@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks v France 2:
@brodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks v France 2:
@MN5 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Bones said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Bones said in All Blacks v France 2:
I will find it very frustrating if there's anything but last week's group with injury changes.
3rd test, have at it.
Actually, I'd be happy to see Vaai go back to lock if Ah Kuoi goes to blindside, but it wouldn't make much sense when you can just throw PT in at lock.
No. Chopping and changing won't do him any good. Let's keep him at six. He's finally become a force at test level and there aren't exactly other options beating down the door at blindside.
i feel like im being gaslit...there seems to be a continuous discussion about things like 12 and 13 are wildly different positions and very few people can learn both....but also lets move people around from one game to another to make sure theyre versatile
They are a bit different. Some players have the physical attributes, skills and temperament to play both and some don't. I don't think there are many players who are equally good at both. Generally a player will be better at 12 or better at 13.
Agree, and I’ll add that it sometimes comes down to the combination if it’s going to work. For example ALB appears to be a better 12 now however I reckon his best midfield footy was when he played 13 and SBW and Crotty was at 12.
Slight tangent (team isn’t named till Thursday so need a few fillers), the ABs have used a few different players over the past couple of decades that have started at both 12 and also 13. Here’s a few interesting facts since 2000:
- in the 323 matches the ABs have played, they have started 26 different players at 2nd 5 and have started 26 different players at centre
- there have been 12 players in that period that have started a match at 12 and at 13 (Nonu, SBW, Umaga, Crotty, ALB, McAlister, Goodhue, Fekitoa, Toeava, Ellison, Mark Robinson, Ieremia)
- Ryan Crotty has the most even split of starts with 20 at 2nd 5 and 16 at centre
- four of the 12 players have only 1 match start at 12 (Toeava, Ellison, Robinson, Ieremia)
- one of the 12 players started only 1 match at 13 (SBW)
- other than Crotty, only two other players (Nonu, ALB) have started double-digit tests in both positions
- from those 12 players there have been 19 different combinations where both players in the combination have started at both 12 and 13
Interesting stats.
Would disagree with the bolded comment on ALB, think he's still a much better 13 than 12 now, he just hasn't had any extended opportunities to play outside a well-suited 12 for the All Blacks in a long time - almost always Havili (two games outside Barrett, one against Argentina last year and one against Uruguay in 2023).
Played all his rugby for the Chiefs over the past two years at 13, outside both Rameka Poihipi and Quinn Tupaea (two players both better suited to 12 than 13, to be fair).
