Latest / Rugby Direct / Rugby Direct Episode 237: Finals Fever and All Blacks Picks

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Rugby Direct Episode 237: Finals Fever and All Blacks Picks · Rugby Direct

0:09
Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
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Speaker 1: this and our Wide Ranger podcast now on iHeartRadio. Straight
0:19
Speaker 1: down the Middle trup scy try to get inside the
0:29
Speaker 1: game from every end goal. It's Rugby Direct with Elliott
0:34
Speaker 1: Smith and Liam Napier, powered by News Talks EDB.
0:37
Speaker 2: Welcome into Rugby to repowered by Indian Safety, Blackwood Shop,
0:40
Speaker 2: King g and you could score five thousand dollars here.
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Speaker 2: We are a couple of days out from the final,
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Speaker 2: least when we're recording this Elliot Smith with me, Liam
0:49
Speaker 2: Napier and the Hurricanes and Chiefs. Just over forty eight
0:53
Speaker 2: hours away from the final. We had the team's name.
0:56
Speaker 2: We're ready to go. Liam, your excitement levels is both
1:00
Speaker 2: as a Hurricanes fan but also a rugby journalist, broadcaster,
1:04
Speaker 2: podcaster writer. How excited are you for the final?
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Speaker 3: As a raft of emotions, Elliott's It's been a great year,
1:11
Speaker 3: hasn't it. One of the best.
1:14
Speaker 2: You can know, it's one of the best who actually
1:15
Speaker 2: win the title. No one remembers who came second.
1:18
Speaker 3: That's a great year because we're going to have a
1:20
Speaker 3: champion that's not the Crusaders. So I'm going to wind
1:22
Speaker 3: you up, but I've had so a few messages saying
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Speaker 3: you got off lightly, so I have to need all
1:27
Speaker 3: you today. But great season. It's great to have so
1:30
Speaker 3: many people on board the cane train, and each day
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Speaker 3: that passes, I grow more and more nervous.
1:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, what are the new levels?
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Speaker 1: Like?
1:40
Speaker 2: Give me a sense of the Hurricanes, your confidence and
1:44
Speaker 2: them actually winning the title.
1:46
Speaker 3: Look as all Hurricanes fans can attest Elliott, there's been
1:50
Speaker 3: a lot of long suffering. One title and what is
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Speaker 3: it thirty years? You can't relate, unfortunately, But look, I'm
2:00
Speaker 3: quietly confident. But just nobody drinks anything. You don't uncross
2:06
Speaker 3: your toes, don't walk under any ladders, don't up any
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Speaker 3: umbrellas and sides, and everything will be fine.
2:12
Speaker 2: I think, from a neutral perspective, if the Hurricanes play
2:16
Speaker 2: to their maximum capabilities, they will be good enough to
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Speaker 2: win this title. The issue is if they don't and
2:23
Speaker 2: the Chiefs are not too far behind. I don't think
2:26
Speaker 2: in terms of quality and maybe the time they've run
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Speaker 2: pretty well to get where they have into the final,
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Speaker 2: I don't think there's much in it. I hope the
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Speaker 2: final lives up to expectations that all the games so
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Speaker 2: far in the playoff series have been blowouts, which has
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Speaker 2: been disappointing, and especially last week, especially the Duke Crusaded's
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Speaker 2: Chiefs caam perhaps a little unexpected. So I hope the
2:44
Speaker 2: final lives up to expectations from a neutral point looking
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Speaker 2: at the two teams, not too many surprises, a couple
2:52
Speaker 2: of injury surprises perhaps, you'd say the Chiefs without Wallace
2:55
Speaker 2: a Titi, which is obviously a blows. They move Simon
2:58
Speaker 2: Parker to the back of the scrum. Isaac Hutchinson is
3:02
Speaker 2: out for them as well, and I think that also
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Speaker 2: tips things in the Hurricanes favor, who have couple of
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Speaker 2: injuries in question marks obviously of their own with a
3:11
Speaker 2: Caleb Delaney who's been a mainstay in their twenty three
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Speaker 2: this year. But I still just give the edge to
3:19
Speaker 2: the Hurricanes based on what we've seen so far in
3:22
Speaker 2: the team's named.
3:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. For Kitty is another big out.
3:26
Speaker 3: He was really good for the Chiefs last week, in
3:30
Speaker 3: particular against the Crusaders. Kyle Brown a solid player, but
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Speaker 3: I think quite a significant step down. I wouldn't be
3:38
Speaker 3: surprised to see the Hurricanes target that channel. Outside Quinta
3:42
Speaker 3: Pyre Hutchinson's been excellent for the Chiefs this year, to
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Speaker 3: the point that he's been touted as a potential bolter.
3:49
Speaker 3: You put his name for last week, I think it
3:51
Speaker 3: was so that probably hurts his chances from an All
3:54
Speaker 3: Blacks perspective, but also I think hurts the Chiefs lems
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Speaker 3: Coombs fabling, good on attack, much smaller player, so potentially
4:04
Speaker 3: some challenges in the year. And yeah, Caleb Delaney is
4:08
Speaker 3: a big out, but the Hurricanes get back Devin Flanders,
4:11
Speaker 3: which is huge and otherwise at full strength, so I
4:14
Speaker 3: think man for man, on paper, the Hurricanes are the
4:17
Speaker 3: stronger team. How do you see this final playing out? Stylistically?
4:23
Speaker 3: These two teams have been the best two teams all year.
4:26
Speaker 3: The Hurricanes have the best struck Grate Elliott in world rugby.
4:30
Speaker 3: This year. They've scored one hundred and four tries from
4:32
Speaker 3: sixteen games. Their attack has been phenomenal, but their set
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Speaker 3: piece has largely been sound, their defense, their physicality, their
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Speaker 3: work at the breakdown. They have really become an all
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Speaker 3: court team. The Chiefs, I think, outside of Quinta Pie
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Speaker 3: Player of the Year Damien McKenzie, their strengths are upfront.
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Speaker 3: Yep and they boss the collisions, They dominated the game line.
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Speaker 3: They had that front foot platform against the Crusaders and
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Speaker 3: that's where everything flowed on from Sammasoni Takiaho scored a
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Speaker 3: host of mall tries. So is it as simple to
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Speaker 3: paint it as contrasting approaches here? Do you expect the
5:14
Speaker 3: Chiefs to try and largely go through the middle and
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Speaker 3: use their big ball carriers and the Hurricanes to try
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Speaker 3: and ignite their attack. How do you see it playing?
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Speaker 2: I do, and I think what the Chiefs might try
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Speaker 2: and do again, which is what they did well in
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Speaker 2: the game. They won and super pointed starve the Hurricanes
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Speaker 2: of the ball, and they've shown that they're comfortable on
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Speaker 2: both sides of the ball, the Chiefs. So I think
5:35
Speaker 2: in that game it was about sixty forty, especially in
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Speaker 2: the second half where they just denied the Hurricanes as
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Speaker 2: much time on ball made them to you know, little
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Speaker 2: panic decisions throughout that game that perhaps that the Hurricanes
5:49
Speaker 2: wouldn't otherwise have made. They didn't allow a lot of
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Speaker 2: running meters for either of the two wins, and Molby
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Speaker 2: who are back again on Saturday night, so they just
6:01
Speaker 2: stifled the Hurricanes, and I think that's the key. It
6:04
Speaker 2: sounds simple that it is actually to execute, But what
6:06
Speaker 2: they did that night was just frustrate the Hurricanes and
6:09
Speaker 2: force them into uncharacteristic errors. There's a lot of turnovers
6:14
Speaker 2: that night on both sides of the park, and I
6:16
Speaker 2: think the Chiefs are more comfortable living that way than
6:18
Speaker 2: maybe the Hurricanes were. So if it does get a
6:21
Speaker 2: little bit scrappy, that's where I'd wonder whether the Hurricanes
6:24
Speaker 2: would be able to stick with the Chiefs, who've seen
6:27
Speaker 2: a little bit more used to playing with scraps and
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Speaker 2: making the most of you know, forty percent position, fifty
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Speaker 2: percent position if they need to, whereas I think of
6:35
Speaker 2: the Hurricanes, if you're a strict time on ball, that
6:37
Speaker 2: could be one way that they might be able to
6:39
Speaker 2: shut them down.
6:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think this is a massive game for
6:42
Speaker 3: Reuben Love because from a game management, tactical, kicking accuracy
6:47
Speaker 3: point of view, you need to get those things right.
6:49
Speaker 3: And I think he was a bit scratchy last week,
6:52
Speaker 3: which makes me a little bit nervous. And I think
6:55
Speaker 3: also in that game against the Chiefs, McKenzie probably outpointed
6:58
Speaker 3: him there as well. And just the you know, this
7:03
Speaker 3: final sold out in fifteen minutes. There's pressure and expectation
7:07
Speaker 3: on both teams, but Ruben Love hasn't been there, hasn't
7:10
Speaker 3: played in the final, so it's interesting to see how
7:14
Speaker 3: he handles that stage. I've got no doubt he's got
7:18
Speaker 3: the temperament, but there has been a couple of occasions
7:21
Speaker 3: recently where passes have gone to ground or hasn't quite
7:24
Speaker 3: nailed his skill was goalkicking has been really good. And
7:27
Speaker 3: when the game opens up and he can play freely,
7:30
Speaker 3: that's when he's at his best. But when it's tights, tense,
7:34
Speaker 3: when you really need to execute, This is going to
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Speaker 3: tell us a lot about where Ruben Love's at.
7:39
Speaker 2: Agreed, and then look at if it's an open game
7:41
Speaker 2: that I think the Hurricanes will win quite easily, but
7:43
Speaker 2: I think the Chiefs will know that that you used
7:46
Speaker 2: to have got some exciting outside backs and exciting players
7:48
Speaker 2: Quinta Pyre, super ruggy player of the year in their arsenal.
7:51
Speaker 2: But I think if you disrupt the Hurricanes, that's the
7:54
Speaker 2: path the victory. You think about the losses they've had
7:56
Speaker 2: this year to the Drooer, it was really scrappy in
7:59
Speaker 2: a wet afternoon in Fiji. I think they've got twenty
8:02
Speaker 2: points in the end. The game they lost to the
8:05
Speaker 2: Chiefs was seventeen when they rolled out a bee or
8:08
Speaker 2: team against the Crusaders. They only scored fourteen points. You know,
8:12
Speaker 2: not much you can read into that that game, but
8:14
Speaker 2: if you restrict the Hurricanes to say twenty points or less,
8:17
Speaker 2: then you're in with a very very good shot. And
8:19
Speaker 2: I think that goes out to a previous point about
8:21
Speaker 2: disrupting what they can do with the ball, the amount
8:23
Speaker 2: of chances that Reuben Love has to get the ball
8:26
Speaker 2: out to Finango with crossfield cakes, the chance of Jordi
8:29
Speaker 2: Barrett to be on ball, all those sort of things.
8:32
Speaker 2: If you can also shut down canroyguards space as well.
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Speaker 2: I think the paths of the Chiefs winning is around
8:38
Speaker 2: being niggli and being frustrating. And you look at the
8:41
Speaker 2: players that they've got in the loose Ford trio, Sma
8:43
Speaker 2: Penny Feenaw, Luke Jacobson, Simon Parker. They're the kind of
8:47
Speaker 2: players that can deliver that blueprint for Jimo Gibbs. Yeah.
8:51
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's about that pack. It's about them getting a
8:53
Speaker 3: roll on and stifling the Hurricanes. And if you can
8:58
Speaker 3: frustrate them and not make them have it all their
9:01
Speaker 3: own way. Then mistakes can creep and self doubt. Hurricanes
9:05
Speaker 3: haven't been in too many of those situations this year.
9:09
Speaker 3: You're right about Ken Rugan. For me, he is the key.
9:13
Speaker 3: He only needs a sniff, a moment, a dummy, a break.
9:17
Speaker 3: We saw last week he copped a bit of heat
9:19
Speaker 3: about laying prone on the ground, getting up and taking
9:22
Speaker 3: the quick tap. It wasn't faking it. It was a
9:26
Speaker 3: genuine incident and he took his chance. I don't really
9:29
Speaker 3: have a great problem with it. He's wearing black.
9:34
Speaker 2: I thank you for saying that before I needed to.
9:36
Speaker 3: But he is the most potent weapon on that park
9:39
Speaker 3: and you can't give him a snuff because he will
9:42
Speaker 3: threaten to take the game away. Wallace a TT not
9:46
Speaker 3: surprised to see him not play. I think player safety first.
9:49
Speaker 3: That was a really ugly incident when he was looked
9:51
Speaker 3: like he was almost seizuring on the ground following that
9:54
Speaker 3: double head knock in the quarterfinal. But he's another He
9:58
Speaker 3: is a big out and there is some rumors around
10:02
Speaker 3: look Jacobson potentially carrying some head issues concussion as well.
10:07
Speaker 3: I haven't had that fight in any way. But the
10:10
Speaker 3: Chiefs wouldn't want to lose another loose forwards, which would hurt.
10:15
Speaker 2: Well, you'd bring in calem Bosha into the run on
10:18
Speaker 2: team and you'd have to rearrange or could replace Jacobson.
10:22
Speaker 2: A few is indeed ruled out, but that does weakend
10:25
Speaker 2: the loose ford trail with CTRT already.
10:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, and the Hurricanes wouldn't want to lose a lock
10:30
Speaker 3: because that would potentially leave their line out of vulnerable.
10:34
Speaker 3: They've gone Brad Shields and Braden Yosse on the bench,
10:38
Speaker 3: so I presume.
10:39
Speaker 2: There's no Caleb Delaney for them this week. And it
10:42
Speaker 2: also Brad Shields. It's interesting, you know, he's the only
10:44
Speaker 2: player in the match the twenty three that has won
10:46
Speaker 2: a Super Rugby title still going ten years later England
10:49
Speaker 2: career in between. He is a warhorse, is Brad Shields.
10:55
Speaker 2: And yeah, look it's a big ass for room to
10:57
Speaker 2: cover lock if needed, so they'd be hoping that doesn't happen.
11:00
Speaker 2: Interesting they didn't go with a specialist rather than you know,
11:04
Speaker 2: yeah obviously with with with Caleb Delaney ad injured then
11:07
Speaker 2: might have got a special listen in there. But the
11:10
Speaker 2: break backing Wikalle Widdy and Dunes to go deep into
11:12
Speaker 2: that contest. And the kind of form that Dunes has
11:14
Speaker 2: been in, you know he can also be a match
11:16
Speaker 2: turner in this In this.
11:17
Speaker 3: Fixture, absolutely Jamie Hannah was prominent in terms of stealing
11:22
Speaker 3: line at ball. Sam Darius had his moments, but Warner
11:24
Speaker 3: Durnes has set the bar there, not only in that
11:26
Speaker 3: area but chargedowns. I think he'll come for the Chiefs
11:30
Speaker 3: half backs. He'll he'll try and pressure Damien McKenzie and
11:33
Speaker 3: it may only take a moment like that to swing
11:36
Speaker 3: this game. The weather looks good as well.
11:39
Speaker 2: It doesn't.
11:39
Speaker 3: No, I was just going to bring showers in the morning.
11:42
Speaker 2: Is going to bring this up? A few showers tending
11:45
Speaker 2: to rain in the evening, strong wisters and the omet
11:48
Speaker 2: service symbol is dark cloud, anything which is never particularly good.
11:52
Speaker 3: Who does that suit well the Chiefs? I think yeah,
11:55
Speaker 3: I think that will suit their Ford lead approach. That's
12:02
Speaker 3: not to say the Hurricanes can't adapt and look some
12:04
Speaker 3: of the a Fords have been among their best performers,
12:06
Speaker 3: but their modus operanda this year has been to offloads,
12:11
Speaker 3: to promote the ball, to give the ball air. Look
12:15
Speaker 3: at the tries in the space and the attacking price
12:19
Speaker 3: their wingers have enjoyed this year, so they'll be preparing
12:24
Speaker 3: for that. But I think the Chiefs would be happier
12:26
Speaker 3: to see rain.
12:27
Speaker 2: Just on the benches. We touched on Brad Shields covering
12:30
Speaker 2: lot for the Hurricanes, that Klem Bosher as well. Who
12:35
Speaker 2: do you give the benches to? The interesting approaches from
12:37
Speaker 2: both teams. The Hurricanes, obviously with Calum Harkin at fullback,
12:40
Speaker 2: have decided that only ten cover on the bench necessarily
12:45
Speaker 2: like a Lucas Cashmore type or someone like that, John A.
12:47
Speaker 2: Rover and Kennina Hollow, some midfielder and outside back. The Chiefs.
12:53
Speaker 2: Josh Jacob his final game for the Chiefs, Rion Paul,
12:55
Speaker 2: who impressed a couple of times the season. Who do
12:58
Speaker 2: you give the battles of the benches to? Because I
12:59
Speaker 2: could come down to that. We think of that last game,
13:01
Speaker 2: you know, the Hurricanes made that interesting decision to take
13:04
Speaker 2: off cam roy Guard a minute into super point, which
13:07
Speaker 2: was bizarre to haven't figured that out, and brought on
13:09
Speaker 2: Idiotata and Nari who was good and when he was
13:12
Speaker 2: asked to fill in for Cambroyguard for that period of time.
13:15
Speaker 2: But who do you give that the battle of the
13:16
Speaker 2: benches to.
13:18
Speaker 3: I think probably the Hurricanes because I do worry about
13:22
Speaker 3: Joan Rover because he was the guy that pushed the
13:25
Speaker 3: probably unnecessary offload against the Chiefs. I think from memory
13:30
Speaker 3: that sent it to extra time and the loss in Hamilton.
13:34
Speaker 3: But Kenny a Holo has been a weapon off the bench.
13:37
Speaker 3: Bradon Yosse. You look at the impact that the Hurricanes
13:40
Speaker 3: bench had last week against the Blues. They were quite scratchy,
13:44
Speaker 3: it was competitive, and then the Hurricanes injected their bench
13:46
Speaker 3: and it flipped the script with the Chiefs. They steamrolled
13:50
Speaker 3: the Hurricanes are they crusaders in the first half and
13:53
Speaker 3: then it was much more competitive after that. I think
13:56
Speaker 3: Josh Jacob is much better starting he can bear, but
14:00
Speaker 3: Flighty has got an error in his game when he's
14:02
Speaker 3: come off the bench. And I think you talk about
14:06
Speaker 3: the injuries, you know Satiti for Ki t Hutchinson, the
14:09
Speaker 3: Chiefs also missing at ten in nineos to Toutro Nadawah,
14:15
Speaker 3: and I think that's where your depth starts. To buy
14:18
Speaker 3: a wee bit and those outside backs. Rion Paul was
14:21
Speaker 3: really good against who is at the Reds or maybe
14:26
Speaker 3: in their final regular season match, yep. But man for man,
14:29
Speaker 3: I just think the Hurricanes have more firepower on that bench.
14:33
Speaker 2: Any other points you want to make before we move.
14:36
Speaker 3: On, I just think that the context of this, it
14:39
Speaker 3: is nice to have two teams that haven't won a
14:40
Speaker 3: title and so long, the Hurricanes ten years, the Chiefs
14:43
Speaker 3: twelve years. Like there's so much at stake here. The
14:46
Speaker 3: Chiefs having lost their past four finals, the last three straights,
14:53
Speaker 3: that's a mental demon. The Hurricanes have won one of
14:56
Speaker 3: their three finals. They've built this team over the past
15:00
Speaker 3: three years for the stage, and they're going to be
15:02
Speaker 3: losing a host of players, so it's really imperative that
15:04
Speaker 3: they capitalize now. I think more so for them than
15:07
Speaker 3: the Chiefs. They're going to have a massive turn over,
15:10
Speaker 3: big stage, two best teams, two teams that want to
15:12
Speaker 3: play and engage. I really do think, although the weather's
15:16
Speaker 3: not going to play, it's apart that this final will
15:18
Speaker 3: live up to the heart I hope.
15:19
Speaker 2: So to give us your tip, your your sex points
15:21
Speaker 2: ahead in the standing. So it's an unassailable leaders it
15:24
Speaker 2: has been for a few weeks.
15:26
Speaker 3: Lock it in two earlier, Get on get on board,
15:28
Speaker 3: you I'm.
15:29
Speaker 2: Gonna go Hurricanes as well to win that title. So
15:32
Speaker 2: congratulations on the tipping. You can hear the commentary. I'm
15:35
Speaker 2: looking forward to getting down to Wellington for this and
15:37
Speaker 2: in calling it on new stalk, ZBI Sport and iHeartRadio
15:40
Speaker 2: on Saturday.
15:42
Speaker 3: A night, do a Ricky for us. If that White
15:43
Speaker 3: beat Fred of Steel.
15:45
Speaker 2: Oh I actually yeah, it wasn't there last time we
15:46
Speaker 2: were down in Wellington and that was ruined the old
15:49
Speaker 2: game day experience. So what so I'll have we look
15:51
Speaker 2: around when I get them there on the on Saturday,
15:53
Speaker 2: and let you know, a few other points in the
15:56
Speaker 2: Super Rugby fronts. We'll get into an all black squad
15:58
Speaker 2: speculation shortly. But the Team of the Year announced, look
16:05
Speaker 2: Quint to buy a player of the year. Hard to
16:06
Speaker 2: quibble with that. The Team of the interesting clearly it's
16:11
Speaker 2: been done on the votes and they've squeezed it into
16:15
Speaker 2: a fifteen. But there's some questionable stuff there. I mean,
16:19
Speaker 2: hard to argue with one hurricane being in there. You
16:21
Speaker 2: know that thing's about right. This is the unfortunate thing
16:26
Speaker 2: and it happens in the daims a little bit, not
16:27
Speaker 2: so much of it, but they select the delim of
16:29
Speaker 2: the Team of the Year in the NRL separately from
16:32
Speaker 2: the DAIM points, because doing it on each fixture is
16:36
Speaker 2: going to give you an outweighted opinion, absolutely skewed on
16:41
Speaker 2: on how things tracked through the season, and you don't
16:44
Speaker 2: can give it will make a decision or a team
16:48
Speaker 2: based on MVP points. So have had it, lim What
16:53
Speaker 2: did you make of that team?
16:55
Speaker 3: Ah, it's it's almost rage bait. It's it's completely idiotic. Look,
17:04
Speaker 3: I get they've weeded themselves to this three two one
17:07
Speaker 3: voting system and that's how they've arrived at that, But
17:12
Speaker 3: just scrap it for next year. Have some common sense.
17:15
Speaker 3: This is not the best team of the year.
17:18
Speaker 2: Just do both. You could do You could do the
17:19
Speaker 2: three two ones in which is given you Quintepie is
17:21
Speaker 2: the best player in the competition, and then you can
17:24
Speaker 2: go all right, week out from the final, we're going
17:26
Speaker 2: to slip our team of the year from the panel
17:28
Speaker 2: that's done it throughout the season. But it has to
17:30
Speaker 2: be the team of the year, you know, it has
17:31
Speaker 2: to be. All the players are eligible in exposition. It
17:33
Speaker 2: doesn't matter how many MVY people in the.
17:35
Speaker 3: Sleeper Yeah, exactly. Just have some common sense like looking
17:37
Speaker 3: at this team, it is genuinely what are you smoking areas? Yeah,
17:42
Speaker 3: like you.
17:45
Speaker 2: Know, maybe you can make an agment for one of
17:46
Speaker 2: Jorgensen and Tonguey Tower potentially, but also Morby's had a
17:49
Speaker 2: very good season. But no fear here. There is baffling.
17:52
Speaker 2: Ben Donaldson at.
17:53
Speaker 3: Ten no, no, no Camro reguards. Yeah, I would, Jamie
18:00
Speaker 3: Hannah at Locke, Fletcher Newell had a great year. You've
18:07
Speaker 3: you've got a couple, you've got two open side flankers
18:10
Speaker 3: and the loose forward trios. List of playing eight you
18:12
Speaker 3: can Yeah, it's baffling.
18:16
Speaker 2: Do you think it also punishes players that have been
18:19
Speaker 2: injured for say two or three weeks, like a Camroy
18:21
Speaker 2: guard who hasn't been able to collect points. But it's
18:22
Speaker 2: clearly been in my mind the best half back in
18:24
Speaker 2: the competition, But because they can't get points in those weeks,
18:28
Speaker 2: it punishes them, even though on a season wide viewing
18:31
Speaker 2: you go, he's the best half back in the competition.
18:34
Speaker 3: Yeah. I just think you have a panel of three
18:36
Speaker 3: and they have to watch each game and then you
18:39
Speaker 3: sit down at the end of the and you have
18:40
Speaker 3: a debate, and that's subjective. Yes, but you would have
18:46
Speaker 3: a much more fearer accepted team of the Year than
18:52
Speaker 3: winning yourselves to a voting system. I agree. I think
18:54
Speaker 3: the voting system can be for Player of the Year.
18:56
Speaker 3: Quinte Pier fully deserving outstanding year and what a story
19:00
Speaker 3: coming back from that horrific acl to be in Beast modes.
19:05
Speaker 3: It was interesting that though that he was lockednick and
19:07
Speaker 3: neck with tough Tavannaha, that that did surprise me and
19:10
Speaker 3: only just edged him because he had more three votes.
19:14
Speaker 3: I think Rookie of the Year they got right as well,
19:16
Speaker 3: said Harvey.
19:17
Speaker 2: Had to argue with that.
19:18
Speaker 3: Amazing talents and yeah, some of those players are deserving.
19:22
Speaker 3: Max Jorgenson staggering to believe he's still twenty one years old,
19:26
Speaker 3: but on the whole just baffling.
19:29
Speaker 2: Of course, the Rugby to rec medal is still up
19:31
Speaker 2: for grabs this weekend. We do it a completely different
19:33
Speaker 2: for that to the way that Super Rugby have the
19:35
Speaker 2: three two ones across the match a weekend. So let's
19:39
Speaker 2: stop for grabs and I don't think winter pay can
19:41
Speaker 2: win it all though maybe I'm trying to think how
19:43
Speaker 2: many points he's got hard to take over from Finian
19:46
Speaker 2: who's out I think about three clear of regard. Right,
19:49
Speaker 2: you tease me with some news offia around the Blues.
19:52
Speaker 2: What are you hearing in that regard?
19:55
Speaker 3: You've just touched a weebit on the Blues. Big squad
19:58
Speaker 3: turnover in coming. I'm sure they had their mad Monday
20:02
Speaker 3: and signed everyone off. But yeah, big changes coming there.
20:07
Speaker 3: With three coaches departing Verne Cotter, Craig McGrath and Greg Feek.
20:12
Speaker 3: You've got Jason Hollands, Tommody Allison coming in and they'll
20:17
Speaker 3: need a new scrum coach. I'm hearing Ben Afiaki might
20:20
Speaker 3: be in the mix there. And then they obviously announced
20:24
Speaker 3: the Australian winger Darcy Lancaster. Lancaster just on that. I
20:33
Speaker 3: think he could be a great signing. But I think
20:36
Speaker 3: there is a question here about what we touched on
20:39
Speaker 3: it previously a little bit, and I've seen some comments
20:42
Speaker 3: around it about the debate around bringing in a foreign
20:47
Speaker 3: Australian in this case winger and not signing maybe someone
20:51
Speaker 3: out of the one A watch your position on that.
20:53
Speaker 2: Well, we should be growing wingers off trees in this
20:56
Speaker 2: country with the accessibility to the Pacific and the flair
21:02
Speaker 2: and the pace and everything that they bring there, but
21:05
Speaker 2: also you know just the players that you've got at
21:07
Speaker 2: one a level though that you should be absolutely being
21:09
Speaker 2: able to grow locally. And there are some special positions.
21:12
Speaker 2: We've seen players come in. You think of a Pablo
21:14
Speaker 2: Materia come in a few years ago to the Crusaders
21:17
Speaker 2: and play really, really well. They're Joe Marching at the
21:20
Speaker 2: Blues not so long ago. Obviously, Warner Durns has come
21:22
Speaker 2: in to the Hurricanes and it's a hard one to quantify,
21:25
Speaker 2: but I just don't know that we should be bringing
21:27
Speaker 2: wingers necessarily to to There should be plenty of them,
21:32
Speaker 2: and you think this year, I'm trying to think Kate
21:35
Speaker 2: Banks and get too much of an opportunity this year
21:36
Speaker 2: for the Blues Harland. So Noah's a young player that
21:39
Speaker 2: I think plays on the wing and really well, we
21:42
Speaker 2: didn't see them this year. Now they've gone and gone.
21:44
Speaker 2: Darby Lancaster, you're a Blue.
21:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, interesting move for him too, isn't it in a
21:48
Speaker 3: World Cup year to come over And even if he
21:53
Speaker 3: sets the house on fire, probably not likely to be
21:55
Speaker 3: selected for the Wallabies. So going out on a limb
21:58
Speaker 3: there and so on the back of that signing, expecting
22:02
Speaker 3: the Blues to confirm cam Miller will join them, and
22:05
Speaker 3: also half back Nick Scheer out of the Highlands, who
22:10
Speaker 3: I quite like the look of that suggests that one
22:13
Speaker 3: of their half backs that the Blues is moving on
22:15
Speaker 3: along with Dalton Populi hoskinstitute to a j Lamb Stephen Peterfetter.
22:20
Speaker 2: So big changes, big changes you think about the Blues
22:23
Speaker 2: lock or half backs this year. Sam Knock has been
22:26
Speaker 2: around the traps for a fair bit and then became
22:28
Speaker 2: the first choice latter in the season from Lake Christie
22:31
Speaker 2: all backs half back. You know whether he's going to
22:35
Speaker 2: be in Dave Renny squads. Squads this year will be interesting.
22:39
Speaker 2: Takafunaki Youngster, i'd sicked in and still staying. I say youngs.
22:43
Speaker 2: I think he's twenty five, hasn't really got the opportunities
22:45
Speaker 2: they would have thought it at one point and I
22:47
Speaker 2: think it's been quite his raino. It might have been
22:48
Speaker 2: led a part of Leam McDonalds. He was the first
22:50
Speaker 2: choice for a period of time too. So the cycle
22:52
Speaker 2: through a few half backs, albeit the same three in
22:56
Speaker 2: the last few seasons. But yeah, I think next year
22:58
Speaker 2: is a quality player played some good rugby before the
23:01
Speaker 2: Highlanders the season two, so interested to see how he
23:04
Speaker 2: goes at.
23:04
Speaker 3: The Blues and a wee bit of other news. Nothink
23:08
Speaker 3: affirmed yet, but I'm hearing that more Pacifica are very
23:12
Speaker 3: unlikely to be saved.
23:15
Speaker 2: I thought when Peters had sorted that out with someone
23:18
Speaker 2: and to governs.
23:19
Speaker 3: He's trying certainly for next season. Maybe they can yeah,
23:25
Speaker 3: potentially be brought back the following year, which would be
23:28
Speaker 3: a challenging situation, but it sounds like the runways too
23:31
Speaker 3: short to get that confirmed and what that might mean
23:35
Speaker 3: as a ten team competition, and there's been talk about
23:37
Speaker 3: conferences about a full home and away format. What I'm
23:41
Speaker 3: hearing Elliott is that there will be one more week
23:47
Speaker 3: and there will be a ten team competition. Teams will
23:51
Speaker 3: have one buy and it's commicated to explain, but so
23:58
Speaker 3: everyone plays everyone, but not twice. So the Australian teams
24:03
Speaker 3: might play three of the New Zealand teams twice but
24:06
Speaker 3: not two of them, where the New Zealand teams will
24:08
Speaker 3: play all the New Zealand teams twice and some of
24:10
Speaker 3: the Australian teams, So it's skewed in Australia's favor in
24:13
Speaker 3: that regard, and the kicker here as I'm hearing that
24:16
Speaker 3: it will still be a top six finals for a
24:22
Speaker 3: ten team competition, because that's what the broadcast is. Well.
24:26
Speaker 2: Again, they've talked a lot about being fan centric super Rugby.
24:30
Speaker 2: Six teams out of ten is not fan centric. Is
24:32
Speaker 2: fast school. It needs to be a top four. You
24:35
Speaker 2: can't sell this to the fans is a credible competition
24:37
Speaker 2: When you've just lost a team and then gone, yet
24:39
Speaker 2: there's still gonna be six teams in the playoffs. I
24:41
Speaker 2: just think it's absolutely ridiculous.
24:43
Speaker 3: Oh totally. How can you have more than half your
24:46
Speaker 3: team's make the postseason? That just makes a mockery of
24:48
Speaker 3: the regular season.
24:49
Speaker 2: It does. Yeah, it tells the viewers and tells the fans.
24:53
Speaker 3: What is the point of just tuning in June?
24:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, it's gonna be four teams at a cut.
24:58
Speaker 2: You can probably name those, name a few of them now.
25:00
Speaker 2: To be quite honest with you, I think that would
25:03
Speaker 2: be a huge misfire if they were to do that.
25:07
Speaker 2: The rest of it lot too dark. From a New
25:09
Speaker 2: Zealand perspective, I think is ultimately good. This is where
25:12
Speaker 2: super RADI was probably ten years ago and that will
25:16
Speaker 2: mean more you know, interest more often, but it does
25:19
Speaker 2: also I think alleviate, sorry exacerbout the issue around New
25:25
Speaker 2: Zealand Games is an Australian game. The teams.
25:28
Speaker 3: You're not addressing the fundamental problem of spread of talent,
25:32
Speaker 3: lack of depth issues with Australia. You need to spread
25:36
Speaker 3: the competition more evenly throughout this league and that should
25:40
Speaker 3: look at things like a draft. We've discussed this previously.
25:43
Speaker 3: Is a top six is going to alienate in a
25:46
Speaker 3: lot of people, but the broadcasters are winning out and
25:52
Speaker 3: it is about guaranteeing some form of Australian presence in
25:55
Speaker 3: the postseason. As we've seen this year there's no Australian
25:58
Speaker 3: teams from the semi finals and that will no doubt
26:02
Speaker 3: see a massive drop off in Australia in terms of broadcasting.
26:06
Speaker 3: So Money Talks ultimately does.
26:09
Speaker 2: Look if this is in place for just one year
26:10
Speaker 2: of twenty twenty seven, but they should be working towards
26:13
Speaker 2: something for post World Cup twenty twenty eight and a
26:15
Speaker 2: new format for Super Rugby. How many teams that is,
26:18
Speaker 2: whatever it is, I don't know, but there is enough
26:20
Speaker 2: runway with say eighteen months through to twenty twenty eight
26:24
Speaker 2: to get something different on the start line. And I
26:27
Speaker 2: think you know Super Rugby U zeal on Rugby Australian Rape.
26:30
Speaker 2: You need to look at that quick break on Rugby Direct.
26:34
Speaker 2: Back with more after this you're back with Rugby Direct.
26:39
Speaker 2: Time now to pick our All Black squads. Now, this
26:42
Speaker 2: is the squads that you would name, not what we
26:44
Speaker 2: think Dave Rinnie would name.
26:47
Speaker 3: Fair Yeah, I think that's largely true.
26:50
Speaker 2: Yeah. So there's a couple of things at the outposts
26:52
Speaker 2: that I have not picked. Rico Yowani or Antonine at Brown.
26:57
Speaker 2: I suspect they'll be included, whether that's as part of
26:59
Speaker 2: the thirty four or as training partners or whatever it
27:02
Speaker 2: might be. Because as the sabbatical thing falls apart, if
27:07
Speaker 2: you don't bring these players back into the All Blacks fold,
27:10
Speaker 2: it gives players reason to leave. So the sabbatical dies
27:13
Speaker 2: if they don't get into the All Blacks on the
27:15
Speaker 2: way back. And it's sort of an unwritten rule that
27:17
Speaker 2: they are selected. But there's new coach is, various other things,
27:22
Speaker 2: so qustion marks. Yeah, and look, they've kept things very
27:24
Speaker 2: very tight around who's going to be named, who's not
27:27
Speaker 2: how it's going to be shake down, all right, So
27:31
Speaker 2: let's get into it then we do you want to
27:33
Speaker 2: go for props? Fist?
27:35
Speaker 3: Well, hold on, I'm going to go. I'll stir the
27:37
Speaker 3: pop straight off the bat Day Chiefs and Chris and
27:40
Speaker 3: Hurricanes and the Super Ragby Final Eliot two best teams
27:43
Speaker 3: all year. Your dynasty is done and you're only going
27:46
Speaker 3: to have potentially one, two, three, four five players from
27:50
Speaker 3: the Crusaders.
27:51
Speaker 2: And they's done. They made the semi finals, mate.
27:53
Speaker 3: Make the All Black squad. How do you feel about that?
27:54
Speaker 2: I don't feel great about it.
27:56
Speaker 3: Tamaty Williams, Scott Barrett and Will Jordan potentially out Jordan
28:01
Speaker 3: maybe back for the Third Test. So those guys will
28:03
Speaker 3: come back. But is there a reflection that the cream
28:07
Speaker 3: of New Zealand rugby talent no longer resides in Krush?
28:10
Speaker 2: I think there's certainly an argument to be made around that.
28:15
Speaker 2: I think you look at that Crusader's team and you could, potentially,
28:19
Speaker 2: I don't know if you have will Not take a
28:21
Speaker 2: Christian Leo Willie. You could maybe look at a Jamie
28:25
Speaker 2: Hannah as a fourth fifth lot.
28:26
Speaker 3: Potentially guys like Ethan the Grout David Heavily, Ethan Black
28:32
Speaker 3: at a sorry shavey hockey.
28:34
Speaker 2: The replays with claims but they're.
28:35
Speaker 3: On that, but their friend is very much friends. Selections
28:38
Speaker 3: aren't there.
28:41
Speaker 2: Let's give him to your props. I think we might
28:42
Speaker 2: have the same sex.
28:43
Speaker 3: But yeah, Fletcher Newle, Tyrol Lomax Paslo TOSSI your tight heads,
28:48
Speaker 3: Ethan de Groot, Xavier new Mere rookie and I've gone
28:52
Speaker 3: Oli Norris over George Bower, so have I.
28:55
Speaker 2: So we've got the same sex there. George Bauer just
28:59
Speaker 2: slips out for me. But I think South African Tour
29:02
Speaker 2: his time will come again. I think he's a valuable
29:04
Speaker 2: squad member.
29:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I just feel like Olin Norris offers
29:08
Speaker 3: a bit more around the park. Had another great season
29:11
Speaker 3: for the Chiefs, so I feel like he's got more upside.
29:13
Speaker 2: Offer to Fassi. Is this the end of his All
29:15
Speaker 2: Black STORER? Look? I love what offers deluded for both
29:18
Speaker 2: the Blues and the All Blacks. I think he just
29:20
Speaker 2: looked a little slow towards the back end of Super
29:24
Speaker 2: and maybe it was the combination that the team and
29:26
Speaker 2: not performing well, but he wasn't playing his best.
29:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, great servant but I think his time is done.
29:34
Speaker 2: That horrific neck injury.
29:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's done well to come back from that neck injury,
29:38
Speaker 3: but he there were times for the Blues. I don't
29:42
Speaker 3: know if he even lasted a whole half and still
29:47
Speaker 3: an effective scrummager, but not offering enough around the park
29:50
Speaker 3: to justify including him.
29:52
Speaker 2: I think he's a contract after the season two of
29:54
Speaker 2: Memory serves hookers. I've got Tacky a more tailor. You
29:58
Speaker 2: ye see anyone coming in?
30:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, I look George Bell. I think played really well
30:04
Speaker 3: for the Crusaders this year, but I suffer mister back
30:07
Speaker 3: in the last you of injury and just what a
30:10
Speaker 3: weapon were ball on hand.
30:11
Speaker 2: Well, especially as well. I'm more and Tokyo have been
30:13
Speaker 2: really good in the playoffs too, and Bell missed with
30:17
Speaker 2: injury from Memory one of the I think the Blues game.
30:20
Speaker 2: You know, so he's been out, out of side, out
30:22
Speaker 2: of mind. I think you go with the hot hand
30:24
Speaker 2: in that regard. Locks obviously no far being in Holland,
30:27
Speaker 2: no captain and Scott former captain potentially question Mark Scott Barrett.
30:33
Speaker 2: I've gone lord to provide Teep a lot to Darry you.
30:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so, Jamie Henner is right in that
30:38
Speaker 3: conversation with Darry. I wouldn't begrudge Jamie Hannah. I probably
30:43
Speaker 3: have question marks about size and physicality, but that's relevant
30:49
Speaker 3: for I think Darry and handle when it comes to
30:53
Speaker 3: ball carrying. You can get that elsewhere in your pack.
30:56
Speaker 3: But I think it is down to those two feel
30:58
Speaker 3: us for your fourth f lock. But I'm with you,
31:00
Speaker 3: have gone Darry loose Wars.
31:02
Speaker 2: This is probably the hardest seria for me because there
31:05
Speaker 2: are a couple a few must selects, and then there
31:08
Speaker 2: is probably three, maybe two, But you go, this could
31:12
Speaker 2: be any one of half a dozen eight players. Give
31:16
Speaker 2: me yours.
31:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, there's a few question marks here. Wallace the
31:19
Speaker 3: TT ye, what's the situation with his head? I've heard
31:23
Speaker 3: the chiefs work potentially considering him this week, So on
31:28
Speaker 3: that basis we'll say he will recover Peter Lukeye, Ardie Severe,
31:33
Speaker 3: Wallace the TT Simon Parker. I've gone Anton signa Rockie,
31:37
Speaker 3: and I've gone Luke Jacobson over deep Sea Cariefy. But
31:44
Speaker 3: I'm not entirely convinced by that. Ardie Severe. I think
31:48
Speaker 3: there is also a question mark. Does he play July
31:52
Speaker 3: some all part not too sure, so may to cover
31:55
Speaker 3: play the POTENTI you could make a match of webits.
31:59
Speaker 3: But the loose forwards is incredibly congested up for grabs,
32:03
Speaker 3: isn't it It is?
32:03
Speaker 2: And this is the area last night when I was
32:06
Speaker 2: watching State of Origin, also this team trying it, and
32:10
Speaker 2: I deleted a few names. I had Signa there for
32:12
Speaker 2: a period in time. I had Jacobson not there a
32:15
Speaker 2: grief he not there for a period of time. I
32:18
Speaker 2: didn't end up selecting du Kadifi. I went with Tit
32:22
Speaker 2: sav At Lakai, Jacobson Parker and Christian Leo Willy.
32:26
Speaker 3: Yes, so the difference here, You've gone Lea Wherea and
32:28
Speaker 3: I've gone Signa. Yeah, Lea weird consistently outstanding, particularly towards
32:35
Speaker 3: the back end of the year for the Crusaders. I
32:40
Speaker 3: just I think Signet deserves the rewards, and I think
32:44
Speaker 3: I think he effectively edges out du Kareefy.
32:47
Speaker 2: The big question I've got around loose forwards a size.
32:49
Speaker 2: I just we do not have big enough profiles of
32:52
Speaker 2: these players.
32:53
Speaker 3: And not only from a physicality point of view, but
32:56
Speaker 3: the lineup potentially leaves you a wee bit exposed.
32:59
Speaker 2: Signa took a lot of line up ball for the
33:00
Speaker 2: Blues this year.
33:00
Speaker 3: Wall T is a good lineout exponent. Ardie Severe has
33:05
Speaker 3: done a lot of it, so I think I think
33:07
Speaker 3: the All Black can get creative around that. But you're
33:11
Speaker 3: rights when you compare them to the South Africans or
33:13
Speaker 3: the English or the French, not the same size. But
33:16
Speaker 3: I don't think that's I think Dave Ny is going
33:20
Speaker 3: to play ball. You know, he's going to want to
33:22
Speaker 3: use dynamic, fast attacking, offloading athletes. You have to win
33:28
Speaker 3: the game line, you have to win the collisions, but
33:31
Speaker 3: you can get enough of that elsewhere.
33:33
Speaker 2: To The player that I did think about was Tourrian Barnes,
33:37
Speaker 2: but I just wonder if it's a fraction too early
33:40
Speaker 2: for him and Malacha Rampling potentially could be another, but
33:45
Speaker 2: I think another NBC season of their Belts could be
33:47
Speaker 2: quite beneficial, well potentially on the tour of South Africa.
33:50
Speaker 2: But I like what Barnes brings especially.
33:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think, Look, the Blues loose forwards are
33:55
Speaker 3: in good hands despite Dalton and Hoskins going, Malochai Rampling,
33:59
Speaker 3: Toury and Barnes, Anton Signa. Maybe even Artie pops up there,
34:05
Speaker 3: the guy who I'd love to see included, probably for
34:08
Speaker 3: the sou African towards Lucas Casey. Yes, he's got size.
34:12
Speaker 3: He really rose to from NPC to Super Rugby this
34:16
Speaker 3: year and has all the makings of it, so I
34:18
Speaker 3: don't he could be a bolter, but I don't think
34:21
Speaker 3: he's quite syneaks into the squad. But I'd love to
34:24
Speaker 3: see him on that South African too.
34:25
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I've gone utility lest defying a Knoku. Yeah, so
34:30
Speaker 2: I haven't actually put him my outside backs. We'll lose
34:31
Speaker 2: fours to put him as utility.
34:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's in my outside backs.
34:34
Speaker 2: Okay, so both got him half backs. This is really interesting.
34:38
Speaker 2: Camer goes a lot for both. I presume you've got him.
34:44
Speaker 3: Except the podcast, and I'll not picking who.
34:46
Speaker 2: Are your other two? If you've gone so, you might
34:48
Speaker 2: have only gone as you might have won two total.
34:51
Speaker 3: Now you need three the greatest position on the field. Earlier,
34:54
Speaker 3: I've gone Hotham in Preston. I really like Preston's point
34:58
Speaker 3: of difference. He kicks off both feet. I thought the
35:00
Speaker 3: Crusader's actually looked their best at times when he came
35:03
Speaker 3: off the bench and added real impact. I don't think
35:06
Speaker 3: we see enough of them court his ratama as a
35:10
Speaker 3: really nuggety player. I think he stagnated and the All
35:14
Speaker 3: Blacks and I probably haven't seen quite enough from him
35:17
Speaker 3: this year. He toured and frowed with Xavier Rower, but
35:21
Speaker 3: had his best performance I think against the Reds when
35:23
Speaker 3: Rowe wasn't there. But for me, I just yeah, I
35:27
Speaker 3: think I think Preston is a bit of a point
35:29
Speaker 3: of difference.
35:30
Speaker 2: I've gone Roy Guard Hotham and Adam Lennox. I agree
35:34
Speaker 2: what you said at Rasima. I think this season he
35:36
Speaker 2: was put under pressure a lot of times and was
35:38
Speaker 2: found wanting. There was one game where he knocked on
35:41
Speaker 2: five four or five times, just really just did not
35:44
Speaker 2: have a Players have bad nights. We all know that,
35:46
Speaker 2: but I just don't think he's played great rugby this year.
35:48
Speaker 2: He may turn up on the weekend and have a
35:50
Speaker 2: stormer in the final and work his way in or
35:53
Speaker 2: back in if he needs to, and today were in
35:55
Speaker 2: his team, But at this point I've actually gone Glennex.
35:58
Speaker 2: I was really impressed by his speed to ruck this
36:00
Speaker 2: year as Chris passing. I think there's probably a few
36:03
Speaker 2: question marks around how he combines with the ten. But
36:08
Speaker 2: the Highlanders had a few different you know tens Passito,
36:12
Speaker 2: they had Miller this year, they'd Tane Robinson from remember
36:15
Speaker 2: I think slot, so there wasn't a lot a consistent
36:17
Speaker 2: there so, but I think Lennox has got a huge
36:20
Speaker 2: upside and I think he's worth your ob selection. Preston
36:23
Speaker 2: went close to me as well as tossing that up,
36:25
Speaker 2: but I just think there's something in Adam Lennox. First fives.
36:31
Speaker 3: Usual suspects, Revenal Love, Boden bar At, Daman McKenzie. Look,
36:34
Speaker 3: Boden Barrett. There's no doubt he's under pressure. He's thirty five,
36:37
Speaker 3: is in the twil over his career, didn't have a
36:39
Speaker 3: great season. Maybe you can attribute some of that to
36:42
Speaker 3: the Blue struggles, their their style, their structure, but there
36:47
Speaker 3: was a real lack of him challenging the line of
36:51
Speaker 3: accuracy of passing. Towards the back end of the year,
36:53
Speaker 3: those things were quite concerning. He's still got that attacking
36:56
Speaker 3: weaponry with his kicking game. But look, the playmaking squeeze
36:59
Speaker 3: for the All Blacks is not coming until Richie Waringer
37:01
Speaker 3: is available, and Rennie will will select Boden and give
37:07
Speaker 3: him a chance Look, he's still a weapon that you
37:11
Speaker 3: could use off the bench, a lot of experience and
37:14
Speaker 3: and and for those that wouldn't select them, the question
37:16
Speaker 3: is who else? Well, that's right, Well you're gonna put
37:20
Speaker 3: Josh Jakib here to both.
37:21
Speaker 2: I think I think that Jacob hasn't been playing down
37:25
Speaker 2: the bang down the door enough this year to go
37:27
Speaker 2: this is a live conversation between myself and Bowden, Barrett
37:30
Speaker 2: or whoever else it might be. You'd be seeking someone
37:33
Speaker 2: for the sake of it. And at that point, I
37:35
Speaker 2: think you're a bt to Barrett and go we can
37:37
Speaker 2: find some form in the All Blacks back to the
37:39
Speaker 2: coaches back. There's new crop of coaches to get them
37:42
Speaker 2: back into the form that we know he's capable of.
37:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, different coaching team, different attacking strategy, much better players.
37:51
Speaker 2: Well yeah, and that's people will maybe hear this team
37:54
Speaker 2: and who knows what Dave Rine is going to announce
37:56
Speaker 2: on Monday. We're along with Graham Henry and Neil Barnes
37:59
Speaker 2: that this may be completely different. We may have got
38:00
Speaker 2: a wealth based but people will go these are the
38:03
Speaker 2: same players were last year that didn't pull them up standard.
38:06
Speaker 2: But I think the new coaching set up will back
38:10
Speaker 2: themselves to get what these players need.
38:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, and look, you are going to have the chance
38:17
Speaker 3: with that South African tour up to forty two to
38:19
Speaker 3: forty four players to look at a bigger group, So
38:24
Speaker 3: there's probably not that pressure to immediately make shifts, and
38:28
Speaker 3: maybe they'll feel like they can do that with their
38:30
Speaker 3: game plan and then if it doesn't work, then you
38:33
Speaker 3: mate changes, I think, but who knows, Like you say,
38:35
Speaker 3: they could have a completely different view of it.
38:37
Speaker 2: Indeed's midfielders again, I didn't select alb or Rico Yuani.
38:42
Speaker 2: I've sort of placed them in a training partner sort
38:44
Speaker 2: of cage. For the selection, who'd you go for?
38:47
Speaker 3: Yeah, Jordi Brack Quinn to Pi and I think Billy
38:49
Speaker 3: Procter is a lock. I expect Antonine and Brown to
38:55
Speaker 3: be there because he's been in Japan. He's been playing
38:58
Speaker 3: under any that COVID connection. He covers second and center,
39:01
Speaker 3: he's done that a lot. For the All Blacks, I
39:04
Speaker 3: would probably go to Mochi Ta Tavanawa. I think if
39:10
Speaker 3: Rennie gets his hands on them, gets some fits. He
39:13
Speaker 3: lacks a bit of pace in the midfields, but he
39:15
Speaker 3: is a real point of difference, so there's potential powerball
39:18
Speaker 3: carrying his strength over the ball at the breakdown. I
39:20
Speaker 3: would like to we haven't seen him really a couple
39:23
Speaker 3: of cameos off the bench, So I would go to
39:25
Speaker 3: the Tavanawa. I think they'll go Lennon Brown.
39:27
Speaker 2: I've gone the same four as you, including Tavera Tavanawa.
39:31
Speaker 3: Yeah.
39:31
Speaker 2: Again, I was debating whether I go with the way
39:34
Speaker 2: I think they'll select at it where the way that
39:36
Speaker 2: I would select it Tavatan obviously you know it was
39:38
Speaker 2: equal on Quinti Pie with the points this year in
39:41
Speaker 2: Super Rugby Pacific. I do think there is a possibility
39:45
Speaker 2: of him being a big fish in a small pond.
39:47
Speaker 2: And the Highlanders and a lot of their play, not
39:49
Speaker 2: only attack but defense revolves around what can he do?
39:53
Speaker 2: Can he give us a turnover? Can he get us
39:54
Speaker 2: a fifty twenty two? Hey, look, he's a great play
39:56
Speaker 2: don't get me wrong, but I think almost like a
40:00
Speaker 2: Levi R. Moore at Amoada PACIFICA when they go to
40:03
Speaker 2: a different setup doesn't necessarily translate as well. That's the
40:07
Speaker 2: question mark. I've got Tapa tam and I and that
40:09
Speaker 2: was an answered. Obviously, broke his arm last year and
40:11
Speaker 2: we didn't get see him again for the All Blacks.
40:12
Speaker 2: So I've got a question marker of him and what
40:14
Speaker 2: he can do at test level.
40:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, Renny has a penchant for big twelves. He's not
40:19
Speaker 3: alone there, Sonny, but Williams at the Chiefs, Samue Careve
40:23
Speaker 3: he brought back for the Wallabies. Tabanaha fits that brief,
40:26
Speaker 3: So it would not shock me to see him included.
40:28
Speaker 2: And your outside backs I went fighting and look of
40:31
Speaker 2: course as a utility. So ho've you gone with?
40:32
Speaker 3: I've got him there, Caleb Clark. Look, one of my
40:34
Speaker 3: male elliott is that the All Blacks will select form
40:38
Speaker 3: for he young and all for.
40:39
Speaker 2: Really and does it mean that the confidence of him
40:43
Speaker 2: not being at Newcastle?
40:45
Speaker 3: I think there's murmurs continue that he will stay. Nothing guaranteed.
40:49
Speaker 3: I haven't been able to stand that up. Not sure
40:51
Speaker 3: exactly where that's at, but I think regardless, he's effectively
40:55
Speaker 3: available as it stands till well for July and the
40:59
Speaker 3: and the South African Tour. So's debates to be had. Historically,
41:04
Speaker 3: the All Blacks haven't selected players who are going off shore.
41:07
Speaker 3: Mark to Lea was the late latest example from an
41:09
Speaker 3: outside back perspective, but I'm hearing the All Blacks will
41:12
Speaker 3: pick him. Maybe that's syndication that he might stay. So
41:15
Speaker 3: I've gone Caleb Clark like you are Lester for he.
41:20
Speaker 3: I think you probably name it a replacement for for
41:24
Speaker 3: Will Jordan for those two tests. So lever Ricarda and
41:29
Speaker 3: I have included Rico one.
41:31
Speaker 2: Okay, So who's your replacement for Jordan? Have you gone?
41:34
Speaker 2: Have you named one? Lever Riccarda Okay, Yeah, I went
41:38
Speaker 2: Jordan Clark, Finaner Forkada. I was going to think about
41:41
Speaker 2: Josh Morby potentially.
41:42
Speaker 3: Is definitely in that conversation.
41:44
Speaker 2: The cover Hutchinson would potentially be there too if he
41:47
Speaker 2: wasn't injured, and we don't know how bad that is.
41:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, Morby's had an outstanding year coming back from France
41:53
Speaker 3: and very proficient under the high ball. Rico one is
41:57
Speaker 3: an interesting one, isn't it. He's playing in the USC
41:59
Speaker 3: final this weekend for Leinster against the Bulls. So contrast
42:04
Speaker 3: to Savia and Antonina Brown who finished their seasons two
42:08
Speaker 3: weeks ago. But Jordi Barrett came straight back into the
42:11
Speaker 3: All Blacks from Leinster and I expect Rico to do
42:16
Speaker 3: the same.
42:17
Speaker 2: Swagger players not considered due to injury or at least
42:19
Speaker 2: a couple for me and Morning another word, I don't
42:21
Speaker 2: know where he's at. Obviously he's not playing the final.
42:24
Speaker 2: I haven't seen him ages yea tummy Tawn obviously would
42:27
Speaker 2: have been there. There probably a few others that are missing,
42:29
Speaker 2: but in terms of media conversation, there are a few,
42:32
Speaker 2: you know, players that we were able to sleep. But
42:34
Speaker 2: broadly I think we've gone some more mish for these squads.
42:40
Speaker 3: There does tend to be one bolter, doesn't there And
42:43
Speaker 3: Scott Robertson, I'm just trying to think and his.
42:46
Speaker 2: Fall it was PASSI TOSSI t in twenty four.
42:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, well Tavanaa was quite a surprise. I think he
42:55
Speaker 3: played well, but there wasn't necessarily the male that Robertson
42:58
Speaker 3: would go there, so he was a bit of a surprise.
43:02
Speaker 3: So I think maybe Lucas Casey if there's going to
43:06
Speaker 3: be a bolter someone like that.
43:07
Speaker 2: Yep, I wouldn't be upset at that. We've only got
43:10
Speaker 2: one new cap potentially one a cap player now is
43:12
Speaker 2: that newma?
43:16
Speaker 3: I've got fear?
43:17
Speaker 2: Oh sorry here there's more than that. Yeah, Yeah, And
43:20
Speaker 2: Lennox says three for mine, two for yours. Yeah, look
43:22
Speaker 2: at it and goes out to the point we're saying
43:24
Speaker 2: before about can you coaches get the best out of
43:27
Speaker 2: these players rather compared to the previous roster.
43:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, and Scott Robson did use a host of players,
43:32
Speaker 3: didn't give them a lot of game time, but did
43:35
Speaker 3: bring through give a lot of players a taste. So
43:39
Speaker 3: while there might not be that many rookies, a lot
43:42
Speaker 3: of them have got few caps that.
43:44
Speaker 2: Will do us for rugby direk We'll be back with
43:46
Speaker 2: a big episode on Monday after the team is named
43:49
Speaker 2: after a return from Palmerston North.
43:53
Speaker 3: Up the Canes. Elliott, Okay, let's get it done.
43:55
Speaker 2: Right last thanks to Mark Kelly and thanks to Indian Safety,
43:59
Speaker 2: Blackwoods Shop King g and you could score five thousand
44:02
Speaker 2: adults For
44:03
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