Bledisloe Test One in Wellington: About fuckin' time

[cashead]

Bledisloe Test 1 is almost upon us, and the teams to play this Sunday have been named

All Blacks squad
1. Joe Moody - 46
2. Codie Taylor - 50
3. Ofa Tu'ungafasi - 35
4. Patrick Tuipulotu - 21
5. Sam Whitelock - 117
6. Shannon Frizell - 9
7. Sam Cane (C) - 68
8. Ardie Savea - 35
9. Aaron Smith - 92
10. Richie Mo'unga - 17
11. George Bridge - 9
12. Jack Goodhue - 13
13. Rieko Ioane - 29
14. Jordie Barrett - 17
15. Beauden Barrett - 84 Damian McKenzie - 23

16. Dane Coles - 69
17. Karl Tu'inukuafe - 13
18. Nepo Laulala - 26 Tyrel Lomax - 1
19. Tupou Va'ai - 0
20. Hoskins Sotutu - 0
21. TJ Perenara - 64
22. Anton Lienert-Brown - 44
23. Caleb Clarke - 0

Forwards combined caps - 381
Front row combined caps - 131
Second row combined caps - 138
Back row combined caps - 112

Backs combined caps - 190
Inside halves combined caps - 109
Midfield combined caps - 42
Back three quarters combined caps - 39

Reserves combined caps - 191

Total starting combined caps - 571
Total combined caps - 762
Average caps - 33
Average starting XV caps - 38
Average reserves caps - 24

Three players are set to make their debut off the bench, with Va'ai, Sotutu and Clarke named in the reserves. It's a fairly decent looking outfit selected on form. Expect to see Beauden slot in as a second playmaker regularly, and Jordie pop in at fullback.


Wallabies squad
1. James Slipper - 96
2. Folau Fainga'a - 12
3. Taniela Tupou - 19
4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto - 21
5. Matt Philip - 3
6. Harry Wilson - 0
7. Michael Hooper (C) - 99
8. Peter Samu - 9
9. Nic White - 31
10. James O'Connor - 52
11. Marika Koroibete - 28
12. Matt Toomua - 52
13. Hunter Paisami - 0
14. Filipo Daugunu - 0
15. Tom Banks - 6

16. Jordan Uelese - 9
17. Scott Sio - 63
18. Allan Ala'alatoa - 37
19. Rob Simmons - 100
20. Rob Valentini - 1
21. Jake Gordon - 1
22. Noah Lolesio - 0
23. Reece Hodge - 39


Forwards combined caps - 259
Front row combined caps - 127
Second row combined caps - 24
Back row combined caps - 108

Backs combined caps - 169
Inside halves combined caps - 83
Midfield combined caps - 52
Back three quarters combined caps - 34

Reserves combined caps - 250

Total starting combined caps - 428
Total combined caps - 678
Average caps - 29.5
Average starting XV caps - 29 (rounded up)
Average reserves caps - 31 (rounded down)

4 newbies in this team, with Harry Wilson, Hunter Paisami and Filipo Daugunu earning their first caps in the starting line-up, while the impressive Noah Lolesio sits on the reserves bench. Even those with test experience are still fairly early in their test careers, with a few outliers dragging the average up (case in point the bench, where 2 players account for just over half of the combined test experience there).

[morepork]

That is a pretty labile backline and will be either hard to contain or really messy. Oz forwards will have to go hard out and snuff it out before nugget gets it to Mo'unga/Barrett B. The other Barrett on the wing is suspect. Have we really got the form fullbacks in the squad?

[zer0]

Named at fullback on Friday, Beauden Barrett suffered a tight achilles tendon at training and was ruled out on Saturday, with Damian McKenzie slotting straight into the No 15 jersey after missing the original 23 for the first test of 2020.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all ... e-to-start

Not sure why McNuggets wasn't slotted into fullback in his stead.

[morepork]

McNuggets. Nice. Dude , where’s my house?

Has he been better than DMac?

How has R Ioane looked at Centre? Ready for international footy there?

I know nothing. At this stage I even miss Lion Red.

[cashead]

Jordie was one of the form fullbacks in the competition.

Ioane had a great season at 13, so he absolutely warrants a look there.

[morepork]

I hope he grabs the thing by the balls.

[zer0]

Prop Nepo Laulala has withdrawn from Sunday afternoon’s test match in Wellington due to personal reasons.

He will be replaced on the bench by Tyrel Lomax, who had originally been released to play for Tasman in Sunday’s Mitre 10 Cup match against Bay of Plenty in Nelson.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all ... l-lomax-in

Fortunately he was just across the strait in Nelson.

[Spy]

Fucking hell Reiko.

There are really safe, secure ways to ground a ball. Coaches should have no tolerance for one handed attempted groundings. It’s just dumb.

[Spy]

Jesus, what a finish. Mayhem.

[zer0]

Everything post 80th minute was like peak 90's France squared and raised to the power of infinity. Whoever meekly kicked it out needs a slap.

Speaking of slaps, the AB's on-field leadership need one for not kicking the drop goal from point blank range. Post-Richie they've seemingly gone back to having an aversion to them. Cost them against the Lions, Boks and now Wallabies.

[zer0]

Based on that Clarke and Sotutu should be starting next week ahead of McKenzie (with McNuggets at fullback) and Frizell.

[cashead]

Everything post 80th minute was like peak 90's France squared and raised to the power of infinity. Whoever meekly kicked it out needs a slap.

If you're a Wallaby, it makes sense - make the game basically not count towards the Bledisloe series by rendering it a draw, when the All Blacks are bashing on the tryline. Rather than take a defeat, a draw is far more palatable.

Speaking of slaps, the AB's on-field leadership need one for not kicking the drop goal from point blank range. Post-Richie they've seemingly gone back to having an aversion to them. Cost them against the Lions, Boks and now Wallabies.

Honestly, it's an understandable on-field call. With the Wallabies line-speed on D, you'd want your DG kicker standing a bit of a distance, and into a proper Wellington wind and rain. You might as well take the high percentage option of pick-and-gos, and either pressure the Wallabies into a penalty, or get a try.

Based on that Clarke and Sotutu should be starting next week ahead of McKenzie (with McNuggets at fullback) and Frizell.

Nah, keep Frizell. The pack played quite well, all things considered. McKenzie clearly struggled under the high ball though, and it really showed that he was an almost last-minute replacement.

[canta_brian]

How do people think Foster went/is going?

Biggest ABs change for a few years.

[cashead]

It's only been 1 test.

[cashead]

Here's why Rieko being blamed for the first Wallabies try is absolute bullshit.

1. Here's the backline. Remember this.



At this stage, the ABs 10-12-13 axis are marking up against their opposites, with Cane watching Dauguni. Mo'unga is on O'Connor, Goodhue is on Toomua, Rieko is on Paisami. So far, standard.


2. Here's where the breakdown happens.

White releases the ball from the maul, skipping O'Connor and going straight to Toomua, who is playing first receiver. Paisami is coming in, so Ioane, as is his job, is keeping an eye on him, while O'Connor wraps around, for Toomua to make a quick pass to. At this point, as the guy at 12, it's Goodhue's job to recognise what is going on, and to take Paisami, so that Rieko can switch to O'Connor. However, Goodhue fails to do this.



Rieko actually does an excellent job immediately switching to O'Connor, which makes him throw a long pass out to the sideline, to Koroibete, skipping Tom Banks who has entered the backline.


3. And where's Damian McKenzie in all this?

He's drifted in-field, which gives Koroibete acres of space - something which O'Connor clearly recognises, and exploits to create a try.



And because he's basically a second fullback playing at 14, Jordie is never going to win a footrace against Koroibete. By the time McKenzie moves back out wide, it's too late.

Basically, it's 2 factors - Goodhue is a 13 playing as a makeshift 12, and Damian McKenzie, one turnover aside, had a poor day on defence and made a bad read.

[Cameo]

Yeah, basically, McKenzie didn't trust his inside men.

I'd keep going with Goodhue at 12 though. I like him there.

[J Dory]

Wait what? No Springboks? How did that happen?

[cashead]

Wait what? No Springboks? How did that happen?

There was a long period of inactivity, sports-wise involving South Africans (not including the ones already in Europe), and they'd be a significant disadvantage against the All Blacks and Wallabies, who have both had a domestic campaign under their belts, and will go into the Champions of Rugby competition with a couple of high-intensity test matches as well.

[Puja]

I've just watched the highlights and Rieko Ioane's failed try. That was utterly spectacular. Why have people lost the art of just putting the ball down as safely as possible?

Puja