...did I mention the winning record against France, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland and Japan - unlike hapless SA, who have lost to all these teams...
...and that they also beat the British and Irish Lions last time they toured...
Brycy, how did I miss your undefeated record against France?
"...but Savea is still on the fringes of AB selection and will need to play consistently well for the rest of the season to be considered...consistency being the operative word...."
consistency hasnt been a problem for ardie, has played the bulk of games since day as he always does. like all players though, he has the odd wtf game, but he wasnt invited to tour with the All Blacks cos of that cheap kid n play fro, lolz,
"..looking forward to seeing how he goes against the Lions this weekend being tested by Kriel, Whitely and co...love the way he's always trying to get one up on his brother which is great motivation for him to play well.."
im looking forward this match big time...Sas, I know it's pretty subjective about who tipped the balance in favour of the Chiefs pulling off that mighty win last weekend...not sure if it was Sam Cane or Seta Tamanivalu...then again, maybe if Cruden was playing for the Canes they would have crushed the Chiefs...haha
...not arguing about how good Savea is though but it's Hansen that is the gatekeeper for the ABs...and I don't think he's as dopey as he used to be...
..in Ardie's support I have also provided superior stats to support your argument so I agree that his stats are better than Cane's in many departments...
...unfair to Ardie I know that some have been hypercritical of how inconsistent his brother has been but just human nature to paint his brother with the same brush...and remember we're only halfway through the comp so injuries could also factor in to contenders for openside given they are at the coalface of all the action...worst case scenario no disputing there is plenty of depth...
...playing away games in SA will be the litmus test for Ardie Savea - his immediate AB future may even ride on him having a barnstorming tour given the competition for the seven jersey....Canes need to go two from two as Hansen will more likely be picking players from the teams nearer the top of the table - being a fairly reliable indicator of the form of the players...
...re Akira Iaone maybe Umaga sees Iaone more as a Sevens player i.e not someone who plays for eighty... and perhaps Tietjens told Umaga to go easy we need him in Rio..
...and didn't the Blues win their first game using him and Moala off the bench as impact players..so maybe given that proved a successful formula initially Umaga continued with it...
...no different to Blackadder starting Havili with Crotty on the bench..
...can't help but think Ardie may have sh!t in his nest here re his immediate AB selection chances after breaking team protocol and getting axed by the Canes's coach...we all know what happened to Cruden last year - Hansen does not take kindly to this type of behaviour..
...probably won't stop him being included in the EOYT though...
...Sas might be just the excuse Hansen needed to overlook Savea and pick one of his Canterbury sons Todd or Taufua...big shame for Ardie as he's already forsaken a medal at Rio to play Super rugby instead...
...and it's not as if the Canes can afford to throw a game by fielding a severely weakened team...lose against the Reds this weekend and the Canes season is virtually done and dusted....and those five players would have to take some responsibility for that wouldn't they?..
"...Sas might just be the excuse Hansen needed to overlook Savea and pick one of his Canterbury sons Todd or Taufua...big shame for Ardie as he's already forsaken a medal at Rio to play Super rugby instead..."
i would be very surprised if hansen dosent think the matter has been put to bed, but i wouldnt have one iota of a problem if ardie is overlooked as a result. u reap what u sow, and 18 minutes too late is 19 minutes too much in my books.
but even if ardie is selected for the ABs squad, hansen should still pick tafua, hes too good to not start investing time into. he dosent have to play huge minutes, but appearances from the bench here and there will leave us in a great position come the RWC.
and if ardies dropped, hansen would have no choice but to include todd in the squad, amd the beauty is we lose nothing cos todd is class.
the depth we have with our looseforwards means that hansen can afford to make an examole of ardie, so either way its a win win.
i see ur subscription to hansens one eyed cantab ways has been renewed,
...Sas perish the thought the Canes lose this weekend but for arguments sake say Nabuli has a blinder and Aussies U20's centre Campbell Magnay cuts it up in the centres at the Canes expense - end result Canes go down...compounding their points problem will be a bye the next round and then facing the Landers the following week....that could be three losses in a row worst case scenario...but very hard to recover from..
...in that eventuality Canes fans would be forgiven for thinking of what could have been...and how much this current distraction contributed to their demise...
...can't help but think that the whole thing could have been handled better by the coach...just a quiet word in their ear perhaps as they were only 15 mins late for gawdsake....just so over the top...
...could there be some animosity developing between the coach and the players affecting their performance I wonder because the Canes should really have raped the Sharks...especially after thrashing the Lions which is arguably a better side than the Sharks... Canes certainly can't afford to throw anymore games so hope they pick themselves up....
