SuperRugby - Blues vs Hurricanes - 23/03/2012

[Gena_ZA]

How does Rudi Wulf rate?

 

[nickdnz]

How does Rudi Wulf rate?

If your darwin, pretty highly.

I don't see him getting in the All Blacks this year. He's liked by Hansen, but I can't see him being selected in front of all the other talent out there. Once again though, he's got those skills that the selectors like. He's solid under the high ball, has a kicking game and makes few errors. I don't think he'll ever light the world on fire, but he may be a long shot for the All Blacks.

 

[Icemn]

Savea remind me of Lomu Big strong, can't kick a ball to save his life

you guys are forgetting about Rene Ranger as well also a big threat on the wing, can play centre as well...

what about SBW on the wing??? lol
if they can play guildford paddaman, on the wing, why not Gear? both are speciality wingers... this in not the world cup anymore... but Kahui is actually better on the wing then on centre...go figure for me atleast... gear needs to up his work rate... like he's been doing at the landers...

i would like to see bateman get a all black call up aswell... not a lot of 12 centre's coming through to compete with Ma'a... hell maybe even Barrett as well, the sooner the better...

how do you guys rate the New AB coaching staff???? will teh good rugby continue? of will there be changes to more of a kicking game.... that will be the day, when i stop watching rugby....

 

[Gena_ZA]

lol, they might just read this and start to kick to get rid of him

 

[nickdnz]

Savea remind me of Lomu Big strong, can't kick a ball to save his life

you guys are forgetting about Rene Ranger as well also a big threat on the wing, can play centre as well...

what about SBW on the wing??? lol
if they can play guildford paddaman, on the wing, why not Gear? both are speciality wingers... this in not the world cup anymore... but Kahui is actually better on the wing then on centre...go figure for me atleast... gear needs to up his work rate... like he's been doing at the landers...

i would like to see bateman get a all black call up aswell... not a lot of 12 centre's coming through to compete with Ma'a... hell maybe even Barrett as well, the sooner the better...

how do you guys rate the New AB coaching staff???? will teh good rugby continue? of will there be changes to more of a kicking game.... that will be the day, when i stop watching rugby....

1. Not forgetting Ranger, I just don't think he'll get a call up. His discipline is one of the big issues for me. I think he has the potential to be a great centre if he worked on his skills, but doesn't quite have the same pace as Savea or Gear in my opinion. Certainly can finish though and is always dangerous with ball. If he can fix some of his problems like discipline then he may have a shot.

2. Sonny Bill Williams is not a winger. He's not exceptionally fast and his major asset is distribution which is lost on the wing. Hated him getting games on the wing in the RWC. Also it is looking like he's leaving to the NRL next season, so I wouldn't invest in him too much.

3. Richard Kahui is much better at centre in my opinion. He has all the skills to be the best centre in the world if Conrad Smith wasn't already filling that position.

4. I think Gear's work rate is fine. It's been pretty decent at the Highlanders so far. It's more important for me that the winger is able to finish tries from the wing than look for work but goes missing when the ball is fired out wide. As it so happens, Gear has spent a lot of time this season running the inside channel off Colin Slade, so I think he's certainly kept himself busy (and thus hasn't made as many fantastic runs on the outside )

5. Bateman has been a big suprise for me this season. He's looked much, much better than I'd have given him credit for (did the most amazing behind the back pass I've ever seen against the Western Force). He is very good. That said with Ma'a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams in the All Black frame I think he'd find it hard to get a look in, and I wouldn't be suprised to see Tamati Ellison moved to 2nd 5/8th or as you said Barrett may be an option there, so I think he's some way off.

6. I'm sure the good rugby will continue. There are plenty of world class players. As for the coaching staff, I'm not really very convinced. Steve Hansen was the logical replacement to Graham Henry so I can't argue too much there (although Cotter was probably my first choice), but Ian Foster as assistant coach is amazing. Season after season of failure with the Chiefs. His record under the Chiefs is 4th, 6th, 7th, 6th, 7th, 2nd, 11th, 10th (last in NZ conference). That's eight season of building a squad and failing to get results. So no, I'm not convinced with Ian Foster as assistant coach. To top it off, both Hansen and Foster are too of the dullest and depressed looking humans on the planet. If we won the World Cup in 2015, they'd still make me depressed.

 

[donmcdazzle]

Gear can't kick, neither can Wulf. That said they're both big, strong and fast. I wouldn't pick either of them though to be honest. I want Gear to be awesome sice he is a physical specimen, but he just isn't as good as he looks like he should be. Honestly I think Kade Poki does more good things in games than Gear, which is weird when you look at them.

Ranger is destructive, breaks more tackles and makes more things happen than pretty much any other winger/centre, but he does almost as many silly things as good things. I'd still be tempted pick him on the bench to put on if we were down and needed a spark.

No idea how Foster has got in the AB frame, must be mates with Hansen. He consistently pumped out rubbish Chiefs teams (bar one year they made the final).

 

[Larksea]

I'm not the biggest fan of foster I think he made some mistakes and he persisted with players that really did not help the team - persisting with Sweaney at 12 for so long it left Donald and Kahui visibly frustrated on the field at times. There are some good things to his coaching and his results. Even last year yes the chiefs were last in NZ but the hurricanes were only better because they got 2 free points from the called off crusaders game that they would have surely lost as the Crusaders were very strong at the time. And last year I think the chiefs won 3 out of 4 games against South African sides which is a good result.

The thing that really hit the chiefs year in year out which foster has to shoulder some blame for is the slow starts to many seasons. Chiefs constantly lost games they should have won in the first 5-6 rounds.

There were two years in his record that the chiefs were decimated with injuries and that would kill all chances for any side that doesn't have the depth the crusaders/Blues or Bulls/Stormers have.

2009 stood out as the year the chiefs were lucky with injuries and they actually got to play to their potential at one stage won something like 14 games in a row? And even though they were well beaten in the final they were one competition point away from having that final in NZ and the result could have been a lot different.

Also consider the fact that the chiefs squad in general has the weakest tight 5 on paper out of all NZ teams, I think that's the big difference between him and Pat Lam. The problem for Lam is that he's producing bad sides with a squad full of All Blacks and the biggest player catchment in New Zealand.

Not the best coach in the world no but there is more to it than week in week out results. He's well respected by the players and he's one of the only guys in NZ that will be as good with the players and Media as Ted was.

That said I would have been pretty happy if the NZRU had stepped in and secured Vern Cotter as an assistant.

If anything I'm more concerned about Hansen, out of the "three wise men" I think he was the only one who dragged the line at times and he was also the one with the biggest ego.

Either way these guy have two season to prove that they can maintain the All Blacks Momentum else the jobs will be back on the market.

 

[lance2010]

Anyone heard what Peter Russell is up to he should be the Blues new head coach,he did wonders for Hawkes Bay before he was given the boot.
Lam is going no where with this Blues team this year...

 

[Icemn]

Don't think Weepu is done. Didn't have a great game at 10, but looked fine in the halfback role. Just needs game time, I certainly wouldn't write him off (he was very average in Super Rugby in 2010 and then went on to be awsome for the All Blacks).

He got rid of Nonu not because he's a bad player but because he felt he was disruptive in the team enviroment. Tim Bateman has been class for the Hurricanes (really underestimated him at the beginning of the season) but I'm sure if given the option of a positive attitude Nonu or Bateman Hammett would pick Nonu. Andrew Hore was also released apparently because of his midweek drinking and attitude. The Hurricanes tried pretty hard to sign Hosea Gear (he's very well liked by the Wellington Rugby Football Union), however Gear wished to leave. Had nothing to do with him as a player. In fact it'd be very hard to justify getting rid of Gear as a player and then put Julian Savea on the wing who is like a younger less refined version (albeit a beast). Gear's been very good for the Highlanders.

Agreed that Cory Jane has best fend in world rugby. It's amazing.

I'm going to back the Hurricanes next week against the Cheetahs. Playing at home they should be able to do it. This Hurricanes team has also been very consistant, they've looked good in every game even the two they lost against the Stormers and Highlanders they've looked good. I think that's part of what Hammett has brought to the side. If I have any real worry with the Hurricanes it's depth. If Peranara, Barrett or any of the back three get injured we're in trouble.

what did i tell you???

 

[nickdnz]

what did i tell you???

Haha, called it.