@Crucial said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@Machpants said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@Crucial said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@Tim said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@Duluth If all the mentioned players are out then you might see something like this:

1 Ross
2 Taylor
3 Laulala
4 Retallick
5 Whitelock
6 Ioane
7 Cane
8 Savea
9 Christie
10 Barrett
11 Clarke
12 RTS
13 Ioane
14 Reece
15 Perofeta

16 Taukei'aho
17 Tu'inukuafe
18 Tu'ungafasi
19 Barrett
20 Papalii
21 Fakatava
22 Mo'unga
23 Fainga'anuku

This lineup starting to look very close. I would swap the hookers around starting/bench altough it's still possible Bower is there over Ross.
Would loosehead/hooker combos be the way to go?

Can’t do that, would break the rule that if you have a ‘ in your name you gotta be on the bench

Scott Bar'ret?

Note I didn’t say you have to have one, just if you do you’re bench warming. RTS is on thin ice with his -

All these players going down with COVID

When did Caleb Clarke last play a game?

I guess he played between getting red carded and getting injured?

@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

When did Caleb Clarke last play a game?

I guess he played between getting red carded and getting injured?

Brumbies 2nd last regular season game. Blew his hamstring out in the second half.

@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

Will Jordan gone with covid!!!

Now it's getting serious!

Annoying. Jordan was awesome last year, and after his Super form I was looking forward to him absolutely fucking carving up this year. Hope he recovers for test 2.

@No-Quarter Yeah - with CC not having played in a while and Leicester being an absolute rookie, I was pretty sure they were planning to start Reece and Jordan on the wings (unless the outlier of playing Goodhue at centre and shifting Rieko out) and maybe ease Clarke in from the bench.

Now the options are pretty narrow.

A big test for Leicester to make his debut in, so it won't surprise me to see Ennor in the 23.

With all these issues coming through this is what I think might be the announced team.

1 Bower
2 Taylor
3 Laulala
4 Retallick
5 Whitelock
6 Vaa'i
7 Cane
8 Savea
9 Christie
10 Barrett
11 Fainga’anuku
12 Tupaea
13 Ioane
14 Reece
15 J Barrett

16 Taukei'aho
17 Tu'inukuafe
18 Tu'ungafasi
19 Barrett
20 Sotutu (or Akira)
21 Fakatava
22 Mo'unga
23 Perofeta (or Ennor)

Obviously I would have probably missed some injuries and/or health issues. But from what info I've come across this is what I think could happen.

I chose QT as 2nd 5 and he can be covered by J Barrett and Fainga’anuku which is why I've put Perofeta at 23 to cover 15 if needed. But that's probably asking a lot from them so I'd have Ennor at 23 as an option too. I can see RTS playing later on in the series, just not the first game, but you never know.

I've also added Vaa'i at 6 even though he mainly plays lock because he's had a good season and can bring a punch. Nothing against Akira. The man's a beast too.

@ThecostlyJoel Welcome to the Fern! :waving_hand:

@ThecostlyJoel Welcome Joel!

Crikey - the backs look a bit Super rugby level to me - strong Super rugby, but a bit short of Big All Black test level!

@Stargazer said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@ThecostlyJoel Welcome to the Fern! :waving_hand:

Thanks for having me. Seems like a good place to discuss NZ rugby.

@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@ThecostlyJoel Welcome Joel!

Crikey - the backs look a bit Super rugby level to me - strong Super rugby, but a bit short of Big All Black test level!

how good would it be if they clicked though!

@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

@ThecostlyJoel Welcome Joel!

Crikey - the backs look a bit Super rugby level to me - strong Super rugby, but a bit short of Big All Black test level!

Yeah I completely understand. My original back line up from the start of the month was Clarke, Goodhue, R Ioane, Reece and Jordan. But with how things went and are going this didn't really become an option. Even for Clarke, I'd rather have him rest up longer for the later games in the series before putting him on the field.

And Reece has been amazing this year, both with playing and keeping his team mates moral high during games which I think we definitely need even if it's a losing battle.

Reece over J Barrett, just because I think that J Barrett will have more of an impact off the bench.

@Crucial said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

Have Waikato been asked to urgently arrange a match against a neighbour so that DMac can run on for 10 minutes?
Surely 'special circumstances' apply when your squad is decimated.

gawd he's not even allowed to play club footy tried to this weekend club committee turned him down.

@ThecostlyJoel With a bit of cloning, my Mako boys could put out a set of backs that wouldn't get smashed by those ABs.

Mitch Hunt would have to play out of his skin though.

Christie, Hunt, Faingaánuku, Havili, Nankivell, Reece, Jordan.

Chapman/Hotham. Paea, Tavatavanawai.

Will Jordan won’t be the last to go down with covid in the camp.
The team that runs on the field Saturday may differ from the team named on Thursday.

@Chris If this continues, some MABs may play two games against Ireland, this week.

@Chris said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

Will Jordan won’t be the last to go down with covid in the camp.
The team that runs on the field Saturday may differ from the team named on Thursday.

Is that when the team is named? Thanks, I was about to ask.

@Chris-B You're not wrong, that's a strong back line. But what can be done with the players available to create a competing back line against a strong Irish side?

@ThecostlyJoel A bit of size about the backline with Leicester, Tupaea, Rieko and Jordie. Add Clarke say in jersey 23 and our backline has a bit of power and punch which it's often lacked in recent times.