@nzzp said in Bulls v Blues:
@KiwiMurph Haven't seen much of him. Any comment on how he plays, etc?
Always keen to see good locks come through
I thought Pierce had a strong NPC. I wanted him to be given the first chance alongside Tuipulotu this year
He used to be bean pole 2.02m and not very heavy. He's packed on some weight and his workrate is still good
Early days in his career but he's a very promising prospect
@booboo said in Bulls v Blues:
19 Aaron Carroll,
Who?
BOP lock can't say I remember much of him during the NPC
He was added to the squad when Wardlaw had to withdraw. So he was initially outside the group of locks in NZ with a SR contract
So basically he's on the bench because of Goodhue, Tucker & Wardlaw injuries and the Blues wanted 4 locks for this match
@taniwharugby said in Bulls v Blues:
@Machpants taking the AB blueprint a step further!
Yes, but in order for them to be triple play makers, they all actually need to be, well, play makers.
@Machpants said in Bulls v Blues:
All three tens on the field, interesting
Two tens and Perofeta
Perofeta is a fullback.
I have a suspicion that Plummer will become a 12. He's a lot bigger than most 10's and he looks comfortable in his brief cameos at 12
(also I have a theory that real 2nd fives are about to make a return to NZ rugby)
MacDonald on Plummer
Harry has played a lot at 12, especially through the age-groups. More recently he's been a 10, but he's a big, strong guy and I think he suits 12. He's quite physical in the way he carries and his breakdown work.
Rieko will be back in the Stormers match
MacDonald confirmed All Blacks wing Rieko Ioane, who was part of the touring party, was not available for the Bulls match. He said the plan had always been to re-introduce him from his hand fracture for the second match against the Stormers
Yeah as much as I dont rate these 3 players as 10s and dont really like the idea of all 3 of them being on the field at once, if hes going with that approach then Black at 10 and Plumber at 12 isn't too bad. Keeps perofeta out of the way.
Who's kicking goals?
@Duluth said in Bulls v Blues:
(also I have a theory that real 2nd fives are about to make a return to NZ rugby)
Yes!!!! Like Walter Little style! Big cross field wipers kick here we come!
@Snowy said in Bulls v Blues:
Black would probably have more chance of getting it in the vicinity of the posts than the other two have recently.
Plummer is 3/4 this year. That was his success %age for Auckland last year too
He's been kicking well in the warmups. His technical issues from last SR season where the ball would die mid flight appear to be behind him
Perofeta has been awful
I expect Black to be the kicker though
@Duluth said in Bulls v Blues:
Plummer is 3/4 this year. That was his success %age for Auckland last year too
Yeah. I know he's not as bad has been made out, but tend to remember the misses rather than the hits (and I was also suggesting that it would be Black).
Agree about Perofeta, terrible.
Perofeta seems better from out wide but anything from in front or even 10m either side of the posts appears near impossible for him
@Bones said in Bulls v Blues:
Is this just resting Faiane then? Thought he was one of the blues best last week.
Sounds like its a combination of resting Faiane, needing more kicking options at altitude and giving Plummer an opportunity at 12 where he has played a lot of rugby growing up.
@JK said in Bulls v Blues:
Perofeta seems better from out wide but anything from in front or even 10m either side of the posts appears near impossible for him
That's what makes it appear even worse - missing the very getable ones.
@Snowy said in Bulls v Blues:
@JK said in Bulls v Blues:
Perofeta seems better from out wide but anything from in front or even 10m either side of the posts appears near impossible for him
That's what makes it appear even worse - missing the very getable ones.
I find it easier for my mental health to assume he's going to miss every kick.
MacDonald confirmed Black, the most accurate of the Blues’ goalkickers, would get the kicking duties.
Hopefully Narawa gets a decent amount of ball. He had some freakish moments during the NPC
This video is only from the Northland match but it gives you an idea about his balance/swerve etc
Most boring 20 minutes of the 2020 SR season that I've watched thus far. Maybe that will change now that Ferreira has been sent to the bin.
@Stargazer said in Bulls v Blues:
Shoulder charge? Where was the direct contact?
Looked like direct contact shoulder to head to me - red coming up?
@Stargazer said in Bulls v Blues:
If the Blues don't score now, they're not worth a win.
They rarely disappoint...