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Tier Two & Three Rugby
2015 Pacific Nations Cup
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<blockquote data-quote="Kempistry" data-source="post: 736715" data-attributes="member: 70932"><p>Another heartbreaking loss for Canada and overall a horrid showing in the 2015 PNC. I believe Canada is now something like 2-11 recently. Awful heading into the RWC. </p><p></p><p>Some thoughts:</p><p>- The 7s players are consistently playing poorly in 15s. Hearn's tackling was poor, Moonlight couldn't maul and took the ball as scrumhalf rather than ruck (7s!), which backfired, Trainor makes an ill advised offload on his own goal line and can't catch a high ball under pressure. They are good players but look way too laid back for 15s rugby. I'm not blaming the players, but not playing 15s on a regular basis is harming these guys immensely. I love Phil Mack but even his pass is a bit all over which is easier to tolerate in 7s.</p><p></p><p>The game plan seems to be to work the ball wide, but it is just four passes to the wing, 5-15 yards gained, and eventually there is a knock on, penalty or a player goes out of bounds. Canada needs some punch up the middle. All they really attempted with any oomph were a few obvious crash balls off of lineouts in the 10-12 channel with backs. That's it. They can't just go side-to-side all the time as they don't have an overlap or go forward ball in the first place and can't retain possession long enough to string together 5-15 phases of this. Canada also seems loathe to kick or play a possession game. I get that they want to run, but most of the better teams in world rugby, including the all blacks, kick pretty frequently. It isn't a mix that is working. </p><p></p><p>The player combinations used by Crowley, to date, don't make any sense to me, and this dates back to last year. It has just seemed all over the map and it is hard to say any single player (aside from the obvious) has been given the opportunity to cement a role or to build some chemistry. </p><p></p><p>The lineout was awful.</p><p></p><p>The team as a whole lacks physically dominant players. The USA looked better in this regard. </p><p></p><p>Thoughts on players:</p><p></p><p>The Bad:</p><p>- Jamie McKenzie did not play great. Many passes to nobody in particular. </p><p>- I hope Hubert Buydens is that much better than the next prop at scrummaging because he has awful hands. Every game he makes a bad pass or knocks the ball on multiple times. I guess he's the best we have.</p><p>- Aaron Carpenter's throws seemed wonky today.</p><p>- Conor Trainor should not make the RWC squad based on that game. Not a good game at all. </p><p>- Hearn looked pedestrian.</p><p>- Before leaving injured Beukeboom didn't look fantastic. </p><p>- Jones looked tentative and didn't make much of an impact running or kicking. </p><p></p><p>The Good:</p><p>- Evan Olmstead played smart and hard. Doesn't seem like the most athletic guy, but I liked what I saw out of him. </p><p>- Barkwill made a case for the #1 spot at hooker. Good tackling. </p><p>- Blevins and Connor Braid attacked well.</p><p>- Hassler!!!</p><p>- Liam Underwood - doesn't really attack the line and just shuffles the ball along at times, but that seems to be the game plan. Given his athleticism that seems to be a bit of a waste. This guy is legit. I hope he is able to play 15s rather than 7s as I don't see how you could possibly ever develop into an international 10 playing mainly 7s rugby. I worry about his durability, but he's very good. </p><p>- Phelan does his job, but is unspectacular, makes little impact in contact.</p><p>- Richard Thorpe is a solid player and I'd think he should be a starter for the RWC.</p><p></p><p>I'm mostly worried about the might of the Canadian forwards and the general game plan for the RWC. In spite of the negatives I think Canada could give a respectable enough showing, though there need to be massive changes if we want to progress in the future and keep pace with the Japan's or even - gulp - USAs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kempistry, post: 736715, member: 70932"] Another heartbreaking loss for Canada and overall a horrid showing in the 2015 PNC. I believe Canada is now something like 2-11 recently. Awful heading into the RWC. Some thoughts: - The 7s players are consistently playing poorly in 15s. Hearn's tackling was poor, Moonlight couldn't maul and took the ball as scrumhalf rather than ruck (7s!), which backfired, Trainor makes an ill advised offload on his own goal line and can't catch a high ball under pressure. They are good players but look way too laid back for 15s rugby. I'm not blaming the players, but not playing 15s on a regular basis is harming these guys immensely. I love Phil Mack but even his pass is a bit all over which is easier to tolerate in 7s. The game plan seems to be to work the ball wide, but it is just four passes to the wing, 5-15 yards gained, and eventually there is a knock on, penalty or a player goes out of bounds. Canada needs some punch up the middle. All they really attempted with any oomph were a few obvious crash balls off of lineouts in the 10-12 channel with backs. That's it. They can't just go side-to-side all the time as they don't have an overlap or go forward ball in the first place and can't retain possession long enough to string together 5-15 phases of this. Canada also seems loathe to kick or play a possession game. I get that they want to run, but most of the better teams in world rugby, including the all blacks, kick pretty frequently. It isn't a mix that is working. The player combinations used by Crowley, to date, don't make any sense to me, and this dates back to last year. It has just seemed all over the map and it is hard to say any single player (aside from the obvious) has been given the opportunity to cement a role or to build some chemistry. The lineout was awful. The team as a whole lacks physically dominant players. The USA looked better in this regard. Thoughts on players: The Bad: - Jamie McKenzie did not play great. Many passes to nobody in particular. - I hope Hubert Buydens is that much better than the next prop at scrummaging because he has awful hands. Every game he makes a bad pass or knocks the ball on multiple times. I guess he's the best we have. - Aaron Carpenter's throws seemed wonky today. - Conor Trainor should not make the RWC squad based on that game. Not a good game at all. - Hearn looked pedestrian. - Before leaving injured Beukeboom didn't look fantastic. - Jones looked tentative and didn't make much of an impact running or kicking. The Good: - Evan Olmstead played smart and hard. Doesn't seem like the most athletic guy, but I liked what I saw out of him. - Barkwill made a case for the #1 spot at hooker. Good tackling. - Blevins and Connor Braid attacked well. - Hassler!!! - Liam Underwood - doesn't really attack the line and just shuffles the ball along at times, but that seems to be the game plan. Given his athleticism that seems to be a bit of a waste. This guy is legit. I hope he is able to play 15s rather than 7s as I don't see how you could possibly ever develop into an international 10 playing mainly 7s rugby. I worry about his durability, but he's very good. - Phelan does his job, but is unspectacular, makes little impact in contact. - Richard Thorpe is a solid player and I'd think he should be a starter for the RWC. I'm mostly worried about the might of the Canadian forwards and the general game plan for the RWC. In spite of the negatives I think Canada could give a respectable enough showing, though there need to be massive changes if we want to progress in the future and keep pace with the Japan's or even - gulp - USAs. [/QUOTE]
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