NPR

This Pakistan team are enthusiastic, and look well drilled, but are missing world class players. Elite players with both bat and ball. How many members of this Pakistan XI would be genuine contenders to make a current World XI.

Does anyone want to take a stab at a current world XI? I don’t ...

You’re probably right...

It doesn't matter which midfield duo we use, if they aren't given years to develop as a combination then it will be destined for failure. Nonu and Smith took years to reach their potential. Ian Foster is obsessed with rotation and having options, so he has never let a combination settle.

We are ...

I dunno, this argument has got a bit ugly. I don’t see the need for some of the more toxic remarks about players concerned.

My impression is that the long simmering discontent about the coaching and coaching appointments for the ABs is colouring comments... that the appointment of Cane as captain ...

“Canes teammates giving him that accolade needs to be taken with a grain of salt”

True. What the fuck would they know?

FujiKiwi wrote: Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:10 am No doubt the players respect Sam Cane’s honest toil, and feel a sense of loyalty to the AB captain. That’s commendable. Good on them. It’s not automatic proof he’s the best player.

Wasn’t the poll taken before he was announced? I forget but think I read that somewhere.

I didn’t learn much, not enough games to draw any real conclusions. My main concern is the coaches are going to be as bad as I feared.

Otherwise, the main standout is I don’t recall a recent period with more angry and frustrated opinions from fans than currently. Possibly deans vs Henry but that ...

Shop around for deals to attract new customers. I got a new fridge from Trustpower that way. Almost all power/internet providers are keen to give you bonuses for sign up.

The minute I saw BB holding the ball to kick off the match I’m thinking wtf. Why does he feel the need to do that. Same with drop outs, it’s not like RMo is Cruden when it comes to distance, I just don’t get it. It’s not a job that needs to be shared it’s the role of the 10. CC is right, RMo is ...

I agree that Clarke doesn’t seem to have the finishing touch just yet.

The minute I saw BB holding the ball to kick off the match I’m thinking wtf. Why does he feel the need to do that. Same with drop outs, it’s not like RMo is Cruden when it comes to distance, I just don’t get it. It’s not a job that needs to be shared it’s the role of the 10. CC is right, RMo ...

Needs to acknowledge the shitty kicking by BB and mounga imo. Cross kicks in particular, wasn’t it BB missing his brother for a certain try? Both at least 1 point too high.

Jordie has the goods at 15, he proved that this year.

I reckon the chiefs were under instruction to run DMac at 10. He played there for the MAB too.

Skud plays fullback.

Well do you persist with a donkey like Jordie just for the sake of having another fullback in the team? Who is another fullback/winger who could do the job? Someone with pace... there must be a better option than Jodie Barrett... surely?

Jordan on the wing and Jordie ...

The good wingers can and do cover fullback. That’s as old as time. If you’ve got an attacking fb who can break lines and set up then it’s easy to drift back off the wing and cover. I used to do that as an 11 year old.

What we’ve seen more recently is the fascination with dual playmaker roles ...

Skud plays fullback.

The minute I saw BB holding the ball to kick off the match I’m thinking wtf. Why does he feel the need to do that. Same with drop outs, it’s not like RMo is Cruden when it comes to distance, I just don’t get it. It’s not a job that needs to be shared it’s the role of the 10. CC is right, RMo is ...

Now who is being a bit dramatic?

He's not trying to hold the team to ransom. But he is trying to win back his 10 jersey, and he's doing that by inserting himself into first receiver whenever he can. No other first five in All Black history has ever had to put up with what Richie Mo'unga is ...

Could a back three consisting of Will Jordan at 15 with Clarke and Rieko on the wings work? Rieko could go to right wing. Or is that too much pressure on Jordan's kicking game? At least the All Blacks would then have a potent running back three?

An alternative if want to be more conservative is ...

Watching the replay now. There was moment in the 43rd minute when ALB was first receiver and had an overlap on the left and chose to flick it inside, which was a terrible mistake when the ABS had numbers to burn out wide.

I guarantee you that the Mo'unga critics chalked that up to him rather than ...

I haven’t seen complaints on his goal kicking, more his kicking in general play.

What about Barrett's? He was in there are first receiver having a good go quite a lot too.

What about Barrett? What about Barrett??

His kicking was shit too but we’re not discussing him. No one is defending ...

I haven’t seen complaints on his goal kicking, more his kicking in general play.

Mo’unga was definitely in the discussion in 2017 and even went on the end of year tour. There may not have been calls for him to take over, but there were calls for him to join the squad. We missed a trick but not giving him game time. Who knows what Barrett would have looked like starting without ...

Mo’unga was ready for a run a year before Hansen finally yielded his ego and gave him a start. A year’s worth of development wasted so Hansen and Foster could sit in the bath tub playing rubber ducks with the BB and DMac dual playmaker idea.

Please don’t try and rewrite history to imply Mo ...

I recall he was poor against the lions?

I love how the Richie haters obsess over this one match, when a Crusaders team missing its AB's was beaten by a full strength Lions team. They deliberately omit the fact that Richie as the form NZ no.10 throughout that season, winning a SR title away ...

I recall he was poor against the lions?

I love how the Richie haters obsess over this one match, when a Crusaders team missing its AB's was beaten by a full strength Lions team. They deliberately omit the fact that Richie as the form NZ no.10 throughout that season, winning a SR title away ...

Mounga timed his run terribly. He wasn’t in the frame in 2017, but seriously put his hand up in 2018. However, no coach wants to fuck with their established ten one year out from the RWC. If it was earlier in the cycle I reckon mounga walked into the ten jersey.

Mo’unga was ready for a run a ...

Mounga timed his run terribly. He wasn’t in the frame in 2017, but seriously put his hand up in 2018. However, no coach wants to fuck with their established ten one year out from the RWC. If it was earlier in the cycle I reckon mounga walked into the ten jersey.

Monkey Magic wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 1:54 am Remember he was also doing some freakish things at 10 for the canes. As well as beat the sharks in the rain in a semi final through an outstanding kicking game

Yes, I will never forget that. Anyone who thought he couldn’t control a wet game with his boot was silent after that. For a spell anyway.

BB was just so good as a player coming off the bench. Many of us thought that if you can get such a great 20 minutes from him, how would 80 minutes not be four times as good?

Turns out, that's not the way it works.

But it did work, in 2016. Enough for the coaches to think they had their man ...

BB shat on the competition in 2016 and the selectors made their choice. Mocking that decision now is silly as we know how history panned out.

Cruden didn’t stick around to fight for his place so his fault as much as anyone imo.

There are two things at play here imo.

Jordan is an outrageous talent. We all know this.

Jordan’s tries and break yesterday we’re not the result of his outrageous talent. You’d expect almost any winger to do the same.

I think some people are confusing the fact that Jordan is a bloody good player ...

Jordie isn’t fat, he’s just big boned.

Any fat tourist...

Only one blemish with a silly high tackle. It was good to see him really pressuring Argentina on their try line though, just badly executed.

Otherwise outstanding and I’m stoked for him.

Jimmy, RMo made some really dumb sideways/backwards runs tonight.

At best, it was a mixed bag.

It wasn’t great.

What's the answer then?

Beauden shovelling it on relentlessly, no matter where he is on the field?

No matter how much he and his fans wish it were otherwise, the guy isn't a ...

Jimmy Smallsteps wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 12:09 pm As someone in the rag and bone trade I can tell you it meant a big deal to the Argies, so of course the ABs needed to acknowledge it.

It's a damn sight harder to acknowledge Dominici when you're not playing France and are more than 15,000km away.

Proximity dude.

Sums it up.

We havnt seen line breaks like that all season .

Every time it got kicked deep Barrett etc just kicked it back . You need a threat at 15.

You forget Clarke’s debut already?

To be honest he has dined out on those two runs for 6 matches.

He butchered one against oz and butchered 2 today ...

Steve wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:20 am We havnt seen line breaks like that all season .

Every time it got kicked deep Barrett etc just kicked it back . You need a threat at 15.

You forget Clarke’s debut already?

FujiKiwi wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:16 am You don’t just include a player in your team if they have a great punt but almost everything else about them is a drawback.

Yeah well it isn’t is it? He was the best 15 in super rugby aotearoa.

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