Bledisloe One 2020

[GoTheNaki]

Are you referring to vaai or McKenzie? McKenzie was marginal I thought, wanted to have a closer look at the vaai one because that seemed in from the side.

Vaai... I don't think that ball was out, or he was on-side... It's a penalty either way..

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Savea needs to stop hanging out on the wing, twice towards the end we tried to go wide to Clarke, who had made great yards with every touch, only to find savea

frizell had 15 tackles off 60 mins and was a solids line out option, I'd try frizell, cane and sotutu personally
Backline just needs to have everyone in their performed position, Clarke to start

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Vaai... I don't think that ball was out, or he was on-side... It's a penalty either way..

Yeah it seemed like one or the other.

 

[Alex Anghel]

Just like a said, it's better to play people in their preferred position.

There's no doubt in my mind that Jordie, if starting, should do it at 15. Sotutu was very good, should start at 8 in a combo with either Frizell or Ardie at 6 (now that Cane is locked in at 7, bar injuries). Clarke looked ominous, I would start him at 11 at move Bridge to 14. I really like DMac style, but he would perform better as a super-sub, just like Barrett did in Hansen's first WC cycle.

I know that it was only the first game, but all in all, it was a disappointing performing Foster' ABs.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

I don't think Goodhue gets dropped in all of this, I don't believe his position is up for grabs at all. The only way I think he ever gets dropped is a position change from Jordie Barrett, and that's a few seasons in the making, if it happens at all. I don't think ALB is better than either of the two who started. This hinges all on Mo'unga, he feeds them the ball, but this is why you give him the keys until the next World Cup, he is our best 10, and it's just not close after this season.

Bridge had a hard time today, but he's our best Winger when it comes to defense. I'd say he's as much a lock at his position as anyone in the back line.

It was a classy pass from bridge for the smith try. I think whether or not he is on the team comes down to the mix elsewhere, as you want a certain amount of Players who can make the gain line or breaks to start the momentum going. Bridge is great once they had happened, or in seeing opportunities from turnovers, and of course he is great at high ball kick chases. Things didn't really go his way in this game, and I can see him losing his place especially if they don't go for ione at centre they might want Clarke in the wing.

Just like a said, it's better to play people in their preferred position.

There's no doubt in my mind that Jordie, if starting, should do it at 15. Sotutu was very good, should start at 8 in a combo with either Frizell or Ardie at 6 (now that Cane is locked in at 7, bar injuries). Clarke looked ominous, I would start him at 11 at move Bridge to 14. I really like DMac style, but he would perform better as a super-sub, just like Barrett did in Hansen's first WC cycle.

I know that it was only the first game, but all in all, it was a disappointing performing Foster' ABs.

i was kinda hoping to see this multiple playmaker possibility but it didn't happen.

McKenzie as usual did a lot of great stuff and some not so great stuff, overall did pretty well though. He is someone who can make something happen even against the best defence, so there is an argument to start him from that perspective. Next week I guess we'll see Beauden there anyway, doubt they will make wholesale changes straight away given they will be scared of losing.

for the wallabies I thought solokai-loto played well, wasn't mentioned by the commentators so thought I should. Toumua kicked the ball away too much at key times, I reckon they'll be better next week, Petaia might be back from injury too.

I don't know how old everyone is here but did the wallabies remind you of how they played in the late 90s, early 00s? Retain possession, clinical, confident, skilful, and running all sorts of angles
I reckon because Rennie is big on culture and wants to play the Australian way, he has gone back to those times and said "look, this is the wallabies, this is their legacy"

 

[Twistie]

mounga was indecisive.
Ioane i hope has learnt a lesson and will take a lot more care in future when touching down. cost us the game. other than that fkUp he was busy and contributed positively, moreso than goodhue.
ALB for goodhue. ALB shouldve never been dropped.
jordie doesn't belong on the wing
frizell was anonymous.
Sotutu Cane and Ardie should start next
how come we havent learnt to have a drop kick contingent?

Aus were awesome and intelligent. they were really unlucky to draw this. they had ABs on the ropes for the enitre last quarter. they just couldnt finish off.
Aus had a lot of islanders, awesome.
Rennie outsmarted Foster. Foster needs to start coming up with his new ideas instead of rehashing an obsolete dual play maker plan that was shown up at the wc. playing players out of position is dumb.

if i were razor i would stick around. he could be getting the call earlier than NZRFU thought

Yep i agree Mo'unga lacks confidence and is not dynamic like he is with the crusaders .Maybe he should wear a crusaders jersey underneath his abs one or someone boot his ass to wake him up .Should have more canes players in cake tin games as when conditions are less than ideal (ie most of time) non canes players take time to adjust(postional play, passing ,line out throws etc).Could be a reason abs last recent results have been what they are(2 losses, draw)Not taking away how aussie played ,stayed close ,scored good trys(koroibete,dagunu played awesome) and could have stolen it at the end.Expect the abs to come out with the wrath of god in the next match.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Yet to see the game but reading all the comments. Sounds like a team right at the beginning of their RWC cycle. A lot of experience lost since last year with Read, Bender, Crotty all gone; to go with all the experience and quality lost since the Lions series and 2015. Will take time for all the changes to bed in. Foster only has a 2 year contract right so if he doesn't get it right by 2022 he could be replaced. Didn't hurt SA in the last RWC replacing their coach one year out.

Good to read Australia make a good start under Rennie. Good result for them in NZ.

 

[The_Wol]

It was a classy pass from bridge for the smith try. I think whether or not he is on the team comes down to the mix elsewhere, as you want a certain amount of Players who can make the gain line or breaks to start the momentum going. Bridge is great once they had happened, or in seeing opportunities from turnovers, and of course he is great at high ball kick chases. Things didn't really go his way in this game, and I can see him losing his place especially if they don't go for ione at centre they might want Clarke in the wing.

i was kinda hoping to see this multiple playmaker possibility but it didn't happen.

McKenzie as usual did a lot of great stuff and some not so great stuff, overall did pretty well though. He is someone who can make something happen even against the best defence, so there is an argument to start him from that perspective. Next week I guess we'll see Beauden there anyway, doubt they will make wholesale changes straight away given they will be scared of losing.

for the wallabies I thought solokai-loto played well, wasn't mentioned by the commentators so thought I should. Toumua kicked the ball away too much at key times, I reckon they'll be better next week, Petaia might be back from injury too.

I don't know how old everyone is here but did the wallabies remind you of how they played in the late 90s, early 00s? Retain possession, clinical, confident, skilful, and running all sorts of angles
I reckon because Rennie is big on culture and wants to play the Australian way, he has gone back to those times and said "look, this is the wallabies, this is their legacy"

I recon Rennie is big on picking players on form and not the old boys club which has ****** us for the last 20 years.

How many times have we seen a Wallabies team filled with players who a few season before were okay and are now just getting picked because of who they were or the fact they play for the Waratahs?
Rennie has come in and booted out the has beens (apart from Rob Simmons) and brought in fresh blood for a fresh start and rebooted the culture which was what we needed. The best players today for the Wallabies today were

Daugunu - Bullied the All Blacks in offence and defence.
Lukhan SKL - Unsung Hero
James Slipper
James O'Connor - Kept things calm, nothing too flash but kept the team going.
Pete Samu - Probably the best forward of the day
Harry Wilson - Great on debut and added some punch in our forward pack that has been severely lacking over the years.

 

[Twistie]

It was a classy pass from bridge for the smith try. I think whether or not he is on the team comes down to the mix elsewhere, as you want a certain amount of Players who can make the gain line or breaks to start the momentum going. Bridge is great once they had happened, or in seeing opportunities from turnovers, and of course he is great at high ball kick chases. Things didn't really go his way in this game, and I can see him losing his place especially if they don't go for ione at centre they might want Clarke in the wing.

i was kinda hoping to see this multiple playmaker possibility but it didn't happen.

McKenzie as usual did a lot of great stuff and some not so great stuff, overall did pretty well though. He is someone who can make something happen even against the best defence, so there is an argument to start him from that perspective. Next week I guess we'll see Beauden there anyway, doubt they will make wholesale changes straight away given they will be scared of losing.

for the wallabies I thought solokai-loto played well, wasn't mentioned by the commentators so thought I should. Toumua kicked the ball away too much at key times, I reckon they'll be better next week, Petaia might be back from injury too.

I don't know how old everyone is here but did the wallabies remind you of how they played in the late 90s, early 00s? Retain possession, clinical, confident, skilful, and running all sorts of angles
I reckon because Rennie is big on culture and wants to play the Australian way, he has gone back to those times and said "look, this is the wallabies, this is their legacy"

Bro you just bought back terrible memories of Anton Oliver throwing crooked lineout throws in the Wallabies games of that time as well as Classy backline play by the Wallabies . Ive blanked out certain years due to poor ab performances(John Hart whos he?) and your post just bought those memories flooding back . How could you lol!

 

[TheOvalBall]

Wow, that was amazingly tense and intense at the end all of 8 minutes after the hooter. Incredible stuff.

I really enjoyed the game. Despite the horrible kicking at posts and lots of penalties.

Daugunu looks like an exceptional player for the future. Nick White was the obvious star for the Wallabies. Dave Rennie really toughened up the Wallabies. My goodness.
Sam Cane played really well for the AB's. Beauden might need to be given a chance next game.

Also, there will be another 3 Bledisloe tests. Cannot wait!

For a first outing, both teams with new coaches did really well. I cannot stand draws. Eliminate draws from the game.

 

[TheOvalBall]

 

[TheOvalBall]

 

[GoTheNaki]

Yeah, like people have mentioned, we have become a rugby team that looks at number of tests played, and not best player at that position this year..... It is pretty discouraging for the talent that comes through these days. I would really like us to win the next two, and then for the last match put THE IN-FORM 15 out there.... I don't know why Sotutu is on the bench, he was one of the best players this season, same with Will Jordan... I know, ok, cool... Beauden Barrett is a heck of a talent... But 2nd best 10, can you argue that he's a better fullback than someone like Jordie or Will Jordan?? When Jordie come back for the Hurricanes you noticed. I don't even believe Beauden will be here for the next WC... It frustrated me to no end having the best fullback in the world playing on the Wing, well... It was pretty close between Ben Smith and Israel Folau...

 

[Alex Anghel]

It's all down to the coaching panel I'm afraid...what NZRU really needed was to start afresh, with a new mindset brought in by a younger, more energetic, and innovative coach, able to play the players in the right positions where they excelled during the Super Rugby. From this perspective, it seems that Foster belongs to a bygone era, whereas Robertson belongs to the future. What's the point in shifting, let's say, the best 7 to 8, the best 15 to 14, the best 10 to 15, and so on. I don't really think that Moody, Coles, Whitelock, Aaron Smith, TJ or even Beaudy will be in the 2023 RWC squad or if they will be, they won't make the starting 15, so why don't invest in the youngsters from the beginning of the RWC cycle?

Can't wait for Eden Park, totally worth waking up at 5:45 AM, thank God I have managed to find an online free streaming service that really worked.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Bro you just bought back terrible memories of Anton Oliver throwing crooked lineout throws in the Wallabies games of that time as well as Classy backline play by the Wallabies . Ive blanked out certain years due to poor ab performances(John Hart whos he?) and your post just bought those memories flooding back . How could you lol!

Terribly sorry. The anticipation of a bledisloe match back then though was pretty big wasn't it? Sometimes I wish the wallabies would win a few more so I can have that same level of excitement again. I actually forgot exactly how long their reign was so ended up watching a few old games where I couldn't remember what the resukt was. Tell ya what, I must have been traumatised by Oliver throwing because the trauma was reawoken - my level of infuration was beyond what it should have been watching a historical match. How can you expect to win a test with 7 bad throws in one match and 9 in another?

Yeah, like people have mentioned, we have become a rugby team that looks at number of tests played, and not best player at that position this year..... It is pretty discouraging for the talent that comes through these days. I would really like us to win the next two, and then for the last match put THE IN-FORM 15 out there.... I don't know why Sotutu is on the bench, he was one of the best players this season, same with Will Jordan... I know, ok, cool... Beauden Barrett is a heck of a talent... But 2nd best 10, can you argue that he's a better fullback than someone like Jordie or Will Jordan?? When Jordie come back for the Hurricanes you noticed. I don't even believe Beauden will be here for the next WC... It frustrated me to no end having the best fullback in the world playing on the Wing, well... It was pretty close between Ben Smith and Israel Folau...

I think sometimes it comes down to this concept of cognitive dissonance, where you have these two competing concepts that you can't find a solution to - e. G. Cane and savea are both great as kne concept, both play 7 as the other - and so you change your perception of reality to get rid of that dissonance - I'll just play one of them in a different position. Your mind can't make sense of the idea that two if your best players, if not your best two players, are not both on the park, so you solve it in a way that isn't necessarily rationale. It's like if you got really angry and punched someone but but that was strongly against your morals, you might create a story that reduces the dissonance, such as some rationale about how it's OK to punch people in these very exceptional circumstances, or about how something about the situation meant. That wasn't really you, you became someone else, etc. And those stories you tell yourself aren't necessarily constructive, as they might not actually prevent you from lunching someone in the future.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

have to start...i really dont like Reiko...hes just so agro, anyone dares to try and tackle him whilst scoring he jumps up like he wants a fight. I've looked past if because he was so devastating during super rugby and thought he might be the answer at 13....but that cocky one hand touch down **** has finally cost us, much like smiths milking of players offside at the ruck is starting to get pulled up....i hope reiko got a rocket

the AB's need to remember the old saying, a champion team will always beat a team of champions, Jordie is not a winger and savea is not an 8....or a winger as we saw in the last 5 minutes of the game. just because you have some good full backs and you cant decide on you wingers...you dont just move one of your fullbacks out. Sports is littered with world class payers who never played much just because they happened to play at the same time as another world class player...make a call.

The fact DMac had an average super rugby also really shows they were looking at the number of caps, when BB was injured it was the perfect time to come to his senses and drop jordie back to 15

i expect quite a different 15 next week, jordie at 15, clarke to start, sotutu at 8, savea coming of the bench

 

[Larksea]

Ive not seen the game yet I'll comment on it later, but what I do know from the stats is that Sam Cane clocked up 25 tackles at 100% and the next best on the tackle sheet had 16
That is mind blowing I dont know if even McCaw ever clocked up a number like that. Heck hitting 20 is phenomenal Ive seen Cane and McCaw clock up 22 in the past but not 25... People still think hes a dud selection? what was it? Our 4th best openside you say? Maybe rethink that

 

[Kiwiwomble]

im glad cane had such a good game, i was firmly in the camp of not being a fan of him being named as captain so early and start with so little recent game time, proved me wrong, Frizells 15 off 60 minutes was also pretty good

 

[mania]

me too. but this is why foster stuck to his veterans despite lack of form during superAotearoa. sure cane didnt have form but we need to remember that our players, like the opposition, step up when it comes to ABs.
cane was immense. i thought frizell was anonymous but someone said he'd made shtloads of tackles. if thats the case then i apologise to frizell.
it was that kinda game where we needed absorb a lot of pressure from a well coached , hungry side.
is it wrong that im proud of rennie?

 

[Kiwiwomble]

yeah, Frizell didn't make many highlight reels but he also didn't make many/any mistakes and 15 tackles in 60 mins is good and was a solid lineout option

I think we also need to look at the game plan, to me it looked like Cane and Frizell we're tasked with tackling and savea was ranging wide, dont think he was even on the tackle stats, I see Frizell copping a bit of flak for not playing like he did for the landers...but if that wasn't the game plan then thats not his fault

basically there are other postitons i would sort/change before pulling frizell...most of the backline and 8 first