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2014 Super Rugby: Blues v Crusaders (Round 3)
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<blockquote data-quote="Darwin" data-source="post: 625952" data-attributes="member: 24910"><p>:lol: I love a good pun.....</p><p></p><p>Anyways.... a couple of interesting selections for the Blues. Probably not too surprising that they are easing the old men in the front row into action from the bench. Tu'ungafasi did a solid job last weekend, but Prattley is still probably the better LH prop (mainly because Tu'ugafasi is much better on the TH side). Glad to see Tuipolotu given a chance in the starting lineup - I felt he really lifted the Blues last weekend with his powerful ball running. Hopefully (for the Blues sake) Braid is fit. </p><p></p><p>I'm slightly surprised to see Hickey at 10, but I actually don't mind his selection at all. He is probably not quite ready for Super Rugby yet (he has only just turned 20), but already I think he is at least as good as Noakes, and has the potential to be much better. He isn't afraid to take the line on, is a pretty good goal-kicker, and despite his lack of size is a pretty solid defender (far better than Noakes!). He still makes a few too many errors and needs to work on how to control the game, but he has all the tools to be a very good Super Rugby player. No surprise to see Moala into centre and Li coming in on the wing. It will certainly be a massive test for Li, but it is exciting to see him given a shot.</p><p></p><p>A couple of very interesting selections by the Crusaders too. Surprised to see Perry starting ahead of Crockett on the LH side again, and I would have thought Romano would have started ahead of Bird this week given the strong impact he made off the bench in the last match. Good to see Read back, but personally I would have found room for Todd in the starting lineup (with McCaw shifting to 6).</p><p></p><p>No surprise to see Bleyendaal dropped, but I was expecting Slade at 10, Taylor at 12, and Crotty at 13. I'm actually glad they have maintained Lee Lo in the midfield though as he had a strong game against the Chiefs, and I'm not unhappy to see Dagg dropped to the bench as his poor display (I am surprised to see it though). I'm a bit disappointed to see McNicholl dropped from the 23 as I think he could be very good at this level, but he did have a shocker against the Chiefs so probably deserves to be dropped. Rob Thompson is an interesting selection - he came down from Manawatu to Canterbury last season as a midfield back but ended up getting a few games covering wing off the bench. He played so well he got a couple of starts on the wing, and then got a Crusaders WTG spot. I'm sure 99.9% of the NZ rugby public had never heard of this guy this time last season, so it is a pretty meteoric rise for him. I'm not sure whether he really has enough pace for the wing, but he is a big strong guy, and does seem to know his way to the try line.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I don't think the Blues will have to resort to playing Piutau at 10, but they are certainly crying out for a quality 10 (I believe Kerr is the answer, but time will tell). While I do agree Lam and Stowers are both good enough for Super Rugby I don't think they are really any better than the starting Blues wings. Though I do think Frank Halai is a tad over-rated he debuted for the AB's at the end of last season and had a good season for the Blues last year. Li is perhaps a bit of an unknown at this level, but he is a freakish talent (he is still 18!). He seems to be able to break tackles at will - there may still be a few question marks over his defense and ability to read the game, but these are things I believe he will pick up pretty quickly. Behind those two the Blues also have Moala (who is playing at centre) who I consider as the Blues best wing, along with Visinia who is also young and very talented. In any case I think the Blues have far more worries than who they have on the wing....</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Darwin, post: 625952, member: 24910"] :lol: I love a good pun..... Anyways.... a couple of interesting selections for the Blues. Probably not too surprising that they are easing the old men in the front row into action from the bench. Tu'ungafasi did a solid job last weekend, but Prattley is still probably the better LH prop (mainly because Tu'ugafasi is much better on the TH side). Glad to see Tuipolotu given a chance in the starting lineup - I felt he really lifted the Blues last weekend with his powerful ball running. Hopefully (for the Blues sake) Braid is fit. I'm slightly surprised to see Hickey at 10, but I actually don't mind his selection at all. He is probably not quite ready for Super Rugby yet (he has only just turned 20), but already I think he is at least as good as Noakes, and has the potential to be much better. He isn't afraid to take the line on, is a pretty good goal-kicker, and despite his lack of size is a pretty solid defender (far better than Noakes!). He still makes a few too many errors and needs to work on how to control the game, but he has all the tools to be a very good Super Rugby player. No surprise to see Moala into centre and Li coming in on the wing. It will certainly be a massive test for Li, but it is exciting to see him given a shot. A couple of very interesting selections by the Crusaders too. Surprised to see Perry starting ahead of Crockett on the LH side again, and I would have thought Romano would have started ahead of Bird this week given the strong impact he made off the bench in the last match. Good to see Read back, but personally I would have found room for Todd in the starting lineup (with McCaw shifting to 6). No surprise to see Bleyendaal dropped, but I was expecting Slade at 10, Taylor at 12, and Crotty at 13. I'm actually glad they have maintained Lee Lo in the midfield though as he had a strong game against the Chiefs, and I'm not unhappy to see Dagg dropped to the bench as his poor display (I am surprised to see it though). I'm a bit disappointed to see McNicholl dropped from the 23 as I think he could be very good at this level, but he did have a shocker against the Chiefs so probably deserves to be dropped. Rob Thompson is an interesting selection - he came down from Manawatu to Canterbury last season as a midfield back but ended up getting a few games covering wing off the bench. He played so well he got a couple of starts on the wing, and then got a Crusaders WTG spot. I'm sure 99.9% of the NZ rugby public had never heard of this guy this time last season, so it is a pretty meteoric rise for him. I'm not sure whether he really has enough pace for the wing, but he is a big strong guy, and does seem to know his way to the try line. I don't think the Blues will have to resort to playing Piutau at 10, but they are certainly crying out for a quality 10 (I believe Kerr is the answer, but time will tell). While I do agree Lam and Stowers are both good enough for Super Rugby I don't think they are really any better than the starting Blues wings. Though I do think Frank Halai is a tad over-rated he debuted for the AB's at the end of last season and had a good season for the Blues last year. Li is perhaps a bit of an unknown at this level, but he is a freakish talent (he is still 18!). He seems to be able to break tackles at will - there may still be a few question marks over his defense and ability to read the game, but these are things I believe he will pick up pretty quickly. Behind those two the Blues also have Moala (who is playing at centre) who I consider as the Blues best wing, along with Visinia who is also young and very talented. In any case I think the Blues have far more worries than who they have on the wing.... [/QUOTE]
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2014 Super Rugby: Blues v Crusaders (Round 3)
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