Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

Forums › Sports › Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

1 | ... | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | ... | 642

Mad Scientist
29737 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1361963 10-Aug-2015 11:00

networkn:

I guess we are different then. I'd rather win all our other games and lose the world cup than lose all our games and win the world cup. (I'd like to win everything but if I was to make a single choice).

I don't see this loss doing us any harm.

One thing is that if you pick purely on form, you lose team culture. A good team will manage the players who aren't at their best, give them support and space to improve and reap the benefits.

Our culture and team spirit is the difference between us and the rest.

i don't care who wins or loses, as long as the ref has nothing to do with it, and as long as no cheating was involved. which is why i can't bear FIFA world cups.

itxtme

2102 posts

Uber Geek

#1361990 10-Aug-2015 11:53

One thing is that if you pick purely on form, you lose team culture. A good team will manage the players who aren't at their best, give them support and space to improve and reap the benefits.

Have you noticed how nobody is calling for the head of Aaron Smith or Nonu (from the week before)???

We are talking about players who are consistently under-preforming, and who are out of any decent kind of form.

Ben smith vs Dagg is a perfect example. Two big moments in the SA game and the NZ game

Try saving tackle vs missed tackle
Cover defence (almost stopped the try) vs left standing flat footed, nowhere near the attacking player

141m game time 131m
1 Tries 0
15 Carries 15
138 Metres 78
4 Clean breaks 1
6 Tackles 3
0 missed tackles 3
100% Tackles success 50%

Give me rational reasoning behind why he should go to RWC? No we cant pick purely on form but you cant pick people purely on the fact that they might one day (soon hopefully) come back into any in-cling of form...

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1362019 10-Aug-2015 12:11

itxtme:
One thing is that if you pick purely on form, you lose team culture. A good team will manage the players who aren't at their best, give them support and space to improve and reap the benefits.

Have you noticed how nobody is calling for the head of Aaron Smith or Nonu (from the week before)???

We are talking about players who are consistently under-preforming, and who are out of any decent kind of form.

Ben smith vs Dagg is a perfect example. Two big moments in the SA game and the NZ game

Try saving tackle vs missed tackle
Cover defence (almost stopped the try) vs left standing flat footed, nowhere near the attacking player

141m game time 131m
1 Tries 0
15 Carries 15
138 Metres 78
4 Clean breaks 1
6 Tackles 3
0 missed tackles 3
100% Tackles success 50%

Give me rational reasoning behind why he should go to RWC? No we cant pick purely on form but you cant pick people purely on the fact that they might one day (soon hopefully) come back into any in-cling of form...

You make a good case. I haven't done the math, but if they start Milner-Skudder again this weekend and he performs and they decide to name him in the squad, is there still room for dagg? I assume not, and I would say its a distinct possibility or actually a probability.

But while I can see Dagg being dropped, dropping Richie from the squad or team is not on the cards and I don't think dropping Dan from the team or squad is on the cards either. I guess we will see based on who starts in Auckland. If it's DC and he goes through uninjured, he's in. If they start Sopoaga, then I guess either DC or slade must be on the block...

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1362022 10-Aug-2015 12:16

I believe they will start DC though, assuming he is fit. For all of the criticism of Hansen's communication style (i.e. monotone), he is actually very good at communicating the thoughts of the coaches/selectors to us, the public. And while he is not happy with his (lack of) taking the ball to the line, it's too late to drop him now.

Jaxson

8018 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1362032 10-Aug-2015 12:33

Lots of basics done wrong in that game.
Lots of hospital passes. If you are running at a wall of defence, why pass it to the guy less than 2m from you also running into that defence?
Passing for the sake of passing and setting yourself up for opportunities to drop the ball or hit the defence line in a less than ideal stance etc.

Agree with the comments around the rotation type issue. It's obviously a hard one with regards to playing all your guys every week and not having them injured, but the flip side is a lot of combinations don't get the chance to gel nicely.
Would we prefer a loss now or in the World Cup is really what it comes down to.

It sounds like a cliché, but a loss now is probably not a bad thing long term.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29737 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1362035 10-Aug-2015 12:35

One loss is ok, a good thing.
Two losses is ok even better.
Three losses, wait four more years.

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1362037 10-Aug-2015 12:37

Don't agree about 2 losses being even better. If the all blacks lose this weekend at eden park in the same manner, the sky is falling ;)

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

DizzyD

523 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1362043 10-Aug-2015 12:52

I don't get the "It was OK to lose this one"

This was the 2015 Rugby Championship. Australia won, we lost! Saturday was really more than just another game.

tdgeek

29671 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1362044 10-Aug-2015 12:53

blair003: Don't agree about 2 losses being even better. If the all blacks lose this weekend at eden park in the same manner, the sky is falling ;)

I dont see the sense in all the bounce back comments I see. Its as though its expected. Or is it cos thats what we want? Oz played better, and they made errors and they will improve.m They also came up with a good gameplan to counter us. If we improve, that may or may not be enough. There will be more pressure this week than last. This is all reality, and I guarantee any and all of us watching the game will feel that this upcoming weekend. High tension, nerves, the old rivalry. Can't get much better

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1362045 10-Aug-2015 12:53

Nobody cares about the rugby championship in world cup year.

DizzyD

523 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1362051 10-Aug-2015 12:58

blair003: Nobody cares about the rugby championship in world cup year.

Really?
I guess everybody except NZ will be caring this year then.

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1362055 10-Aug-2015 13:01

tdgeek:
blair003: Don't agree about 2 losses being even better. If the all blacks lose this weekend at eden park in the same manner, the sky is falling ;)

I dont see the sense in all the bounce back comments I see. Its as though its expected. Or is it cos thats what we want? Oz played better, and they made errors and they will improve.m They also came up with a good gameplan to counter us. If we improve, that may or may not be enough. There will be more pressure this week than last. This is all reality, and I guarantee any and all of us watching the game will feel that this upcoming weekend. High tension, nerves, the old rivalry. Can't get much better

The pressure is exactly why the loss is good. We have some actual pressure at an opportune time. We have something we care about to defend (our eden park record) and something we care about on an even deeper level (losing 2 games in a row).

I believe if we lose this game our confidence will be severely shaken. We will be highly motivated to win, and I don't recall us losing 2 in a row in recent times.

Australia will grow a leg from their performance and now believe they can beat us. Belief is powerful. Australia can't do much better up front (in my opinion), but they can in the back line. They will know an onslaught is coming - they will be up for it, but the only way they can stop it (in my view) is by performing themselves and in doing so putting pressure on us.

So I agree the tension will be high.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29737 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1362060 10-Aug-2015 13:10

There is only one thing that matters playing new Zealand.

Let AB run the ball, you lose.

Stop AB from running the ball, you have a ding dong chance.

Have been since the last time we lost a WC match.

No other team possess the skill set of this team.

Question is, if the AB is prevented from running the ball, do they know how to win?

Smithy100

179 posts

Master Geek

#1362066 10-Aug-2015 13:16

The biggest thing for me was the reluctance to change tactics. Especially after the lessons of '07, the reluctance of "the leadership group" to change tack almost makes me wonder whether it was instructed from those above NOT to change.

There were no kicks through/behind the line. No one out running from the forwards to draw in defenders. No deep kicking to get the ball deep into Wabbalies territory. No standing deeper to get the Gold jerseys out of our backline... it was just same after same.

It almost seemed too stupid to be real. Either that or it's 07 again.

My team for Eden Park: Bender, Skud, Snakey, Bus, Ma'a, Sops, Nugget, RM (yes, at No8), Cane, Reido, Retallick, Whitelock, Woodcock, Coles, Laulala.

I know, it won't happen.

Jaxson

8018 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1362071 10-Aug-2015 13:21

joker97:

Question is, if the AB is prevented from running the ball, do they know how to win?

Exactly. Only we play the flairy rugby we enjoy, the Northern Hemisphere doesn't. They'll spend all day wallowing slowly in the mud and kicking high point drop goals to win games.

Defence really is the best form of attack against the rugby game we play.
Normally you'd chip it over any team that flat, quick and forward on defence attack, but we're now staunch about keeping the ball in hand too, so we don't utilise that option anymore.
Well apart from SBW.
Seriously though, when did you last see DC do the Christian Cullen type chip over the top, collect the other side and back yourself to run with it style?

Game plans are great, and allow you to pick how to pull apart the opposition, but you have to be flexible to realise and adapt if it aint working.

1 | ... | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | ... | 642