Pumas v All Blacks II: can the juggernaut be stopped?

[Eugene Wrayburn]

ALB was fantastic. Might be one of those rare creatures who is better at Test level than they are in the level below.

Our boy Crotty has been very good this entire championship too don't you think?

He's been Crotty. He has a low error rate and with excellent players around him won't fuck up the opportunities that others have to create for him.

[Lizard]

ALB learned all he knows at Waikato and the Chiefs.

Crotty has done well, for a placeholder journeyman.


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[zer0]

Ngatai's head injuries don't bode well, unfortunately. After Crotty, Leinart-Brown is the obvious second choice for the moment. Williams returns next year which will give us at least three options. Four if Ngatai recovers.

The really contentions position is one-out at centre. Fekitoa hasn't seized his opportunity thus far. Moala had a good go of it in his one chance but still needs to pass more, and generally just needs more game time there. Unfortunately that brings us to the third, and best (IMO), long term option of Rieko Ioane. Both he and Moala are at the Blues, which means someone will be shifted to the wing.

[J Dory]

Any word on Ranger's recovery?

[zer0]

Ranger won't be back until next year as well.

Speaking of Ranger, the Blues midfield next year is going to be ridiculously stacked.

Piers Francis, George Moala, SBW, Ranger, Rieko Ioane, Michael Little and possibly Male Sa'u. Something is going to have to give, basically. Some can be placed on the wing like Ranger, Ioane and Moala, but you've also got Matt Duffie and Lolagi Visinia.

Having seen the writing on the wall, Francis is aiming to move in to first-five. Meanwhile Ranger is 30, so should not be wasted in the midfield. The main midfielders should be Williams at second-five, Ioane at centre and Moala being the main backup for both (although I'd rather he focused more on second-five in the long run).

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the other teams needing a midfielder like the Crusaders might swoop in and snag a couple of them by the end of the season. The Blues did nab Gus Pulu from the Chiefs out of a log-jam of 3 All Black halfbacks there, so turnabout might be fair play here.

They look set to sign Tamanivalu. And, besides, f*ck them. They hoarded first-fives like Scrooge McDuck while the Blues were rudderless for years. So we'll stack up on midfielders and outside backs, and leave them with a popgun backline.