@hydro11 said in Highlanders v Bulls:

@Bones said in Highlanders v Bulls:

@hydro11 said in Highlanders v Bulls:

So glad Highlanders didn't win. I think New Zealand teams have relied for so long on being better than other teams. So if you are up by seven you can just play how you like. Other teams are bang average so you can just outplay them. Now those margins have tightened they don't have the game sense to close a game out.

Haha! What are you on? Yeah shit imagine relying on being better than the other team...

If you are seven up, why not have a sweeper back when you have the ball in midfield? It's just common sense. If you aren't going to have a sweeper back, then you need to play more conservatively. Teams think they can just play any sort of rugby whenever they want because they are good enough to do it. They do this rather than play the game in front of them.

Yeah, bloody teams. Teams deserve to lose I tells ya!

It’s a shame Hemopo going to japan for cash. He has a ceiling he hasn’t reached yet. Maybe he comes back in a year or two.

@Bones said in Highlanders v Bulls:

@hydro11 said in Highlanders v Bulls:

@Bones said in Highlanders v Bulls:

@hydro11 said in Highlanders v Bulls:

So glad Highlanders didn't win. I think New Zealand teams have relied for so long on being better than other teams. So if you are up by seven you can just play how you like. Other teams are bang average so you can just outplay them. Now those margins have tightened they don't have the game sense to close a game out.

Haha! What are you on? Yeah shit imagine relying on being better than the other team...

If you are seven up, why not have a sweeper back when you have the ball in midfield? It's just common sense. If you aren't going to have a sweeper back, then you need to play more conservatively. Teams think they can just play any sort of rugby whenever they want because they are good enough to do it. They do this rather than play the game in front of them.

Yeah, bloody teams. Teams deserve to lose I tells ya!

It's most New Zealand teams.

@Stargazer she wouldn't have liked Dad at the end of the game.

@Billy-Tell said in Highlanders v Bulls:

It’s a shame Hemopo going to japan for cash. He has a ceiling he hasn’t reached yet. Maybe he comes back in a year or two.

Could well do. He’s only 25 so definitely young enough for a return. If he does return after a couple of years hopefully it will be a Rangi-like return and not like [insert name of 99% of returnees]...

Fast rugby is good, but christ on a bike the amount of miracle off loads and feckin no look passes might click for 1 game in 6 but what about the other 5.

It looked like the tapping on and no look passes has been coached and practiced, in non contact training. The amount of ball lost was ridiculous. All far too cute, when setting up a ruck would have been the sensible option.

What a terrible waste, the last month has been. Highlanders probably not enough to win it but after battling derbies for the first half of the season, we really fell away after hovering in the top 6.

All a bit of a shame and now a stasis while we wait to see what the roster is for next year.

By fuck, since 2015 we've been exceptional. Making play offs, playing an Otago brand of footy with some mongrel and clever tactics ( we won the competition by giving away the ball and tackling and hunting like mutherfeckers. We built a team around some ABs and the rest joined in to be greater than the sum of the parts.

Good years for Highlanders fans, and all of us savvy enough to enjoy ride while it lasted.

That little reign is over and now we wait and see. A big departure from what Joseph and Brown created to what Mauger has tried to do this year.

Pretty fucken disappointing season after weathering consecutive weeks of derbies.

Bah humbug

To steal a shitty modern phrase, we didn't do enough of the mahi to get the treats. I would hate to think how many passes went to ground.

@Siam was hoping you guys would get the job done last night,
But I don’t think it helped with Naholo who should have been playing the house down in what was his last game in Dunedin not to mention chasing a place in the ABs RWC squad looking like he was half asleep despite getting over the whitewash ..

@Steven-Harris said in Highlanders v Bulls:

If you were picking people on super rugby form Jackson Hemapo and Liam Coltman should be joining Brad Weber on the plane to the RWC..totally underwhelmed by Naholo .just looked absolutely lethargic this evening despite getting over the whitewash

Don't disagree with this. Coltman in particular has improved massively in the last few years.

Have been watching some old AB games while exercising. Naholo of 4 years ago was incredible - just massive power and pace. Was playing wales, they showed him the sideline, and he just disappeared. Not seeing that from him at the moment. Also used to be a real menace over the ball.

Now he seems a bit more like a donkey, can't make good decisions going into aerial contests, and positionally weak. But - who else do you take with any experience?