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FORUM / RUGBY /  Which June test series offers the most?; Wynne Gray; NZ Herald

Which June test series offers the most?; Wynne Gray; NZ Herald

Started by Just_win2 REPLIES209 VIEWS· 29 May 2016, 16:41
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JW
Just_winCaptain18,570 posts
29 May 2016, 16:41
#1
29 May 2016, 16:41#1

Judgment day about June. Cast your eyes across the test rugby schedule on offer in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan as northern hemisphere sides pick up their kit and head into the final battles of their season.

Which of those battles boils your interest, which offers a level of intrigue above other motives for tuning in - the All Blacks hosting Wales, the Wallabies series with England, the Springbok duels with Ireland or Japan's chance to pit themselves against Scotland.

My spiritual attention and national fascination will be tuned into the All Blacks with particular interest on the backline the selectors pick and how those changes measure up in substance and methods against what's gone before. The All Blacks bring a lift in importance, a rush of national essence and inquisition.

Put that three test series with Wales up against the time differences and a lack of connection to the tests in South Africa and Japan, and it's no contest.

However there's more of a challenge across the Ditch.

The promotion will go ballistic with Dirty Digger Eddie Jones and his champion Six Nations side arriving to challenge Michael Cheika's mob who trounced the White Orcs 33-13 to dispatch them to the last World Cup slaughterhouse. England were bullied and outclassed across Twickers.

That anguish continued until Jones grabbed top dollar and the squad and took them to Six Nations glory. Much of it wasn't pretty but the results were gold for those who support the white livery.

Jones has picked his squad for the trip to Australia and declared the visit will be a failure if they don't claim the series.

"We want to be the top team in the world and I don't think we should have any embarrassment about saying that. Therefore, if we go to Australia, we should expect to win the series," Jones said.

"We have to be physical, unrelenting and absolutely in their faces. We have got to make their life so uncomfortable. We can't allow them to get into any sort of tempo or groove."

Only eight players who started England's World Cup loss to the Wallabies, have been picked for this trip. Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell and Ben Youngs began in the backline with Chris Robshaw, Joe Launchbury and Dan Coles in the pack.

When Cheika names his squad today, five from that RWC test are unlikely picks - Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Will Genia, Kane Douglas and Sekope Kepu-because they are injured or playing offshore.

There are more juicy threads about England's trip down-under and their quest to reverse the results chart which shows they have only won three times in 53 years in Australia. And the Jones v Cheika spruikfests will not be an undercard sideshow.

There is an ongoing appeal about Wales chances of cracking a 62-year-old losing stretch against the All Blacks but for once, it's not quite as appealing as the test rugby across the Ditch.

JW
Just_winCaptain18,570 posts
29 May 2016, 16:53
#2
29 May 2016, 16:53#2
 I imagine each country is most interested in their own tests, I'm interested in the ABs & how they will integrate the new players. Maybe interested is a gross understatement
Oz vs England is interesting because Eddie is such a load mouth & has really talked up the Poms. Oz looked really good in the RWC & the poms didn't.
Boks vs Ireland will be a good series in that we need to see how the new coach does with a team with a lot of new players. We are all interested in seeing what style of play he will go for, he may not be able to show what he has in mind right away but hopefully we will get a sense of the direction he wants to go well before the RWC is on the horizon. In the case of Meyer he changed his mind & while he had to ensure the Boks had some flexibility I think he ended up confusing his players.
WA
WardadPro6,663 posts
29 May 2016, 17:01
#3
29 May 2016, 17:01#3
 Boks will p!ss itin 3 zip ,ABs should be too strong at home although first test ring rust is always a worry but the Aussies might struggle a bit ,,thats the NH best chance of a scalp.
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