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Get your bets in for the All Black Squad for the june tests
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<blockquote data-quote="Darwin" data-source="post: 508424" data-attributes="member: 24910"><p>Dizzy, I think you need to take of your 'Hurricanes glasses' when assessing players <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>His defense was average, he offered nothing in attack, he was slow to breakdown, he deliberately slowed down any quick ball the All Blacks received (the Argentina match was a great example of this). The fact he kept Australia and France in the games with numerous missed kicks also didn't help! I was so relieved when the AB's brought Andy Ellis on in the final - I never thought I'd be so happy to see him!</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes he has scored tries consistently, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has played consistently. Indeed there are several games when he scored tries even though he didn't really play that well (the Crusaders game was a great example of this). He started the season on fire, but has been a bit quieter recently - not too many shockers, but a number of average games in comparison to the stand-out games he can have.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Disagree. Taylor actually kicks the ball a lot - he is among the <a href="http://www.rugbystats.com.au/rugby/super15/player-stats.html?refresh=1339014507256" target="_blank">top 20 for kicks made in the entire competition</a> (top 3 among fullbacks). He does have a big punt on him, but this can be a bit inaccurate at times. He tends to use the bomb far too much in my opinion, and often tends to under-kick these - I remember at least one of the Crusaders tries were scored as a result of a poor Taylor bomb. He certainly has good kicking skills, but having played most of his rugby on the wing he still needs to work on some of the skills essential for a fullback.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I didn't say he 'crumbled under pressure' - I suggested his decision making under pressure still needs work. I've been really impressed with his decision making on defense (in fact his defense in general has been impressive), but his decision making when receiving the ball at the back still needs work. Again this may come down to the fact he hasn't really had that much experience at 15, but he needs to continue to work on when to run, when to pass, or when to kick (at what type of kick to make). In many ways he is like Cullen with ball in hand - right down to the fact he forgets he has team-mates once he gets the ball! He generally only passes as a last resort (e.g. he has been partially tackled) - he can certainly work on this aspect of his game as a fullback.</p><p></p><p>Don't get me wrong - I really like Taylor, I just think he has areas to work on (like all players). Because of this I can understand why the selectors haven't included him in the squad - it wasn't an attack on Taylor, rather an explanation as to why I think the selectors didn't pick him.... As I said before, if I was picking the squad I personally would have picked him (despite the areas he needs to work on)!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Darwin, post: 508424, member: 24910"] Dizzy, I think you need to take of your 'Hurricanes glasses' when assessing players ;) His defense was average, he offered nothing in attack, he was slow to breakdown, he deliberately slowed down any quick ball the All Blacks received (the Argentina match was a great example of this). The fact he kept Australia and France in the games with numerous missed kicks also didn't help! I was so relieved when the AB's brought Andy Ellis on in the final - I never thought I'd be so happy to see him! Yes he has scored tries consistently, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has played consistently. Indeed there are several games when he scored tries even though he didn't really play that well (the Crusaders game was a great example of this). He started the season on fire, but has been a bit quieter recently - not too many shockers, but a number of average games in comparison to the stand-out games he can have. Disagree. Taylor actually kicks the ball a lot - he is among the [URL="http://www.rugbystats.com.au/rugby/super15/player-stats.html?refresh=1339014507256"]top 20 for kicks made in the entire competition[/URL] (top 3 among fullbacks). He does have a big punt on him, but this can be a bit inaccurate at times. He tends to use the bomb far too much in my opinion, and often tends to under-kick these - I remember at least one of the Crusaders tries were scored as a result of a poor Taylor bomb. He certainly has good kicking skills, but having played most of his rugby on the wing he still needs to work on some of the skills essential for a fullback. I didn't say he 'crumbled under pressure' - I suggested his decision making under pressure still needs work. I've been really impressed with his decision making on defense (in fact his defense in general has been impressive), but his decision making when receiving the ball at the back still needs work. Again this may come down to the fact he hasn't really had that much experience at 15, but he needs to continue to work on when to run, when to pass, or when to kick (at what type of kick to make). In many ways he is like Cullen with ball in hand - right down to the fact he forgets he has team-mates once he gets the ball! He generally only passes as a last resort (e.g. he has been partially tackled) - he can certainly work on this aspect of his game as a fullback. Don't get me wrong - I really like Taylor, I just think he has areas to work on (like all players). Because of this I can understand why the selectors haven't included him in the squad - it wasn't an attack on Taylor, rather an explanation as to why I think the selectors didn't pick him.... As I said before, if I was picking the squad I personally would have picked him (despite the areas he needs to work on)! [/QUOTE]
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Get your bets in for the All Black Squad for the june tests
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