Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

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#1613634 18-Aug-2016 09:56

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/83292655/scotland-to-replace-kiwi-coach-vern-cotter-with-local-talent-gregor-townsend

I wonder if Vern will take a year off, and then arrive at the Highlanders job, or if he will try and get straight into the AB's setup so he could transition post 2019?

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#1613642 18-Aug-2016 10:13

JonnyCam:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/83292655/scotland-to-replace-kiwi-coach-vern-cotter-with-local-talent-gregor-townsend

I wonder if Vern will take a year off, and then arrive at the Highlanders job, or if he will try and get straight into the AB's setup so he could transition post 2019?

He did well with Scotland, but hardly AB's well. I wonder if he was pushed, jumped or mutual?

I am not keen for Rennie to take over, but his attitude toward the mentoring suggestion (utter disdain) didn't impress me either.

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#1613654 18-Aug-2016 10:40

So 1 replacement half back, 1 replacement goal kicker, and one impact winger ... could be an interesting Saturday night depending on Australia's form

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#1613655 18-Aug-2016 10:42

joker97:

So 1 replacement half back, 1 replacement goal kicker, and one impact winger ... could be an interesting Saturday night depending on Australia's form

Why?

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#1613658 18-Aug-2016 10:44

If Australia has no form then it will be one sided and boring (uninteresting).

If Australia is in good form we will see if not having the best impact players on the bench affect the outcome, if it did, the Hansen has a big headache on whether to start BB or "start" him on the bench.

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#1613661 18-Aug-2016 10:48

I was going to say not many people are good at playing off the bench but then that's not really true, the ABs are generally good at coming on and making an impact. Even Cruden, when he used to deputise for one Dan Carter. Sopoaga does struggle coming off the bench, but he's young to the squa, which could be why. Not Cruden when he was young to the squad he would just come on and run the show.

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#1614972 21-Aug-2016 00:43

Nice! Some great hands in tonights game. If the bugging was Australia, they didn't really learn anything useful. Poor Coles having to play 78 minutes, but boy he is some player. Really felt for Naholo. Nice to see JS back on his try-scoring ways. Dagg wasn't that flash tonight, but it would have been some try...

Not really sure what the hang was happening with Cruden, Barrett at the same time, that combination wasn't really ideal. Barretts place kicking looked a lot better than I was expecting it to. I feel Barrett really played well at 10 tonight.

Will be interesting to see what comes out next week. Australia would struggle to play worse, but did seem in line with how hard NZ teams spanked them in SR this season.

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#1614974 21-Aug-2016 01:09

networkn:

Nice! Some great hands in tonights game. If the bugging was Australia, they didn't really learn anything useful. Poor Coles having to play 78 minutes, but boy he is some player. Really felt for Naholo. Nice to see JS back on his try-scoring ways. Dagg wasn't that flash tonight, but it would have been some try...

Not really sure what the hang was happening with Cruden, Barrett at the same time, that combination wasn't really ideal. Barretts place kicking looked a lot better than I was expecting it to. I feel Barrett really played well at 10 tonight.

Will be interesting to see what comes out next week. Australia would struggle to play worse, but did seem in line with how hard NZ teams spanked them in SR this season.

Australia were pretty terrible but at least showed a bit of fight in the second half. Didn't help that 3 of their backs went off 1 by 1 in the first half. Coles is a beast but if he is truly as bad as they say he should never have been in the team this week.

I though BBs kicking was quite average. He missed a few sitters and a couple of the ones that went over looked pretty shaky. His overall game was top notch though. JS also showed quite a bit of form and I'm not too worried about him starting next week.

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#1614984 21-Aug-2016 08:11

networkn:

Not really sure what the hang was happening with Cruden, Barrett at the same time, that combination wasn't really ideal. Barretts place kicking looked a lot better than I was expecting it to. I feel Barrett really played well at 10 tonight.

When you lose a winger and a midfielder, and you only have a halfback, first five and winger on the bench, then there has to be a bit of a reshuffle.

Clearly Savea will go onto the wing (as he did), which leaves you needing to find somebody for the midfield. Smith goes to the midfield which leaves you needing another winger. Barrett could go to teh wing but it's preferable to put him at fullback and Dagg onto the wing. Regardless of whether Barrett goes to fullback or the wing, you're bringing Cruden into first five.

I don't see they had any option to play that way, short of playing Perenara in midfield or at the back, or chucking a forward out there.

On the shiny side - wasn't it nice to win the game early rather than rely on super subs?

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#1614986 21-Aug-2016 08:12

Kingy:

I though BBs kicking was quite average. He missed a few sitters and a couple of the ones that went over looked pretty shaky. His overall game was top notch though. JS also showed quite a bit of form and I'm not too worried about him starting next week.

Dunno if you've ever kicked goals but if those were sitters then you're obviously world class.

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#1614991 21-Aug-2016 08:50

Crotty had a good game and certainly silenced the doubter in me. I believe the Barrett/Cruden thing is to have two first receivers on so that the play can be made either way. Just how that connects with Fekitoa, I'm not quite sure, as he seemed to mainly be in the 'crash it up' role last night. All the globetrotter passes seemed to stick, with the exception of Aaron Smith's flick-behind-the-back trickery that went straight into a Wallaby. But that was clearly him having fun when the game was already beyond doubt. I didn't think Dagg had too bad a game except for the one fumble of a pass in defence. I assume he was acting under instructions to kick deep at times, but to give the ball to Folau with a bit of room, is not a sound tactic.
The ABs effectively neutralized the much vaunted pair of Pocock and Hooper, choking off the wallaby supply of turnover ball, as evidenced, in part, by a two to one possession stat.
A splendid first half, followed by a slightly less structured second. Possibly due the injecting so many bench players at once and completely changing the backline dynamic.
And the Wallaby set pieces, particularly their lineouts, we're truly awful. Or was it that the ABs were so much better?

Cody Taylor was a prime example of how the concussion protocol is working. He was obviously in lala land, even walking down the tunnel.

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#1615189 21-Aug-2016 17:35

Either the ABs were very good or the Wallabies were very bad. Remember one of those teams was run over by the guys who didn't get past the first round of the RWC. If that's the case can't read too much into the results. I guess the end off TRC will reveal the story on retrospect.

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#1617416 25-Aug-2016 15:10

Very surprised by the switch between Dagg and Smith.

We need to grow up as a nation. I sincerely hope there is no one here who will be attending the game who will be booing Quade Cooper, or for that matter, any opposition player. We are better than that, and it's embarrassing to be showing such puerile immaturity.

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#1617427 25-Aug-2016 15:13

tukapa1:

networkn:

Not really sure what the hang was happening with Cruden, Barrett at the same time, that combination wasn't really ideal. Barretts place kicking looked a lot better than I was expecting it to. I feel Barrett really played well at 10 tonight.

When you lose a winger and a midfielder, and you only have a halfback, first five and winger on the bench, then there has to be a bit of a reshuffle.

Clearly Savea will go onto the wing (as he did), which leaves you needing to find somebody for the midfield. Smith goes to the midfield which leaves you needing another winger. Barrett could go to teh wing but it's preferable to put him at fullback and Dagg onto the wing. Regardless of whether Barrett goes to fullback or the wing, you're bringing Cruden into first five.

I don't see they had any option to play that way, short of playing Perenara in midfield or at the back, or chucking a forward out there.

On the shiny side - wasn't it nice to win the game early rather than rely on super subs?

Oh I know why they did it, they had no real choice, but they seemed horribly muddled there.

I'd be keen to see stats on Fekitoa, I've felt for a while he was wrong for the AB's as centre, and for a fair while it seems to me that he is moving his feet but not really going anywhere. He has fancy footwork but that doesn't seem to get him going forward.

I'm expecting a fairly messy game. and whilst it's unlikely we would lose, it's not outside the possibility, given how wounded Australia are and the fact that their replacements are good strong players (or capable of being).

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#1617711 26-Aug-2016 09:44

TAB is paying 1.07 for the AB's to win the lowest in the 20 year history.

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