[November Tests 2017 EOYT] France vs. New Zealand (11/11/2017)

[smartcooky]

I Wonder if NZ let FR play during 2nd half in order to collect some data about opposent sides.
Does that make sense?

No, I doubt it, particularly as this was nowhere near a top French side.

 

[smartcooky]

I thought gardner had a good game. happy for him to be in charge of these big fixtures

Angus is an excellent referee, best in SANZAAR. and heading for the top internationally. Best ref on show during the Lions series by a very long mile.

 

[mania]

The real question is, does what he offers as a player outweigh the dumb stuff he does from time to time... only Shag can answer that.

imho yes. SBW is evolving as a player. this year he's been working on his power game. ironically the best thing that couldve happened to him is getting owned by beale in the first aus test. beale was all over him and showed him that despite SBW being a big strong powerful player a smaller smarter player can still come out on top. and an adage i always spout "a small smart player will always beat a big dumb player"
SBW got pay backs in the 3rd aus test against beale and i reckon got into beales head and disrupted his mojo.
SBW's also been working on his rucks and mauls. he's deliberately improving himself and attacking rucks and mauls that are contestable.
i just hope SBW doesnt lose his finesse. when SBW played league he was famaous for his power plays as well as his fine touches. he's working on bringing this game to union. if he succeeds then he'll be awesome.

if not we have lots of other centres knocking on the door.

speaking of which charlieNgatai had an awesome game for the maori's and should be getting picked next season if he stays injury free. crotty and ngatai is something i've been hoping to see for awhile now.

 

[mania]

with coles out injured its time to fast track in aumua i reckon.
harris is OK, has a throw in just as accurate as coles, if not more so, is solid in the tight5 work but doesn't bring much else to the table.
aumua has a lot to offer and i would just like to see him get some game time and see how quickly he can bring his ITM game to test rugby. the sooner he does that the better it will be for the ABs

 

[mania]

oh yeah; and naholo is the man

 

[FrenchFan]

But that there are coaches who may have had success in the past with more forward, breakdown and territory orientated play that cannot adjust to the new rules (Noves, Coetzee and to some extent Gatland).

And it makes a freaking huge difference to a sides performance.

Not really. The issues facing Noves are structural not coaching.

His recall of Bastaraud is a step backwards. And it's the result of Laporte's increasing interference because Laporte rates Bastaraud from his years at Toulon, Noves doesn't and he hasn't been shy in saying so.
Laporte is an increasingly overbearing president with a finger in every pie, incl. the coaching of the national team. This is why I said Noves might as well pack up and go home if he's pressurised in making coaching decisions he doesn't want make.

The rotten union environment he's dealing with is going to eventually blow up into the union's face at the next RWC. This is what happened with the last selector whom the union placed under FFR vice president Blanco that led to the disastrous showing at the last RWC. Here we go again. The union just can't help themselves. They are looking down the barrell of a pool exit at the rate this is going.

Noves in the right environment - that the union has failed to create around the national team - should be able to bring more to the coaching table than he is now.

 

[mania]

His recall of Bastaraud is a step backwards. .

whilst Bastaraud played well with ball in hand, the rest of the time he was absent.

 

[AM_Bokke]

Angus is an excellent referee, best in SANZAAR. and heading for the top internationally. Best ref on show during the Lions series by a very long mile.

Yeah, I think that Angus is better than O'Keith. Not that O'Keith is bad per say but I think that Angus is stronger. I think that O'Keith can be influenced by the occasion in a way that Gardner is not. I am a Boks fan so I admit bias but I think that Murray and Sexton called more penalties yesterday than O'Keith did. Not that he had a bad game as a ref, but I think that he is a little bit more influenceable than Gardner.

 

[AM_Bokke]

I thought that this was a typical NZ game. Fast, exciting and NZ has a little bit of a "bend don't break" defensive style.

I think that NZ were in total control and the narrative that "France dominated the 2nd half" is a little bit much. NZ has discipline issues but it is a part of their domination of the sport. They play on the edge.

I am excited for Boks vs France. As of right now I think that it will be very close. Both teams have mental issues and it is a matter of who comes out on top psychologically next week if you ask me.

As of right now I want to predict a 23-23 draw.

 

[mania]

and for the few minutes todd was on he showed a good reason why he's ahead of ardie. i mean ardie is awesome and dynamic but todds sublime and accurate

 

[Kiwiwomble]

imho yes. SBW is evolving as a player. this year he's been working on his power game. ironically the best thing that couldve happened to him is getting owned by beale in the first aus test. beale was all over him and showed him that despite SBW being a big strong powerful player a smaller smarter player can still come out on top. and an adage i always spout "a small smart player will always beat a big dumb player"
SBW got pay backs in the 3rd aus test against beale and i reckon got into beales head and disrupted his mojo.
SBW's also been working on his rucks and mauls. he's deliberately improving himself and attacking rucks and mauls that are contestable.
i just hope SBW doesnt lose his finesse. when SBW played league he was famaous for his power plays as well as his fine touches. he's working on bringing this game to union. if he succeeds then he'll be awesome.

if not we have lots of other centres knocking on the door.

speaking of which charlieNgatai had an awesome game for the maori's and should be getting picked next season if he stays injury free. crotty and ngatai is something i've been hoping to see for awhile now.

do we really want our first string players to still be evolving? and especially at 32 years old, a 20 year old that we're going to get a decade of world class performances out of is one thing but this might be taking a "project player" a little far. its on things to be progressing from excellent to the best in the world...its another to say he's working on knowing the rules.

I have to admit i'm a bit harsher because SC and I had this very discussion about an Otago game where one of our guys got binned and penalty tried for batting it dead....so now i think im an expert

 

[mania]

I have to admit i'm a bit harsher because SC and I had this very discussion about an Otago game where one of our guys got binned and penalty tried for batting it dead....so now i think im an expert

you should always be evolving regardless of how good u think u are.
SBW isnt aqn everyday kind of player

 

[Kiwiwomble]

you should always be evolving regardless of how good u think u are.
SBW isnt aqn everyday kind of player

evolving like introducing the grubber into his game, agreed, good (although maybe not quite so often)

evolving as in learning rules and trying not to get red carded, not good

 

[smartcooky]

evolving like introducing the grubber into his game, agreed, good (although maybe not quite so often)

I don't recall ever seeing SBW grubber kick in RL.

evolving as in learning rules and trying not to get red carded, not good

If I was coaching him, I would take him into a school classroom and make him write on the blackboard 100 times...

"I will not bat the ball dead, and I will not shoulder charge opponents"

 

[The Jones Boy]

That is why I posted the actual Law, genius, or did you tune out to the actual relevant part of the post?

.

So... in your words... we can take it as written that the only relevant material you post is rules verbatim, any content 'you' write isn't relevant?
Lol

 

[smartcooky]

So... in your words... we can take it as written that the only relevant material you post is rules verbatim, any content 'you' write isn't relevant?
Lol

You've been in England too long... its messed with your brain and you've become a whinging pedant!

 

[The Jones Boy]

Coming from the Pedant in chief that's high praise indeed.

Be careful what you wish for, the removal men have been this week and all our worldly possessions have been collected for transportation to the home of the Rugby World Cup.
We will be home before xmas and into our house by the middle of January.
Come on the Taniwha

 

[Icemn]

The one shining light was Antoine Dupont. Imagine what a player he'd be behind a dominant pack.

this... can wait for him to run rings around SA