All BLack Team for WC Final

[carlosisgod123]

If the ABs reach the final, here is my team. See what you think and then post your best team.

Props - Haymen, Woodcock
Hooker - Mealamu
Locks - Jack, Williams
Flankers - McCaw, Collins
No.8 - Soaialo

Halfback - Leonard
1st 5 - Mccallister
2nd 5 - Toeava
Centre - Mils
Fullback - Howlett
Wings - Joe, Sivivatu

 

[Dumbo]

Props - Haymen, Woodcock
Hooker - Oliver
Locks - Jack, Williams
Flankers - McCaw, Collins
No.8 - Soaialo

Halfback - Byron
1st 5 - Carter
2nd 5 - McAllister
Centre - Toeava

Fullback - Mils
Wings - Joe, Sivivatu

Bet you, if there's no injuries... things will look a lot like that.
No Carter there Carlos? interesting call...

 

[carlosisgod123]

Props - Haymen, Woodcock
Hooker - Oliver
Locks - Jack, Williams
Flankers - McCaw, Collins
No.8 - Soaialo

Halfback - Byron
1st 5 - Carter
2nd 5 - McAllister
Centre - Toeava

Fullback - Mils
Wings - Joe, Sivivatu

Bet you, if there's no injuries... things will look a lot like that.
No Carter there Carlos? interesting call...
[/b]

If they would bring back Carlos we would be in fine shape. But I'd still have McCallister over Carter. Carter's form looks a bit patchy this year. can't seem to run properly anymore either.

 

[Dumbo]

Bring back Carlos?
Man, no thanks. I'll stick with the whitey from the South Island thanks

 

[Ripper]

1. Hayman
2. Mealamu
3. Woodcock
4. Williams
5. Robinson
6. Collins
7. McCaw
8. Rodney

9. Kellehar
10. Carter
11. Sivivatu
12. McAlister
13. Toeava
14. Rocokoko
15. Mils

16. Tialata
17. Oliver
18. Jack
19. Lauaki
20. Leonard
21. Evans
22. Howlett

Williams is the only genuine Line Out Poacher we have so he get's the start, while Robinson is a hard *******. Jack off the Bench to provide the safe hands at the end.

65 Minutes of Jerry Collins will be enough, so with the time ticking down, we bring on Lauaki, who is one big Mother Trucker and seems to have a knack of scoring tries with the clock ticking down - will be especially potent with his Fresh Legs while facing down buggered Opponents who have been smacked around for 65 minutes already.

Leonard - How Many Halfbacks have scored Hat-tricks coming off the bench - at any level of the game?

Evans is there to cover Fullback and Fly Half, while Howlett can come on for one of the cousins - we saw how he can handle the pressure when the Wallabies were bombing him at Eden Park. Mils will cover Centre while Toeava and Possibly Carter if required can cover 12.

 

[Dumbo]

Like the call of your lineout there Ripper, didn't think of that combination... good with me.
Also good think you're spot on the money with the bench.
Both Nick and Doug can handle fullback if we move into the normal crisis in a world cup of not having an established 13.

Quick one... young Carlos is not one of your long lost love childs is he?

 

[Marco Polo]

If they would bring back Carlos we would be in fine shape. But I'd still have McCallister over Carter. Carter's form looks a bit patchy this year. can't seem to run properly anymore either.
[/b]

:lol: No offense mate but Carlos is about 5 years past it.

 

[Wellycane]

1 Carl Hayman

2 Anton Oliver

3 Tony Woodcock

4 Chris Jack

5 Ali Williams

6 Jerry Collins

7 Richie McCaw

8 Rodney So'oialo

9 Byron Kelleher

10 Dan Carter

11 Joe Rokocoko

12 Luke McAllister

13 Isaia Toeava

14 Sitiveni Sivivatu

15 Mils Muliaina



16 Neemia Tialata

17 Keven Mealamu

18 Keith Robinson

19 Chris Masoe

20 Brendon Leonard

21 Doug Howlett

22 Nick Evans



It was hard to leave an experienced player like Aaron Mauger out of the line-up but this is the way I think it'll have to go. Decision making is what stands out for Mauger over McAllister but what if McAllister gets injured? I guess Toeava will have to move to 2nd five for Mils to come in at centre and Evans at fullback, but has Evans played enough at fullback? I'm worried there. That's one thing Henry pointed out earlier about 'not enough test matches, no games'. The same thing goes to Lauaki so I don't think he'll gain a spot in the final yet. But overall I like the look of that bench, full of impact players.

 

[Dumbo]

Good selection there Welly, on the money about the 12 issue though... will be interestign to see how Henry calls it

 

[shtove]

I'm with Dumbo - but starting choice at #9 is a doozy.

And forget the final - that's the fifteen to start the quarters, and see how you go from there.

 

[Dumbo]

Being a mod I have to be careful of using the forum as a springboard for my own opinions... but yeah man... how's the number 9 issue!... Leonard's on fire, where the hell did that guy come from? (cough... Chiefs... cough)... Byron???... no Weepu, Ellis???

Lot going on in that space... Byron could find himself sitting on the bench during the cup (again) but instead of being behind the ex master... a newbie...

Zap pow batman, fates a ***** at the best of times.

 

[dobrien7]

Meh who'll stop us mwahahaha...

But seriously, there's Cowan too if injuries hit, quite the selection we have there.

Only downside to Henrys rotation policy, is now that we have so many up to the task of playing, it's hard to know what's the best combinations around the park, and is where the French, Oz and Saffas may have a slight advantage when it comes down to it...

 

[Dumbo]

Time will tell, if Henry pulls it off then think none of us are going to complain... far from it.
However... if the **** hits the fan... me thinks the flak will be flying on this forum.

Still one thing we should remember, we have our standards... and the rest of the world has there's.
I'd pick Thorne and Mauger over a lot of other players that we are up against.

 

[dobrien7]

True, I think a lot of selecting will be based on who the individuals are up against, not what our absolute top team should be. Good examples at hooker, Oliver's there purely to out muscle at scrum time, with Mealamu to add mobility and a steadier lineout. So therefore teams with a good scrum, Oliver starts pretty much imo.

Possibly Maugers experience could get him back when the games get more important, as McA's a top impact sub to bring on. Think that is a big advantage for us, the explosiveness of our bench.

 

[Dumbo]

Agree 100%

A lot of younger guys are picking Kevi and can't understand why Oliver's there... Henry's playing a new game... you could call it rotational micro management (if anyone else uses that term... I want some royalties!)... in other words he's looking for his some of his players not to play the full 80, far from it.

If players like Anton and Kevi know the why, the how and the when of their selection criteria... dangerous...
Would be interesting to interview both those players at the same time after the Cup, win or lose - think those two for sure would have some interesting comments on what they had set out to achieve, not just as a team but as a partnership.

The stratergies that have been unfolded on the build up to this cup have been subtle and just plain out, well I really don't know the word actual... The kiwi's rest their super squad in the starting stages of the super 14, the Bok rest their top 22 in the final stages of the tri nations... the Aussies still keep singing Waltzing Matilda... it's all on (although fatboy Jabba 'knuckels' Connoley... could have bought a bit more of 007 to the party than making sure everyone still sang Waltzing Matilda)... but thats another story.

All in all, the Bok and the Kiwi's have been cunning, very cunning... so cunning you could put a tail on it an call it a wezzel... most of heard that somewhere...

 

[Wellycane]

One other thing too is what the All Blacks kept in mind was importantly not to peak during the Tri-nations. So why have they made final selections for the squad and explaining who played better than who? That wouldn't work out right and it sounds stupid.

LOL :lol: maybe Weepu and Mauger were just a bit over the top, keeping that "not to peak" thing closely in mind.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

IF the allblacks make it to the the WC final, there's not doubt that carter will be wearing the number 10 jersey. the only way that he wont be wearing it is if he's injured.

 

[darwin_23]

IF the allblacks make it to the the WC final, there's not doubt that carter will be wearing the number 10 jersey. the only way that he wont be wearing it is if he's i<strike>njured</strike>. dead [/b]

 

[malena]

lol, nice one darwin

I reckon Henry's got it right at half-back. Leonard's the best on form at the moment, but I'd rather see him come on somewhere just after half time to inject something into the game. Kelleher's job will be to not **** up, and **** the opposition off as much as possible in 40mins :lol:

 

[kerrt1971]

Carter will be the 10 - even when he's off his game he stands out in other ways. And he is off his game at the moment.



This WC IMO will be won by the big dog who wins their own set piece, creates a larger number opportunities to score against desperate defence and knows what it takes to win when it gets close. If NZ make the final they have two out of the three banked away and will only need to depend on our fatties winning line out and the battle around the breakdown. Our scrum is awesome, our clean out awesome, Richie's a break down genious.



Our line out this year is not awesome and needs to get back to the end of last years model.



So..IMO.. Ali Williams is the vital piece to our WC puzel and I think when he's back it will change the AB's significantly. I think he's more important to the end result than who ends up playing 9 or 12.