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Super Rugby: Blues - Western Force in Auckland (7/7/2012)
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vBookie for the Blue battle
Added the vBookie for the Blue Battle in Auckland
Added the vBookie for the Blue Battle in Auckland
I'd expect the Blues to win this but I expected them to beat the Rebels earlier this year.
Surely they will win but looking at the squad you would have said they were surely looking at a top 4 finish yet they are last... injuries have really screwed them even more recently. Will be interesting to see the teams named.
I'm really interested to know what the status of Boric is. I wont hide the fact I really like Boric as a player and I really want to see him back and I hope he makes the AB's. But this last injury he had was initially only meant to take him out for a few weeks then I heard somewhere that he was considering giving up Rugby because of it and he has not been seen for months.
Blah, just checked blues site, no team named yet.
Surely they will win but looking at the squad you would have said they were surely looking at a top 4 finish yet they are last... injuries have really screwed them even more recently. Will be interesting to see the teams named.
I'm really interested to know what the status of Boric is. I wont hide the fact I really like Boric as a player and I really want to see him back and I hope he makes the AB's. But this last injury he had was initially only meant to take him out for a few weeks then I heard somewhere that he was considering giving up Rugby because of it and he has not been seen for months.
Blah, just checked blues site, no team named yet.
Darwin
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Full team: Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu (c), Tevita Mailau, Liaki Moli, Andrew van der Heijden, Steven Luatua, Daniel Braid, Luke Braid, Piri Weepu, Michael Hobbs, Rene Ranger, Ma'a Nonu, Francis Saili, Lachie Munro, Charles Piutau.
Reserves: Tom McCartney, Angus Ta'avao, Chris Lowrey, Peter Saili, Alby Mathewson, Orene Ai'i, Hadleigh Parkes.
Strange to see Piutau at fullback and Munro on the wing - I would have thought it would have worked better the other way around. Not a bad looking Blues team (considering all the injuries) - they will certainly enter the match as favorites, but considering the way they have played all season that probable doesn't mean much! It will be interesting to see how Orene Ai'i goes if he gets on the field...
Reserves: Tom McCartney, Angus Ta'avao, Chris Lowrey, Peter Saili, Alby Mathewson, Orene Ai'i, Hadleigh Parkes.
Strange to see Piutau at fullback and Munro on the wing - I would have thought it would have worked better the other way around. Not a bad looking Blues team (considering all the injuries) - they will certainly enter the match as favorites, but considering the way they have played all season that probable doesn't mean much! It will be interesting to see how Orene Ai'i goes if he gets on the field...
Oh man I don't like Hobbs, but i am looking forward to Orene Ai'i returning, he's been great in Japan. But what happened to Jack McPhee from North Harbour? he was a good fullback/first five is he still playing in nz? He should have been in this team.
Francis Saili has been really good too, never seen him before this season but he's been one of their best players
Francis Saili has been really good too, never seen him before this season but he's been one of their best players
Darwin
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Personally I'm not a big fan of Hobbs at 10 either - I think he is much better suited to 12 where he doesn't have the sole responsibility of controlling the game. I think he is a handy squad player due to his versatility, but it doesn't look like he will ever really be a first choice starter at this level. He has had very serious back surgery, so it is amazing he is even playing rugby to be honest!
Not a big fan of McPhee - he can be quite effective on attack, but struggles when pressure is applied and is a liability on defense. McPhee's versatility is in some ways part of his problem, as no-one seems to know if he is a 10, a fullback, or a wing. McPhee played for Northland last season (though struggled to make the match-day 22), but looks like he may be back involved with North Harbour this season in the ITM Cup before moving over to France, where he has signed with Aurillac (who?)next season.
I agree Saili has been superb in his limited chances. I wasn't sure whether he was ready for Super Rugby level this season - he was solid for the NZ Under 20's last season, and had a couple of games for Auckland, but to me he just looked like another big strong midfielder who probably lacked a bit spark. However he has looked a very different player for the Blues - he looks to have last a bit of weight (or changed some fat into muscle), and looks to have a great step to go with his power. In addition he seems to have a good passing game and a solid kicking game too - I agree he is one of the few good things to come out of the Blues this season. Strangely Auckland have failed to hold onto him, with Saili set to play for North Harbour this season. Saili's Under 20 team mate last season, Steve Luatua, has simialry been very impressive, and it will be interesting to see how fellow Under 20's player Charles Piutau goes, as he is another who has a lot of talent.
dudeabides
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Anybody watching this? Nice try by Steven Luatua putting the Blues on top with more than a little help from Munro, lot of time left though and still close.
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Half watching it not a great match.
Darwin
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I'm looking forwards to the full-time whistle....
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Blues just scored 2 tries in 3 minutes... Amazing display of skill. If only they would have played like this earlier on in the season...
Darwin
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The game certainly livened up a bit in the second half, with the Blues running away with it in the end.
The scrums were a complete mess, and the lineouts weren't a lot better - I think this contributed to the games lack of structure. Steve Luatua again looked impressive for the Blues - he should be locked into the Blues 6 jersey for next season. He works hard around the field, has a good running game, is reliable in defense, and is a great lineout option. Luke Braid was again superb, as he had been almost every match over the second half of the season. He made a pile of tackles, disrupted a lot of Force ball, but probably the most impressive aspect of his game is his ball-running. He broke a lot of tackles again this match close to the breakdown (and got a well-earned try for his efforts), and even broke the line while running the ball in open play. Sam Cane has had a very impressive AB's debut, but Luke Braid has easily been the form New Zealand openside in Super rugby this season (I know he started at 8 this week...) - I wouldn't mind seeing him in Black this season (though that would probably only happen if McCaw or Cane were to get injured). I was very impressed with the impact of Blues bench forwards when they came on, with McCartney, Lowrey, and Saili all making several powerful bursts..
Weepu was pretty quiet at halfback (I thought Mathewson looked sharper when he came on) and Hobbs again struggled at 10. The standout backline player was undoubtedly Nonu, which is great news for the AB's. He was very aggressive on defense (as he has been overly the later half of the Blues season), and he looked dangerous whenever he took the line on. What impressed me most was his passing game - numerous times he identified the space out wide and delivered an accurate skip pass to get the ball out quickly. Francis Saili was a lot quieter this week, as was Ranger on the wing. Munro again showed that he is out of his depth on the wing at this level - he made a number of basic errors, and missed several tackles (as usual...). He remains a top quality goal-kicker though. Piutau showed his elusive running skills from fullback with a couple of very good linebreaks, though I still think he is far more suited to the wing than fullback.
The scrums were a complete mess, and the lineouts weren't a lot better - I think this contributed to the games lack of structure. Steve Luatua again looked impressive for the Blues - he should be locked into the Blues 6 jersey for next season. He works hard around the field, has a good running game, is reliable in defense, and is a great lineout option. Luke Braid was again superb, as he had been almost every match over the second half of the season. He made a pile of tackles, disrupted a lot of Force ball, but probably the most impressive aspect of his game is his ball-running. He broke a lot of tackles again this match close to the breakdown (and got a well-earned try for his efforts), and even broke the line while running the ball in open play. Sam Cane has had a very impressive AB's debut, but Luke Braid has easily been the form New Zealand openside in Super rugby this season (I know he started at 8 this week...) - I wouldn't mind seeing him in Black this season (though that would probably only happen if McCaw or Cane were to get injured). I was very impressed with the impact of Blues bench forwards when they came on, with McCartney, Lowrey, and Saili all making several powerful bursts..
Weepu was pretty quiet at halfback (I thought Mathewson looked sharper when he came on) and Hobbs again struggled at 10. The standout backline player was undoubtedly Nonu, which is great news for the AB's. He was very aggressive on defense (as he has been overly the later half of the Blues season), and he looked dangerous whenever he took the line on. What impressed me most was his passing game - numerous times he identified the space out wide and delivered an accurate skip pass to get the ball out quickly. Francis Saili was a lot quieter this week, as was Ranger on the wing. Munro again showed that he is out of his depth on the wing at this level - he made a number of basic errors, and missed several tackles (as usual...). He remains a top quality goal-kicker though. Piutau showed his elusive running skills from fullback with a couple of very good linebreaks, though I still think he is far more suited to the wing than fullback.
