Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

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#3311719 22-Nov-2024 09:10

All Blacks match-day 23 (caps in brackets)

1. Ethan de Groot (28)
2. Codie Taylor (95) (Vice-Captain)
3. Tyrel Lomax (43)
4. Scott Barrett (79) (Captain)
5. Patrick Tuipulotu (50)
6. Wallace Sititi (9)
7. Sam Cane (103)
8. Ardie Savea (93) (Vice-Captain)
9. Cam Roigard (9)
10. Beauden Barrett (133)
11. Caleb Clarke (28)
12. Anton Lienert-Brown (83)
13. Rieko Ioane (80)
14. Mark Tele’a (18)
15. Will Jordan (40)
16. Asafo Aumua (19)
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (67)
18. Fletcher Newell (21)
19. Tupou Vaa’i (37)
20. Peter Lakai (2)
21. TJ Perenara (88)
22. David Havili (29)
23. Damian McKenzie (61)

Unavailable due to injury: Tamaiti Williams (neck), Jordie Barrett (knee), Samipeni Finau (concussion), Sam Darry (knee), Ethan Blackadder (calf), Luke Jacobson (fractured thumb) and Dalton Papali'i (upper hamstring).

networkn

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#3311728 22-Nov-2024 09:44

I am struggling to understand the decisions around this team.

If we don't put a cricket score on them, it's going to be an embarrasment, and if we do, it will be an embarrasment.

I guess it's one more run with the first choice team (almost), to gel, or perhaps to try some new things without the fear of losing and all the palava that always goes with that.

Reiko must have compromising photos of someone to be picked again after last week. Never again should we hear complaints about how much leeway a Crusaders player gets whilst underperforming.

Given our lack of depth at 10, why aren't Perofeta or Love getting a run?

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#3312170 23-Nov-2024 13:40

50 Minutes of France Argentina was all I could watch of Luke Pearce refereeing.

What a joke.

GV27

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#3312412 24-Nov-2024 12:13

Ioane's fault the captain got himself carded for foul play against Italy, surely.

At least Reece had his best weekend all year, so I suppose that's something.

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#3312491 24-Nov-2024 21:47

GV27:

Ioane's fault the captain got himself carded for foul play against Italy, surely.

At least Reece had his best weekend all year, so I suppose that's something.

Barrett his own mistake. He hasn't had a vintage year as AB's captain.

Reiko made plenty of his own. Yet another week proving he can't catch or pass as well as most players in a high school first 15.

Another yellow for ALB, and more obstruction penalties. We are a very slow to learn team.

This was the worst performance from an All Blacks side I can recall in many years. Against an extremely plucky Italy side who deserve some credit, another error ridden, poor disciplined performance. This despite what they had to play for in sending TJP and Sam Cane into test rugby retirement.

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#3312493 24-Nov-2024 21:53

B- is the rating I'd give the team this year. It's been a frustrating watch most of the season.

Some newbies really put their hands up, and some of the more established players really didn't. Next Year I think Razor needs to be brave and leave a few players behind.

We quite concievably could have finished the year in #1 spot. Almost all the games we lost, we lost within a single score, despite poor execution and discipline.

I don't think many fans would have hoped for coming back from SA having so narrowly been beaten, or to come back from the Northern Tour having only lost one match, by a solitary point.

I believe however, that the adversity we have faced, will have created some scar tissue and this will make us better overall in the longer term.

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#3312494 24-Nov-2024 21:57

Watching TJP use his last opportunity to lead the Haka to make a political statement, and watching Scott Robertson vape in the coaches box were both kinda gross (Can't you seriously go a couple of hours?).

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SumnerBoy

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#3312523 25-Nov-2024 08:18

networkn:

watching Scott Robertson vape in the coaches box were both kinda gross (Can't you seriously go a couple of hours?).

Look closer, it was chewing gum.

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#3312527 25-Nov-2024 08:34

SumnerBoy:

Look closer, it was chewing gum.

So it seems. Def looked like a vape at first glance to me.

Earbanean

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#3312543 25-Nov-2024 09:11

networkn:

We quite concievably could have finished the year in #1 spot. Almost all the games we lost, we lost within a single score, despite poor execution and discipline.

Yep, but also a lot of the games that we won were by very narrow margins and good easily have gone the other way. e.g. If Ford's drop kick is on target then we lose at Twickenham. The 2 home games v England and the Ireland game were much the same.

I think 10 from 14 and third in the rankings is probably a fair reflection of where we're at right now. Plenty of work to do, but we do seem to be progressing in the right direction.

Front row is good, 9/10 combo good, outside backs mostly good. Just need to get loosies balance right when we replace Cane and sort the midfield (IMO). Another "big" lock will be needed too. Holland could be the guy.

Also, maybe being pedantic on semantics, but has Can retired? Or is he now just ineligible? There's a difference.

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#3312546 25-Nov-2024 09:13

networkn:

Watching TJP use his last opportunity to lead the Haka to make a political statement, and watching Scott Robertson vape in the coaches box were both kinda gross (Can't you seriously go a couple of hours?).

You must've really hated the photo op at the end and the interview with Scott Barrett when he mentioned the team were all behind it.

"Toitu te mana o te whenua,

Toitu te mana motuhake,

Toitu Te Tiriti o Waitangi"

"Respect the people of the land,

Respect the sovereignty of Mäori/the indigenous,

Respect the Treaty of Waitangi."

May be an image of 6 people and text

01EG

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#3312553 25-Nov-2024 09:36

David Seymour: “I congratulate TJ on his long All Blacks career and wish him well in Japan,” Seymour said. “I hope he reads the bill at treaty.nz. It says that we all have nga tikanga katoa rite tahi – the same rights and duties. And all New Zealanders have tino rangatiratanga, the right to self-determine, not only Māori.

“The challenge for people who oppose this bill is to explain why they are so opposed to those basic principles of equal rights.”

I'm thinking do they actually read the treaty.nz??? 🤔

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#3312561 25-Nov-2024 09:45

Earbanean:

Yep, but also a lot of the games that we won were by very narrow margins and good easily have gone the other way. e.g. If Ford's drop kick is on target then we lose at Twickenham. The 2 home games v England and the Ireland game were much the same.

I think 10 from 14 and third in the rankings is probably a fair reflection of where we're at right now. Plenty of work to do, but we do seem to be progressing in the right direction.

Front row is good, 9/10 combo good, outside backs mostly good. Just need to get loosies balance right when we replace Cane and sort the midfield (IMO). Another "big" lock will be needed too. Holland could be the guy.

Also, maybe being pedantic on semantics, but has Can retired? Or is he now just ineligible? There's a difference.

I think our tight five looks good. I think we may finally have a combination that will make up for Cane leaving, though time will tell if they can sustain that level of performance.

Yeah, Midfield definitely needs some work, I think 9 is good, 10 I don't think we have our answer yet, though if I pick from whos' available, then Beauden starts every test match.

Cane will be ineligible once he plays in Japan, but I don't think it's likely he was going to be around in 2027 even if he hadn't.

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#3312564 25-Nov-2024 09:48

maoriboy:

You must've really hated the photo op at the end and the interview with Scott Barrett when he mentioned the team were all behind it.

I didn't 'hate' anything. I said I didn't think it was appropriate to use his position as the leader of the Haka to make a political statement. He's always been a bit like that though.

I don't have any say directly over their behaviour, I am just saying I don't think Politics and sports should mix.

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#3312565 25-Nov-2024 09:49

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360498261/wallace-sititi-crowned-breakthrough-player-year-world-rugby-awards

Well deserved in my opinion.

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