Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

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#1400232 5-Oct-2015 12:55

networkn:
joker97: Thank you!

Anyway, there's one more pool game that excites me. Wales Wallabies. Whoever wins doesn't have to face SA or ABs till the final. I'm guessing Cheiks will play team Quade. Could be fun!

I don't get what coaches see in Quade. How many chances has he had? When was the last time he performed to the standard he was in 2007?

Me neither. When they play a proper team they can beat anyone. But they have a mysterious second team that is unpredictable at best. But then i don't have the mind of Cheiks. He thinks on a different planet. Seems so far so good for them. As for us, hopefully Tonga will give us a better game.

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#1400235 5-Oct-2015 12:58

Though I would rather we played Argentina last, that will launch us well for the knock outs. But i guess Ireland would be a good launch pad. But if France does a France and lose to Ireland the night of 1999 will come back to me as vivid as yesterday's takeaways dinner.

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#1400236 5-Oct-2015 12:58

joker97:
networkn:
joker97: Thank you!

Anyway, there's one more pool game that excites me. Wales Wallabies. Whoever wins doesn't have to face SA or ABs till the final. I'm guessing Cheiks will play team Quade. Could be fun!

I don't get what coaches see in Quade. How many chances has he had? When was the last time he performed to the standard he was in 2007?

Me neither. When they play a proper team they can beat anyone. But they have a mysterious second team that is unpredictable at best. But then i don't have the mind of Cheiks. He thinks on a different planet. Seems so far so good for them. As for us, hopefully Tonga will give us a better game.

Well I think Cheika is a good/great coach, and I guess he believes he can turn Cooper around, and based on the other achievements perhaps he can, but realistically, what does he get from that at the end of his effort? At best an unpredictable 10.

I think they missed the boat with him, and by the time the next boat arrives, it will be full of other players who can achieve a more consistent result.

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#1400237 5-Oct-2015 13:00

It depends on whether he wants to rest his best players and risk a tougher knockout path or not.

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#1400238 5-Oct-2015 13:04

One thing puzzling me, is IF they are considering sacking Lanscaster, why bother contracting him through to 2020? Surely they agreed, regardless of result they would keep him on. Though I agree exit in pool play was the worst case scenario, they didn't lose to Japan and Uraguay.

They do have some issues around selection, and around the strenth of their fetchers and clearly the scrum had a bad day, but they don't seem unhelpable. Lancaster has done some good things.

I'd be done with Robshaw as captain, I'm surprised he hasn't stepped down.

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#1400239 5-Oct-2015 13:07

4 million people said that about Graham Henry

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#1400240 5-Oct-2015 13:09

joker97: 4 million people said that about Graham Henry

He was not contracted beyond the world cup. Steve Hansen is. Shows we are being sensible.

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#1400459 5-Oct-2015 18:01

You know hindsight is a wonderful thing. After seeing how the RWC is panning out, and how our team is finding their feet, I wished Hansen didn't take Naholo but Dagg, and left out someone else and taken Sopoaga (at least DC has a sparring partner!). Comments?

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#1400478 5-Oct-2015 18:31

joker97: You know hindsight is a wonderful thing. After seeing how the RWC is panning out, and how our team is finding their feet, I wished Hansen didn't take Naholo but Dagg, and left out someone else and taken Sopoaga (at least DC has a sparring partner!). Comments?

Ahem.. Shall I say it..... No, you all know I'm thinking it :)

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#1400499 5-Oct-2015 19:01

They seriously could not clear from inside their 22 against Georgia! And there were a lot of dropped high balls ..... (by everyone - from restarts, bombs, vandervastheysen up-n-unders, you name it) !!!

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#1401073 6-Oct-2015 15:46

I would like to see Dagg at 15 and Ben Smith at 14. Milner-Skudder is a great attacking wing, but Smith is at least as good. Dagg is fantastic under the high ball and returns kicks with interest, finding touch. Dagg brought a defensive skill set that balanced the team, and is no slouch on attack either.

I'm struggling with what to make of the ABs. They attack from everywhere, using backs in the inside channels, throwing miracle passes that aren't on and going wide too early. Our opposition know this and rush the defence up, shutting down options. Handling errors creep in. It's impatient, reckless play.

Then for a few minutes they will use the forwards to bash it up and run the backs off them and everything looks sweet. We see flashes of the game plan they should be playing and it looks very slick, very effective.

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#1401099 6-Oct-2015 15:58

In the past, when this happens, DC kicks for territory. Haven't seen one. Maybe they are keeping DC's kicking and running game a secret. The missus extended that theory and said maybe SH ordered DC to miss all his goal kicks too.

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#1401102 6-Oct-2015 16:06

MikeAqua: I would like to see Dagg at 15 and Ben Smith at 14. Milner-Skudder is a great attacking wing, but Smith is at least as good. Dagg is fantastic under the high ball and returns kicks with interest, finding touch. Dagg brought a defensive skill set that balanced the team, and is no slouch on attack either.

I'm struggling with what to make of the ABs. They attack from everywhere, using backs in the inside channels, throwing miracle passes that aren't on and going wide too early. Our opposition know this and rush the defence up, shutting down options. Handling errors creep in. It's impatient, reckless play.

Then for a few minutes they will use the forwards to bash it up and run the backs off them and everything looks sweet. We see flashes of the game plan they should be playing and it looks very slick, very effective.

I think (hope) that the plan is to do away with the 50/50 passes and miracle passes. I sense they are using that game plan to put them selves under pressure.
Saw a Presser with SH, and he said as much - why put 80 points on them and get nothing as a team - better to play and try and put pressure on themselves if the opposition cant (paraphrasing a bit).

I suspect the QF and on game plan is for the forwards to do the work, and let the backs go when it is on. Just like they have done for patches. We have to believe the ABs are holding back, and there is something to come for France/Ireland and hopefully beyond.

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#1401123 6-Oct-2015 16:18

Yeah I have to agree with their reasons/excuses whatever you call them. That in the past they put 90-100 past other teams and lost when it mattered. Better to play like schoolboys in a weak pool and get scared.

On thing though, SH said taking big risks for big rewards, Naholo is injured ... whether he lasts or not I'm afraid .5 + .5 matches won't be enough to bring him up to 99% test level winger. So it is looking like big risk and end up with 30 in the squad.

One other problem is Aaron Smith's explosiveness has worked well with Cruden and Sopoaga. He's actually never done it with DC, not one match. Zilch.

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#1401129 6-Oct-2015 16:24

MikeAqua: I would like to see Dagg at 15 and Ben Smith at 14. Milner-Skudder is a great attacking wing, but Smith is at least as good. Dagg is fantastic under the high ball and returns kicks with interest, finding touch. Dagg brought a defensive skill set that balanced the team, and is no slouch on attack either.

I'm struggling with what to make of the ABs. They attack from everywhere, using backs in the inside channels, throwing miracle passes that aren't on and going wide too early. Our opposition know this and rush the defence up, shutting down options. Handling errors creep in. It's impatient, reckless play.

Then for a few minutes they will use the forwards to bash it up and run the backs off them and everything looks sweet. We see flashes of the game plan they should be playing and it looks very slick, very effective.

Yup I agree re Dagg and Smith. I don't think Smith is as good a full back as Dagg for the AB's (As he is a Winger). I agree Dagg has not been at his best, but I still would have included him. We could have used him a few times so far.

I agree re patience, they are going wide too early and making passes that should instead be taking the contact. I suspect it's part of the master plan. I believe they might be trying to make it hard on the opposition to prepare, and make teams feel a little anxious we could unleash ANYTHING. Having said that, we could all be wrong
and the AB's might be in genuine trouble.

I predicted we would need guys better under the high ball, but few people seemed as concerned as me.

I think one thing that other teams are doing better than us, is delaying the pass and drawing the defenders, we (and a few other teams) are passing too early for my liking. It's just a half second or second early, but it's allowing the outside defenders to drift to the last guy creating too much pressure on the winger.

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