Your All Black Tri-Nations Squad

[Iron Mike]

I would pick a squad of:
1. Woodcock
2. Mealamu
3. Owen Franks
4. Thorn
5. Boric
6. Vito
7. McCaw
8. Read
9. Weepu
10. Carter
11. Gear
12. Nonu
13. Kahui
14. Jane
15. Dagg

16. B. Franks
17. Tialata
18. Sam Whitelock
19. Kaino
20. Cowan
21. Smith
22. Muliaina

Rokocoko, Ranger, Stanley and McAlister as cover.

You, are absolutely terrible. Please never make this person a coach. I mean seriously, Smith on the bench? No backup to Dan Carter? No backup hooker? Weepu over Cowan? Have you EVER seen a rugby game? I mean bloody hell, that is the most amateur looking 22 I have ever seen. Good god.

 

[nickdnz]

You, are absolutely terrible. Please never make this person a coach. I mean seriously, Smith on the bench? No backup to Dan Carter? No backup hooker? Weepu over Cowan? Have you EVER seen a rugby game? I mean bloody hell, that is the most amateur looking 22 I have ever seen. Good god.

Lolololol, as apposed the the professional selections on this thread? People will have oppinions, and rather than rubbishing them, it's better just to point out a few flaws. No one needs to feel stupid.

 

[Seaton]

The scary thing with the that last team is, even though there are second (if not third rate players) in the run on XV, that is still a class team

 

[Masatola]

1. Ben Franks
2. Andrew Hore/Keven Mealamu
3. Owen Franks
4. Michael Paterson
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Adam Thomson
7. Ritchie McCaw (C)
8. Thomas Waldrom
9. Piri Weepu
10. Daniel Carter/Aaron Cruden
11. Jo Rokocoko
12. Ma'a Nonu/Daniel Carter
13. Conrad Smith/Ma'a Nonu
14. Cory Jane
15. Israel Dagg

16. Hika Elliot/Aled de Malmanche
17. Neemia Tialata
18. Brad Thorn
19. Liam Messam
20. Jimmy Cowan
21. Aaron Cruden/Conrad Smith
22. Rene Ranger

23. John Afoa
24. Hika Elliot/Aled De Malmanche
25. Anthony Boric
26. Tanerau Latimer
27. Victor Vito
28. Andy Ellis
29. Isaia Toeava
30. Rudi Wulf

Thats the squad I would like to see. Highly doubt it will happen, but I believe that is the best team based on this years performances. I would like to see them run just one test match with Aaron Cruden at first-five and Dan Carter at second five to see how it works out.

 

[187]

I don't get why Muliaina is still in the mix, he's over the hill now in my opinion. He just doesn't quite float my boat anymore and doesn't have that same aura about him. I liked most of the line-ups, their all pretty straight forward apart from the back 3. Mine would be:

11: Gear
14: Jane
15: Dagg

I agree, Cruden is rubbish as well. A first five that can't kick goals?! WTH? That's all good in NPC level but international? And if you can't kick goals, you had better be damn bloody good at everything else... which sadly, he isn't.

 

[Darwin]

I don't get why Muliaina is still in the mix, he's over the hill now in my opinion. He just doesn't quite float my boat anymore and doesn't have that same aura about him. I liked most of the line-ups, their all pretty straight forward apart from the back 3. Mine would be:

11: Gear
14: Jane
15: Dagg

I agree, Cruden is rubbish as well. A first five that can't kick goals?! WTH? That's all good in NPC level but international? And if you can't kick goals, you had better be damn bloody good at everything else... which sadly, he isn't.

I wouldn't rule out Muliaina just yet - while he may no longer possess the dynamic running game of Dagg, he is better under the high ball, stronger in defense, and makes the right decision more often than Dagg. However, there is no question that there is a lot of pressure on Muliaina to perform with the likes of Dagg, Jane, and Toeava breathing down his neck.

 

[William18]

I don't get why Muliaina is still in the mix, he's over the hill now in my opinion. He just doesn't quite float my boat anymore and doesn't have that same aura about him. I liked most of the line-ups, their all pretty straight forward apart from the back 3. Mine would be:

11: Gear
14: Jane
15: Dagg

I agree, Cruden is rubbish as well. A first five that can't kick goals?! WTH? That's all good in NPC level but international? And if you can't kick goals, you had better be damn bloody good at everything else... which sadly, he isn't.

Really? You're suprised that the most capped current All Black player is even in contention? That is a shocking statement. Experience means an awful lot. I'm not willing to put Dagg in there after one good test match against Ireland over a consistant and reliable performer. Next year could be a different thing, though. It's also the same thing with Conrad Smith. Kahui scores one try against Wales even though he has been terrible all year and you have people like Dizzy thinking he should be in the team ahead of Smith. Smith just has to prove himself to some people again and again.

However, I must agree with you about Cruden. If you pick Cruden you then also have to pick Weepu. A first five has to be able to kick goals. I don't quite get what everyone sees in Cruden. Fully agree with Gear being on the wing, too.

 

[vyeung]

Larkham and Spencer weren't much kickers. If you have Israel Dagg on the pitch, he'll kick a few.

I find that Jane's a good full back and doing well in at No.14. I would really like to see Gear and Sivivatu on the wings though. Jane's not the type where you think "Oh ****" when he gets the ball whereas Gear and Sivivatu are...

Does anyone know what Colin Slade's like? I reckon if you threw him in the All Blacks setup, he'd mature fast.

 

[vyeung]

The All Blacks squad for the upcoming Tri-Nations Rugby series against South Africa and Australia:

Forwards: John Afoa (Auckland), Anthony Boric (North Harbour), Tom Donnelly (Otago), Corey Flynn (Canterbury), Ben Franks (Tasman),Owen Franks (Canterbury), Jerome Kaino ( Auckland), Richie McCaw (capt) (Canterbury), Keven Mealamu (Auckland), Liam Messam (Waikato), Kieran Read (Canterbury), Brad Thorn (Canterbury) Victor Vito (Wellington ), Samuel Whitelock (Canterbury), Tony Woodcock (North Harbour),

Backs: Daniel Carter (Canterbury), Jimmy Cowan (Southland), Aaron Cruden (Manawatu), Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay), Cory Jane (Wellington), Richard Kahui (Waikato), Mils Muliaina (Waikato), Ma'a Nonu (Wellington), Rene Ranger (Northland), Josevata Rokocoko (Auckland), Conrad Smith (Wellington), Benson Stanley (Auckland), Piri Weepu (Wellington).

WHERE IS HOSEA GEAR? I would have sacrificed Kahui or Rene Ranger (or even Stanley - but valuable Second Five-Eighths cover) just to have him in there!

 

[Iron Mike]

Larkham and Spencer weren't much kickers. If you have Israel Dagg on the pitch, he'll kick a few.

I find that Jane's a good full back and doing well in at No.14. I would really like to see Gear and Sivivatu on the wings though. Jane's not the type where you think "Oh ****" when he gets the ball whereas Gear and Sivivatu are...

Does anyone know what Colin Slade's like? I reckon if you threw him in the All Blacks setup, he'd mature fast.

Slade is a better alternative to Aaron Cruden at 10. I disagree with the wing scenario, although Gear isn't in the setup for the Tri-Nations, which is a head scratching moment, you have to agree after last nights game, Jane has really made the 14 jersey his, created anything out of nothing and with Sivivatu on average form in the Super 14, also being injured, also being a specialist left wing, it seems no one is going to take the 14 jersey from Jane, the 11 jersey has five chasers in Sivivatu, Gear, Rokocoko, Ranger and Guildford. Jane would be an automatic selection, he is the 4th most important All Black in my opinion, after Carter, Mccaw and Smith.