Warm Up Match 4: Highlanders v British & Irish Lions (Dunedin)

[GoTheNaki]

Yea Barrett is the 1st star 10 the Canes have had, and the Blues haven't had one since Carlos. The Saders have always had one, and the Landers and Chiefs have generally been pretty well off.
As for the Farrell thing, wasn't the original question whether or not any of the Super Rugby franchises would prefer him to there current 10s? I think the simple answer is the Blues would, the rest wouldn't.

Ive already answered this guy and he just steps over it or changes angles everytime... Maybe he doesnt like the answer hes getting? Afterall, Farrell has been "impressive", lol.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Stephen Perofeta has not displayed anything yet to indicate that he has what it takes to be a top Super Rugby player.

He played well at the U20 World Cup and then was average for Taranaki in the ITM Cup (where he played at 15). He has had a ridiculous amount of pressure place on his shoulders by being touted as the Blues saviour at 10 and I can't help but think that it probably isn't going to work out. Maybe if he runs the ship well for Taranaki this year then we can start saying he could be the long term 10 for the Blues, but until then he's just another 'promising' player who has been unrealistically (and unfairly) hyped up.

 

[GoTheNaki]

Stephen Perofeta has not displayed anything yet to indicate that he has what it takes to be a top Super Rugby player.

He played well at the U20 World Cup and then was average for Taranaki in the ITM Cup (where he played at 15). He has had a ridiculous amount of pressure place on his shoulders by being touted as the Blues saviour at 10 and I can't help but think that it probably isn't going to work out. Maybe if he runs the ship well for Taranaki this year then we can start saying he could be the long term 10 for the Blues, but until then he's just another 'promising' player who has been unrealistically (and unfairly) hyped up.

So was Jordie Barrett tho. Lack luster U20s, i wasnt really on the hype train that early. Played alright for the Cantabs, snapped up by the Canes, and well, NMS injured and the rest is history.

 

[GoTheNaki]

Jordie Barrett was hyped up, and billed as "the best brother". This was at 17/18 these talks were already happening. This was the rumours coming out of his school which is in my county.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

So was Jordie Barrett tho. Lack luster U20s, i wasnt really on the hype train that early. Played alright for the Cantabs, snapped up by the Canes, and well, NMS injured and the rest is history.

Jordie Barrett was fantastic for Canterbury though.

 

[GoTheNaki]

Jordie Barrett was fantastic for Canterbury though.

It's Canterbury though... Won it 8 of the last 10 times. Taranaki arent equiped like them.

You stick a kid with talent into a team that wins almost every year, then yeah. He is probably gonna play well.

There are plenty of things wrong with Taranaki rugby tbh.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

It's Canterbury though... Won it 8 of the last 10 times. Taranaki arent equiped like them.

You stick a kid with talent into a team that wins almost every year, then yeah. He is probably gonna play well.

There are plenty of things wrong with Taranaki rugby tbh.

Well whether or not Jordie Barrett turned (/turns) out good based on how much he was (/is) hyped should have no impact on whether or not Perofeta turns out good.

The fact of the matter is that we haven't seen anything from him to indicate he's 'the next big thing'. There are plenty of U20 players who haven't made the grade: Simon Hickey, Ihaia West, Marty McKenzie, Tyler Bleyendaal, Hayden Parker - and those are only the guys that actually made it to Super Rugby, there are plenty of others who barely played provincial rugby. Of course there are many who have progressed, but it's too early to say which category Perofeta will be in, and it's certainly too early to say he'll be the Blues saviour.

Happy to agree to disagree though!

 

[The Jones Boy]

If I was Tana I'd be looking hard at Perofeta's game at Taranaki and see how he develops in a team that isn't always fancied.
I'd also be looking for someone else to fill the gap because Ihaia West isn't doing the business and Francis is average at best.
The next Blues 10 doesn't need to be a mercurial player like Spencer.
I'd be happy to have another Grant Fox thanks very much.
Kick everything that gets offered from the tee, have an enormous punt and try as much as possible to feed the backline, running isn't that important at 10 if he does the first three very well.

 

[Immenso]

10th or 11th............. Alrighty then.


Hang on, you rate Mo'unga "very highly", but not in the top10 starting players on his own team? Riiiiight.... And what? Farrell been impressive? When? Has he? Was this before this tour? Alright, ok, i wont be that unfair, his goal kicking has been good. Ok. The Blues 10s both did more than the Lions 10s, and who were those again? Come on..

As for the TJ Vaa comment. Didnt Perofeta start in the vital games? How many 20 year old rookies have played the Lions team so far? And started?

You think Mou'uga is better than Moody, Taylor, Franks, Whitelock, Romano, Todd, Read, Crotty, Dagg?

That's 9. I'd put him 10th in that team.
Although Goodhue will go farther in his career than Mou'uga imo, I'd still rate Mou'uga the better player just now..

Perofeta was backup 10 for U20s. He might have eventually started some games in the tournament by the time our worst team ever were eliminated from the cup round.

A 20 year old rookie started v the Lions because Francis was on international duty and West was coming back from injury. This wasn't because he is some prodigy. He's a good promising player, so was West at the same age. He's showed nothing yet.

In the actual game he sensationally set up one try and was a pile of hesitant nerves and flustered thinking for most of the rest of it. I don't judge him harshly for that, he's a rookie. Where as Mou'uga and Sopoaga did play like mud.

 

[Every Time Ref]

The Highlanders player was retreating, and there were no Lions players near where the pass went, so hard to say the player was offside when he didn't influence play at all. I think, if anything, Webb tried to throw the ball at the Highlanders player to milk a penalty and missed.

Disagree personally, he was in his eyeline and close enough to distract him. Maybe I'd change my mind watching back but IMO if a player's close enough to be 50-50 whether he's interfering then he's offside.

 

[valley commando]

And you think Skylinerd is a wind up merchant, take a look in the mirror.

ESPN stats for the match say 5 turnovers as well.
http://www.espn.com.au/rugby/playerstats?gameId=290597&league=268565

Did you write this Valley Commando? http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/lions-xv-warren-gatland-should-13185207

No not me I would have had Farrell at 10, Fox 13 and Teo at 12.

 

[Nubiwan]

And you think Skylinerd is a wind up merchant, take a look in the mirror.
On reflection Nubiwan or is it Knobiwan is a far bigger wind up merchant than Skylinerd

Knobiwan? That's not very nice from a fellow Lions fan. Nice camaraderie shown there.

You disliking my comments hardly equates to me being a windup merchant. Hardly a stretch to state several lions players have had poor if indifferent outings in the four tour matches. Some have been obviously poor, while others have been plain invisible. Reckon I am just disappointed we haven't done better in some departments, and been a bit too predictable overall.

It's certainly not intended to get any rise from you, so don't flatter yourself. I rarely watch European club rugby, let alone international rugby from the north, even though I am from there, and the manner in which the lions are approaching games, while typical, is all the justification I need. There aim will be to keep it tight, low scoring, controlled and defensively solid. That is just fine, but if they get behind in matches, as they most likely will in tests, then how can they all of a sudden expect to become expansive? It will be foreign territory for them.

If I offend you by suggesting some of your countrymen have had bad games, then I apologize for that, but its is only my opinion. Treat it as the same kick in the teeth many scots felt about getting 3 players in the squad after beating both Wales and Ireland. No offence intended. Just life.

 

[curtbob7]

AWJ was far from poor and will be in the matchday squad

Massively disagree. All 3 English locks are a class above him. There's a few more British locks id have there ahead of him.

 

[Nubiwan]

Disagree personally, he was in his eyeline and close enough to distract him. Maybe I'd change my mind watching back but IMO if a player's close enough to be 50-50 whether he's interfering then he's offside.

He deffo tried to milk the pen. Ended up looking a howler of a pass. Web is clearly not as good as Peranara or is it Smith (both?) at it. Some scrum halves literally throw balls at retreating players, or exaggerate the difficulty in retrieving a ball when a tackler is stuck on the wrong side. When it happens, I think 9s should be carded for unsportsmanlike conduct.

On the retreating player, the NZ lad was clearly offside. He was not interfering (probably). Just as offside as AWJ was in the previous game which had some NZ supporters baying for yellow cards. Occurred to me that the NZ player had sidestepped into AWJ at the time, so clearly no intent by him.

We could go on forever.

 

[Nubiwan]

Massively disagree. All 3 English locks are a class above him. There's a few more British locks id have there ahead of him.

You could be right, but he might be right about AWJ. No way he will not be on the bench for test IMHO. Nothing to do with how I rate them. That's just how it will be.

 

[curtbob7]

You could be right, but he might be right about AWJ. No way he will not be on the bench for test IMHO. Nothing to do with how I rate them. That's just how it will be.

Shame isn't it. The same will happen regarding Warbs

 

[The Jones Boy]

Massively disagree. All 3 English locks are a class above him. There's a few more British locks id have there ahead of him.

In the Crusaders game he put a few critics to bed, he played well.

 

[smartcooky]

As for the Farrell thing, wasn't the original question whether or not any of the Super Rugby franchises would prefer him to there current 10s?

That isn't how I understood ianw's question, which was...

I'll posit this question carefully; if you were a NZ Super Rugby team, would you take Farrell as a 10?

I understood ianw to mean that, if you didn't have the 10 you have now, would you have Farrell in that position. The answer for me is no; there are a half dozen 10s across NZ, Australia and South Africa that I would have before him, but as I said later, I'd have him as a 12 because (and on this I agree with ncurd) he is a much better 12 than 10.

 

[Amiga500]

Now that is a very debatable comment.

Yep.

Especially since he'd (by his standards) a very poor game.

 

[valley commando]

Knobiwan? That's not very nice from a fellow Lions fan. Nice camaraderie shown there.

You disliking my comments hardly equates to me being a windup merchant. Hardly a stretch to state several lions players have had poor if indifferent outings in the four tour matches. Some have been obviously poor, while others have been plain invisible. Reckon I am just disappointed we haven't done better in some departments, and been a bit too predictable overall.

It's certainly not intended to get any rise from you, so don't flatter yourself. I rarely watch European club rugby, let alone international rugby from the north, even though I am from there, and the manner in which the lions are approaching games, while typical, is all the justification I need. There aim will be to keep it tight, low scoring, controlled and defensively solid. That is just fine, but if they get behind in matches, as they most likely will in tests, then how can they all of a sudden expect to become expansive? It will be foreign territory for them.

If I offend you by suggesting some of your countrymen have had bad games, then I apologize for that, but its is only my opinion. Treat it as the same kick in the teeth many scots felt about getting 3 players in the squad after beating both Wales and Ireland. No offence intended. Just life.

None taken. The Scottish have been hard done by however I have it on good authority that 4 of the Scots are on the 1st reserve list including Russell and one of the Grey bros