The only problem TJ is that the three on two that you speak about occurred in the 82nd minute. The drop kick should have happened in the 80th minute when you guys were in a good position, right near the sticks. By playing on for another two minutes, you risked making a mistake which you eventually did. A drop kick right in front is a much lower risk play. So I disagree with you, it was a bad call.
Before the cynics start condemning him, hes just answering a question that was posed to him. What is he meant to say? We have no chance? Of course they have a chance, just like the other top teams do. No tier one International coach would say otherwise.
Its both, they did well and we didnt. We certainly didnt help ourselves with gift intercepts to the opposition and missed conversions. It was a failure on our part, no matter how you look at it.
I have heard the real job argument many times and it doesnt get an less annoying each time I hear it. A regular job doesnt require you to get physically bashed every weekend and not to mention the punishment they go through during training. Paul s article has a lot of truth in it. I cant remember a time when there have been so many injuries like over the last couple of years. The local derbies are brutal and in the long term will not be good for NZ rugby.
Thats because Paul follows Aussie rugby a lot closer than you do. If you had been keeping an eye on the Wallabies, you would be a little concerned too. Am not saying they will beat us, but they have their strongest 23 in a very long time. Their pack is big and physical with the additions of Thor, Tui and Arnold, and their backs will always be dangerous. I think we will win the series but wouldnt be surprised if we dropped one test.
I disagree with him when he says the natural talent is the same in both countries. We tend to see a lot more athletically gifted players in NZ Rugby than we do in the North due to our more diverse playing group.
But they are up against International quality packs so wont get anywhere near the level of dominance that the Crusaders pack gets.Having said that, I would love to see Richie get a start, perhaps in the 2nd Bledisloe since that will be at home. We need to test these young guys and the only way to do it is by picking them.
I think Aaron Smith has to take a lot of the blame too. Two minutes prior to this, he had a 4 on 1 overlap and he chose o trow a silly cut out pass to Naholo which was intercepted by the Tahs winger. Lima was screaming for the ball too. A definite try blown which allowed the Tahs back. That was the real turning point as a Highlanders score then would have made it impossible for any sort of comeback
Isnt it amazing how the media always overreact to such a degree. Apparently Barnes said on Sky UK after the game that the Boks will now be the big ticket item against England and not the ABs come the Autumn Internationals. A week earlier, he was lauding the ABs for revolutionising the game. Had Barrett kicked two more goals, all the articles this week would have been about how fantastic the ABs are by scoring six tries etc and coming back from a 14 point deficit to win the game. The ABs would have dominated the team of the week as well. Instead, only one player makes the team and the sky has fallen apparently. All because of a couple of missed conversions.Moral of the story is to never take what the media say seriously in good times and in bad. Its never as good as they make it out to be nor is it ever as bad.
How does Read get a 7 and Savea the same? Savea was the only loosie who was actually getting to the rucks on time, Read and Squire were non entities. We clearly lacked speed in the loose and were beaten by the Irish loosies comprehensively. The obvious thing to do was to bring Todd on early but nah, lets be loyal to our Captain who is clearly not that quick anymore just because hes the captain. Hansen can joke around in PCs etc but its looking more like he and his coaching staff are running out of ideas and looking stale.
Colossal knock on from ALB? It was a marginal forward pass, Reason. Yet nothing about the forward pass from the Boks leading up to the first try or the clear knock on from Faf leading up to their third try or the ref ignoring the offside call from the linesman in the last minute of play? Talk about one eyed reporting. As much as as I am happy for the long suffering South African fans, the crowing from the neutrals make each AB loss an unpleasant experience to go through. Thankfully the losses rarely happen.
Apparently he missed five out of the ten attempted tackles. He needs to work on his defence but he is a beast at scrum time. Great future ahead of him.
One day I would also like to see an AB victory without every neutral fan accusing the referees of favouring them and handing them the victory. Pigs might fly.
Dont understand why CallumGilbert has so many down votes. Just shows how emotional people are after a loss and often spout nonsense. Agree with you mate, McKenzie showed in the quarterfinal against the Hurricnaes that he is nowhere near ready yet. Good comment.
Well Steve, you cant have one of these nights in a tight World Cup knockout match. All the big teams have top class goal kickers and we need to find one ASAP too or we could be in trouble next year.
Moody will be 30 next year, hardly old for a prop and is clearly the best loosehead in the world atm,. Franks will only be 31 at the RWC and lets not forget Laulala anchored the scrum last year and dominated most of his opposition so there is world class back up if Franks loses form. Coles will be 32 which again isnt that old for a front rower, especially when you consider that he has played so little rugby over the last two years so his body would have had a very good break leading up to next year. Plus Taylor is a top class hooker.Read will be 33 and that could be a concern for someone in his position but the fact that he is still playing as well as ever suggests that he will be fine in a years time. SBW will be 34 come 2019 but we have so many top players in that position that he may not even be get a starting spot. The only guy that I would be a bit concerned about is Ben Smith as he is old for an outside back but he is on top of his game right now which bodes well for next year. Also, if you look at a guy like Billy Slater, he is still as fast and as sharp as ever at 35 so I have full confidence in Ben.
I have seen a lot of the neutrals say this online and I am wondering if they only look for the indiscretions which the ABs commit that are missed by the ref. I suspect that is the case.Yes, he made a couple of calls that favoured NZ late in the 2nd half that I thought were clearly wrong, but I hope you will watch the game again, especially the 1st half and am certain you will retract your statement.In the 1stt half, the following three incorrect decisions were made in favour of SA which led to them scoring points. The last pass leading up to SAs first try was forward and should have been called back. Faf knocks on the ball in the 29th minute that was not called and the Boks score three plays later via a driving maul. Scott Barrett gets incorrectly penalised at the end of the half for pilfering the ball. The ref said that the ruck had formed but watch it again, he was the first one to the ruck. Three points to SA.All in all, I thought he made wrong decisions both ways but you would never know it if you were to listen to the neutrals.
If they rest Whitelock for the Japan leg, that will give him 6 weeks of rest since the game against the Boks. Thats plenty of rest and he should be in peak condition to play England and Ireland. He will then have a couple of months off to rest up for next year. Remember that the schedule next year will be much less taxing than this year. They will get a good 4 weeks off from the end of the RC and the beginning of the RWC. The AB coaches will also rotate the squad more during next years RC in order to give some of the key players some extra rest .
You have to consider the opposition that they were playing. Wasps are hardly on the same level as the NZ Super teams (apart from the Blues) and the Lions.
Thats the problem when you neutrals only look at one side, Ireland were very lucky not to get a yellow too when Ionae was taken out in the air, and they were pretty cynical in teh 2nd half as well. Penalty try ? Lol, do you understand the laws and when and how penalty tries are awarded? Sounds like you just started watching rugby yesterday.
Why? The Scotland and Welsh B teams had no problems dealing with the Argies earlier his year, we should be fine. The Argies are by far the weakest team in the RC, they will be lucky to get a losing bonus point over the whole RC imo.
Even though I dont rate Fifita as a Test level player just yet, this is another example of why I dont think we should allow non AB eligible players to play for our Super teams. Brad Shields has prevented Fifita from starting at blindside for the Canes and has probably cost him his AB spot, while Shields himself made himself unavailable for AB selection a year ago. Ditto with Samu which saw a hugely talented player in Whetu Douglas look for overseas options. We should be promoting AB eligible players first and foremost, lets stop developing players for other nations.
Nice to read some constructive points rather than the standard we are the best, the foreign media dont know what they are talking about line . I agree with everything you said.
The ARU and NZR signed a ten year agreement (in 2012 if I am not mistaken) which had Australia hosting the first game as part of the deal. Its not fair obviously and am not sure why the NZR agreed to it.
Im honestly unsure of the law but my common sense would tell me that Aaron Smith is ok. Why should the supporting runner run a line that suits the defensive team? As long as he doesnt shoulder the opposition player or grabs him, then whats the problem? In this case, I thought it was silly for Aaron to do that and risk a chance of a disallowed try as he still would have impeded Beale from tackling Ben Smith had he stuck to his original running line.
Both Mako and McGrath are weak scrummagers when compared to Moody, Mako in particular. The ABs scrum dominated the Lions scrum last year and Moody destroyed Mako during that series .I cant believe you rate weak scrummagers so highly. Prisco is new to the scene and has only played a handful of Tests so its too early to make such lofty claims about how good he is at this stage.
Im talking about recent history, we have beaten them 90% of the time over the last five years and 75% of the time since 1992, thats not a rivalry. Last year we beat them by 57 points and the previous year by 40 odd points in Durban, their home. Please dont pretend that the the majority of NZers were concerned before the game that the Boks could beat us. You just had to read the comments on here. In a real rivalry, you would go into a game unsure as to who is going to win. The fact that the TAB had them at $8.50 refutes your point about the rivalry.
The schoolboy results have to be put in context as well. They were played in 30+ degree heat and most of our kids would not have experienced those sort of temperatures before. And while their schoolboy rugby is better than ours atm, a lot of it is also due to the advantage they have with size. Our kids are smaller than the South African kids generally speaking but that advantage they have is no longer present in senior rugby, where it really matters.
I saw Franks carry or at least try to carry the ball a few times last night, about the same amount of times as Furlong did, and he was stopped at impact every time. I really dont see the point of selecting him in the ABs anymore, its not like our scrum is dominant with him in it like it used to be and since he offers so little around the field, where exactly is the upside of having him there?
mechman. I think the ABs will win it again this year, but its by no means guaranteed. This is a strong Wallaby squad that has been named and they have a pack that can finally hold their own against ours. Write them off at your peril. Kiwis who think this is gong to a walkover are in for a rude shock imo.
You cant judge which game has the more skilled athletes as the rules are so different in each code. Its easier to look good in League imo because they have the 10 meter rule which allows the players more time and space. In Union today with the rush defences being as good as it is, players have much less time to react.
Two of the best three hookers in the world, but I would still have Malcolm Marx as no 1. His breakdown work is at Pococks level and his ball carrying is unbelievable. Wish he was a kiwi.
I think Ireland are overrated. I am a lot more worried about an improving Wallabies team that has finally got a decent forward pack and a resurgent Boks team. From the NH, I think Wales have the most improvement in them and possess the best backline.
rodomo, I get the feeling that you have not followed the Aussie teams this year. As someone who has, some of their best players have me a bit worried. They have finally addressed their biggest problem which was their pack. These days they have a very strong physical pack and some quality backups as well. In fact I thought they showed more physicality against the Irish than we did against the French.Their locks for example are top notch. Guys like Arnold, Coleman, Phillip and Rodda could develop into world class players and their scrum is as good as any in the world with the exception of ours.Their only real area of concern is at no 10 imo, Foley is serviceable but is hardly world class. But like Ories said, it would be silly to write them off. We need to be at our best to get the result which has not been the case in recent years. I highly doubt that we will be able to roll them as easily as we have over the last decade.
I think we have problems in terms of depth at seven in the short term but we will be fine in the long term. My pick as a permanent backup to Cane from next year is Dalton Papalii. This kid has everything. He has pace, size, pilfering ability and is a strong tackler. The fact that he can also play blindside means that he would be a perfect option from the bench. An outside chance of making the RWC squad imo.
Most of Irelands success has been achieved in the North. They havet proven themselves in the SH yet. I think people are overrating them. Australasia has a much more potent backline but Ireland has the better forward pack. I am picking a close win to the Wallabies in Brisbane.
Who is making excuses? I havent heard an English player or coach make a comment on his injury yet, have you? Hes one of their main players so its a worthy news story. It would be like us losing Brodie, no matter how good the replacement is, it will still be a blow to us.
You cant compare this French team with the French team that played in the Six Nations. I think there was only one starting player in the French team that lost to us from the SIx Nations campaign. This was very much their B team.
And other fans arent? South Africans are already claiming that they have the ABs number and the Irish have been thumping their chests after Ireland beat the ABs that one time over a hundred odd years.
True , but they did pick three loosehead props initially when they normally only pick two. So the logical selection was to piack a tighthead. But with Moli and Hames out and Crockett having just retired, our loosehead stocks are not that great atm.
Be careful about what you wish for. As someone who remembers the 1998-2003 period really well, trust me, its not fun not winning. I much rather the ABs be the dominant force (although they are a lot closer to the pack now than they were a few years ago) than to be just one of the top teams.
Talk about selective statistics. What about their 75% loss percentage to us. Losing to Australia 49-0, 28-0 to us, 42-6 to England, losing to Italy, Argentina etc and constantly getting hammered by us by more than 20 points? I could make stats look good too if I were to only pick out the highlights.
Forgot to pick you up on your few tri nations tiles comment. Winning 3 tri nations titles during that period out of 15 contested is hardly a great result. The All Blacks won 10 btw. This is what I meant by selective stats. Got the following results from wiki re the Boks tri nations record from 1996-2011.Played 72, Won 25, Drew 1, Lost 43.I rest my case, they wee poor to average.
Well, I have eyes that have watched competitions from around the world so I will trust them thanks. Oh and I have heard guys like Graham Henry, Hansen, John Mitchell etc also say that the natural talent available in NZ is superior to any place they have coached in. Are you going to question them?Remember, Ronan coaches in an area that has the least Pacific Islander and Maori playing numbers in NZ so perhaps he hasnt seen all that NZ rugby has to offer.
RC champs during the world cup year dont go on to win the world cup. Having said that, I dont place too much of importance on these stats. The concern leading up to the last world cup was that no team had ever won it back to back and we smashed that stat pretty easily. I am genuinely concerned about our lack of depth in the loose forwards though. If Cane or Read were to go down, I dont have much confidence in their back ups.
Leaguies are dreaming if they think its fast paced and Union isnt. To me the SOO games are a snooze fest compared to watching the All Blacks play. So predictable and the skill level isnt very high. The pace of the game is no faster too. Interestingly enough, here in Australia, SBW was on the Matty Johns show a few weeks ago and said that while he loved the physicality of league, he wasnt impressed with the skill level of league players atm.
You argument has some merit to it right now, but this wasnt always the case. The quota system has been more strictly enforced this decade but the fact is the Boks were struggling even prior to that. The results between NZ and SA from 1992 to 2010 heavily favours NZ (70% v 30%).Besides, if we are being honest,and were to pick a Bok team purely on merit atm from anywhere in the world, I still dont think they will come close to this current ABs team.
Have you forgotten how messy the lineouts used to be pre lifting? All teams will do is boot the ball out and contest the lineout as it will become a 50/50 proposition without lifting.
Most of NZs top rugby school teams are still Pakeha (white) dominated so the argument is a fair one. Plus looking at one tournament is hardly a fair gauge. The schoolboy results between the two countries over the last twenty odd years have been fairly even.
Am I missing something here? Jones never criticised the haka. If you actually watch the clip, he was asked about what he thought of swing low as a response to the haka, and he merely said that he doesnt care, they can sing a Spice Girls song for all he cares.
Why the lol, fireydemon? Beauden has been poor at 10 for most of this year. Im not saying Mounga is better, as he hasnt proven himself enough at Test level to make that judgement, but you shouldnt assume that Beauden is the better player either. Time will tell who is better but its certainly not as one sided as you make it out to be.
Nick, you have to be having a laugh. No way Pocock gets in ahead of Cane who offers a lot more physicality than Pocock and isnt just a one trick pony. Ditto with Read. Read is probably NZs main lineout winner and he steals a lot of opposition ball as well, he plays a much tighter role now and doesnt roam wide as much as he did a few years ago so people think hes washed up, but hes still very good, and definitely a better no8 than Pocock. Would Pociock work as a no6 in the ABs? I dont think so, we like to pick tall guys who are good in the lineout and have a more well rounded game. For me I would personally rather have Squire, hes a much better tackler, a far superior lineout target and offers a better running game.
Mine too, Nightwatchman. Am comfortable with our first choice backrow in Read, Cane and Squire but the back ups are hardly what you would call world class. Fifita is too loose and Ardie is just not physical enough. Had high hopes for Ioane but his workrate is questionable and he seems to be on the outer with the selectors. Even Todd doesnt fill me with confidence, hes a great player at Super Rugby level but I have always questioned whether he has the required physicality to be dominant no7 at Test level. Hopefully Frizell and Hemopo can step up, we desperately need to build depth in that area.
Nah mate, my point is that overlap opportunity only happened 2 minutes after they had a chance a relatively easydrop kick. So they spent two minutes trying to score by continuously bashing the defence with runners. Why risk dropping the ball or knocking it on when you have a chance to pop it over from only ten metres out?
Please, lets not go over the top here. What rivalry? They had lost 11 out of the last 12 against us prior to this game and some of them pretty badly. They are not a great side atm and are ranked sixth, but they deserved the win tonight and a massive congratulations to them. If they can do this consistently over the next couple of years, then the rivalry will well and truly be back, but not just yet.
Pretty average as they were from 1992-2010 where politics had very little to do with your rugby. One win doesnt hide the countless trashing you guys have suffered over they years btw.
Western Suburbs and Gordon are not professional teams. They are club teams filled with mainly players who are holding full time jobs. Hardly a fair comparison.
Interesting to see all the league supporters going back to the Wigan/Bath game from 22 years ago to back their case. Thats hardly a fair comparison considering it was the first year of professionalism in Union. Why dont you guys bring up the game in 2003 between Sale Sharks and St Helens? Sale won that 41-39 which shows that there is very little between the two codes in the professional era.
I honestly think Owen Franks position in under massive threat. Theres no doubting hes a great scrummager, but he offers nothing with ball in hand. Laulala who is injured atm is an equally good scrummager but also offers so much more around the field. Franks off the bench doesnt make much sense either as you want dynamism from your bench players. Interesting to see what the AB selectors do once Laulala is fit again.
Not really. Blindside, no 8 and right wing are actually huge areas of concern. Fifita is hardly what you would call Test quality, he lacks the work rate required to be dominant at Test level. Frizell and Taufua are also unknowns at Test level and I wouldnt feel comfortable seeing them play against the Boks, the English and the Irish. Same with no 8, would not want to see Read go down and Whitelock start a Test. This idea that we have endless depth in every position is just a myth.
Agreed. Sometime I feel the AB selectors are far too conservative Some young talented players dont need to be protected, look at Reiko. I would have loved to have seen Dalton Papalii come off the bench against Australia, England and Ireland.
TJ Perenara says the All Blacks set for a dropped goal but thought better of it
The only problem TJ is that the three on two that you speak about occurred in the 82nd minute. The drop kick should have happened in the 80th minute when you guys were in a good position, right near the sticks. By playing on for another two minutes, you risked making a mistake which you eventually did. A drop kick right in front is a much lower risk play. So I disagree with you, it was a bad call.
TJ Perenara says the All Blacks set for a dropped goal but thought better of it
I think we should ask the best player in the world, Sir Brodie Retallick to learn how to kick goals. No problems...
All Blacks thrash France in another game marred by a ref blunder
We win by 35 points and the neutrals are still saying that try cost the French the game. I give up.
Under-fire Eddie Jones hits back: England can win the World Cup
Before the cynics start condemning him, hes just answering a question that was posed to him. What is he meant to say? We have no chance? Of course they have a chance, just like the other top teams do. No tier one International coach would say otherwise.
Steve Hansen says Beauden Barrett's bad night with the boot is no World Cup omen
Win more than once in a hundred years and we will start taking you seriously.
TJ Perenara says the All Blacks set for a dropped goal but thought better of it
Its both, they did well and we didnt. We certainly didnt help ourselves with gift intercepts to the opposition and missed conversions. It was a failure on our part, no matter how you look at it.
How Steve Hansens inexperienced All Blacks rated against Japan in Tokyo test
Are you blind?
Jordie Barrett will play his 10th Kiwi derby in semifinal - and it's too much
I have heard the real job argument many times and it doesnt get an less annoying each time I hear it. A regular job doesnt require you to get physically bashed every weekend and not to mention the punishment they go through during training. Paul s article has a lot of truth in it. I cant remember a time when there have been so many injuries like over the last couple of years. The local derbies are brutal and in the long term will not be good for NZ rugby.
Steve Hansen has a point about the Wallabies but the All Blacks are still favourites
Thats because Paul follows Aussie rugby a lot closer than you do. If you had been keeping an eye on the Wallabies, you would be a little concerned too. Am not saying they will beat us, but they have their strongest 23 in a very long time. Their pack is big and physical with the additions of Thor, Tui and Arnold, and their backs will always be dangerous. I think we will win the series but wouldnt be surprised if we dropped one test.
Ronan O'Gara: 'There is no secret to beating the All Blacks'
I disagree with him when he says the natural talent is the same in both countries. We tend to see a lot more athletically gifted players in NZ Rugby than we do in the North due to our more diverse playing group.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen puts brakes on Richie Mo'unga bandwagon
But they are up against International quality packs so wont get anywhere near the level of dominance that the Crusaders pack gets.Having said that, I would love to see Richie get a start, perhaps in the 2nd Bledisloe since that will be at home. We need to test these young guys and the only way to do it is by picking them.
Highlanders lament yellow card after blowing a 17-point lead against Waratahs
I think Aaron Smith has to take a lot of the blame too. Two minutes prior to this, he had a 4 on 1 overlap and he chose o trow a silly cut out pass to Naholo which was intercepted by the Tahs winger. Lima was screaming for the ball too. A definite try blown which allowed the Tahs back. That was the real turning point as a Highlanders score then would have made it impossible for any sort of comeback
Mark Reason: How the Springboks bashed up the All Blacks
Isnt it amazing how the media always overreact to such a degree. Apparently Barnes said on Sky UK after the game that the Boks will now be the big ticket item against England and not the ABs come the Autumn Internationals. A week earlier, he was lauding the ABs for revolutionising the game. Had Barrett kicked two more goals, all the articles this week would have been about how fantastic the ABs are by scoring six tries etc and coming back from a 14 point deficit to win the game. The ABs would have dominated the team of the week as well. Instead, only one player makes the team and the sky has fallen apparently. All because of a couple of missed conversions.Moral of the story is to never take what the media say seriously in good times and in bad. Its never as good as they make it out to be nor is it ever as bad.
How Steve Hansens inexperienced All Blacks rated against Japan in Tokyo test
He was also awesome when he came off the bench against Argentina and South Africa.
How the All Blacks players rated against Ireland in Dublin
How does Read get a 7 and Savea the same? Savea was the only loosie who was actually getting to the rucks on time, Read and Squire were non entities. We clearly lacked speed in the loose and were beaten by the Irish loosies comprehensively. The obvious thing to do was to bring Todd on early but nah, lets be loyal to our Captain who is clearly not that quick anymore just because hes the captain. Hansen can joke around in PCs etc but its looking more like he and his coaching staff are running out of ideas and looking stale.
Mark Reason: How the Springboks bashed up the All Blacks
Colossal knock on from ALB? It was a marginal forward pass, Reason. Yet nothing about the forward pass from the Boks leading up to the first try or the clear knock on from Faf leading up to their third try or the ref ignoring the offside call from the linesman in the last minute of play? Talk about one eyed reporting. As much as as I am happy for the long suffering South African fans, the crowing from the neutrals make each AB loss an unpleasant experience to go through. Thankfully the losses rarely happen.
How the All Blacks players rated against Argentina in Nelson
Apparently he missed five out of the ten attempted tackles. He needs to work on his defence but he is a beast at scrum time. Great future ahead of him.
Analysing the All Blacks defeat: Leadership lessons must be taken on board
One day I would also like to see an AB victory without every neutral fan accusing the referees of favouring them and handing them the victory. Pigs might fly.
Steve Hansen says Beauden Barrett's bad night with the boot is no World Cup omen
Dont understand why CallumGilbert has so many down votes. Just shows how emotional people are after a loss and often spout nonsense. Agree with you mate, McKenzie showed in the quarterfinal against the Hurricnaes that he is nowhere near ready yet. Good comment.
Steve Hansen says Beauden Barrett's bad night with the boot is no World Cup omen
Well Steve, you cant have one of these nights in a tight World Cup knockout match. All the big teams have top class goal kickers and we need to find one ASAP too or we could be in trouble next year.
Steve Hansen's loyalty to certain All Blacks could come back to bite him
Moody will be 30 next year, hardly old for a prop and is clearly the best loosehead in the world atm,. Franks will only be 31 at the RWC and lets not forget Laulala anchored the scrum last year and dominated most of his opposition so there is world class back up if Franks loses form. Coles will be 32 which again isnt that old for a front rower, especially when you consider that he has played so little rugby over the last two years so his body would have had a very good break leading up to next year. Plus Taylor is a top class hooker.Read will be 33 and that could be a concern for someone in his position but the fact that he is still playing as well as ever suggests that he will be fine in a years time. SBW will be 34 come 2019 but we have so many top players in that position that he may not even be get a starting spot. The only guy that I would be a bit concerned about is Ben Smith as he is old for an outside back but he is on top of his game right now which bodes well for next year. Also, if you look at a guy like Billy Slater, he is still as fast and as sharp as ever at 35 so I have full confidence in Ben.
Steve Hansen and Michael Cheika agree: Dumb things cost the Wallabies
Nope, the replay only showed part of what happened. Latu started it by shoving Taylors face first, watch it again.
Analysing the All Blacks defeat: Leadership lessons must be taken on board
I have seen a lot of the neutrals say this online and I am wondering if they only look for the indiscretions which the ABs commit that are missed by the ref. I suspect that is the case.Yes, he made a couple of calls that favoured NZ late in the 2nd half that I thought were clearly wrong, but I hope you will watch the game again, especially the 1st half and am certain you will retract your statement.In the 1stt half, the following three incorrect decisions were made in favour of SA which led to them scoring points. The last pass leading up to SAs first try was forward and should have been called back. Faf knocks on the ball in the 29th minute that was not called and the Boks score three plays later via a driving maul. Scott Barrett gets incorrectly penalised at the end of the half for pilfering the ball. The ref said that the ruck had formed but watch it again, he was the first one to the ruck. Three points to SA.All in all, I thought he made wrong decisions both ways but you would never know it if you were to listen to the neutrals.
"Why Ireland can really trouble the All Blacks: Paul Cully",
If they rest Whitelock for the Japan leg, that will give him 6 weeks of rest since the game against the Boks. Thats plenty of rest and he should be in peak condition to play England and Ireland. He will then have a couple of months off to rest up for next year. Remember that the schedule next year will be much less taxing than this year. They will get a good 4 weeks off from the end of the RC and the beginning of the RWC. The AB coaches will also rotate the squad more during next years RC in order to give some of the key players some extra rest .
Wallabies eyeing Bledisloe Cup upset against All Blacks
They beat us in one game last year and were leading with three minutes to go in the other. But dont let facts get in the way.
"Why Ireland can really trouble the All Blacks: Paul Cully",
You have to consider the opposition that they were playing. Wasps are hardly on the same level as the NZ Super teams (apart from the Blues) and the Lions.
How Steve Hansens inexperienced All Blacks rated against Japan in Tokyo test
Agree with all your calls apart from Coles. Am I missing something? He was ok but hardly spectacular and still nowhere near his best yet.
How the All Blacks players rated against Ireland in Dublin
Thats the problem when you neutrals only look at one side, Ireland were very lucky not to get a yellow too when Ionae was taken out in the air, and they were pretty cynical in teh 2nd half as well. Penalty try ? Lol, do you understand the laws and when and how penalty tries are awarded? Sounds like you just started watching rugby yesterday.
Steve Hansen has a point about the Wallabies but the All Blacks are still favourites
Why? The Scotland and Welsh B teams had no problems dealing with the Argies earlier his year, we should be fine. The Argies are by far the weakest team in the RC, they will be lucky to get a losing bonus point over the whole RC imo.
Vaea Fifita wants 'the truth', Steve Hansen calls to set him straight
Even though I dont rate Fifita as a Test level player just yet, this is another example of why I dont think we should allow non AB eligible players to play for our Super teams. Brad Shields has prevented Fifita from starting at blindside for the Canes and has probably cost him his AB spot, while Shields himself made himself unavailable for AB selection a year ago. Ditto with Samu which saw a hugely talented player in Whetu Douglas look for overseas options. We should be promoting AB eligible players first and foremost, lets stop developing players for other nations.
Beauden Barrett, Brad Shields and Vaea Fifita to sit out Hurricanes' trip to Canberra
Does anyone have an update on Fidow and Amua?
All Blacks hard luck club grows every week
Its easy to nominate players but who are you going to drop to accommodate them? Is Bridge better than the incumbents? I doubt it.
Declining All Blacks tipped to finish 3rd behind Springboks and Wallabies in Rugby Championship
Nice to read some constructive points rather than the standard we are the best, the foreign media dont know what they are talking about line . I agree with everything you said.
Steve Hansen has a point about the Wallabies but the All Blacks are still favourites
The ARU and NZR signed a ten year agreement (in 2012 if I am not mistaken) which had Australia hosting the first game as part of the deal. Its not fair obviously and am not sure why the NZR agreed to it.
Wallabies great Phil Kearns fires shot at All Blacks: They get a free ride
Im honestly unsure of the law but my common sense would tell me that Aaron Smith is ok. Why should the supporting runner run a line that suits the defensive team? As long as he doesnt shoulder the opposition player or grabs him, then whats the problem? In this case, I thought it was silly for Aaron to do that and risk a chance of a disallowed try as he still would have impeded Beale from tackling Ben Smith had he stuck to his original running line.
All Blacks players and coaches being inspired by their late-blooming props
Fidow and Lomax could both develop into quality International props as well.
Steve Hansen's loyalty to certain All Blacks could come back to bite him
Both Mako and McGrath are weak scrummagers when compared to Moody, Mako in particular. The ABs scrum dominated the Lions scrum last year and Moody destroyed Mako during that series .I cant believe you rate weak scrummagers so highly. Prisco is new to the scene and has only played a handful of Tests so its too early to make such lofty claims about how good he is at this stage.
Dominant Ireland send series to a decider with drought-breaking win
At least their props can run. Franks will be lucky to make one running metre per game, thats how ineffective he is with ball in hand these days.
England claim scrappy win over Springboks
South Africa always lift against NZ and then drop their levels against weaker teams, so using the NZ game for comparison is pointless.
Former All Black Kees Meeuws: Don't rush Dane Coles back into the All Blacks
Time Perry is a loosehead and JTA is a tighthead so how can you even make that comparison?
England claim scrappy win over Springboks
16 players? Really? I counted about 6 maybe 7.
Phil Gifford: Treating the ball as a potential weapon is also fraught with danger
Im talking about recent history, we have beaten them 90% of the time over the last five years and 75% of the time since 1992, thats not a rivalry. Last year we beat them by 57 points and the previous year by 40 odd points in Durban, their home. Please dont pretend that the the majority of NZers were concerned before the game that the Boks could beat us. You just had to read the comments on here. In a real rivalry, you would go into a game unsure as to who is going to win. The fact that the TAB had them at $8.50 refutes your point about the rivalry.
Kieran Read: Springboks 'special in their own way'
The schoolboy results have to be put in context as well. They were played in 30+ degree heat and most of our kids would not have experienced those sort of temperatures before. And while their schoolboy rugby is better than ours atm, a lot of it is also due to the advantage they have with size. Our kids are smaller than the South African kids generally speaking but that advantage they have is no longer present in senior rugby, where it really matters.
Dominant Ireland send series to a decider with drought-breaking win
I saw Franks carry or at least try to carry the ball a few times last night, about the same amount of times as Furlong did, and he was stopped at impact every time. I really dont see the point of selecting him in the ABs anymore, its not like our scrum is dominant with him in it like it used to be and since he offers so little around the field, where exactly is the upside of having him there?
How the All Blacks players rated against Ireland in Dublin
Savea and Scott Barrett were outstanding and should get 8 each. Brodies worst game ever in black and Read deserved no more than a 4.
How Steve Hansens inexperienced All Blacks rated against Japan in Tokyo test
They both did great but lets not get too excited, after all it was just Japan. They still need to prove themselves against the big boys.
"German teenager Anton Segner chasing his All Black rugby dream",
Stop feeding the troll, guys.
"Brad Shields likely to face All Blacks as England injury crisis deepens",
Great post, Goose. There are over 300k Pacific Islanders living in NZ, if only the NH critics made an effort to understand this fact.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika names six rookies in 36-man training squad
mechman. I think the ABs will win it again this year, but its by no means guaranteed. This is a strong Wallaby squad that has been named and they have a pack that can finally hold their own against ours. Write them off at your peril. Kiwis who think this is gong to a walkover are in for a rude shock imo.
All Blacks interested in NRL star Kalyn Ponga
Its hardly player poaching when the player himself chooses NZ over Australia.
Declining All Blacks tipped to finish 3rd behind Springboks and Wallabies in Rugby Championship
Why? They were just hammered by Wales B at home.
League the winner over union in rugby codes' Sydney scrimmage
You cant judge which game has the more skilled athletes as the rules are so different in each code. Its easier to look good in League imo because they have the 10 meter rule which allows the players more time and space. In Union today with the rush defences being as good as it is, players have much less time to react.
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor credits Dane Coles with setting the gold standard
Two of the best three hookers in the world, but I would still have Malcolm Marx as no 1. His breakdown work is at Pococks level and his ball carrying is unbelievable. Wish he was a kiwi.
Ireland boost World Rugby ranking following series victory against Australia
I think Ireland are overrated. I am a lot more worried about an improving Wallabies team that has finally got a decent forward pack and a resurgent Boks team. From the NH, I think Wales have the most improvement in them and possess the best backline.
Wallabies' woes run deeper than just rugby
rodomo, I get the feeling that you have not followed the Aussie teams this year. As someone who has, some of their best players have me a bit worried. They have finally addressed their biggest problem which was their pack. These days they have a very strong physical pack and some quality backups as well. In fact I thought they showed more physicality against the Irish than we did against the French.Their locks for example are top notch. Guys like Arnold, Coleman, Phillip and Rodda could develop into world class players and their scrum is as good as any in the world with the exception of ours.Their only real area of concern is at no 10 imo, Foley is serviceable but is hardly world class. But like Ories said, it would be silly to write them off. We need to be at our best to get the result which has not been the case in recent years. I highly doubt that we will be able to roll them as easily as we have over the last decade.
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles is about a fortnight away from playing provincial rugby
I think we have problems in terms of depth at seven in the short term but we will be fine in the long term. My pick as a permanent backup to Cane from next year is Dalton Papalii. This kid has everything. He has pace, size, pilfering ability and is a strong tackler. The fact that he can also play blindside means that he would be a perfect option from the bench. An outside chance of making the RWC squad imo.
Rookie Aussie hooker to get Irish acid-test
Most of Irelands success has been achieved in the North. They havet proven themselves in the SH yet. I think people are overrating them. Australasia has a much more potent backline but Ireland has the better forward pack. I am picking a close win to the Wallabies in Brisbane.
England lose No 8 Billy Vunipola for All Blacks test after third arm break in 2018
Who is making excuses? I havent heard an English player or coach make a comment on his injury yet, have you? Hes one of their main players so its a worthy news story. It would be like us losing Brodie, no matter how good the replacement is, it will still be a blow to us.
Phil Gifford: Treating the ball as a potential weapon is also fraught with danger
One loss lol. What about the rest of the teams who are losing every second week? Just how much of a demise must they be suffering?
Irish are better but pummelling England remains priority for All Blacks
You cant compare this French team with the French team that played in the Six Nations. I think there was only one starting player in the French team that lost to us from the SIx Nations campaign. This was very much their B team.
"Why Ireland can really trouble the All Blacks: Paul Cully",
And other fans arent? South Africans are already claiming that they have the ABs number and the Irish have been thumping their chests after Ireland beat the ABs that one time over a hundred odd years.
All Blacks lose prop Joe Moody for Rugby Championship, Angus Ta'avao called up
True , but they did pick three loosehead props initially when they normally only pick two. So the logical selection was to piack a tighthead. But with Moli and Hames out and Crockett having just retired, our loosehead stocks are not that great atm.
Malcolm Marx 'better than any Crusaders forward' - ex-Springboks coach
Did you guys not watch Marx against the ABs in Cape Town last year? He destroyed us that day.
Lions coach Swys de Bruin blasts Kiwi Super Rugby 'moaners'
Be careful about what you wish for. As someone who remembers the 1998-2003 period really well, trust me, its not fun not winning. I much rather the ABs be the dominant force (although they are a lot closer to the pack now than they were a few years ago) than to be just one of the top teams.
The Springboks breathe life back into test rugby with stunning upset over New Zealand
Talk about selective statistics. What about their 75% loss percentage to us. Losing to Australia 49-0, 28-0 to us, 42-6 to England, losing to Italy, Argentina etc and constantly getting hammered by us by more than 20 points? I could make stats look good too if I were to only pick out the highlights.
The Springboks breathe life back into test rugby with stunning upset over New Zealand
Forgot to pick you up on your few tri nations tiles comment. Winning 3 tri nations titles during that period out of 15 contested is hardly a great result. The All Blacks won 10 btw. This is what I meant by selective stats. Got the following results from wiki re the Boks tri nations record from 1996-2011.Played 72, Won 25, Drew 1, Lost 43.I rest my case, they wee poor to average.
Ronan O'Gara: 'There is no secret to beating the All Blacks'
Well, I have eyes that have watched competitions from around the world so I will trust them thanks. Oh and I have heard guys like Graham Henry, Hansen, John Mitchell etc also say that the natural talent available in NZ is superior to any place they have coached in. Are you going to question them?Remember, Ronan coaches in an area that has the least Pacific Islander and Maori playing numbers in NZ so perhaps he hasnt seen all that NZ rugby has to offer.
Wallabies' woes run deeper than just rugby
Australia has five times the population so that comparison is not a fair one.
Declining All Blacks tipped to finish 3rd behind Springboks and Wallabies in Rugby Championship
RC champs during the world cup year dont go on to win the world cup. Having said that, I dont place too much of importance on these stats. The concern leading up to the last world cup was that no team had ever won it back to back and we smashed that stat pretty easily. I am genuinely concerned about our lack of depth in the loose forwards though. If Cane or Read were to go down, I dont have much confidence in their back ups.
The Kiwi sporting conundrum: to tune in to the wild Warriors or awesome All Blacks?
Leaguies are dreaming if they think its fast paced and Union isnt. To me the SOO games are a snooze fest compared to watching the All Blacks play. So predictable and the skill level isnt very high. The pace of the game is no faster too. Interestingly enough, here in Australia, SBW was on the Matty Johns show a few weeks ago and said that while he loved the physicality of league, he wasnt impressed with the skill level of league players atm.
Kieran Read: Springboks 'special in their own way'
You argument has some merit to it right now, but this wasnt always the case. The quota system has been more strictly enforced this decade but the fact is the Boks were struggling even prior to that. The results between NZ and SA from 1992 to 2010 heavily favours NZ (70% v 30%).Besides, if we are being honest,and were to pick a Bok team purely on merit atm from anywhere in the world, I still dont think they will come close to this current ABs team.
Frustrated Michael Cheika asks ref to explain to media after Wallabies loss to Ireland
Have you forgotten how messy the lineouts used to be pre lifting? All teams will do is boot the ball out and contest the lineout as it will become a 50/50 proposition without lifting.
Kieran Read: Springboks 'special in their own way'
Most of NZs top rugby school teams are still Pakeha (white) dominated so the argument is a fair one. Plus looking at one tournament is hardly a fair gauge. The schoolboy results between the two countries over the last twenty odd years have been fairly even.
England coach Eddie Jones stirs up All Blacks clash with Spice Girls jibe to counter haka
Am I missing something here? Jones never criticised the haka. If you actually watch the clip, he was asked about what he thought of swing low as a response to the haka, and he merely said that he doesnt care, they can sing a Spice Girls song for all he cares.
Ngani Laumape scores twice as Turbos inflict more misery on Southland
Why the lol, fireydemon? Beauden has been poor at 10 for most of this year. Im not saying Mounga is better, as he hasnt proven himself enough at Test level to make that judgement, but you shouldnt assume that Beauden is the better player either. Time will tell who is better but its certainly not as one sided as you make it out to be.
The World XV is no longer All Black
Nick, you have to be having a laugh. No way Pocock gets in ahead of Cane who offers a lot more physicality than Pocock and isnt just a one trick pony. Ditto with Read. Read is probably NZs main lineout winner and he steals a lot of opposition ball as well, he plays a much tighter role now and doesnt roam wide as much as he did a few years ago so people think hes washed up, but hes still very good, and definitely a better no8 than Pocock. Would Pociock work as a no6 in the ABs? I dont think so, we like to pick tall guys who are good in the lineout and have a more well rounded game. For me I would personally rather have Squire, hes a much better tackler, a far superior lineout target and offers a better running game.
Declining All Blacks tipped to finish 3rd behind Springboks and Wallabies in Rugby Championship
Mine too, Nightwatchman. Am comfortable with our first choice backrow in Read, Cane and Squire but the back ups are hardly what you would call world class. Fifita is too loose and Ardie is just not physical enough. Had high hopes for Ioane but his workrate is questionable and he seems to be on the outer with the selectors. Even Todd doesnt fill me with confidence, hes a great player at Super Rugby level but I have always questioned whether he has the required physicality to be dominant no7 at Test level. Hopefully Frizell and Hemopo can step up, we desperately need to build depth in that area.
The Kiwi sporting conundrum: to tune in to the wild Warriors or awesome All Blacks?
Its called realism. When was the last time a team that finished outside the Top 4 won the comp?
Like Kalyn Ponga, the All Blacks lure is strong for Broncos fullback Jamayne Isaako
Lol. The ABs play at a pace faster that is faster than your State of Origin teams.
TJ Perenara says the All Blacks set for a dropped goal but thought better of it
Nah mate, my point is that overlap opportunity only happened 2 minutes after they had a chance a relatively easydrop kick. So they spent two minutes trying to score by continuously bashing the defence with runners. Why risk dropping the ball or knocking it on when you have a chance to pop it over from only ten metres out?
Irish are better but pummelling England remains priority for All Blacks
Just like how Ireland were meant to put 60 on the Wallabies?
"Luke Romano the key to Canterbury keeping the Mitre 10 Cup",
At least Akira stands out in some games...unlike lucky Luke.
Beauden Barrett, Brad Shields and Vaea Fifita to sit out Hurricanes' trip to Canberra
Cheers. What a shame.
Phil Gifford: Treating the ball as a potential weapon is also fraught with danger
Please, lets not go over the top here. What rivalry? They had lost 11 out of the last 12 against us prior to this game and some of them pretty badly. They are not a great side atm and are ranked sixth, but they deserved the win tonight and a massive congratulations to them. If they can do this consistently over the next couple of years, then the rivalry will well and truly be back, but not just yet.
The Springboks breathe life back into test rugby with stunning upset over New Zealand
Pretty average as they were from 1992-2010 where politics had very little to do with your rugby. One win doesnt hide the countless trashing you guys have suffered over they years btw.
The World XV is no longer All Black
Sam is great but hes not as good Brodie.
League the winner over union in rugby codes' Sydney scrimmage
Western Suburbs and Gordon are not professional teams. They are club teams filled with mainly players who are holding full time jobs. Hardly a fair comparison.
Auckland flanker Dalton Papalii the bolter in All Blacks' northern tour squad
Hes also a kiwi by birth but has one year left on his Brumbies contract so wont be available for selection this year.
League the winner over union in rugby codes' Sydney scrimmage
Interesting to see all the league supporters going back to the Wigan/Bath game from 22 years ago to back their case. Thats hardly a fair comparison considering it was the first year of professionalism in Union. Why dont you guys bring up the game in 2003 between Sale Sharks and St Helens? Sale won that 41-39 which shows that there is very little between the two codes in the professional era.
League the winner over union in rugby codes' Sydney scrimmage
The Tahs were missing all their Wallabies so hardly a fair comparison.
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor credits Dane Coles with setting the gold standard
I honestly think Owen Franks position in under massive threat. Theres no doubting hes a great scrummager, but he offers nothing with ball in hand. Laulala who is injured atm is an equally good scrummager but also offers so much more around the field. Franks off the bench doesnt make much sense either as you want dynamism from your bench players. Interesting to see what the AB selectors do once Laulala is fit again.
The World XV is no longer All Black
I agree that we will win easily, but maybe by 15. Ireland are way overrated.
Vaea Fifita wants 'the truth', Steve Hansen calls to set him straight
Not really. Blindside, no 8 and right wing are actually huge areas of concern. Fifita is hardly what you would call Test quality, he lacks the work rate required to be dominant at Test level. Frizell and Taufua are also unknowns at Test level and I wouldnt feel comfortable seeing them play against the Boks, the English and the Irish. Same with no 8, would not want to see Read go down and Whitelock start a Test. This idea that we have endless depth in every position is just a myth.
"NZ Rugby's exemption for Matt Todd could be defining moment for Japan-based players",
Agreed. Sometime I feel the AB selectors are far too conservative Some young talented players dont need to be protected, look at Reiko. I would have loved to have seen Dalton Papalii come off the bench against Australia, England and Ireland.
Malcolm Marx 'better than any Crusaders forward' - ex-Springboks coach
Taylor better than Marx is the funniest thing I have heard all day. No wonder the rest of the world think we are arrogant.