hate SBW all you want for the Boxing, media attention and one year contracts. But he's not Rubbish, hes arguably the best 12 in the comp and clearly the best 12 in New Zealand.
Apparently there will be a 35 man All Black Training squad named this sunday that I think will get together for two camps(?) before the squad is named proper. That will be interesting enough.
I hope it's not a conservative squad when it's finally named. year one after the world cup is the best year to blood young players and pick on form. But test rugby is a trickey beast and The All Blacks are the one team in the world that always pick to win pretty much every time. Picking all new talent and inexperience just to devalop a side and potentially lose a game to Ireland with the main goal being to devalop for the future is not how the AB's work. The selectors will first and foremost be picking a squad that will win all three tests and to do that it needs experience. Tricky picking more than one or two new caps in a squad of 30.
Really the problem positions are Lock, the 4th Prop, 6th lose forward, halfbacks and outside backs. And at the end of the day it's going to be some specific markers the selectors are looking for that determine who's in and out...
If I were the coaches and I wanted to do a major cleanout. This would be my selection! (dont take it too seriously)
props: Woodcock, Franksx2, Toby Smith
hooker: Hore or mealamu (not both, Hore would be my first pick), Elliot, Coles
lock: Whitelock, Boric (if fit), Retalick, Broadhurst
Loose: McCaw, Read, Messam, Todd, Vito - Seriously, I would shift McCaw to 6 full time.
9: Leonard, Smith, Perrinara
10, Carter, Cruden
midfield: Smith, kahui, Nonu, SBW
outside backs: Guildford, Jane, Dagg, Ben Smith, Andre Taylor
- toby smith to me looks like a player that will some day be an all black, limited gametime this year due to injuries but I think now is the time with Afoa out of the picture - Carlie next in line.
- I dont think now is the time to carry two hookers who may not make it to 2015
- I see big futures for those 4 locks, I hope Boric comes back if not Ali Williams will be needed. Broadhurst is another player that to me just looks like he should be devaloped as a test player (like Toby Smith)
- McCaw should move to 6 now, the time is right. Toss a coin between Todd and Cane I think both are good enough.
- Total cleanout of the halfbacks. Leonard is in great form and still pretty young an the way he play prioritizes the players outside him. Those two young guns have too much talent to ignore.
- 10-13 options pick themselves, barrett next in line for 10 and Ellison/Crotty next in line for midfield. I honestly see Barrett overtaking Cruden in due course.
- Gear has had a number of chances at test level and in my view he hasn't delivered enough, in particular against Aussie and SA. One of those things, the vast majority of wingers peak before their mid 20's, in particular for players that rely on speed and power (Gear) more than all round skill (jane, Kahui).
Apparently there will be a 35 man All Black Training squad named this sunday that I think will get together for two camps(?) before the squad is named proper. That will be interesting enough.
I hope it's not a conservative squad when it's finally named. year one after the world cup is the best year to blood young players and pick on form. But test rugby is a trickey beast and The All Blacks are the one team in the world that always pick to win pretty much every time. Picking all new talent and inexperience just to devalop a side and potentially lose a game to Ireland with the main goal being to devalop for the future is not how the AB's work. The selectors will first and foremost be picking a squad that will win all three tests and to do that it needs experience. Tricky picking more than one or two new caps in a squad of 30.
Really the problem positions are Lock, the 4th Prop, 6th lose forward, halfbacks and outside backs. And at the end of the day it's going to be some specific markers the selectors are looking for that determine who's in and out...
If I were the coaches and I wanted to do a major cleanout. This would be my selection! (dont take it too seriously)
props: Woodcock, Franksx2, Toby Smith
hooker: Hore or mealamu (not both, Hore would be my first pick), Elliot, Coles
lock: Whitelock, Boric (if fit), Retalick, Broadhurst
Loose: McCaw, Read, Messam, Todd, Vito - Seriously, I would shift McCaw to 6 full time.
9: Leonard, Smith, Perrinara
10, Carter, Cruden
midfield: Smith, kahui, Nonu, SBW
outside backs: Guildford, Jane, Dagg, Ben Smith, Andre Taylor
- toby smith to me looks like a player that will some day be an all black, limited gametime this year due to injuries but I think now is the time with Afoa out of the picture - Carlie next in line.
- I dont think now is the time to carry two hookers who may not make it to 2015
- I see big futures for those 4 locks, I hope Boric comes back if not Ali Williams will be needed. Broadhurst is another player that to me just looks like he should be devaloped as a test player (like Toby Smith)
- McCaw should move to 6 now, the time is right. Toss a coin between Todd and Cane I think both are good enough.
- Total cleanout of the halfbacks. Leonard is in great form and still pretty young an the way he play prioritizes the players outside him. Those two young guns have too much talent to ignore.
- 10-13 options pick themselves, barrett next in line for 10 and Ellison/Crotty next in line for midfield. I honestly see Barrett overtaking Cruden in due course.
- Gear has had a number of chances at test level and in my view he hasn't delivered enough, in particular against Aussie and SA. One of those things, the vast majority of wingers peak before their mid 20's, in particular for players that rely on speed and power (Gear) more than all round skill (jane, Kahui).
