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New Zealand Rugby Team Watch

Dismal Pillock

Dismal Pillock

Michael Lynagh (62)
they love Daggs boot but his D is a bit shit and only playing FB makes him a bit of a squad luxury. That said I still think C.Jane might be the odd man out. Oddly I reckon Fekitoa won't make it either. Nonu and SBW at 12. His 2014EOYT running away from support and getting turned over was not flash. It only happened about 4 or 5 times but i reckon theyll have taken big note of that. He hasnt carved up much this year, his excellent D at centre seems to be his raisin d' entree (that's latin, you boofheads)
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Assuming 3 x 9's, 3 x 10's & 4 x back-3 that leaves 3 x 12/13's & you're right, @DP, Fekitoa's the guy most likely to miss the cut: if Conrad, Ma'a & SBW can walk onto the plane, they'll walk onto the plane if you get what I mean.

10's will be Cruden, Carter 'cos he's Carter & he gives us 12 cover & either Beaugan or Slade 'cos they give us 15 cover (& in Slade's case 14 as well). On the Dagg v Jane conundrum I reckon you're right again: in UK conditions Dagg's boot offers an exiting-the-22 strategy that Jane's all round game doesn't. Hence Upper Hutt's finest export also misses the cut IMO. As does Dagg if they decide that we can live with Slade not being able to hoof it quite as far...............

Aaron Smith & TJP are nailed-on deadset certs but 3rd HB could be quite the shit fight.
 
zer0

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John Thornett (49)
waiopehu oldboy said:
Assuming 3 x 9's, 3 x 10's & 4 x back-3 that leaves 3 x 12/13's & you're right, @DP, Fekitoa's the guy most likely to miss the cut: if Conrad, Ma'a & SBW can walk onto the plane, they'll walk onto the plane if you get what I mean.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be so quick to discount Fekitoa as there's a possibility that they'll channel 2011 Richard Kahui and have a look at Fekitoa on the wing. I have no idea what his high-ball skills are like, and those skills -- or lack thereof -- would be a key consideration, but lining up a Nonu/Smith/Fekitoa front defensive line would be quite fearsome.

Dismal Pillock said:
Jesus, that was the fucking joke!

It was a joke, a gag, a play on words!


Anything else there you want to fucking spell out for us?
Click to expand...


Was clearly too subtle for me.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
^^^^^^^^^ interesting idea but can't see it 'cos (a) Kahui had previously played a fair bit of wing whereas Fekitoa has to my knowledge played none & (b) that being the case it's something they might give a crack on an EOYT (as with the Ben Smith at 13 experiment) but surely not a RWC, we're not 'straya y'know :)

I think we can broadly agree that at this point the deadset backline certs are ASmith, TJP, Cruden, Carter, CSmith, Nonu, SBW, Savea & BSmith plus 1 HB & room for 3 of a large group that includes Beaugan, Slade, Fekitoa, Jane & Dagg of the current/ recent AB;Osborne, Lowe & (long shot) Proctor of the potential future AB; & Piutau the joker in the pack, his selection or non-selection possibly resulting in several players making or missing the squad.

By comparison picking the grunters & grafters is gonna be easy peasy................

On your attempted correction of @Dismal, have you ever been strolling along & seen something that could be either a harmless piece of wood or a deadly-as-fuck King Brown & decided to poke it with a stick to find out which? I always assume it's a King Brown.............
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Dismal Pillock said:
The starting forward pack could take turns snorting KHunts coke off Di's bouncy funbags at high noon on Kings Cross and they'd still be all on that plane.
Click to expand...

image.jpg


Possibly shortly after high noon but I will, as always, set the scene & leave it to you to supply the "interesting" bits (real or imagined (& in your world is there a difference?))...................
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
waiopehu oldboy said:
<snip>
On your attempted correction of @Dismal, have you ever been strolling along & seen something that could be either a harmless piece of wood or a deadly-as-fuck King Brown & decided to poke it with a stick to find out which? I always assume it's a King Brown.....
Click to expand...
Welcome to Australia. If it doesn't bite you, scratch you, poison you, harm you, attack you, irritate you, kill you, maim you, drown you, eat you, or hurt you in some way shape or form, it is not a part of our native fauna or flora. We offer you perfect white sand beaches with crystal clear water in tropical climates, and park a whole lot of irukandji jellyfish and saltwater crocodiles in the water for you to enjoy the company of, with mosquitos and periodic tropical cyclones to round out the fun. Best to leave Australian nature alone.
 
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John Thornett (49)
waiopehu oldboy said:
interesting idea but can't see it 'cos (a) Kahui had previously played a fair bit of wing whereas Fekitoa has to my knowledge played none
Click to expand...


Ah. I did not know that (or couldn't remember). I thought he had first been played there at test level 2009/10/whenever it first was. Does make it somewhat more unlikely, but not necessarily out of the question.
 
ACT Crusader

ACT Crusader

Jim Lenehan (48)
waiopehu - I don't think Kahui had played much wing at all certainly not for the Mooloo or Chiefs. When he first came into the ABs he played at centre and was seen as such.

He played some NPC at 12.

What I recall was that when we lost Sivi, Rok, and then H. Gear's form was up and down and the Guilford experiment was a bust, we were in serious need for a winger to partner Jane.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Dan54

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Agee WOB, can't see Fekitoa being used as Kahui was as a spare wing, so we are going to have one good midfielder missing out come WC time, as I imagine only 3 will be picked. Mind you with Piatau pulling the plug, Shag may just be tempted to take 3 wings and risk using Fekitoa or someone on wing against weaker opposition.

On good news front Luatua has resigned for another couple of years, good news because he could well be a real good player in a couple of years!
Also see Slade is apparently getting the $s waved under his nose at moment, so maybe interesting to see how that plays out, he may figure it going to be hard to tie down a spot in ABs so could be tempting for him!
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Looks like Slade could be gonski as well:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...mpted-to-sign-720000-french-club-deal--report

Presumably it'd be conditional on Pau making the Top 14, can't see them being able to afford that kind of salary if they're still in D2.

Another mid-to-late-20's guy who it'd be good to have around for benchmark/ backup purposes if not the main AB squad, these are the guys we can least afford to lose for the long-term could of the NZ game, IMHO.
 
Dan54

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Surprised about Heem going to WOB, though on reflection more that he has been headhunted than the fact he has gone. He not a bad winger but would think he has gone as far as he is going to in NZ! Hell if Slade has been offered big dollars as reported by Pau, they must have someone good backing them, I don't imagine one Conrad Smith was overly cheap.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
^^^^^^^^^^ NZ rugby is a pyramid & the broader the base the higher we can build it. We can't afford to lose too many guys in the Heems category. Nothing against him, of course, he's gotta do what's best for him & his family.

Agree on Pau, they're D2 at the moment so must have some serious backing by the looks of their recruiting.
 
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