Originally posted by Rassie@May 15 2006, 08:49 PM
IMO, and don`t call me racist, the Blues suck due to the large number of islanders inthe team!
Why PI`S will never do anything in a WRC? Easy, they lack brains! Having them in such a large numbers in a team will lead you to be last!
On News Talkback with Murray Deaker they brought up this topic a few months ago.....this was highlighted by the Warriors dismal performances. A few callers bemoaned about there being too many islanders in the Blues as to why they were losing.
Though after about an hour deaker confessed that it was an "Auckland" problem......their rugby/league/netball/cricket/basketball/touch/ etc etc teams were losing and were no longer at the top.
In some ways Rassie is right.....rugby is just as much a mind game as it is a physical one. Islanders with their leanings towards grunt and flair do tend to rely more on the physical.
The Crusaders are not a showy team but have proven their success with the right rugby nous at precisely the right time. Their game is always a step ahead. Yes they are also full of white guys compared to the Blues.
However.....the Polynesians (Maoris included in this) who do end up with the Crusaders always seem to play better and more intelligently. Crusaders history is full of brown players who arrived and turned into superstars when at their old clubs they were merely...players. Currently they have key players in their squad who are non-whites and who are vital to their game plan.
What is the common factor in all this? What makes the Crusaders successful over the long haul?
Team philosophy and coaching....the Crusaders get all sorts of rugby rejects from all over the place....big, small, short, tall, brown, white. The players change but the results remain the same.
Me and a friend often comment on how Island guys like the Wellington boys and some Auckland boys would be untouchable if they were in the Crusaders and learning the Crusaders ways. Jerry Collins is a better No8 than Tualii. Rokocoko, Howlett, and even the chiefs players Muliaiina, Sivivatu, and Anesi have got light years on Hamilton and Ralph. Imagine how much more lethal the Crusaders would be if they got in a couple of these outside backs. Rico Gear was just a utility with the Blues but now he is like a star. Casey Laulala was a nobody at Counties, Leo'o was another reject, etc etc.
Sailor used to comment on how the Crusaders are the team that best reflect the culture he experienced at the Broncos. Imagine if sailor was in the Crusaders on the wing instead of Ralph. What about Tuqiri instead of Hamilton?
Man for man the Blues have more better players than the Crusaders do and would be picked first for the AB's. In fact if you went around all the NZ franchises you would find that man for man the Crusaders are not that dominant at all if ever.
They dominate because of their training.
So in conclusion...........the Blues do not suck because of their PI dominance. NZ selection is not racially based but performance motivated. The Blues suck because with all their talent they are coached badly and selections are awry. Once these Blues PI's go back to Henry's training camp they magically transform into world beating AB's.
