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Super Rugby: Blues vs. Highlanders in Auckland (05/04/2013)

Darwin

AKA Dingo_Darwin
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Highlanders
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Eden Park, Auckland
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Blues:
Charles Piutau, Frank Halai, Rene Ranger, Jackson Willison, George Moala, Chris Noakes, Piri Weepu, Peter Saili, Luke Braid, Steven Luatua, Culum Retallick, Ali Williams (c), Angus Ta'avao, James Parsons, Tim Perry.
Reserves: Keven Mealamu, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Anthony Boric, Brendon O'Connor, Jamison Gibson-Park, Baden Kerr, Francis Saili.

Two changes in the starting XV for the Blues, with Willison getting his first start for the Blues at 12, and Tim Perry starting at LH prop. Francis Saili has been good this season, but struggled a bit against the Chiefs last weekend, so it may be a good idea to give Willison (who has been solid off the bench this season) a shot. Meanwhile Keven Mealamu will be making his return from injury from the bench. Personally I would have given Brendon O'Connor a start in the 7 jersey and shifted Luke Braid to 8, as O'Connor has impressed me whenever he has been on the field this season.

The Highlanders will likely be named tomorrow morning, and it will be interesting to see what we do. Woodcock is still not 100%, and Kade Poki is doubtful with his rib injury too. Personally I would drop both Woodcock and Hore from the starting XV - I think the front-row of 1. King, 2. Coltman, 3. Fia is the best we have at the moment. I would keep Woodcock and Hore on the bench (if they are both 100% fit) as their experience could be vital in the final 20 mins if the game is close. Bekhuis and Thorn should start at lock again, but we need to sort out our loose-trio. I would go with 6. Grant, 7. Hardie, 8. Dixon, but Grant doesn't seem to be in the picture at the moment for some reason, despite training with the squad (6. Hardie, 7. Boys, 8. Dixon would be my second choice). I suspect they may be tempted to start Ioane at 6 - as much as I'm not a fan of his, I don't think he will be any less effective at 6 than Hoeata/Wheeler.

The backline more or less picks itself, with Popoali'i likely to start again on the right wing if Poki is out injured. Slade really needs to step-up at 10, otherwise I would be tempted to give either Sopoaga or (even better) Parker a shot. Sopoaga did have a shocker against the Cheetahs (and still struggles to control a game), but I think his creativeness at 10 could be just what the Highlanders need...
 
I think Sopoaga and Ioane are good off the bench for when the opposition is a bit tired.
 
I can see the Blues winning this one

for the highlanders I think Mackintosh should start. They need some inspiration, some fizz, something to spark them. He is a talkative big man and I recon by now he must be like a wound up spring watching the team he's been leading and building for years lose week in and week out from the sidelines. Heck put Cabbage in there too while we are at it, these guys have won the highlanders games in the past with their individual performances, high standards and attitude
 
I can see the Blues winning this one

for the highlanders I think Mackintosh should start. They need some inspiration, some fizz, something to spark them. He is a talkative big man and I recon by now he must be like a wound up spring watching the team he's been leading and building for years lose week in and week out from the sidelines. Heck put Cabbage in there too while we are at it, these guys have won the highlanders games in the past with their individual performances, high standards and attitude

Personally I wouldn't start MackIntosh. Though he would probably add a bit around the park, he is still useless at scrum time. I don't think we can afford to weaken our scrum, given it is one of the few areas of the game haven't been completely hopeless this season (and is an area I believe we should be targeting the Blues). However if Woodcock isn't 100% I would certainly look at having MackIntosh on the bench with King and Fia starting.
 
agreed. whoppa will not provide the stable platform that back line needs if it is ever going to fire

I keep thinking were going to explode at any moment........but we dont...so all i'm going to say is we COULD win this by fifty....but wont
 
I'll tell you guys what, we (the Hurricanes) feel bad for you so we are happy to lend you a whole loose forward trio. You can have 6.Shields 7.Lam 8.Savea and we'll still have 6.Levave 7.Lowe 8.Vito. Won't be a problem for us at all.
 
As a Blues fan, I have a bad feeling this will be the game that Highlanders get their long-heralded win.

The Highlanders must surely click at some stage... hopefully it isn't this Friday!

The Blues must show some patience in their execution, and the backs must show something more than simply shifting the ball laterally on attack.
Also, the forwards need a breakdown performance more akin to their one against the Chiefs, than the one against the Waratahs.
More effort from The Blues across the board is required.
 
I'll tell you guys what, we (the Hurricanes) feel bad for you so we are happy to lend you a whole loose forward trio. You can have 6.Shields 7.Lam 8.Savea and we'll still have 6.Levave 7.Lowe 8.Vito. Won't be a problem for us at all.

that's harsh, Blues just have a problem with #8 and backup options. I think it was a mistake leaving polwart out, he started to look really good in the ITM cup. It is true that Auckland seem to be the squad struggling for loose forward depth, highlanders are next. Chiefs, Canes and Crusaders seem to have great depth and ability 6-8

Going to be a good game, prob come down to which 9-10 combo fires.

wtf is going on with the forum, in the super rugby section I just get a big blue box covering everything, can't see the threads!@
 
Highlanders:
1. Jamie Mackintosh
2. Andrew Hore (Captain)
3. Chris King
4. Brad Thorn
5. Josh Bekhuis
6. Jarrad Hoeata
7. John Hardie
8. Mose Tuiali'i
9. Aaron Smith
10. Colin Slade
11. Hosea Gear (Vice-captain)
12. Ma'a Nonu
13. Jason Emery
14. Buxton Popoalii
15. Ben Smith
Reserves
16. Liam Coltman
17. Ma'afu Fia
18. TJ Ioane
19. Elliot Dixon
20. Fumiaki Tanaka
21. Lima Sopoaga
22. Phil Burleigh

Not the worst looking side, but I'm not happy with a couple of the selections. Woodcock has been ruled out, with MackIntosh to get his first start of the season - personally I would have preferred Fia, as I thought we could have targeted the Blues scrum. I'm disappointed to see Hoeata still starting at 6 - how long will it take Joseph to work out he isn't near quick enough to be effective in the loose-forwards with the current Highlanders game-plan? Tuiali'i goes straight into 8, which is a bit disappointing too, as Dixon has looked promising from the back of the scrum. The backline is as predicted - we really need Slade and Nonu to step-up this match!
 
While whopper doesn't offer a lot, especially at scrum time I feel as though he is a good leader...something the highlanders really need.
 
Aw man I was hoping they'd start Kerr this week, he was really good when he came on last week
 
no win so far for the poor landers :( unfair as they have not been bad (i think :?) just unlucky to be part of a tough conference

will be an interesting game
 
Highlanders:
1. Jamie Mackintosh
2. Andrew Hore (Captain)
3. Chris King
4. Brad Thorn
5. Josh Bekhuis
6. Jarrad Hoeata
7. John Hardie
8. Mose Tuiali’i
9. Aaron Smith
10. Colin Slade
11. Hosea Gear (Vice-captain)
12. Ma’a Nonu
13. Jason Emery
14. Buxton Popoalii
15. Ben Smith
Reserves
16. Liam Coltman
17. Ma’afu Fia
18. TJ Ioane
19. Elliot Dixon
20. Fumiaki Tanaka
21. Lima Sopoaga
22. Phil Burleigh

Not the worst looking side, but I'm not happy with a couple of the selections. Woodcock has been ruled out, with MackIntosh to get his first start of the season - personally I would have preferred Fia, as I thought we could have targeted the Blues scrum. I'm disappointed to see Hoeata still starting at 6 - how long will it take Joseph to work out he isn't near quick enough to be effective in the loose-forwards with the current Highlanders game-plan? Tuiali'i goes straight into 8, which is a bit disappointing too, as Dixon has looked promising from the back of the scrum. The backline is as predicted - we really need Slade and Nonu to step-up this match!

I would agree that the scrum is somehwere they should have targeted the blues, but they also desperately need a lift in attitude and confidence and maybe makintosh will help provide that. maybe makintosh will make hore raise his game, and there is a big difference between an energetic hore and a passive one (insert prostitute joke here). Joseph strikes me as the kind of coach who has a good plan A but no plan B. I used to be a big fan of Hoeata, but he's growing off me. He's a bit caught in the middle - not big enough for lock and not fast enough for flanker. Tualii is a surprise, after 4 years in japan it will likely be a very tough adjustment for him. In saying that he'll be fit as the japanese game is a fast one, so that could be a good thing for their game plan.
 
I would agree that the scrum is somehwere they should have targeted the blues, but they also desperately need a lift in attitude and confidence and maybe makintosh will help provide that. maybe makintosh will make hore raise his game, and there is a big difference between an energetic hore and a passive one (insert prostitute joke here). Joseph strikes me as the kind of coach who has a good plan A but no plan B. I used to be a big fan of Hoeata, but he's growing off me. He's a bit caught in the middle - not big enough for lock and not fast enough for flanker. Tualii is a surprise, after 4 years in japan it will likely be a very tough adjustment for him. In saying that he'll be fit as the japanese game is a fast one, so that could be a good thing for their game plan.

I agree Joseph seems to have no plan B. The real problem the Highlanders are having this season is they don't have the team to execute plan A, and that plan A (throw the ball from side to side and hope something happens) isn't really a game-plan I really have a lot of faith in at the best of times...

Anyways, onto the game tonight. The Blues should obviously start as favourites, but I do think the Highlanders have a very realistic chance of winning (on paper at least....). There are a few key things the Highlanders need to be doing if they have any chance of winning:
- Target he Blues scrum. The Blues scrum was a real weapon last season with Woodcock and Faumuina, but Woodcock gone and Faumunina injured the front-row looks vunerable. McCartney has actually done a resonable job at LH prop this season (for a converted hooker), but I'm still not convinced with Ta'avao's scrummaging at this level. Unfortunately with MackIntosh starting we probably don't have the front-row to exploit the Blues, but I do hope we at least try to put pressure on them at scrum time.
- Be more aggressive at the breakdown. This was a real feature of the Highlanders game last season, but seems to be missing this season. We don't have an overly fast or aggressive defensive line, so we need some way of getting the ball off the opposition, hence we need to be stealing more ball in this area.
- Kick accurately. The Highlanders don't tend to kick much, apart from the odd box-kick by Aaron Smith, but I think an intelligent kicking game will be vital against the Blues. I actually think targetting the Blues wings with box-kicks could be an effective tactic (assuming it is executed correctly), while the Chiefs found a lot of space behind the Blues wings last weekend too...
- Target Chris Noakes. Noakes has been good for the Blues this season, but he is a bit of a liability on defense. I would love to Ma'a Nonu running straight at him, while using Hosea Gear running off Slade's shoulder is another good option (and has worked well in the past).
- Make some space for the outside backs. For this the Highlanders need two things: quick ball at the breakdown, and the inside backs to run straight (and obviously pass the ball). Emery, Popoali'i, Gear, and Smith are all very dangerous - we just need to give them some quality ball!

There are certainly a number of areas they Blues will look to target: the Highlanders shaky lineout, the lack of mobility of the Highlanders loose-forwards (I predict Ranger will cause a lot of turnovers out-wide), Popoali'i lacks of size on the wing etc.... Overall I'm actually picking this will be a close match, but I'm picking the Blues by 5 due to their home advantage.
 
Wow Mose straight into business. Also Mack gets a start as I hoped, I think what ever he gives away at scrum time he will more than make up for around the park and with leadership/attitude.

key for highlanders plain and simple is Colin Slade rediscovering something near good form, and kicking the damn goals. Key for the blues I think is the tight 5 producing ball that allows the backs to burn. Will be interesting to see how Willison goes.

Generally the higlanders have looked like a team of stars rather than a star team, and really been short because of some bad decisions made on the park.

I hate games like this, Ben Smith is like my favorite player and I want the Highlanders to win. Yet I have kinda adopted the blues as I've lived in Auckland for 10 years. I think I'd rather see the blues win.
 
Mose is back haha good to see him back. Liked him when he was with the crusaders, thought he could of stayed in NZ longer to earn more caps in the ABs. Havent seen any of the no.8s for the highlanders but I would have thought their fans would be grateful for having a player like Mose in their team. Huge boost. Hopefully he can provide the highlanders with some go forward in offense and some sting in defense.
 
Mose is back haha good to see him back. Liked him when he was with the crusaders, thought he could of stayed in NZ longer to earn more caps in the ABs. Havent seen any of the no.8s for the highlanders but I would have thought their fans would be grateful for having a player like Mose in their team. Huge boost. Hopefully he can provide the highlanders with some go forward in offense and some sting in defense.

Tuiali'i was a good Super Rugby player. 5 years ago. When he was in his prime, and playing top level rugby every week. I would love to be proven wrong, but I would be very surprised if he is near the same player as he was when he left. Considering our season is pretty much a write-off already surely it would make more sense to pick some younger players and build for the future rather than continually bringing in 'has-beens' from Japan, who has no future with the Hgihlanders....
 

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