Field Theory: All Blacks v Wallabies Tensionfest
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There was a point during the QF against Argentina last weekend where we got a look at what the All Blacks had in store.
At about the 50 min mark, McCaw and Thorn raised the intensity of their play at the tackle and breakdown and I thought "this is how they plan to play the semi".
And they did. The controlled ferocity of the All Black forwards at the breakdown last night was incredible. Even where they couldn't drive the Wallabies off their own ball, they shunted them back and took Genia out of the game.
Players stepped up and made key tackles at key times -- that effort by Owen Franks in the midfield that won a penalty was incredible. Cooper(?) had every reason to think he was going to step a front-rower and he just got demolished.
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merc,
McCaw snatched the ball from another player while he was upside down in the tackle ...as for Dagg's offload to Nonu for the try, SBW, how was the on entry handshake?
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
He’s not perfect, but I’d much rather have him on my side.
I just love how he runs. He seems to glide. It really draws the tacklers.
I love the way his head is up while he runs. He is a lot more aware of what is happening around him than folks give him credit for and when he is tackled he is always half a metre further through the tackle than anyone else. No small talent.
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BenWilson, in reply to
Yes, I've noticed several times that he slows down gradually, when any other player would be powering on as hard as they could, this draws in several tacklers, and then he accelerates to bust through them and unload. It's straight from league and it works. Very unselfish player too, perfectly happy to offload even on a certain try, just to get it closer to the uprights.
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There were some truly great moments.
Cory Jane chasing the high ball and seeing Cooper was going to take it, slowing down a fraction so that he could be accelerating as he hit Cooper, then having made the tackle bouncing to his feet and competing for the ball. It could have been a coaching video.
Kaino picking up the Aussie in the tackle and carrying him away from the line, without dropping him or risking any injury. A combination of strength, skill and intelligence.
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merc,
Cruden's first real take on the line was a bad low ball pass at his feet - he gathered it easily in stride, his tackling for an 85kger was very steady as well.
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Sacha, in reply to
Very unselfish player too, perfectly happy to offload even on a certain try
Whereas Cruden seems to hang on to the ball a bit too much for my liking. Maybe just needs more development.
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Sacha, in reply to
the intensity of their play
Really want to see the French demolished with the same precision as that first 20 minutes last night.
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As much as I'd love to be NZ, there's something to say for watching the ABs thrash the Wobbolies in a pub full to the brim with Aussies... jus'sayn
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BenWilson, in reply to
As much as I'd love to be NZ, there's something to say for watching the ABs thrash the Wobbolies in a pub full to the brim with Aussies... jus'sayn
You lucky bugger. The whole time I lived there, we kept getting beat. It sucked. Had to put up with a lot of sledging.
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Rich Lock, in reply to
Really want to see the French demolished with the same precision as that first 20 minutes last night.
<insert Blitzkreig/Blackshirt/Godwin pun of choice here>
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I loved that we never looked like losing last night. Just complete control.
God, is there a better defender in open play than Conrad Smith? He goes low, and gets his man every time….unbelievable.
Also: if Kaino doesn’t get player of the tournament I will be very disappointed. The man is a colossus.
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hamishm, in reply to
Cory Jane chasing the high ball and seeing Cooper was going to take it, slowing down a fraction so that he could be accelerating as he hit Cooper
Yeah that was very cool.
Teh Guardian has an amusing player scoring thing -
Russell Brown, in reply to
Whereas Cruden seems to hang on to the ball a bit too much for my liking. Maybe just needs more development.
My guess is that the coaches told him to back himself early, rather than just shoveling the ball along. I'm okay with that.
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Sacha, in reply to
I wonder if they thought the risk of spilling under pressure outweighed that of killing a move? Cruden just doesn't seem to be scanning for options as much yet.
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John Armstrong, in reply to
Cory Jane chasing the high ball and seeing Cooper was going to take it, slowing down a fraction so that he could be accelerating as he hit Cooper
I'm pretty sure that was Richard Kahui. Just to give credit where it's due.
All Blacks were great, but I still think that performance was about seventy per cent of what they are capable of (opening twenty minutes aside, which was probably about ninety per cent). I hope to see fewer up-and-unders next week and a lot more ball in hand for the backs. If it clicks against France we'll win it by thirty points..
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Russell Brown, in reply to
All Blacks were great, but I still think that performance was about seventy per cent of what they are capable of (opening twenty minutes aside, which was probably about ninety per cent). I hope to see fewer up-and-unders next week and a lot more ball in hand for the backs. If it clicks against France we’ll win it by thirty points..
I suppose it was, as our league friends say, "finals footy", in which it made more sense to defend a lead via the forwards than take unnecessary risks -- but like you, I hope that the ABs can really open up in the final. That backline going nuts for the last 30 mins would be a nice way to finish.
But I am trying not to regard the result as a done deal ...
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Sacha, in reply to
If it clicks against France we'll win it by thirty points.
+1
That backline going nuts for the last 30 mins would be a nice way to finish
+1!
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But I am trying not to regard the result as a done deal
This is the main problem. The French appear to have internal strife with the coach and senior players, they haven't really fired and they were lucky against Wales. Ominous
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
I’m pretty sure that was Richard Kahui. Just to give credit where it’s due.
Quite right, my apologies to Kahui
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
That backline going nuts for the last 30 mins would be a nice way to finish
Tt does seem that defensive lines for all the top teams are very very good. So the days when our backline could just carve them up at will seem to be over, even if we dominate.
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I had the good fortune to stroll past the Heritage hotel last week, just before the All Blacks walked out to their tour bus. I stopped to take some photos and the thing struck me was the air of calmness to the team. They just seemed happy in each other's company and exuded a quiet confidence (Cruden, not so much, but hey - who would, if they just arrived in the team?). At that point, I knew they were going to do the business on Sunday.
France, OTOH, will probably pull another fantastic performance out of no-where and give the All Blacks some competition in the first stages of the match. But, like in 1987, the current team is simply in a different class to the French, so I can't see the French really competing.
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Andre Joubert to ref the final.
Phew....I heard he intends to leave the red card in his bag.....maybe? Do it Andre.
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Cory Jane was unbelievable with those high ball takes in traffic.
It didn't really affect the outcome but I thought it was big call by Joubert not to go upstairs and check Dagg's foot didn't cross the line before he passed inside for the try. He probably got the nod from the linesman but still if it had been the Wallabies who scored I'd have wanted him to double check .
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Great game. Nos 1 to 20 superb (sorry Sonny Bill and Stephen Donald). A brilliant display of controlled aggression. Have never been so tense before or during a match. I hope I can enjoy the final a bit more.
I am not 100% sure but they might not have been able to go upstairs for the Nonu try, as you can only check the act of scoring, not the pass that led to it (or whether the passer was in play). I learnt that from the Brisbane test where the TV ref DID rule on a pass that led to a try.
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