@Machpants said in Black Ferns v Wales RWC:
@Crucial said in Black Ferns v Wales RWC:
@Machpants said in Black Ferns v Wales RWC:
There seems to be talk from the coaches about making sure the backups can step in when required. The pool stages are not the time to tinker IMO, the team has had fuck all games together, and they need to build some combos. Foster has the right idea! Shame he's doing it when they should be tinkering to get it right for the RWC!
2007 comes to mind
Minor injuries have stopped them getting the most likely top XV on the park. They have been working on combos instead. It isn't like they are changing stuff around for the sake of it.
I think that if we hadn't had to rebuild a whole squad then your idea would ring true. The 'backups' etc would have been given time during the year and pretty much the top team through maybe all but one RWC game.Seems they're changing for the sake of it. We won't beat England with anything but our best team firing together. So, imo, chuck all your eggs in one basket, and cross your fingers.
But Clarke said that would not stop the New Zealand selectors from making several changes to the team that was announced on Friday.
"We've got to be in a position where if we had to make changes later in the tournament people are able to make those changes quickly, so it's a good time for us to practice that but there is a balance between getting a little bit of cohesion and momentum going as well.""
I think perhaps Mach, as Wayne Smith says they still not sure of their No1 lineup. As he says he came into the job with very little knowledge of the women's game, and they had what 5-6 tests trying to get squad down to the 32 for WC. In a normal situation I agree, you would want the No1 line up running together a few times, but you really want that to of happaned over the year. He has to I think balance out playing that team together with keeping the whole squad match fit. We would probably be critical if going into semis or final, had a few injuries and not having adequate match fit players ready to go. I can kind of understand the balancing act they going through.
