TheKing
Colin Windon (37)
I agree that Talakai and Smith are obviously the more polished players.
But, if the Reds are playing smash mouth footy in the wide channels, I'm not sure a forward pack with those two, plus Moore, Douglas and Simmons, has the mobility to keep possession out wide.
One of the major reasons I thought the Chiefs and Crusaders were so good in the regular season was the ability of their forwards in support play, particularly in breakdowns. Their mobility and accuracy at the ruck let the backline chance their hand often, which is why they were so hard to defend.
Moore, Smith and Talakai are not mobile forwards, so to hit those rucks they'd need to stick to zones across the field, which limits their ability to get involved in attack.
Starting Gunn, Tupou, Tui, Slipper and Ready>Moore, while sacrificing the experience and nous, would allow the Reds to attack at seriously high tempo.
Fatigue the other team with big bodies, moving fast, in wide channels = more line breaks, more tries, more happy spectators.
It's left field for sure, but I wouldn't mind a bit of left field at this point!
But, if the Reds are playing smash mouth footy in the wide channels, I'm not sure a forward pack with those two, plus Moore, Douglas and Simmons, has the mobility to keep possession out wide.
One of the major reasons I thought the Chiefs and Crusaders were so good in the regular season was the ability of their forwards in support play, particularly in breakdowns. Their mobility and accuracy at the ruck let the backline chance their hand often, which is why they were so hard to defend.
Moore, Smith and Talakai are not mobile forwards, so to hit those rucks they'd need to stick to zones across the field, which limits their ability to get involved in attack.
Starting Gunn, Tupou, Tui, Slipper and Ready>Moore, while sacrificing the experience and nous, would allow the Reds to attack at seriously high tempo.
Fatigue the other team with big bodies, moving fast, in wide channels = more line breaks, more tries, more happy spectators.
It's left field for sure, but I wouldn't mind a bit of left field at this point!