The Rugby Championship 2019

[waiopehu oldboy]

A heavy dew musta set in at some point, AB never make that many handling errors.

Second half a bit shit but you take the W & the four points.

 

[zer0]

It seemed as though they were conserving themselves in the second half and didn't really care so long as they were ahead. Fair enough I guess.

But the late game decision to move the ball away from the maul is still a concern, I think. Can understand rustiness, the slapped together nature of the team, and potential self-conservation leading to the sloppiness we witnessed, but doesn't excuse the near disastrous failings in game management at the end. I believe all of B.Barrett, Accountant and Cane were on the field when they chose to needlessly shift the ball. All senior players who should no better.

And the Dismalism of Vaea FFSita is very apt for this game.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ you had to love Lurch at the last lineout tho, pushing whoever it was out off the spot he'd chosen. No way was he gunna be in the first AB side to lose to Argentina if he had anything to do with it. But yes, poor thinking towards the end, Pumas should never have been in a field position to threaten like that.

Highlights:

 

[Rugbynutter39]

^ you had to love Lurch at the last lineout tho, pushing whoever it was out off the spot he'd chosen. No way was he gunna be in the first AB side to lose to Argentina if he had anything to do with it. But yes, poor thinking towards the end, Pumas should never have been in a field position to threaten like that.



Highlights:

Unfortunate as Argies to my mind were the better side and deserve to break that record of no wins against AB's.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Oh shit, missed that one. Bit of a cock-up on the Pitcairn Meridian Greentime front. Still, sounds like it was a bit of a shit sandwich anyway

As I omnisciently predicted, sounds like tickerless duo of Paper Tiger Patrick and FFsffita were a bit shit with undroppable Brainfart Golden Child Jordie on the wing not much better.

I hope Ffsfitita is ok. I hope he didnt wear out his body too much. "Steven, the crowd were quite vocal at times and I couldn't really understand what they were shouting. Sometimes I just ran to specific areas of the stadium to try to hear what they were yelling a bit better. To no avail. It was almost like they were speaking in a foreign language."

 

[Ulrich]

Interesting to note Rassie said the Springboks will not come back to SA after playing the All Blacks. They will make base in NZ and fly to Arg later.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Match officials:

NZ v SA Ref: Berry
AR's: Gardiner & Kubo
TMO: Kitt

Wobs v Pumas Ref: O'Keefe
AR's: Williams & Pickerill
TMO: Skeen

https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyChampionship/aussie-ref-for-all-blacks-springboks-test-20190723

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

SBW got through Tuesday training which will be enough to get him a start on Saturday going by Foster's presser comments. Doesn't sound like they've changed their minds re: not starting Cane & ASav in the same XV so Frizell will probably get a run with Hemopo (4/5/6) & ASav (7/8) as bench cover. Not sure they'll biff Aumua in cold & can't see them risking Josh Ioane when they weren't prepared to in BA, so:

Franks, Taylor, Moody
Lurch, SamW
Frizell, Cane, Read
ASmith, Beaugan
Rieko, SBW, Goodhue, JBar
Bender

Ofa, Tooa'vao, Coltman, Hemopo, ASav
TJP, Mo'unga, AL-B

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

South Africa: Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Duane Vermeulen (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff.

Reserves: Bongi Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawawira, Trevor Nyakane, RG Snyman, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn, Jesse Kriel.

 

[Ulrich]

Strange that Mapimpi is there above Nkosi and no Jantjies on the bench.

 

[KiwiM]

Supposedly this is the AB team

Beauden Barrett, Ben Smith, Jack Goodhue, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Richie Mo'unga, TJ Perenara, Kieran Read (c), Matt Todd, Shannon Frizell, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody.

Reserves: Dane Coles, Ofa Tuungafasi, Angus Ta'avao, Vaea Fifita, Dalton Papalii, Aaron Smith, Anton Lienert-Brown, George Bridge.

 

[zer0]

Put Williams on his bike, drop in Lienert-Brown, and the 1st XV backline is finally in business. Bring in Savea for Read, Cane for Frizell, Coles for Taylor, captain Whitelock and there's the 1st XV pack.

Hopefully this prophesised team will materialise at the RWC knockout phase.

EDIT: Probably also start A.Smith, too.

 

[KiwiM]

I'd prefer to have Perenara vs the Boks. Also your proposed loose forward trio is missing 2 x lineout options from the leaked team above.

 

[zer0]

True, though both Cane and Todd are used as lineout targets in Super Rugby (and Cane has been used in tests, IIRC). I assume Savea is -- or, at least, can be -- a target as well. If it was a serious concern, then one of Read or Frizell could rotate into #8, or Best Barrett at blindside.

Truth be told I'd actually forgotten about S.Barrett. A fully fit Barrett could be the starting blindside, though it'd likely mean the exclusion of our best/most pesting openside in Todd.

 

[KiwiM]

That's a huge call on Todd. Quality player but 3rd best 7 behind Cane and Savea who both showed more surrounded by less in Super Rugby this year.

 

[zer0]

I'd say he's the best at pesting around and making a nuisance of himself just like McCaw did. Cane's strength is stopping guys with front on defence, and Savea's is generating go-forward. They can both do some trouble making/opensiding as well (Cane being the lesser of the two, IMO), but it's not their respective forte's. Where you rank them as 1st/2nd/3rd is largely down to how you value the differing aspects.

More importantly, both Cane and Savea excel at aspects that are paramount at blindside and #8. As we've had no blindside establish themselves since Kaino was reffed into retirement, and Read hasn't been consistently performing to a high enough standard as a veteran test #8 and captain for a while now, I'd simply shimmy them both over to plug the gaps with established test-quality players.

Of course, once Barrett returns, he could slot into blindside to provide a guaranteed third lineout option. Would mean one of Todd or Cane would have to make way for him; most likely Todd, but could take a horses-for-courses approach. Then have Hemopo as the lock/blindside cover off the bench, and Read, Frizell, and Todd/Cane competing for the loosies reserve spot.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Supposedly this is the AB team

Beauden Barrett, Ben Smith, Jack Goodhue, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Richie Mo'unga, TJ Perenara, Kieran Read (c), Matt Todd, Shannon Frizell, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody.

Reserves: Dane Coles, Ofa Tuungafasi, Angus Ta'avao, Vaea Fifita, Dalton Papalii, Aaron Smith, Anton Lienert-Brown, George Bridge.

Confirmed:

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/spor...gby-championship-test-against-springboks.html

Some brave calls given how important it is to get one up on SA in context of RWC-opener, I wasn't expecting to see much if any experimentation until Perth or even Auckland Bledisloe.

 

[Dan54]

Well Shag said he was using these first few games to experiment and stuck to his word, it's a brave coach leaving out Cane and Savea, but one who has got his mind on whittling down squad before next week. I wouldn't mind betting fifita in last chance saloon and Jacobson passed him, so that why he on bench. Much as I love to see Ardie/Cane out there, can see sense in trying to manage wok loads with travel etc, lets face it both players put in a shit load when they on field and a rest won't hurt them. Wouldn't surprise me f things going ok, BB getting pulled early and Bridge slotting on wing, give BB a bit of a rest too, Bender has had a couple of extra weeks off at end of season.

 

[Ulrich]

Interesting team. Showing half a hand.

Essentially alleviating pressure should the All Blacks lose and shoving pressure SA's way because it becomes a bit of a lose-lose for us.

Expected to see Mo'Unga at 10 against the Boks, if not this game then at the RWC. He is the key to unlocking the defense.

Let's see how it goes.

Hoping for a cracker!

 

[Derpus]

I'll be supporting anyone but the ABs (even England, ugh) from here on out. Can't have three in a row. Carn Bokkies.