@jimmyb said in Highlanders v Crusaders (round 1):
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders v Crusaders (round 1):
@jimmyb said in Highlanders v Crusaders (round 1):
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders v Crusaders (round 1):
If the game is close there will be a lot of points.
Our side reads like we won't be putting a lot of players into the rucks and will be running it every opportunity.
I expect Casey and Howden to be hanging out on the 10m lines, aiming to pun h through.
JRK will pop up a fair bit at first receiver.
Hopeful that we will try and drop Millar back for 50/22 opportunities.
Stoked for Oli Haig, he has been outstanding in the pre-season. Same with Wingham, he had to of had the highest workrate of any prop during the NPC.
Our handling will need to be top notch. With Ta'avao at tighthead, I can see us getting scrummed off the paddock.
That Crusaders bench is scary. Every one of their bench players is better than ours.
I expect the first half will be fairly hot and frenetic. If we can get some momentum that'd be our best chance. We don't want to be down by 10 with 30 minutes to play with the red and black bomb squad rolling on against our NPC level back brigade.
All I’d love to see is an attack that isn’t predictable one off runners and basic 10-12 plays, and a defence that doesn’t collapse inwards after 3-4 phases. If the Highlanders convert opportunities and show some staunch in defence, I don’t mind getting beaten by 12+ by what is a much better team
We have a new defence coach, so we should see some changes in there.
A 12+ dedeat would be very bad for fan engagement, especially for ticket holders at the stadium. The club needs a win or an exciting close loss to keep fans coming back.
Fam engagement is a must and I really hope it’s affordable for a family of 4-5 to rockĺ up most games
For a gameplan, I’d really love to see they’re smart enough to realise that Crusaders back three can’t catch a fucking cold and Millar peppers them with highballs all night
U13 kids go free. Which will ceetainly help get families along. Dunedin on the whole is a low wage economy and these sorts of kid focused pushes will help.
Sadly, three of the teams biggest on the field selling points will be unavailable with Holland, Pledger and Hurley. Those three along with Tangitau, JRK and Jim are the guys people turn up to watch. Last year I went down to the last game of the season and the big Dutchman was just swamped with kids.
Yeah I'm 100% on board with peppering that back three. Fihaki will be attacking us with 50/22s as well.
