Speaker: Players to Pray For
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Add Ali Williams to the list players to pray for; locking stocks still look bare.
And I guess Mils should be added to the 2nd tier list too, because he covers the 2 back positions we're weakest at.
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Not to start a controversy, but I'm not sure about the carried back decision. I thought the ball just lingered short of the line. It was a funny moment, and I felt it was doubtful either way. When it's in doubt, I don't know which way the TMO should have gone on this occasion- possibly the other way.
But contgrats to Auckland too- they played with a lot of fire and deserved the win. It wasn't as if Canterbury played poorly- there was passion on both sides- but the Orcs were clearly superior. -
Hmm, the World Cup. the big story for me has been just how truly awful the northern hemisphere teams are. They haven't just stood still since 2003 - they've gone backwards. The Six Nations is a now a second tier tournament. Objectively, its rediculous that hugely funded teams of highly paid professionals should lose to Fiji and fear Tonga. South Africa would be mad to leave the tri-nations, their rugby would go into a steep decline if the hopeless fodder of Europe was their constant opposition. And Argentina is surely now one of the top 4-5 rugby nations with consistant victories over the declining Europeans. In sum, it seems the impact of the clubs on rugby in Europe has lead to a steep decline in the international game over there.
Until this weekends matches I have found the RWC quite boring, with to many mis-matches for my taste. So... Hawkes Bay has made the quarter finals of the Air New Zealand cup and the provincial sides are pulling record crowds to ANZC matches. I grew up in Napier, I can remember the thriller in 1977 when the Bay took the Lions down to the line and no other team, even the All Blacks in a World Cup Final, can have me yelling at the set, cursing the referee's first born and - at one stage in the 10-6 win over Wellington - inexpicably finding myself standing on my armchair covering my eyes. Parochial provincialism is the heart of the game, where people identify with their teams in a way the insulates the game from the fair weather friends who regard it as another form of entertainment. And given the way the main centres seem jaded and burnt out from over-exposure to professional rugby its a lesson that the NZRFU should take note of!
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In sum, it seems the impact of the clubs on rugby in Europe has lead to a steep decline in the international game over there.
Yet if you read the post-mortems in the British press, that's not really foremost in their minds.
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Not to start a controversy, but I'm not sure about the carried back decision. I thought the ball just lingered short of the line.
Nah. I thought it clearly bounced on the line and was therefore in goal.
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And yes, I think the All Blacks will run right over France in Cardiff. It won't even be close
By hokey I hope you are right - I have a tiny frisson of nervousness, related entirely to an underperforming France having their backs to the wall, and being away from the crushing expectation of home fans.
From each AB I've heard speak over the last few days has come the message, 'its now one game at a time' - thats been reassuring.
While I don't want to tempt fate, I think the 'key player' worry has become almost superfluous under the 3 wise men - if we lose a game at this tournament I doubt it will be because an individual player - even Richie - was missed.
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Huge gap between Richie and Masoe RL.
RB, not sure if the European club competitions can be blamed for this drop in standards. Look at Argentina since their players got involved there. Even Fiji and Tonga have some players there.
For me, it's the negative way their test teams are coached and selected, along with the cowardice in not sending decent sides Down Under.
It's like they (England and Ireland in particular) picked what they thought was their form side a year or town ago, wrapped them in cotton wool, and didn't deviate from that plan. Now Graham Henry would never make that mistake..
Oh, hang on.. -
I meant "a year or two ago"
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Huge gap between Richie and Masoe RL.
Oh don't get me wrong LB, I'm not trying to suggest otherwise, but I think the cartel have been at great pains to try and insulate themselves from players becoming irreplaceable, and even should the unthinkable happen, I'd like to think we can still win (and we certainly wouldn't be buying any excuses from Sth Afica if for example got injured) ......
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Oops, meant, if for example Schalk Burger got injured
Hopefully we will never need to know if the irreplaceables can be replaced :)
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While I don't want to tempt fate, I think the 'key player' worry has become almost superfluous under the 3 wise men - if we lose a game at this tournament I doubt it will be because an individual player - even Richie - was missed.
And that was always their number one rationale for the rotation system. They looked back to previous World Cups and determined that injuries -- and players consequently playing out of position -- had been a significant factor in the All Blacks' failures.
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"...not sure if the European club competitions can be blamed for this drop in standards.."
Well I can't think of any other reason. They seem to lack inventive players in the key positions (because those players are all imports in their club sides?) and to me the general lack of dynamism and explosive power points to players paid far to much money to play far to often at far to a mediocre standard. In other words, burnt out and complacent players who when push comes to shove don't give two hoots about the international game as long as the club cheque keeps coming. And given the low take-off point for previously second tier teams like Tonga, Fiji and Argentina it is possible for their to be both a simultaneously decline in standards for the Six Nations and a rise in standards for poor countries benefitting from having professional players in their ranks from the European club teams.
I suppose the different approaches to the game - top down control in NZ, bottom up in Europe - reflect the different marketing imperatives of the professional game in the two hemispheres. But at the moment, we are producing by far the better rugby players by making the international game the centre piece of our game.
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WH,
Its good to see Nick Evans get some recognition. Carter hasn't quite been the same since coming back from injury (duly noting his games against the Lions). Maybe Carter and Evans could play first and second-five once McAlister and Mauger leave for overseas.
The AB backline looks dangerous from broken play, but maybe not so dangerous from set piece. The backs seem to run quite flat and pass close to the advantage line, which I guess is the style nowadays, but must be really hard to do. Hopefully our midfield combinations will click for the knockout stages.
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I suppose the different approaches to the game - top down control in NZ, bottom up in Europe - reflect the different marketing imperatives of the professional game in the two hemispheres.
Yes, the "us & them" nature of the game's administration is short-sighted in the extreme. It's as if the club owners didn't make the connection between what happened in 2003 and the huge (and I mean huge) interest in the game over there following the RWC win.
The RFU doesn't help itself with its defensive attitude either.
Hoorah for socialised rugby! :)
I see that Rob Andrew is making some progress in an agreement between clubs & the RFU that will make players available for England duty and compensate the clubs cash-wise. That will help, but as long as (for instance) there are only four fly-halves in the Premiership eligible to play for England they will struggle.
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I thought Evans was outstanding the other night too. Entered the line well, ran straight. Made a try or two for the wingers.
Ellis looked dangerous ith the ball in hand but not too tidy around the ruck or scrum.
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There's just that question mark about Evans in a pressure situation; especially goal-kicking (costing the Highlanders 2 games this year)
Who has he started a test againstvto date?
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Hey thanks for the link, eh :)
It's a tribute to GH and his coaches that the prospect (and it's still just a prospect) of playing without Carter has not turned into panic in the streets, and rugby fans leaping off tall buildings. Their rotation policy (although rotation is too simplistic a term to describe the depth they've built) was designed for just this scenario - key players getting injured in the final stages of this world cup.
I reckon we'll totally do over the French in Cardiff, too. The ABs must be FIZZING to have a crack at a 'proper' team. The last decent match we've had was at Eden Park against the Wobblies.
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Nah. I thought it clearly bounced on the line and was therefore in goal.
I feel the need to see video of this, clearly it's the major controversy of the weekend! Someone youtube it.
Bouncing on the line wouldn't matter at all as far as I know. The question would be where his feet were when he gained possession of the ball. Even if the ball was on the goal line and was picked up by the player, if his feet were in the field of play, once he's picked it up then the ball is in the field of play. If he then goes into the goal area, and he's carrying the ball, the ball is in goal, and hence taken back.
Witness that Ireland forward who caught the ball from a kickoff this morning in the field of play, but deliberately put his right foot on the sideline as he caught it. That ball's out, even though it probably would have bounced in.
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Before we plan the victory parade (again), here's a quick quotes quiz. Name the two writers, the year, and fill in the blanks.
1) There's a new natural law in the universe, as undeniable as gravity. The All Blacks can't be beaten by the AAA. It's one of the new certainties in life, along with death and taxes, because the AAA are so ordinary.
2)__The only way the AAA will win is if the All Blacks self-destruct. I can't see that happening ... in fact, it could get embarrassing for coach BBB and his team.__
By the way, these gentlemen are still employed (with actual money, I assume) to give their expert views on rugby.
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Forget 'frisson of nervousness': I am already in my completely illogical high panic mode.
(I am starting to wonder if I can even handle watching any of our big games live. Perhaps on Sunday I'll just hide in the kitchen until it's over, making some sort of enormous, distracting breakfast feast. Like a good sheila should.)
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I am starting to wonder if I can even handle watching any of our big games live
I know exactly what you mean.
Sunday morning I'll be wearing my lucky undies, socks, and t-shirt, waving rabbits feet around, and thinking about taking the kids to yum cha instead of pacing up and down the living room listening to my heart palpitate.
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At least we should be able to sit back and enjoy this.
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And trying that again...
At least we should be able to sit back and enjoy this. -
I've got twelve friends coming over for a Sunday morning pajama party. There will be home made donuts, pancakes with maple syrup, and my friend Amy's world famous lemon muffins & champers before kick off, followed by the full bacon, eggs and hash browns number at fulltime.
That way if the All Blacks lose, I can just hide in the kitchen and do some denial cooking.
I've even ordered in an extra George Forman so the bacon isn't to unhealthy.
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I've even ordered in an extra George Forman so the bacon isn't to unhealthy.
Ordering an extra George Forman makes it sound like some kind of completely brilliant junk food. "Yo, my man, gimme two Royales with cheese and an extra George Forman on the side' etc...
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