FORUM / RUGBY / my All Blacks RWC squad,,,

my All Blacks RWC squad,,,

Started by Monkey D Luffy23 REPLIES735 VIEWS· 07 Jun 2015, 00:54

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Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

07 Jun 2015, 00:54

07 Jun 2015, 00:54#1

uzumaki clan All Black RWC squad,,,

props:

tony woodcock, owen franks, ben franks, charlie faumuina, wyatt crockett,

hookers:

dane coles, hika elliot, keven mealalmu

locks:

brodie retallick, sam whitelock, jeremy thrush, steven luatua,

looseforwards:

Richie McCaw, jerome kaino, keriean read, liam messam, sam cane

halfbacks:

aaron smith, tj perenara, andy ellis

flyhalf:

daniel carter, beauden barret, colin slade

center:

maa nonu, conrad smith, SBW, malakai fekitoa

outside backs:

julian savea, ben smith, israel dagg, corey jane

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

07 Jun 2015, 00:59

07 Jun 2015, 00:59#2

if all players are fit come the RWC grand final, this would be my starting XV and bench,,,

1 t woodc0ck, 2 d coles, 3 o franks

4 b retallick, 5 s whitelock

6 j kaino, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 8 k read

9 a smith, 10 d carter

12 m nonu, 13 c smith

11 j savea, 15 b smith, 14 c jane

16 h elliot, 17 b franks, 18 c faumuina, 19 l romano , 20 l messam, 21 tj perenara, 22 b barret, 23 i dagg

so what would ur squad and team look like???

hakwa

Pro4,146 posts

hakwaPro4,146 posts

07 Jun 2015, 01:40

07 Jun 2015, 01:40#3

Luatua might not make the RWC due to shoulder injury for which he might have surgery. Andy Ellis has experience but the Chiefs half backs form is not bad at present.

No room in your squad for Sopoaga - given he be given game time in the Rugby Championship to familiarise himself with the Team? Carter is looking faded.

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

07 Jun 2015, 01:55

07 Jun 2015, 01:55#4

konichiwa hakwa san,

last report i heard on lutua was from kirwan who said it dosent look too bad, but then again, he also said the blues arent having a bad season too,,,,,,i guess its official, luatuas out, LMAO,

big bird would be my easy replacement for luatua if hes out, but the real loss for the All blacks is paatrick tuipulotu who IMO is the No3 lock in NZ easy.

disagree regarding carter, hes been sublime the last two games. its hard to judge carters performance in 2015 based on spXV, cos that mr bean idiot blackadder has played him out of position at 12 for most of the season.

i wasnt happy with carter form on the 2014 EOYT, but it looks like his mojo which that battleship pigmarck duplessis sunk has finally been repaired, and hes gonna show us one last time why hes the greatest flyhalf to ever play the game.

sopoagas form has been outstanding in 2015, b ut such is the All Blacks benchmarck, u still need more if u want to crack that pecking order.
he like many others will be in the All Blacks frame of mind in the next cycle in 2016.

chiefs halfback form is really solid, but i hope we dont go down thsi road again. henrys 2007 RWC squad saw him pick leonard over weeepu and that proved to be one of many huge dud moves.
ellis prob wont get picked seeeing as how hes never played in the ABs during hansons tenure, but theres a huge level of comfort in knowing that if anything happens to smith or perenara, we got a dependable experienced player ready to fill any gaps.

Brycy

Pro4,671 posts

BrycyPro4,671 posts

07 Jun 2015, 03:25

07 Jun 2015, 03:25#5

...word is Broadhurst will be included in the lock dept. - no question about the Canes having awesome locks .... Milner Skudder and Naholo as outside backs definitely must be under consideration based on superior form as well...

...Akira Ioane having a storming U20s RWC not to mention his form for the Blues so really needs to be included in the wider squad along with Ardie Savea...

..Reg Goodes may have also made a case for selection so I'd probably use the whole Hurricane front row..

Rotate all the loosies that've been named above ..

Would use the Canes halves of Barret and Perenara in the absence of the Cruden/ SBW combo...add Nonu at inside center and you have the established combo of three Canes players very familiar with each other after a successful Super XV campaign...

I like the idea of Moala at center but then again Conrad and Nonu combo a proven one...Not much difference between Fekitoa, Ngatai, Moala IMHO

A strong case for Canes wingers could also be made but probably go Savea and M-Skudder over Jane...

Ben Smith first choice at fullback and having another fullback on the wing like M-Skudder enforces our D...

Savea /Naholo would also be an awesome wing pairing...

...What Crusty stalwart Hansen will probably do though is add in a sprinkling of Crusaders like maybe Matt Todd, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody, Ben Funnel, Romano,Tom Taylor etc....So expecting more of a Crusader flavour to the team..

Plenty of depth in the case of injuries anyhow... so looking good..

Wardad

Pro6,663 posts

WardadPro6,663 posts

07 Jun 2015, 03:50

07 Jun 2015, 03:50#6

Good to see the destroyer of 9 Tailed Foxes again !Why cant teams take as many players as they want on the RWC tour ?

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

08 Jun 2015, 00:17

08 Jun 2015, 00:17#7

hi warhammer, hi madame vice prez,

good to be back, i would have been here a lot earlier, but the admins of this site IP banned me, luckily my brother showed me a way around it,

thats why i changed my avatar and name, cos i wanna fly under the radar for as long as possible.
dont know why they got their knickers tied up in a knot, all i was doing the last time i was here was educating the locals on rugby, lolz,

but good to be back peeps with all u fine folks,

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

08 Jun 2015, 00:50

08 Jun 2015, 00:50#8

@brycy,

i cant beleive i forgot about romano,
in which case even if luatuas fit and ready for the RWC, i wouldnt pick him and would instead go for romano.

regarding some of the other names mentioned by u,,,

james broadhurst
ive always been a huge fan of broadhurst. for a long time ive always thought of broadhurst as the better of the two locks between him and thrush.
but i dont think now is the time to add any newbies who are unproven at test level, between the samoa test nd the IRC/4nats, the priority is as always to win and use those tests to gel the core of the squad into a hardened force ready to knock out all in the RWC.

akira ioane and ardie savea
agree add them to the wider squad, but their All Black times isnt now its in 2016 with the next cycle of All Blacks.
our depth in the loosies is well and trully established and in the world matched only by the Boks.

reggie goodes
i like reggie, like the rest of the hurricanes tight 5, hes really developed with plumtree using his saffa intellectual property to up their game.
i would have no problems with him being in the All Black RWC squad over wyatt crockett.

hurricanes flyhalf combo
starting the hurricanes combo over the worlds best halfback aaron smith and the worlds greatest flyhalf dan carter??? WTF??? o_O
tj and barret are All Black level players no doubt about it, but even with their synergised combo, aaron smith is the All Blacks incumbent halfback period. he is to the 9 like McCaw is to the 7 and read is to the 8.

george moala
totally disagree with u about moala, he is exactly like a fave of mine rua tipoki, all the skills and physicality of an All Black, but none of the smarts and discipline. too much of a liability IMO.

mehine skudder
talk about cullenesque, lolz,
hes been the best back in super rugby easy thanks in large parts to his attacking game a real standout and thats hard considering hes playing in the hurricanes the best attacking team in the world at club level.
but he too belongs in the next cycle of All Blacks in 2016.

the beauty of giving him another year to prove his wares is we get to see if hes not just another andre taylor aka one season wonder.
i think hes the real deal and best All Black fullback prospect since cullen , and that praise isnt given lightly considering dagg and ben smith are more then still in the picture.

the argument about him being a fullback giving him the edge over jane isnt sound either. many peeps seem to forget that corey jane was a fullback for the hurricanes long before he was a winger and he dosent have any unknown elements to his game at test level like skudder, cos jane always delivers in the black jersey and like the entire hurricanes backline his form is not an issue,

Shezza

Pro2,471 posts

ShezzaPro2,471 posts

08 Jun 2015, 02:33

08 Jun 2015, 02:33#9

Naholo is going to France. Plus he's a Fijian, not capped yet but he was raised there and you don't want Beeno to pounce on the opportunity to put you guy's on blast for capping him do you? I am in no way trying to dissuade you guy's from supporting him and stopping a wing combination of him and Savea, pfft.

clevermike

Coach57,555 posts

clevermikeCoach57,555 posts

08 Jun 2015, 04:36

#10

08 Jun 2015, 04:36#10

I think that Sasue's return and his extensive comments are really for the benefit of all of us. That being said I do not want to sound a false note on the squad he mentioned and think it probably is the strongest squad available to New Zealand at this stage.
I was worried about the form of some players in Super 15 this year and in particular Carter and McCaw. Carter seemed to have returned to form recently in games and looked much better than he did prior to him being moved back to flyhalf. This must be seen against the background of the generally poor performances of the Crusaders - ending up the first time since 2003 outside of the play-offs. However, I still have reservations about McCaw's form this year.
As to the other issue where I fear the AB's would have problems is with their props. None of their props showed any decent form and they were all under pressure in especially scrumming throughout Super 15. If that was the case in Super 15 - what would happen on international level? I would not be confident about the issue at all, but there are no alternatives available.
A strong squad with some question marks - even if considered minor by supporters. However, the upcoming RC before the WC might clear up the situation. And Sasue - Bismarck is back in form so I would beware if I was Carter.

Just_win

Captain18,570 posts

Just_winCaptain18,570 posts

08 Jun 2015, 06:55

#11

08 Jun 2015, 06:55#11

Welcome back Naru San Your squad (with the refinements that have been made) looks like the likely one, i.e. what Hansen will pick. There are so many players putting their hands up now but Hansen will go with the prove players & add in one or two bolters.
One hopes the SA supporters don't lose heart when they look at our squad as they are worthy adversaries We will have the usual "weak tight five" comments but as usual they will not be looking at the overall game plan the ABs have & will be blinded by the need for "punishing forwards".

Brycy

Pro4,671 posts

BrycyPro4,671 posts

08 Jun 2015, 07:28

#12

08 Jun 2015, 07:28#12

...Shezza,... last time I checked, players that have played for our U20s ABs and AB Sevens team like Waisake Naholo has are eligible to play in the RWC...understand also NZ Rugby are negotiating a release for him from that contract with Clermont Auvergne...

Brycy

Pro4,671 posts

BrycyPro4,671 posts

08 Jun 2015, 07:51

#13

08 Jun 2015, 07:51#13

...Sas , plenty of room for a few of this years form Super XV players surely...but definitely like the idea of retaining some of the successful combinations that worked over this Super Rugby season...enough RWC pool games for everyone to get a run just about anyway

...but if you look what happened to the Wallaby team last year after winning the Super Rugby comp as a cautionary tale perhaps...they broke up perfectly good combinations that were working well and look what happened... poor Redsman has never been seen since...

...might be something to do with the Kiwis kicking Aussie butt 3X in the league though that did it..

Pity the Chiefs had to spoil the Reds farewell party on the weekend as well - too funny

...can't really compare us to those drunken sons of sheep stealers next door so probably nothing to worry about.. but I guess all will be revealed when Hansen announces his squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship who gets in..

ROUND 1
Friday 17 July: New Zealand v Argentina - AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Saturday 18 July: Australia v South Africa - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

ROUND 2
Saturday 25 July: South Africa v New Zealand - Venue TBC
Saturday 25 July: Argentina v Australia - Venue TBC

ROUND 3
Saturday 8 August: Australia v New Zealand - ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 8 August: South Africa v Argentina - Venue TBC

ADDITIONAL WEEK (not for competition points)
Saturday 15 August: New Zealand v Australia - Eden Park, Auckland
Saturday 15 August: Argentina v South Africa - Venue TBC

Rooinek

Captain18,117 posts

RooinekCaptain18,117 posts

08 Jun 2015, 08:52

#14

08 Jun 2015, 08:52#14

Naruto, firstly I find it hard to believe you were intentionally banned from this site. I know you rubbed a few Japies up the wrong way but it was always rugby related wind-ups and I can't think of a single post of yours that was ever in bad taste or offensive. I hope the Ed can reply to this and put your mind at rest because you've always been a top contributor to this forum.

Secondly, if Waisake Naholo is available for the All Blacks, would you pick him ahead of Cory Jane?

Finally, if it was me I'd be very tempted to play a centre combo of Sunni Bill and Fekitoa. I know Nonu is in good form at the moment and Conrad Smith has great experience, but they're both getting on a bit and SBW and Fekitoa would be an explosive combination.

Wardad

Pro6,663 posts

WardadPro6,663 posts

08 Jun 2015, 09:13

#15

08 Jun 2015, 09:13#15

Naruto even in your present guise your a rugby legend still .

Just_win

Captain18,570 posts

Just_winCaptain18,570 posts

08 Jun 2015, 16:13

#16

08 Jun 2015, 16:13#16

Hard to believe you were banned Naru-San. I guess the kiwis were too much for some posters on here & they had to increased their odds of winning a few arguments .

You have been sorely missed & I hope you are back for good now.

Shezza

Pro2,471 posts

ShezzaPro2,471 posts

08 Jun 2015, 18:25

#17

08 Jun 2015, 18:25#17

Naholo grew up and went to Cuvu College which is in Fiji.

Beeno1

Captain40,032 posts

Beeno1Captain40,032 posts

08 Jun 2015, 18:54

#18

08 Jun 2015, 18:54#18

Yes welcome back Naru San! Cant believe you were banned. You are not a down under ref are you?
A tip for you. You are touting too many has beens ous. This also has the effect of stumbling the unstable Cloudy. In her case old mcaaaaw would sill be in the side if he only had one leg.

Brycy

Pro4,671 posts

BrycyPro4,671 posts

08 Jun 2015, 19:11

#19

08 Jun 2015, 19:11#19

...Shezza, Waisake Naholo also attended Wanganui College in NZ, and played for Wanganui in the Heartland Championship scoring six tries in eleven matches while still at school..

Shezza

Pro2,471 posts

ShezzaPro2,471 posts

08 Jun 2015, 20:34

#20

08 Jun 2015, 20:34#20

Well then we have an indication to what what age he moved to New Zealand, the 12 - 18 range would be my guess.

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

08 Jun 2015, 23:27

#21

08 Jun 2015, 23:27#21

@warhmmer,

arigato for the kudos wardaddy san,

id imagine the limit on the squad is to sort of even out the nations rugby teams. even amongst the tier 1 nations, no country really has the depth of world class players to tap into like the might kiwis and to a lesser extent, the fragile saffas,

most countries should be able to produce 31 man squads of top players though.

@madame vice prez,
i do sort of have the blogging bug back, so id be surprised if i dont blog back here more often.
there is one thing that concerns me, is my not blogging here contributed to the hurricanes success??? i never thought of myself as the superstitious type, but with the hurricanes looking favourites to win the spXV, my nerves are starting to get the better of me, LMAO,

regarding my ban, it was only an IP ban, this is still my sasuke account but i changed the name and avatar pic, im a little worried the name sasuke has a hit out on it in these waters,

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

08 Jun 2015, 23:31

#22

08 Jun 2015, 23:31#22

@brother mike,

"I think that Sasue's return and his extensive comments are really for the benefit of all of us. That being said I do not want to sound a false note on the squad he mentioned and think it probably is the strongest squad available to New Zealand at this stage."
oh u big flatter u,

"I was worried about the form of some players in Super 15 this year and in particular Carter and McCaw. Carter seemed to have returned to form recently in games and looked much better than he did prior to him being moved back to flyhalf."
chalk carters performance to that mr bean idiot blackadder who has saffa coaching level skills.
carter is no 12 and to see him withering away at 2nd5 for most of the season was painful to watch, but its exactly the type of thing i would expect from blackadder.

"This must be seen against the background of the generally poor performances of the Crusaders - ending up the first time since 2003 outside of the play-offs.   However, I still have reservations about McCaw's form this year."
ur reservations on king richie are well noted, its one of ur best baits and lure when fishing for kiwis, LMFAO,
but to some degree i actually agree, king richies form in the spXV for the last few seasons has been nothing to write home about.
i get a sense that at 34 years of age, McCaw knows that the rugby season is no sprint race. he paces himself accordingly so that when its time to put on the world famous All Back armor, he hits the ground running with a ll cylinders firing.
this is why IMO his performance for the crusaders raises a few questions.

but as we have seen for the last few years, there are few better than McCaw on the international scene.

"As to the other issue where I fear the AB's would have problems is with their props. None of their props showed any decent form and they were all under pressure in especially scrumming throughout Super 15.   If that was the case in Super 15 - what would happen on international level? I would not be confident about the issue at all, but there are no alternatives available."
i disagree with u on this one, i dont know what 2015 spXV games u have been watching, but the NZ teams have held their own in the scrummaging departments. not in every game mind u, but for the most part its looking all good.

crusaders tight 5 is prob going to be the core tight 5 for the All Blacks, with only coles and the worlds best lock and best player brodie retallick the only players who will be injected in, and if u look at how the crusaders fared against the saffa teams, its not too shabby at all.
the sharks pack with a ton of bokkes in it couldnt do nothing against the crusaders pack come scrum time, and this was evident with the 50 point annihilation the banana boys got shoved down their throats.
both the lions and cheetahs werent even competitive come scrum time against the sharks, the saders tore both their packs a new one .
the bulls got the upper hand on the saders pack though, with the crusaders losing 1 scrum from 5, but thats a hardly a dominating stat, crusaders still gained parity.

considering how much of a mantra tight 5 play is within saffa rugby circles, the reasons for the kiwis to be confident in the battle upfront against anyone, is equaled only by the concern the saffas should be feeling about the kiwi pack.

"A strong squad with some question marks - even if considered minor by supporters.   However, the upcoming RC before the WC might clear up the situation."
i would have thought the RC/4nats to date would have already answered some of those questions, i mean just look at our respective nations RC/4nats record

RC/4nats
All Blacks - 2012 RC/4nats champions, 2013 RC/4nats champions, 2014 RC/4nats champions
played 18, won 16, drawn 1, lost 1
winning percentage 89%
special note - the All Blacks are the only team in the RC/4nats who have won 100% of their tests vs the pumas.

Boks - 0 championships
played 18, won 10, drawn 1, lost 7
winning percentage 55%
special note - the Boks jersey is also the same colour as envy,

"And Sasue - Bismarck is back in form so I would beware if I was Carter."
brother mike, i think anyone with a face should be aware of pigmarck and his boorish karate antics,

Monkey D Luffy

Pro6,277 posts

Monkey D LuffyPro6,277 posts

09 Jun 2015, 00:00

#23

09 Jun 2015, 00:00#23

@rooy,

"Naruto, firstly I find it hard to believe you were intentionally banned from this site. I know you rubbed a few Japies up the wrong way but it was always rugby related wind-ups and I can't think of a single post of yours that was ever in bad taste or offensive. I hope the Ed can reply to this and put your mind at rest because you've always been a top contributor to this forum."
i dont know what to make about this either, and to be fair, i dont know if it was the admins here who IP banned me, but my brother who knows a thing or two about this stuff is of the storng opinion that it is the case.

all i know is i cant access this site when using my broadband at home or my phones internet.
but the second i use works or neighbours unsecured wifi, i can access it no problem.

i too think that my posts were never personal and of a rugby nature, but every man has his breaking point i guess.
my love of shining the light of truth on south africas state of rugby affairs, by jabbing it in the ribs with a stick made of cold hard facts is what im guessing contributed to me feeling their wrath. truth be told, im surprised i wasnt IP banned earlier, LMAO,

"Secondly, if Waisake Naholo is available for the All Blacks, would you pick him ahead of Cory Jane?"
ive had this debate with my brother many times, and IMO with the circumstances as they are, i wouldnt.

naholo is apparently trying to get out of his contract with a french club whose name alludes me at the moment, as fantastic a winger as he is, i see no point in giving him an All Black position when hes most likely not going to be around next year anyway, while im confident that jane will as he always does deliver.

"Finally, if it was me I'd be very tempted to play a centre combo of Sunni Bill and Fekitoa. I know Nonu is in good form at the moment and Conrad Smith has great experience, but they're both getting on a bit and SBW and Fekitoa would be an explosive combination."
for me, the midfeild belongs to nonu and snake easy peasy.
they are the worlds most experienced and successful midfeild pairing ever, and both have something that SBW and fekitoa dont, the realisation that this is their final year in the All Blacks.

nonu in particular who has a reputation of going who gives a F when it comes to super rugby, is playing like a man possessed, prob a combination knowing his time has come and remembering that the last time SBW was here, nonus mortage on the no12 was usurped.
one can only quiver with anticipation when thinking about the hell and magic nonus going to unleash when he puts on the black jersey in 2015, cos asweve seen from the last 4 years, he game always improves 110%.

i also have huge reservations regarding fekitoa and SBW.
IMO fekitoa is still way too green, in the tests last year there was a number of opportunities fekitoa Fkd up by being be a bit too greedy, its a habit he needs to lose.

SBW on the other hand has IMO bitten off more than he can chew with his league, boxing career taking a toll on his performance in 2015.
he also has a huge weakness against players with outright speed and skill like de allende showed us.
IMO his game is one centerd around physicality, just like nonu. but unlike nonu, he dosent have the natural rugby instinct to account for these shortcomings.

Brycy

Pro4,671 posts

BrycyPro4,671 posts

10 Jun 2015, 06:40

#24

10 Jun 2015, 06:40#24

...from what I've heard it's NZRU that are trying to secure Naholo ...hardly surprising given the player drain.

..doubt whether he would renege on a contract unless he was assured of an All Black jersey, otherwise what would be the point.?.

..I mean why go to all the considerable expense of buying a player out of a contract if you're not going to use him?...don't make sense - what makes sense you'd think is having the top finisher in Super XV in your team going into a RWC ..

...Makes you wonder though what team the ABs will field against Samoa in Apia given AB players from the Canes, Chiefs and Highlanders could be tied up in the Super XV finals..

— END OF THREAD —

my All Blacks RWC squad,,,

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