid.