Assuming everyone gets some minutes, we're looking at a team along the lines of...

1 Xavier Numia
2 Kurt Eklund
3 Saula Ma'u
4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi
5 Fabian Holland
6 Caleb Delany
7 Du'Plessis Kirifi
8 Simon Parker
9 Noah Hotham
10 Josh Jacomb
11 Quinn Tupaea
12 Dallas McLeod
13 Riley Higgins
14 Chay Fihaki
15 Shaun Stevenson

16 Bradley Slater
17 George Bower
18 Marcel Renata
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Corey Kellow
21 Finlay Christie
22 AJ Lam
23 Kini Naholo

Obviously a few different combos they could run.

I'd put McLeod on the wing rather than Tupaea. Scrums and maul defence will be important. The latter was an issue against Munster.

What about Narawa? Is he injured?

@family-man said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

What about Narawa? Is he injured?

He never toured due to the HIA fail in the NPC final.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

I'd put McLeod on the wing rather than Tupaea. Scrums and maul defence will be important. The latter was an issue against Munster.

Could put any of the three on the wing and any at 12. I think Tupaea or Higgins are both more likely than McLeod though.

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Assuming everyone gets some minutes, we're looking at a team along the lines of...

1 Xavier Numia
2 Kurt Eklund
3 Saula Ma'u
4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi
5 Fabian Holland
6 Caleb Delany
7 Du'Plessis Kirifi
8 Simon Parker
9 Noah Hotham
10 Josh Jacomb
11 Quinn Tupaea
12 Dallas McLeod
13 Riley Higgins
14 Chay Fihaki
15 Shaun Stevenson

16 Bradley Slater
17 George Bower
18 Marcel Renata
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Corey Kellow
21 Finlay Christie
22 AJ Lam
23 Kini Naholo

Obviously a few different combos they could run.

I'd be pretty surprised if Oli Haig is left out completely after being one of the guys who spent time in Japan. I'd say he will keep his blindside spot

@SouthernMann obvious highlanders bias from myself but agree with you. He ruck work is just so good. Completely under appreciated imo

When is this team being announced?

@KiwiInLondon said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@SouthernMann obvious highlanders bias from myself but agree with you. He ruck work is just so good. Completely under appreciated imo

Looks oldschool to me. In a good way.

@Canes4life said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

When is this team being announced?

Tomorrow I would think, as the game is Monday NZT.

The team's being announced at 7pm on Friday (NZT).

Rotation. A 6:2 bench.

1 George Bower (Crusaders / Otago)
2 Kurt Eklund (Blues / Bay of Plenty)
3 Marcel Renata (Blues / Auckland)
4 Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
6 Caleb Delaney (Hurricanes / Wellington)
7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes / Wellington)
8 Simon Parker (Chiefs / Northland)
9 Finlay Christie (Blues / Ta$man)
10 Josh Jacomb (Chiefs / Taranaki)
11 Kini Naholo (Hurricanes / Taranaki)
12 Riley Higgins (Hurricanes / Wellington)
13 Dallas McLeod (Crusaders / Canterbury)
14 Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs / Waikato)
15 Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs / North Harbour)

16 Bradley Slater (Chiefs / Taranaki)
17 Xavier Numia (Hurricanes / Wellington)
18 Saula Ma’u (Highlanders / Otago)
19 Fabian Holland (Highlanders / Otago)
20 Corey Kellow (Crusaders / Canterbury)
21 Devan Flanders (Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay)
22 Noah Hotham (Crusaders / Ta$man)
23 Chay Fihaki (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Oh fuck off, is Fihaki covering 10?

Stevenson I reckon. No AJ Lam, who has the most utility value.

@Bovidae this doesn't feel like a purely McMillan selection...

Yeah. We can assume that Bower is rated ahead of Numia, and Christie ahead of Hotham.

I think this is a big game for Simon Parker. I watched him pretty closely this Super Rugby season because I think he has a lot of good facets to his game – high defensive work-rate, physical in contact, solid skills in the lineout – but there were times where he just didn’t get involved enough. I remember Finau getting injured midway through the season and Parker being asked to fill in at 6 and he sort of just drifted throughout those games. The game against the Rebels in Melbourne especially he just couldn’t find a way to impact the game, and the lack of physical edge was really noticeable for the Chiefs team and the way they want to play.

As the starting number eight he has to be able to demand the ball and make plenty of carries. That Georgian defence is going to sting, though, so it’s going to be a pretty big test for him. That said, it certainly looks like he feels more comfortable at eight than at six, so hopefully he can provide good impact there.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Yeah. We can assume that Bower is rated ahead of Numia, and Christie ahead of Hotham.

Surely some of these selections are to see how fringe players go. Holland and Hotham not starting? Tupea on the wing? No AJ Lam? Simon Parker in the team. Flanders on the bench.

I seriously worry about the maul and offensive ruck. Without Holland, Dyer, and Haig in that lineout, I think the Georgians will see a massive opportunity to flex a bit of physical dominance

Seems odd. So many of the better players mot starting.

Maybe they're saving Holland or want to see the impact he has off the bench?

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Maybe they're saving Holland or want to see the impact he has off the bench?

It’s definitely a rotation team. The team last week was the top team (with the exception of Hotham and Love) was the best team. Parker at 8 and Tupea on the wing is a bit of a joke

The team was always going to get rotated.

Bradley Slater, Saula Ma'u, Xaver Numia, Noath Hotham and Corey Kellow are the only players to not get a start and apart from Ma'u, they've all been given two runs off the bench.

Six players will have started in both matches.

@Bovidae so Christie has leapt ahead of Hotham? That would go against the biasness we have come to expect...

@Mauss yeah Parker is an interesting one, big unit, does the work, but for me seems more Reuben Thorne-like in the way he gets through his work, doesn't Carry as much as id like/expect.

Parker did a lot of ball-carrying last year for Waikato, so that can be a strength of his game. I've always said that no.8 is his best position, and criticised McMillan for playing him at 7. He is tall so is a handy lineout option too.

@Bovidae yeah I'm basing on what I saw at NPC for northland...don't get me wrong he played consistently well and i thonk was well up on most stats, but i probably expected more, guess it ain't all about YouTube reels...

Parker's a big lump and if he were a bit more aggressive he could be a gun player. He can be a bit passive at times but has all the attributes and skills to be a very good player.

AJ Lam is with the ABs.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

View image

Wow, I was going to ask if there are 2 Georgian scripts and apparently there are 3!

Things have really gone downhill with Georgian rugby, now multiple players with surnames not ending in dze or ili. Not just one or two. Sad days

Georgia grab the first try but ABs XV have just scored one of their own via Kurt Eklund.

Not the most open game so far, 15 minutes in.

Fuck he's a shit ref, unbelievable sometimes. Georgian lying right over the top of the ruck and in from the side, gets a not releasing penalty.

Georgia seem to be numbering up well on defence but they've struggled to bring players to ground at times.

The crowd is amazing. Georgia vs NZ XV in Montpellier in a large stadium and it’s a sellout. No way Georgia vs France A in nz sells out a stadium.

@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

The crowd is amazing. Georgia vs NZ XV in Montpellier in a large stadium and it’s a sellout. No way Georgia vs France A in nz sells out a stadium.

A sell-out is always great but not sure I'd say 16k is a large stadium?

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

The crowd is amazing. Georgia vs NZ XV in Montpellier in a large stadium and it’s a sellout. No way Georgia vs France A in nz sells out a stadium.

A sell-out is always great but not sure I'd say 16k is a large stadium?

Ok not huge but still a decent size

@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

The crowd is amazing. Georgia vs NZ XV in Montpellier in a large stadium and it’s a sellout. No way Georgia vs France A in nz sells out a stadium.

A sell-out is always great but not sure I'd say 16k is a large stadium?

Ok not huge but still a decent size

As you say, wouldn't get those numbers to the reverse fixture in NZ!

19-10 to the All Blacks XV after 35 minutes.

Tries to Eklund, McLeod and Christie so far.