[2014 Mid-Year Tests] New Zealand vs England (3rd Test)

[Patchey]

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious never live at all.

Today I live without fear.

Mind you Australia have produced 22 All blacks, followed by Samoa 13, then SCOTLAND with 10!!!!! (that where all the best Scottish players went to), then Tonga with 8, and England and Fiji both have had 8 players nicked by the All Blacks. only 4 irish born players have played for the All blacks.

Being a Tigers fan you clearly have a lot more rugby confidence than the rest of us! Brave!

I wonder how many Kiwis and southSea Islanders we have 'nicked' though?

 

[brumtom]

Got the nerves now, pundits are now in doubt but also offering simple advice to play the best team in the world. At least its advice that is doable rather than climbing Everest. I feel bloody sick about this and its a summer test only, just imagine.....just imagine !

 

[Kapa O Pango]

Let's go England.

 

[nickdnz]

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious never live at all.

Today I live without fear.

Mind you Australia have produced 22 All blacks, followed by Samoa 13, then SCOTLAND with 10!!!!! (that where all the best Scottish players went to), then Tonga with 8, and England and Fiji both have had 8 players nicked by the All Blacks. only 4 irish born players have played for the All blacks.

I wonder what their excuse has been since 1954, the last Scottish born man to play for NZ.

Only three Englishmen have played for New Zealand in the 20th and 21st Century - two of which were in 1905 and 1910 and played a total of 2 matches (only one of which was a test match). I'm pretty sure I could find an English side over the last decade where there have been three New Zealand born players in the 22.

There have been five Irish born players, none mind you that have played for New Zealand since 1926.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

A few thoughts on the ABs side (if that is allowed):
- Great to see the Kaino/McCaw/Read trio re-united. People shouldn't expect miracles from Read though as he had played basically no rugby for 2 months. I like what Messam could potentially offer from the bench too..
- Barrett is unlucky not to start this week - he probably would have if Smith wasn't injured. Cruden is slowely building but is still a long way off his top form.
- Jane gets a reprieve, but unless he plays very well this week his international career may well be over. He has been very quiet for the Canes this season, and had an absolute shocker last weekend. When Piutau returns for the Rugby Championship he looks like the one most likely to drop out off the squad (I don't rate Dagg either, but the selectors love him...).

That is what they were saying about Suarez until last night.

Hansen has gone on record as saying Read will play 40-50 minutes max tomorrow before Messam comes on. Long enough to show his qualities and affect the game, as they know he isn't match fit. I'm a big fan of Read, but I am surprised the ABs are taking a chance on him, with his ongoing concussion problems for what is in effect a dead rubber. Especially as he last had symptoms only 3 weeks ago.

On your last point I re-watched the 2nd test and I agree with you that Jane had a shocker in the 1st half, but I would say that I thought he improved immeasurably in the 2nd half. I think it's that ability and experience to bounce back after a nightmare 1st half, which has not been appreciated. He was particularly affective as a link man in the backs and his reading of the play was top notch. Having said that I agree that once Piutau returns from injury, he looks like being the man for the AB 14 shirt; being younger and more explosive.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

holy fk:

I am looking forward to Fekitoa v Tuilagi. Disappointed Tuilagi did not manage to do a George North fireman's carry on Savea last week. Maybe he can redeem himself with one on Fekitoa.

 

[Tony Manx]

After a couple of days mixing it with Ernest Hemingway at the Cafe Iruna in Pamplona.......I have taken the time to look through this thread to catch up and in the famous words of the Bard....Much Ado about Nothing...........

As said in previous threads, following Lancaster's inspired choice to pick a woeful Burns for the First test, I would not presume to argue with his selections ever again! I would, however, ask such as Youngs, Hartley, Burns (again) and finally the Oik on the wing to fully pay Lancaster back with full and proper games at the height of their skill level, such as it is in certain cases, and to justify their selection by him over some worthy players!

If they do that, and the rest of the players perform, and the chances are taken and not squandered, I feel confident that England should not only win but be worthy winners against this AB squad!

If not, we are f*****......................!!

 

[big ginger 8]

We may not have produced many All Blacks but Dave Gallagher was pretty important!

 

[ratsapprentice]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FunFactFriday&amp;src=hash">#FunFactFriday</a>: our <a href="https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby">@EnglandRugby</a> prop Davey Wilson once appeared on 90s children's TV show 'Brum' (see photo) <a href="http://t.co/8QSn93YrKp">pic.twitter.com/8QSn93YrKp</a></p>&mdash; Bath Rugby (@bathrugby) <a href="https://twitter.com/bathrugby/statuses/479976566085394432">June 20, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

:lol:

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

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<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

:lol:

From Brum to scrum

<iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" style="display: none;"></iframe>

 

[Patchey]

Oh good. I watched Brum as a kid. Now I feel really old.

 

[donmcdazzle]

The brave may not live forever, but the cautious never live at all.

Today I live without fear.

Mind you Australia have produced 22 All blacks, followed by Samoa 13, then SCOTLAND with 10!!!!! (that where all the best Scottish players went to), then Tonga with 8, and England and Fiji both have had 8 players nicked by the All Blacks. only 4 irish born players have played for the All blacks.

The uk born ones are from the old school ABs where half the population was born overseas anyway. Aussie have a host of NZ born players in their current side, as do Samoa. Even England has a kiwi poach in their ranks along with Manu 'holiday visa' Tuilagi!

I'm usually pretty staunch at defending the silly notion that we are serial poachers that rob the PIs of their talent, but Fekitoa is impossible to defend. He came here at like 17 specifically in a rugby scholarship. Pretty blatant. Must be the first one for ages like that though, maybe Sivivatu was the last AB that moved here at that sort of age.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Really hate when people say poaching when they mean "they're in the country, they're eligible, they're picked".
NZ don't poach - they don't need to. If there's someone of Samoan heritage (or was born in Samoa etc.) living in NZ, and are eligible, why not pick them? They haven't gone abroad to find a player, then brought him across and waited. England are the same: All of our players that were born elsewhere were eligible long before we selected them - including Manu Tuilagi. Many of them were selecte because they're foreign (e.g. Shontayne Hape, an English born and bred player of the same ability wouldn't have been selected, Mouritz Botha too), but that's beside the point.

Ireland and Scotland are the real(/only, that I can think of) poachers, with their "project players"/actively searching abroad for players who are eligible via a granny, or who are interested in qualifying one day.

 

[goodNumber10]

Really hate when people say poaching when they mean "they're in the country, they're eligible, they're picked".
NZ don't poach - they don't need to. If there's someone of Samoan heritage (or was born in Samoa etc.) living in NZ, and are eligible, why not pick them? They haven't gone abroad to find a player, then brought him across and waited. England are the same: All of our players that were born elsewhere were eligible long before we selected them - including Manu Tuilagi. Many of them were selecte because they're foreign (e.g. Shontayne Hape, an English born and bred player of the same ability wouldn't have been selected, Mouritz Botha too), but that's beside the point.

Ireland and Scotland are the real(/only, that I can think of) poachers, with their "project players"/actively searching abroad for players who are eligible via a granny, or who are interested in qualifying one day.

I agree.

These guys are professional athletes, and they want to play at the top of the sport, we as fans want the best players playing at the elite level and coaches want to put out the best team they can within the rules.

As long as they are eligible and committed to being the best they can be then that's fair enough - imho.

 

[Maverick1987]

Well the kiwis have come out swinging in the blogs countering the "myth of the All Blacks" theory put forward by a couple in the English press.

Bit of a laugh, but very bias and pretty unfair on England:


http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugb...-article-england-–-are-they-really-that-good/

This is the single worst piece of crap I've ever read . Stevie wonder can see England have come a long way in the past 2 years and anyone who doesn't write for the paper and watches a small amount of rugby will tell you this England team are still a work in progress . But to say some of the things this guy has said makes him a bell end imo doesn't help when you have other people encouraging too as he's clearly an attention seeker .......

 

[goodNumber10]

This is the single worst piece of crap I've ever read . Stevie wonder can see England have come a long way in the past 2 years and anyone who doesn't write for the paper and watches a small amount of rugby will tell you this England team are still a work in progress . But to say some of the things this guy has said makes him a bell end imo doesn't help when you have other people encouraging too as he's clearly an attention seeker .......

[video=youtube_share;4-PIckHrZ0o]http://youtu.be/4-PIckHrZ0o[/video]




i agree with you though, it's just garbage.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

This is the single worst piece of crap I've ever read . Stevie wonder can see England have come a long way in the past 2 years and anyone who doesn't write for the paper and watches a small amount of rugby will tell you this England team are still a work in progress . But to say some of the things this guy has said makes him a bell end imo doesn't help when you have other people encouraging too as he's clearly an attention seeker .......

That's a bit harsh. It's obviously extreme in its views and undeniably flawed, but it's hardly any worse than the tripe Stephen Jones puts out from the UK - and he gets paid for his tripe!

 

[goodNumber10]

That's a bit harsh. It's obviously extreme in its views and undeniably flawed, but it's hardly any worse than the tripe Stephen Jones puts out from the UK - and he gets paid for his tripe!

it's right up there for sure... next stop chris rattue

 

[Maverick1987]

That's a bit harsh. It's obviously extreme in its views and undeniably flawed, but it's hardly any worse than the tripe Stephen Jones puts out from the UK - and he gets paid for his tripe!

In my original post I did comment saying if you don't work for the papers . At the end of the day the journalists are trying to get English people to buy English players that's why they write that crap . This Bart guy is just being a tool . Imagine if for example someone wrote NZ have lost it they are too old, referees let them win, they aren't that brilliant anymore . These comments would be fundamentally wrong and just written to get a rise out of people . That is exactly what this guy has done

I mean he calls the win in 2012 we had as lucky . Who the hell is this guy ?????

 

[Jaguares]

ABs by 10