Rugby - Six Nations, S14, Lions, Can't Wait

[Havak]

What worries me is we have seen sides do this a lot. Hell Cardiff enginered getting their kickers back on the pitch against Tigers.

There is more to this than we have heard so far I suspect.

The player seems to have done himself no favours with some ill considered winking - but I didn't know winking could bring the game into disrepute?

I would never write the ABs off - but the Boks have to be favourites for me I think.

[finbar]

The craziest thing about the Quins business remains the crucifixion of the player with the coaching and medical staff exonerated. The ban says the blood injury was faked. So who organised it? And who supplied the blood capsule?

I don't write off the ABs either. I've paid for that mistake in the past. But the ABs' improvement in the second half consisted mainly of attacking the breakdowns with a vengeance and (a) interfering with the Wallabies' ball retention; and (b) turning over the ball. The Wallabies' problem was that they had no Plan B to counteract the ABs' revised strategy.

Donald's idea of managing a backline is to roost the ball into the air and let the backline chase it. Very English, in fact.

[Caligastia]

Don’t be too quick to write NZ off chaps.

Yeah, it seemed like they found a rhythm that worked for them in the second half. They're a team without a lot of experience together, and it takes time to work out good combinations. This test was a good start. It also seems that NZ have a history of failing when they're over-hyped, and vice-versa. Talking up SA will be psychologically advantageous to the All Blacks IMO.

[Havak]

Well certainly if they play a very English game (as Finbar fears) they will walk the tri-nations.

Forget this running rugby nonsense - roost the ball in the air.

[finbar]

Mmmm. Some of my last post didn't make it into the ether. The last sentence should have read:

"Very English, in fact. Meaning, inevitably, that a loss is on the cards."

Sorry for the omission, cheps.

[Andydog]

Heaven help us if we start playing like the poms.

Yeah, it seemed like they found a rhythm that worked for them in the second half. They're a team without a lot of experience together, and it takes time to work out good combinations. This test was a good start. It also seems that NZ have a history of failing when they're over-hyped, and vice-versa. Talking up SA will be psychologically advantageous to the All Blacks IMO.

Agree with that. So are you predicting a NZ win? Everyone else around here are picking the Boers.

I'm picking the ABs by 5. This is based on

• The AB's know that playing in SA on the highveld is the biggest challenge an All Black can face. They will approach this game accordingly.
  
• On paper the Bokke look dangerous, but my jury is still out on them. Alot of their hype stems from the demo job the Bulls did on the Chiefs. They did not set the world alight playing a fairly lame Lions squad, and they won a WC (deservedly) with the help of a dream draw. Flattering to deceive one might say.
  
• The ABs will be tired from travelling, and are playing at altitude, but Henry will continue with cleaver use of subs, unlike the puppet who will continue to screw things up with ridiculous subbing. Henry will win the battle of tactics like he did last week against Robbie.
  
• AB forwards have been playing decent rugby, the backline is starting to click and I expect them to be much more fluid against the saffas.
  
• Brussow will get himself sent off for trying to pick a fight with Richie. Bakkies will gift at least 3 penalties.
  
• Spies will be smashed early in the match in a double tackle by Kaino and So'oialo and will be ineffective for the rest of the match.
  
• Stevie Donald will bury the ghosts of his last trip to the republic by kicking penalties from anywhere and everywhere, and will spend most of the afternoon running Nonu into yawning gaps.
  

[finbar]

Until the Kiwi gene pool starts to unravel and they start playing like Scots.

[Caligastia]

Agree with that. So are you predicting a NZ win? Everyone else around here are picking the Boers.

I'm picking the ABs by 5. This is based on

• The AB's know that playing in SA on the highveld is the biggest challenge an All Black can face. They will approach this game accordingly.
  
• On paper the Bokke look dangerous, but my jury is still out on them. Alot of their hype stems from the demo job the Bulls did on the Chiefs. They did not set the world alight playing a fairly lame Lions squad, and they won a WC (deservedly) with the help of a dream draw. Flattering to deceive one might say.
  
• The ABs will be tired from travelling, and are playing at altitude, but Henry will continue with cleaver use of subs, unlike the puppet who will continue to screw things up with ridiculous subbing. Henry will win the battle of tactics like he did last week against Robbie.
  
• AB forwards have been playing decent rugby, the backline is starting to click and I expect them to be much more fluid against the saffas.
  
• Brussow will get himself sent off for trying to pick a fight with Richie. Bakkies will gift at least 3 penalties.
  
• Spies will be smashed early in the match in a double tackle by Kaino and So'oialo and will be ineffective for the rest of the match.
  
• Stevie Donald will bury the ghosts of his last trip to the republic by kicking penalties from anywhere and everywhere, and will spend most of the afternoon running Nonu into yawning gaps.
  

Yep, I'll go ahead and predict a NZ win. I agree with most of your points...the last one sounds a bit too much like wishful thinking though. Donald didn't impress me that much. Granted, I haven't really seen him play other than this weekend (not much time for watching rugby these days), but it takes a pretty mentally tough athlete to overcome the association of failure with a particular venue. Take the Oz/NZ game we just saw, for example. I heard one of the commentators remark that the Aussies haven't won at Eden Park since 1986. That knowledge had to give the ABs a slight edge.

[Havak]

@ Finbar

Oh and Andydog was clearly just having some fun, flagged by that last line (Nonu into yawning gaps? In his dreams!). Especially given that 'lame' Lions squad would have beaten last weekends ABs by 30 odd points. Wales could have beaten them. Australia beat themselves (as they so often do against the ABs).

This is the summer where neutrals want the ABs to start hitting a run of poor form. Enough to make Kiwi hearts tremble ahead of the "100% guaranteed home RWC win".

[Caligastia]

I don't think we've had a long run of poor form since the dark days of 1998.

[finbar]

I had a few pins left over from my England doll to stick into the All Blacks doll.

[Havak]

Well there was 1999, 2003 and 2007. Not great years.

The middle one wasn't just the now traditonal RWC slip up, you also lost at home to England.

Henry's win record is pretty impressive though I'll give you that.

Secretly all kiwi's fear another RWC slip up I suspect?

It's not that I have anything particularly against the ABs you understand - I just like to niggle at Andydogs supreme confidence for them.

[Caligastia]

Your definition of "long" seems to differ from mine.


1998 was a much worse year for the ABs than 99, 03, or 07.




I guess the length of "long" depends on the team, eh?

[Havak]

My definition of long is "1987-2011" (and that last one by no means certain right now).

As the 2003 % for England is wrong I doubt the accuracy of both charts in their entirity. (for reference England won 16 of their 17 fixtures in 2003).

[finbar]

Since when have facts been a prerequisite in these threads!