All Blacks squad named

[Ground We Won]

Laumape is like a little rhino, incredibly hard to stop. Nonu was hardly a giant at look how devastating he was. Laumape is our man for 12. 103kg of muscle is far more devastating than 103kg of fat. No idea where you're coming from on that one mate. Also some of our greatest centers have been midgets, like Bunce. Centre of gravity and mass mate.. science.

Anyhow Moala is far down the pecking order and rightly so. Constantly found out in Super Rugby derbies and is a flat track bully. Really not the "international standard" you're talking about.

 

[Bob]

Thats my weight (perhaps not quite so much muscle on my part as I have comfortably eclipsed the half century ;-) ) and it won't cut it against the likes of SBW or Moala or others of a similar size range like Jonathon Davies and co.
He is too small for top level rugby and he will be found out in the modern game.
I'm not rubbishing him as a player, it's just that a good big man will always beat a good small man in physical contests.
SBW takes 2-3 tacklers and still gets away an offload.
Laumape takes up a single tackler, thats it.
It becomes much harder to crerate gaps at the top level when you lack the impact.
Sure he's quick and he may prove me and the statistics wrong, but I doubt it and with Crotty already being a smaller type of player, we need to look at a bigger lump to play off him.

Ok you're waaay off the mark here mate. It seems you haven't actually been watching Laumape this year. He's far more of a wrecking ball than Moala. How can you say he's too small when he's the 2nd biggest back in the ABs and weighs more than your man Moala? His low center of gravity and pace mean that he's incredibly hard to stop and is much better at taking up defenders than Moala. He's not a 'wriggler'. He's a bulldozer. He creates far more gaps and had far more impact than Moala.

 

[mania]

Laumape is a midget.

laupmape is definately a midget. must 5'6 or even 5'5.
i dont thnk theres anything wrong with his defence
its not the size of dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. laupmape has proven he's got loads of fight.
doesnt matter that SBW makes him look like a little boy. thats what all those rugby players woulda thought when laumape ran around or through them on his way to the try line.
does it matter how he busts the line and scores tries? whether using speed or power he scores.
i'm a big fan of moala fan when he's 100% but he had a quiet season. laumape had a loud season and tore up opposition, scored a heap of tries but more importantly set up tries and a lot of those were for his team mate aso who also topped the try scorers list.

 

[mania]

it's just that a good big man will always beat a good small man in physical contests.

yes but a small smart man will always beat a big dumb man.
laumape has the better rugby brain and knows how to insert himself into the game to score tries. top try scorer proves that.

what laumape does that moala doesnt is every time ngani takes the ball up he either breaks the line or bends it back on itself. thats international rugby level; just like nonu used to do

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

laupmape is definately a midget. must 5'6 or even 5'5.

He's 5'8. Just looks like a midget standing next to the likes of SBW and the Barretts.

Laumape takes up a single tackler, thats it.
It becomes much harder to crerate gaps at the top level when you lack the impac

Have you actually watched him this year?

Laumape is a midget.
See him stand next to SBW and he looks like a little boy in short pants. He looks 92 kilos at the most.
He busts with speed not power.

So the countless defenders he ran flat over the top of had nothing to do with his power? lol.
I suggest you get a better look at him. The man is built like a tank. His thighs are like tree trunks. His core is like a barrel. If you stood next to him you'd see why he tips the scales so heavily... He's probs the most compact, powerful short guy I've ever seen.

 

[mania]

He's 5'8.

i dunno about that. i'm 5'8" and i'm taller than he is when i got autographs off him for my kids.
thats what makes him that much more of phenomenon. he's like a dwarf star, small but packed with a sht load of force

 

[Ground We Won]

Ok, I think Jones has been peppered enough. We are all entitled to opinions no matter how wrong they can be sometimes lol.

I do think Laumape lacks in defence sometimes. He doesn't read the game defensively. Needs more coaching and development in his defensive game. But other than that he's great. Nonu 2.0.

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

I do think Laumape lacks in defence sometimes. He doesn't read the game defensively. Needs more coaching and development in his defensive game. But other than that he's great. Nonu 2.0.

I definitely agree with this. By no means is he the complete package yet. I've watched him closely and his D isn't that great. His height actually does work against him here, his stubby little arms mean that he has a short reach which gives him trouble... I've seen him be stepped a number of times because of this. And as you say, his reading of the game in defense needs work, both him and Aso made quite a few poor defensive decisions in the Canes midfield this year which cost us a bit.
His attack is fire though. And not just his blockbusting running... he does have the finer skills to compliment those around him.

 

[Ground We Won]

I actually think Buckman would compliment Laumape really well in midfield. Buckman is similar to C.Smith. Rarely misses a tackle, reads the game well and organizes the backline. I'd really like to see him get a tough test match together.

 

[Ground We Won]

Unlikely to happen. But a man can dream.

 

[The Jones Boy]

He's 5'8. Just looks like a midget standing next to the likes of SBW and the Barretts.

He does.
It worries me, not at super rugby level but at test level.

Have you actually watched him this year?

Yeah, the B+I Lions worked him out pretty quickly.

So the countless defenders he ran flat over the top of had nothing to do with his power? lol.

Super rugby is not test rugby.

He is in great form in super rugby and he deserves a chance to shine but test level is a big step up.
Fekitoa showed great promise early on and look where he is now.
ALB is a kid but his vision is obvious to see. He knows his lines and he knows his team mates lines.
I still worry if ALB plays alongside Crotty. Both very talented but who is going to draw the man and deliver the off load?
ALB is young but like Crotty he has heightened awareness of his surroundings. His defence has been surprisingly good.
I can't say that about Lamaupe, but he has his opportunity in the RC to show us he can step up.

He's probs the most compact, powerful short guy I've ever seen.

He is short by international rugby standards, he looks like a midget.
I'm not gonna lie, it worries me.

My concern is that if we have Crotty at 12, a clever player, not a big guy, we need a bigger center outside him who can bust tackles and/or lay the ball off like Sonny Bill and who can tackle like a beast.
Creating the overlap, or creating a hole to bust through is key to getting the roll on against teams and getting them on the back foot.
Opposition defence (perhaps not the Wallabies this year) will be quicker, smarter and tougher than super rugby by a yard of pace.
It's a tough place to test your merit and ply your trade.
Fekitoa got found out and he took 20? tests.
I was hopeful when I saw Fekitoa come on to the scene but it hasn't worked at the top level.

I don't think the way forward is two small guys playing together at 2nd five and centre, or two short guys in the midfield.
Hey, he may prove me wrong.
He may prove to be indispensable and I will happily put my hand up and say I was wrong about him. He can do the job of a big guy.
But all the onus is on Laumape to deliver at the top level as a centre.
A position I'm prepared to cut any newcomer some slack in as it takes years to learn the position.

Maybe Buckman is the answer but he's not getting a look in.
We can only go with what Hansen is keen on trying and Laumape is being picked on form and he does seem to be more durable than Moala.
I'm not about to start arguing with Hansen, his form book is impressive.

 

[Larksea]

Anyhow Moala is far down the pecking order and rightly so. Constantly found out in Super Rugby derbies and is a flat track bully. Really not the "international standard" you're talking about.

I'm sure its the popular view to dis Moala but I think that's complete rubbish. The guy has been the best performers at the blues for years, he's carried the backline at times while playing outside sub standard 9-10 combinations compared to all the other super rugby teams. And generally he has played very well and not looked out of placed when he has got a run for the All Blacks. I think if he had been given the same opportunity Fekitoa had been given he would have done a heck of a lot better. And he probably would have got those opportunities if it wasn't for terrible timing with injuries. The couple of times he got chances and impressed enough to seemingly get ahead of Fekitoa in the pecking order he got injured out...

anyway... the interesting thing about the Midfield situation right now is we have loads of options but no genuinely settled combinations or established pecking order.

 

[Ground We Won]

Have to disagree with you there. I think we went over this in a previous thread.

Moala only ever showed up vs poor opposition, people always reference that 3rd test vs the Welsh in Dunners when the Welsh were well beaten, tired and had 1 foot on the plane. How about we bring up that awful display of his in Chicago instead?

As I said earlier, flat track bully, always shown up vs half-decent opposition, Fekitoa outshined him for the past 3-4 seasons. He's never been a match winner vs quality opposition. That's why he can't even find himself anywhere near the team even with Fekitoa's departure.

I don't really want to be bringing Fekitoa up again anyway, done it enough but since you have I will just say he's way better than Moala.

 

[The Jones Boy]

What a load of absolute garbage.

Moala is not in form currently.
He has been injury prone just as he has achieved fringe selection to the AB's.
He was part of a poor team performance in Chicago that showed you can't put a 'B' team out against a quality side like Ireland. He wasn't the reason we lost. That's nonsense.
Laumape deserves a run in the AB's ahead of Moala at this time, but then Laumape gets an armchair ride week in and week out behind a killer 9 and 10 combination. Of course he is going to look good in that environment.
Moala has to work with a bargain basement combination at Auckland.
He does his work well in spite of that.
Moala can defend.

Fekitoa is way better than Moala?
Fair enough, thats your opinion, but I don't agree with it at all.
Feks is a force to be reckoned with at the Highlanders but he has gone backeards and gone inside his shell at the top level. His decision making and execution have not been up to scratch.
Moala, I don't know how good he is at the top level. I would need to see more to make an assessment but he's a natural line breaker and he does it for the Blues at the bottom of the Kiwi conference, with an inferior 9 and 10 combination, on a regular basis.
That deserves to be revisited. It may not be, thats top level international sport.
Buckman deserves a look in as well.

 

[Ground We Won]

Sorry, it's an absolute load of "garbage" that I've pointed out what has actually happened the last few seasons?

I'm not the one here banging on that they're 103KG of fat and trying to say Laumape isn't that big because you weigh the same as him? You seem to lack basic understanding of a lot of things.

You also lack basic intuition. I didn't say "Moala lost us the game vs Ireland". Of course it was a team loss and a managers loss but, he was one of the main culprits.

Do I need to remind you Ireland put 40 bloody points on us? 40? Not only that Fekitoa came on and we played 100% BETTER. Also the following week he was selected ahead of Moala and we didn't concede a try!

Moala is not and never was better than Fekitoa, there's no proof of this, there's only evidence he's worse. The Blues have been rock bottom for ages now, even with SBW partnering him in the MF they're rock bottom. You can't just blame that on their 9 and 10 combinations, that's just suiting your narrative and it's not even true. Pulu, West and Francis are good players.

These are facts. You're talking absolute "garbage".

 

[Ground We Won]

OH look, Moala busted the line vs a couple of crap teams.... AMAZING!

 

[Ground We Won]

OH look, Moala busted the line vs a couple of crap teams.... AMAZING!

I call this the usual overhype Auckland Blues crap we're fed every year in NZ and jokers like yourself buy into it.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Oh dear, someones been at the bottle.

Now we get down to it, you're an Auckland hater and thats all you are.
Fill your boots mate, I don't care about that small minded xenophobic nonsense.
Tall poppy syndrome has always been rife in NZ.

I'm a northlander, home of the Kamo Kid and the Going brothers and the Woodman brothers among others.
The Blues are our franchise even though they don't play in Whangarei.
Bad luck for me but hey, thats where I'm from so I'm not going to support another franchise over them just because they're results have been garbage since Nucifora.

You're right on one count.
The Blues have been woeful for years now.
A lot longer than Moala has been playing.
It goes back to David Nucifora the Brumbies coach who came to the Blues and led them into oblivion. Not that Peter Sloane was much chop before him...
They have a number of issues in the team and they don't have a settled line up of world class players at 9 and 10 delivering the ball on a plate, like Laumape does at the Hurricanes.
Anyone who knows rugby knows that the Blues have been struggling at first five for a long time now.
We desperately need a quality playmaker.

Moala is a constant solid performer for the Blues.
He's one of the few stand outs in a team fighting back from the brink of the abyss.

On the AB stats, Olo Brown is down as 6 feet 1, I've stood next to Olo many times and I'm not 6'1 and he's shorter than me, and twice as wide.
It serves the public interest to make the AB's 10 feet tall and bullet proof.
Terry Wright was supposedly 90 kg's but he would have struggled to be 80... didn't stop him being a brilliant winger though.
Laumape might be 103 kilo's after a big feed, but he's still a midget and I don't see it helping our backline if we have two little fellas in the centres.
I said earlier, he may prove me wrong, and I'll be happy if he does because after SBW and Crotty the cupboard is looking a bit bare.
But his severe lack in stature worries me if he doesn't have a big guy playing alonside him.

 

[Larksea]

stuff

I would completely agree that Moala's current form isn't great. But form is temporary. he was easily one of NZ's best mid fielders 2014-2016. I just don't think he deserves being dumped on, no player should be ruled out for one performance. In particular one game where many other players weren't up to scratch either. Moala is still only 26 we may not have seen the last of him. I still think he would be seen in a lot better light if he was playing for one of the other NZ teams.

 

[Ground We Won]

Now we get down to it, you're an Auckland hater and thats all you are.
Fill your boots mate, I don't care about that small minded xenophobic nonsense.
Tall poppy syndrome has always been rife in NZ.

I don't hate anyone in New Zealand and I don't give a crap where you are from in NZ. I'm just calling out the obvious bias like the stupid crap you're saying like Moala is better than Fekitoa?

But it does seem like you lot up North have forgotten what it takes to be a real rugby player. They all come down South for some real coaching. You think being a bolter is all you need..