GV27:

 

I agree, needed more Blues players. 

 

He said high quality :)

Handle9:

 

Super rugby is dramatically different to test rugby and NZ certainly didn't show any evolution in their game last year. It's all rather funny.

 

I'd say you find it more amusing than most :)

On the breakdown, Foster did acknowledge/talk about not trying to innovate or change their game much last year, due to the pretty significant impacts of Covid on schedules and processes within the team. To be fair to him, I think that seems a pretty reasonable approach. I think the acid test will be if that occurs in 2021's tests. The guy is in a pretty tough position as I've alluded to in the past. Innovation means trying something new, it may not work well, especially not initially and it potentially costs us test matches. Given the NZ Publics tolerance for not winning every match and with a comfortable margin, and the fact he wasn't the popular pick in the first instance, he is almost damned either way. The dual playmaker thing wasn't wildly successful (though I think it still has some potential), and neither was our execution of the rush defense defense though I could see what they were trying to do. Add to this we don't have the strongest forward pack this season mostly due to injuries to our first choices in many positions, and injuries in the other parts of the team on top, 2021 does have potential to look pretty average in terms of results.

networkn:

 

GV27:

 

I agree, needed more Blues players. 

 

 

He said high quality :)

 

Ask the Highlanders scrum how they rate the quality of the Blues front row after last weekend's performance. 

GV27:

 

Ask the Highlanders scrum how they rate the quality of the Blues front row after last weekend's performance. 

 

Given the quality of the scrummaging from the Highlanders (and Crusaders) all season, I don't think that is how you'd measure it :)

I think the quality of Scrummaging in NZ this past 18 months has been really low.

The Blues did do well on defense though.

Biggest problem with the Auckland front row all season has been discipline around professional fouls, completely unrelated to scrummaging. I suspect the ABs culture will help sort that. 

GV27:

 

Biggest problem with the Auckland front row all season has been discipline around professional fouls, completely unrelated to scrummaging. I suspect the ABs culture will help sort that. 

 

Really?! I'd say the opposite unless the coaching staff have had a change of mindset. We have been penalized for terrible discipline for a number of years now.

Bummer about the Maori All Blacks game this weekend being canned due to the Wellington Alert Level change.

Pity they couldn't run it with no crowds?

networkn:

 

Bummer about the Maori All Blacks game this weekend being canned due to the Wellington Alert Level change.

 

Pity they couldn't run it with no crowds?

 

 

 

 

 

Seems that is what they intend to do, play without crowds, which is better than no game. 

This is an interesting (paywalled) article on tackle height. It's worth reading even if I don't entirely agree with the conclusions.

https://www.thexv.rugby/2021/06/24/how-rugby-is-addressing-the-tackle-height/

Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric are both injured and out of the Lions tour after the Japanese game.

It's very sad for Alun Wyn to miss the tour as captain and both are big losses for the Lions.

Aside from the injuries the Japanese game was very entertaining.

Here is this weeks team for those who may be interested. Some surprises in there for me.

1 Karl Tu'inukuafe (17)
2 Dane Coles (74)
3 Angus Ta'avao (14)
4 Scott Barrett (36)
5 Samuel Whitelock (122) – captain
6 Akira Ioane (2)
7 Dalton Papalii (4)
8 Luke Jacobson (2)
9 Brad Weber (7)
10 Richie Mo'unga (22)
11 George Bridge (10)
12 Quinn Tupaea (new cap)
13 Rieko Ioane (33)
14 Will Jordan (2)
15 Damian McKenzie (27)

Reserves:

16 Asafo Aumua (1)
17 George Bower (new cap)
18 Tyrel Lomax (6)
19 Patrick Tuipulotu (35)
20 Ethan Blackadder (new cap)
21 Finlay Christie (new cap)
22 Beauden Barrett (88)
23 Jordie Barrett (23)

Handle9: Is it really that much of a surprise? It was pretty clearly signalled they would play around with the teams over these 3 games. They've done it a bit more than might have been expected for the first game but Tonga are pretty weak.

Not that much of a surprise, but to bring guys from bolter to starting a match isn't very common. Usually, they introduce new guys off the bench.

As you say, Tonga aren't the strongest team and some experimentation is good, though if it's a scrappy affair, there will be cries about the coaches ad infinitum :(