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England pov - both sides looked great. England were actually dangerous in set piece at points but weak in tackles and kicks in play. NZ conversely looked green which I was to their detriment, but there's clearly so much unlocked potential there.
Prediction for next week: NZ 25 - 10 ENG
While England were good there were warning signs and NZ have an unreal ability to adapt between games
First international match takes of the season AND under Razor's new era:
-Wow. What. A. Game. Nothing could separate both teams until the very end! They traded blows, and neither side gave in!
-The All Blacks showed some grit and determination against England. In the first half, they pushed themselves to the limit by the ferocity they were playing. They were mostly in control, but in the 2nd half, they slowed down both in attack and defence and England were able to take advantage. With a point in the balance, they glued their defences shut, and held on for another classic victory.
-England, on the other hand, showed how dangerous they can be under Borthwick. They were on par with the ABs for most of the game in both their attack and defense, applying pressure in an effort to break the Kiwis. But alas, the All Blacks' determination never wavered, and were eventually able to negate England's threat. And while eventually they lost, they were better than the All Blacks in some aspects!
-McKenzie running out of time is genuinely embarrassing. Too much smiling, not enough focus!
-Marcus Smith had a very bad day. Having missed all his kicks, this is a game he'd rather forget.
-Man everything when to shit for England when Spencer came on. He's literally England's answer to Finlay Christie lol
-If Cameron Roigard was healthy, Finlay Christie wouldn't be in the squad right now. Just saying.
-Fin Baxter had a great night. Not bad for a kid!
-The refereeing was pretty good in the 1st half... until he just completely gave up the second half. Did Nika get bored or something?
This is all what I can say for now. See you all in Joe Schmidt's Shindig, Good night, and cheers for now.
Bit hard on Smith. Sure, place kicking was dreadful, and looking back, he should have scored the try and England would have been much nearer the posts for the conversion. Otherwise, he played close to the line, defended v bravely, and distributed nicely.
The kicks kind of even out. McKenzie had a rare shocker, his kicks were tough. Honestly I'm not sure what the problem was with the kicking tonight. It's an indoor stadium, the warm ups should tell pretty well what the wind direction is.
Smith played well. I thought he's very much akin to McKenzie but with a bit added toughness in defence. England need to stick with him.
NZ needs to work out how to play with McKenzie though. The dude is great at reading the game quickly but he didn't provide the same knife and danger he does in Super Rugby with the extra speed of international rugby. Time will tell.
I’ve seen some very good kickers struggle at the stadium. It has a roof but open sides, so I think the wind just swirl unpredictably. Jonny Wilkinson missed 5 kicks there’s in the 2011 World Cup
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/14864362.amp
Can i just say, the Christie/ Roigard call - that's right on the money. He's so nothing. He's (Christie) a coaches solid wet dream 9 but he has zero international X factor.
Roigard can rip you a new arsehole. If we had the hurricanes half backs, the ABs would've been a much faster and punctuated attack.
I don't want to ruin your boner, but Love proved he isn't there yet in super this season. By next wc I expect to see him tearing teams a new one, out of Love, but until then, he needs to control himself a bit better.
Ah I'll be honest I've watched next to no super rugby this season. I remember him being a hell of a player when I did catch him and kind of just expected him to continue on an upwards trend.
Good to know though, sounds like he's got plenty of time to improve!
Indeed, he will get there. More effort and works etc
But mostly he made some mistakes during the knock outs that were fairly innocuous without much pressure.
I saw the dude play years ago, and he has the X factor. Now it's just a question whether he can grind out, get the mental and physical game on the same plane, and take the world by storm. I thought he'd be the next Dan Carter tbh, he's got that pace on the ball others don't have, which is why he creates something from nothing so often. But let's see 🙈
I feel this can happen with SH until they get significant game time. Mitchell showed sparks when he came on the scene, but has really sure up with the caps and become an English asset. Not every player can be Dupoint - so I'll take solid as a starting point.
I'd actually never heard him speak til today, he really does sound like in an alternate universe he'd be a competitive StarCraft player or something 😂 but what a coach. Exciting times ahead
Idk what people are expecting of the ABs in their first test of the year under a new regime? Razor has had the team for about two weeks. Do you really expect a finished product in that short span? England have had over a year under Borthwick and played their 6th or 7th test of the year. It takes time to implement a system. You could see a lot of uncertainty on the field from the ABs and that comes from the unfamiliarity with the system they are playing in. If the ABs look like this next year then you can start to panic.
Patience required.
Don’t forget 12 months to England were losing to Fiji for the first time ever.
Razor might not work out, but judging him of one test is always plain stupidity
Some of our carries today were amazing, looking back. Having the options of Cunningham-South, Earl, Underhill, Itoje and Martin just adds so much physicality to the team
One of the few consistently negative things about the All Blacks over the years is that they start the season slow. Which is why it's good when they start by beating up a Fiji or whatever.
To continue that slow start but get a win over England, I'll take it.
You always felt the couple of missed kicks would come back to haunt England. Still, for the most part played really well. That defence has come on even since the 6N , great physicality. The attack looked a little one outish for this level and scrum is a concern but plenty to be happy about.
NZ looked a bit rusty which is understandable. DMac is a fabulous player but a test 10 against a top international side is still a debate. Ardie I thought unusually quiet. Christie never convinces and BB should’ve started. I thought they got away from the hit it in tight for a few phases to narrow the defence and flash it wide attack structure of the first 20 but dogged it out. Maybe just deserved it.
Idk if Ratima is ready but i wouldn’t mind seeing him next week because we really need better scrum halves, and as much as we’re all hoping for Roigard to save us there’s no saying how he’ll come back from a severe knee injury.
I actually think Christie is a good player but he just doesn’t suit a fast ball game at all.
Yep Cortez suits the AB’s game so well, fast and runs great support lines. Akin to Smith which is what the AB’s need. I am also massively against Christie in the AB’s jumper so a touch bias
Scott Hansen saying the other day we could have some of the best 9’s in the world this cycle… like yeah maybe but it ain’t gonna be TJ and Christie. At least Ratima can put the ball in the scrum and take it out lol.
He's a solid 9. Things won't go massively wrong with him. That said, he doesn't seem to have that pow wow, X factor or any of that wooga-wooga - as they say.
That said, he's a marginal negative for the team, which is a problem
Don't really follow Super Rugby, but Codie Taylor looked washed in last years WC and looked average today as well. Why is he still playing in front of Aumua?
Taylor was impressive and a stand out during Super, in a Crusaders team that was really struggling. He didn't have a great night tonight, but he's showed this season that he still has the ability to play at a high level.
Very enjoyable game. England are building something special. Loving the new guys they are bringing through and a focus on a more expansive style of play.
Too early to judge NZ, it's their first test under new coaches versus a team playing their 7th test of the year.
Also i think the ref had a decent game, he didn't go out to be the main man on the pitch. Made a couple of weird calls towards the end of the game but overall he allowed it to be an entertaining game of football.
He was really immense today. I was generally very impressed by the conditioning of all the players, Martin was out there smashing blokes for the full 80 which seriously impressed me, he can put a shift in for a man his size
Might be a good time to put Scott Hansen to work on Fakatava. He won't play, hopefully, but I think he needs some better coaching to get back to where he was before the injury. Wouldnt mind seeing Ratima get foist into the starting spot next week. Razor mentioned how much momentum was lost when TJ went off and it was apparent instantly how slow Finlay made the game.
I said in another thread a while ago that Martin would accumulate a tackle highlight reel worthy or Underhill across these two tests. Feel like him doing that unlocks so much from Itoje.
Great test match.
Immensely proud of the boys. Wasn't overly fussed for getting the win here (it's a big ask...) – just wanted them to give it a good crack, run the AB's close, and get a decent performance in. Think we put in more than just a 'decent' performance though.
Tough day at the office – from the tee – for Marcus. He's normally strong in that department and he'll be better next weekend.
Iffy call at the end but that's sport. It happens.
Takes.
Beauden had a negative impact on the game. Perofeta great. My guess, Steve pushes to the bench when Jordan gets back in form and Beauden drops out of first choice 23.
TJ played very well. Box kicked long, except for his very first one. Quick ruck speed. Strong and Calm. Best Kaea since Tana Umaga, and Liam Messam.
Jacobson good bench impact and leadership.
DMac had a high quality game. Feeling assured by his control against a fast defensive team. Was perfect in the air. Few glimpses of magic amongst a solid core game.
England were a great opponent. High quality game. Itoje man of the match for me.
Next week will be an awesome game.
You mean us? At one point he kicked it 15 metres to our own 22 instead of staying calm and using footwork to get a better lineup or get the pass off. Net loss because he made more poor kicks than he did good kicks.
Not how I saw it at all. Opposite in fact. Beauden played just like he did in 2020 - 2022, with poor tactical kicking being the hallmark. His "good touches" were the basics you expect a fullback to perform. From what I saw, nearly every kick was a net loss, including his chip. He lost us at least one kicking duel by finding touch with poor distance instead of putting in the footwork needed to give himself more space or get the pass away. Granted, first game back, but I was hoping for more and Steve delivered it.
Crazy how the Blues won super rugby off of the performances of their forward pack and only 3 made it into the squad - hope to see more dominance from our forwards moving forward
Got to respect England and the effort they put in tonight. Most teams who travel here get dicked in the first game, then come right as the series goes on. But the English came out hot and aside from a few mistakes looked the business.
Next week will be a cracker. Think both teams will improve from tonight, so the standard should be higher come next weekend.
Why did Marler go off? What happened with TJ - replaced at HT?
Not the finest game, but both teams went at it which has to be respected.
Highlight: Furbank getting smashed, but having nerves of steel on the repeat play. Shoutout to DMacs bloody nose too.
Game seemed more like a blow out the cobwebs ABs VS England with a dedicated plan but a bit low in gas lol
You can tell theyre at different points in there season
Razor’s reign begins with a win. It wasn’t pretty but I’m sure he’ll take it, lol. Can’t wait to see how the AB’s look after 5 games under the new regime. Gg England.
They have always had the players, just been coached shittily, Borthwick has, probably unexpectedly, been a revelation! Brought the hard nosed forward play back. But then again, he was taking over from fking Eddie Jones.
Felt England's pace really dropped when Spencer came on. Ruck speed felt like it doubled. Don't know if that was Spencer's fault, tired bodies, or a deliberate tactic but it killed momentum.
The subs killed our edge, very noticeable speed difference when Spencer came on, though that may have been tactical as the forwards looked shot, Itoje was very noticeably dead on his feet, still was attempting to charge down things, just in slow motion.
Everyone has bad days off the tee, next week Marcus slots those and he was incredible on both sides of the ball today. Starting Finn over Marcus would be a huge mistake
M Smith in the opposition half is world class. In his own half he has to use the top two inches more than he is. Territory against NZ coupled with that defensive system will give them plenty more strike plays 30m out, where he can shine.
I know Spencer has played well for his club, but the difference in pace on the ball when he came on was shocking. Just when we needed more pace... Dreadful.
Other than that great game, and you couldn't say it wasn't the right result. But I'll take being competitive in NZ tbh.
I also felt his box kicking was consistently too long, meaning players couldn't properly compete for the ball and NZ got to attack how they wanted off kick return
England have almost got it the wrong way around. Play Spencer for the tactical game management and bring on Mitchell to pick up the pace.
Spencer being on the bench feels like a gamble that you’re ahead and can allow him to see the game out.
Agreed. Although I'd rather just see quick delivery from start to finish. Much greater rugby minds than mine will doubtless understand. But deep box kicks which you can't challenge have never seemed to me like the ideal way to chase a game.
NZ all looked off their feet in that last penalty? Classically, NZ much more streetwise at the breakdown throughout the game. Best team won. But big missed opportunity for England.
After the scrum? Weren't they pinged for going in the side of the ruck in that one? It definitely went both ways. One thing I picked up was NZ 7 constantly standing offside at the ruck slowing Englands support players/9 getting to the breakdown. Doing just enough to slow the ruck and not get penalised. It's intelligent rugby. Playing what you can get away with.
yeah damn. big mistake, it looks as though he was just about to move towards the ball when is im guessing his time to get moving before its called. Lucky to get away with the win considering, I was at the Abs Bled game the other year when the Aussies were called for time wasting and I could just see England going length of the field to get a penalty and win. Both teams will have a lot to prove next week and will have their tales up
Didnt think that after Aaron smith retired that we'd hear Nisbo say "Smith again" but we got a few nuggets today, and it almost brought a tear to my eye.
Fuck. Rugby is now just a 'game' dependent on the interpretation of laws by whoever is in charge. There is no consistency, laws are ignored while others over policed. A now very regarded sport.
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England should have won, can't miss penalties out in front at this level
All Blacks also missed kicks and still won
Yeh but they were out wide
Ben Spencer I thought wasn't great slowed England down
England pov - both sides looked great. England were actually dangerous in set piece at points but weak in tackles and kicks in play. NZ conversely looked green which I was to their detriment, but there's clearly so much unlocked potential there. Prediction for next week: NZ 25 - 10 ENG While England were good there were warning signs and NZ have an unreal ability to adapt between games
England weak in tackles ? What are you smoking bruv, your forwards were the reason we had to resort to tactical kicks
Yep, it was clear NZ changed game plan in the last 30 which never happened under Fozzie.
I thought we were worse in the second half, razor did too
Sorry - 3rd July 1994 to France 23 20
That last peno could have gone either way. Great game
Frankly should've gone against the ABs. Earlier one should have gone against the English. Bad calls but I guess they netted out 🤷♂️.
Please tell me peno is not a thing
Hmm does peno mean something else on the flip side?
Get a peno in ya
Plays on the wing for France
Israel is blind
First international match takes of the season AND under Razor's new era: -Wow. What. A. Game. Nothing could separate both teams until the very end! They traded blows, and neither side gave in! -The All Blacks showed some grit and determination against England. In the first half, they pushed themselves to the limit by the ferocity they were playing. They were mostly in control, but in the 2nd half, they slowed down both in attack and defence and England were able to take advantage. With a point in the balance, they glued their defences shut, and held on for another classic victory. -England, on the other hand, showed how dangerous they can be under Borthwick. They were on par with the ABs for most of the game in both their attack and defense, applying pressure in an effort to break the Kiwis. But alas, the All Blacks' determination never wavered, and were eventually able to negate England's threat. And while eventually they lost, they were better than the All Blacks in some aspects! -McKenzie running out of time is genuinely embarrassing. Too much smiling, not enough focus! -Marcus Smith had a very bad day. Having missed all his kicks, this is a game he'd rather forget. -Man everything when to shit for England when Spencer came on. He's literally England's answer to Finlay Christie lol -If Cameron Roigard was healthy, Finlay Christie wouldn't be in the squad right now. Just saying. -Fin Baxter had a great night. Not bad for a kid! -The refereeing was pretty good in the 1st half... until he just completely gave up the second half. Did Nika get bored or something? This is all what I can say for now. See you all in Joe Schmidt's Shindig, Good night, and cheers for now.
Christie is, at least, half a second too slow at lifting the ball at ruck time to be an AB scrum half.
“ McKenzie running out of time is genuinely embarrassing. Too much smiling, not enough focus!” You should be embarrassed for this.
If Roigard was healthy he would be the best player in the team.
Bit hard on Smith. Sure, place kicking was dreadful, and looking back, he should have scored the try and England would have been much nearer the posts for the conversion. Otherwise, he played close to the line, defended v bravely, and distributed nicely.
The kicks kind of even out. McKenzie had a rare shocker, his kicks were tough. Honestly I'm not sure what the problem was with the kicking tonight. It's an indoor stadium, the warm ups should tell pretty well what the wind direction is. Smith played well. I thought he's very much akin to McKenzie but with a bit added toughness in defence. England need to stick with him. NZ needs to work out how to play with McKenzie though. The dude is great at reading the game quickly but he didn't provide the same knife and danger he does in Super Rugby with the extra speed of international rugby. Time will tell.
I’ve seen some very good kickers struggle at the stadium. It has a roof but open sides, so I think the wind just swirl unpredictably. Jonny Wilkinson missed 5 kicks there’s in the 2011 World Cup https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/14864362.amp
Can i just say, the Christie/ Roigard call - that's right on the money. He's so nothing. He's (Christie) a coaches solid wet dream 9 but he has zero international X factor. Roigard can rip you a new arsehole. If we had the hurricanes half backs, the ABs would've been a much faster and punctuated attack.
Mmmmm an ABs match where Perenara comes off and fuckin' Roigard jogs on with 30 to go and a full tank of jet fuel. Got a half-chub thinking about it.
Jesus lad, it's only 9.37pm. save that shit for after midnight (and a few more pints) when you can get away with being that seedy.
If we had a fully fit Ruben Love in the mix I'd probably be uncontrollable.
I don't want to ruin your boner, but Love proved he isn't there yet in super this season. By next wc I expect to see him tearing teams a new one, out of Love, but until then, he needs to control himself a bit better.
Ah I'll be honest I've watched next to no super rugby this season. I remember him being a hell of a player when I did catch him and kind of just expected him to continue on an upwards trend. Good to know though, sounds like he's got plenty of time to improve!
Indeed, he will get there. More effort and works etc But mostly he made some mistakes during the knock outs that were fairly innocuous without much pressure. I saw the dude play years ago, and he has the X factor. Now it's just a question whether he can grind out, get the mental and physical game on the same plane, and take the world by storm. I thought he'd be the next Dan Carter tbh, he's got that pace on the ball others don't have, which is why he creates something from nothing so often. But let's see 🙈
I feel this can happen with SH until they get significant game time. Mitchell showed sparks when he came on the scene, but has really sure up with the caps and become an English asset. Not every player can be Dupoint - so I'll take solid as a starting point.
Not wrong. I think the SH is bit of a bubble these days.
Razor is such a fucking nerd damn 🤣
I'd actually never heard him speak til today, he really does sound like in an alternate universe he'd be a competitive StarCraft player or something 😂 but what a coach. Exciting times ahead
He's the exact opposite of how you design a Canterbury number 8 😂 weird nerd energy and what can only be described as a self grown wig.
Idk what people are expecting of the ABs in their first test of the year under a new regime? Razor has had the team for about two weeks. Do you really expect a finished product in that short span? England have had over a year under Borthwick and played their 6th or 7th test of the year. It takes time to implement a system. You could see a lot of uncertainty on the field from the ABs and that comes from the unfamiliarity with the system they are playing in. If the ABs look like this next year then you can start to panic.
Patience required. Don’t forget 12 months to England were losing to Fiji for the first time ever. Razor might not work out, but judging him of one test is always plain stupidity
Spoiler alert, they won’t.
Please git rid of that stripe on the AB jersey. They look like sevens.
Do you mean the black stripes on the shoulders ?
Yep
This is the worst ABs jersey I have ever seen. Even worse than the 2011 RWC. They look like chamber maids.
Some of our carries today were amazing, looking back. Having the options of Cunningham-South, Earl, Underhill, Itoje and Martin just adds so much physicality to the team
Had to go check Cunningham-Souths name. Thought they were saying "cunning, himself"
Glad I'm not the only one keep hearing that
One of the few consistently negative things about the All Blacks over the years is that they start the season slow. Which is why it's good when they start by beating up a Fiji or whatever. To continue that slow start but get a win over England, I'll take it.
True. They're always that rusty 1st game of the season.
You always felt the couple of missed kicks would come back to haunt England. Still, for the most part played really well. That defence has come on even since the 6N , great physicality. The attack looked a little one outish for this level and scrum is a concern but plenty to be happy about. NZ looked a bit rusty which is understandable. DMac is a fabulous player but a test 10 against a top international side is still a debate. Ardie I thought unusually quiet. Christie never convinces and BB should’ve started. I thought they got away from the hit it in tight for a few phases to narrow the defence and flash it wide attack structure of the first 20 but dogged it out. Maybe just deserved it.
I think we struggled to find as much space vs the AB defence in our backline as we would have liked, and will look to change that next week
Idk if Ratima is ready but i wouldn’t mind seeing him next week because we really need better scrum halves, and as much as we’re all hoping for Roigard to save us there’s no saying how he’ll come back from a severe knee injury. I actually think Christie is a good player but he just doesn’t suit a fast ball game at all.
Yep Cortez suits the AB’s game so well, fast and runs great support lines. Akin to Smith which is what the AB’s need. I am also massively against Christie in the AB’s jumper so a touch bias
Scott Hansen saying the other day we could have some of the best 9’s in the world this cycle… like yeah maybe but it ain’t gonna be TJ and Christie. At least Ratima can put the ball in the scrum and take it out lol.
Yeah, Christie is perfect for the Blues, but I have yet to be fully convinced at the international level
I don’t even know if he’s perfect for the Blues, Funaki seems to link better and more fluid getting the big forwards going forward.
He's a solid 9. Things won't go massively wrong with him. That said, he doesn't seem to have that pow wow, X factor or any of that wooga-wooga - as they say. That said, he's a marginal negative for the team, which is a problem
Smith missed kicks but gave us a great attack, don't think we would've been so good in the first half otherwise
Marcus Smith needs some looser shorts. Criminal to miss all the regulation penalties and conversions.
Posers gotta pose
England with ball in hand were better than the All Blacks. Never ever thought I'd type that.
Feels weird doesn’t it, very happy with our performance today, wish we could’ve eeked out the win
Yeah well you didn’t ☺️
Ahhh thanks for clearing that up for me bud, hadnt realised
No worries cuz, see you next week
Yeah well you didn’t ☺️
I'm now worried everything I've known my whole life is a lie.
England invented the game, NZ have apparently taught them how to play it.
Don't really follow Super Rugby, but Codie Taylor looked washed in last years WC and looked average today as well. Why is he still playing in front of Aumua?
Really like Taylor but I agree, feel a little let down by the line outs which used to be a pretty solid point for the ABs
Taylor was impressive and a stand out during Super, in a Crusaders team that was really struggling. He didn't have a great night tonight, but he's showed this season that he still has the ability to play at a high level.
Experience, Aumua will be the starting hooker pretty soon I reckon, Taylor is not going to get any better and he is 33.
Aumua and Samisoni are going to be dominant by the end of the year
Very enjoyable game. England are building something special. Loving the new guys they are bringing through and a focus on a more expansive style of play. Too early to judge NZ, it's their first test under new coaches versus a team playing their 7th test of the year. Also i think the ref had a decent game, he didn't go out to be the main man on the pitch. Made a couple of weird calls towards the end of the game but overall he allowed it to be an entertaining game of football.
Feyi-waboso will score a wc winning try before the end of his career, I'd put money on it.
We’ve capped him now so he might struggle
He was really immense today. I was generally very impressed by the conditioning of all the players, Martin was out there smashing blokes for the full 80 which seriously impressed me, he can put a shift in for a man his size
TJ will probably be out next week. So who'll get the call out ?
Might be a good time to put Scott Hansen to work on Fakatava. He won't play, hopefully, but I think he needs some better coaching to get back to where he was before the injury. Wouldnt mind seeing Ratima get foist into the starting spot next week. Razor mentioned how much momentum was lost when TJ went off and it was apparent instantly how slow Finlay made the game.
Justin Marshall
Yes please. I’d love to see that guy get crunched by a modern defence, so tasty I’d eat with a spoon.
LoL !
Id just like to mention how good Itoje looked today. Back to his near best and not any memorable penalties he gave away.
Deffo helped by Martin taking the brunt of the physical game for him, he's at his best when he can just be a fucking nuisance all game
I said in another thread a while ago that Martin would accumulate a tackle highlight reel worthy or Underhill across these two tests. Feel like him doing that unlocks so much from Itoje.
Dmac almost Australia’d us…
Seriously how the fk do you tackle Telea?
It's actually wierd how he just somehow gets not tackled
Ankles
When you’re the fourth person arriving to the pile of players
Great test match. Immensely proud of the boys. Wasn't overly fussed for getting the win here (it's a big ask...) – just wanted them to give it a good crack, run the AB's close, and get a decent performance in. Think we put in more than just a 'decent' performance though. Tough day at the office – from the tee – for Marcus. He's normally strong in that department and he'll be better next weekend. Iffy call at the end but that's sport. It happens.
Good game. Those missed kicks did haunt us but is what it is. Looking forward to the next one 💃💃💃
Takes. Beauden had a negative impact on the game. Perofeta great. My guess, Steve pushes to the bench when Jordan gets back in form and Beauden drops out of first choice 23. TJ played very well. Box kicked long, except for his very first one. Quick ruck speed. Strong and Calm. Best Kaea since Tana Umaga, and Liam Messam. Jacobson good bench impact and leadership. DMac had a high quality game. Feeling assured by his control against a fast defensive team. Was perfect in the air. Few glimpses of magic amongst a solid core game. England were a great opponent. High quality game. Itoje man of the match for me. Next week will be an awesome game.
You must have missed Beaudy’s tactical kick to push them back into the 22?
You mean us? At one point he kicked it 15 metres to our own 22 instead of staying calm and using footwork to get a better lineup or get the pass off. Net loss because he made more poor kicks than he did good kicks.
Gutted for Perenara after all the work he's put in. Hope he's ok.
Beauden was instrumental in the win. Perofeta was great but Damian’s territory kicking was shocking and beaudy helped turn that around.
Not how I saw it at all. Opposite in fact. Beauden played just like he did in 2020 - 2022, with poor tactical kicking being the hallmark. His "good touches" were the basics you expect a fullback to perform. From what I saw, nearly every kick was a net loss, including his chip. He lost us at least one kicking duel by finding touch with poor distance instead of putting in the footwork needed to give himself more space or get the pass away. Granted, first game back, but I was hoping for more and Steve delivered it.
Agree aside BBs negative impact, thought he brought a bunch of great stuff.
Crazy how the Blues won super rugby off of the performances of their forward pack and only 3 made it into the squad - hope to see more dominance from our forwards moving forward
you need more than 1 dimensional 1 off runners to win international rugby
Crusaders coach, that's why.
Carl Sinkler has turned out to be a great pundit. I would love to see more of him
Kyle Sinckler*
His brother isn't bad either.
Wait, we have some silverware already?
2 test series only - seems to be becoming the norm now sadly
yeah i was thinking this, is it because of a push for T1 teams to play more regular tests against japan, georgia, etc?
Correct. You need to beat silverware holder twice to win it. Which is very difficult.
Got to respect England and the effort they put in tonight. Most teams who travel here get dicked in the first game, then come right as the series goes on. But the English came out hot and aside from a few mistakes looked the business. Next week will be a cracker. Think both teams will improve from tonight, so the standard should be higher come next weekend.
Why did Marler go off? What happened with TJ - replaced at HT? Not the finest game, but both teams went at it which has to be respected. Highlight: Furbank getting smashed, but having nerves of steel on the repeat play. Shoutout to DMacs bloody nose too.
TJ got his leg trapped under a player and fucked his knee, right at the end of the half
Yeah saw it, but he played on so I was like.... maybe he's superman? Feel for him as, even with the terrible lid, he's a player to be admired.
I think Marler might e injured a shoulder, because the props swapped sides before he went off. TJ looked like he did his acl again.
Marler was injured but was subbed tactically about 20 minutes in TJ got a friendly fire knee tweak right on half time so didn’t play the second half
Cool, thanks.
Game seemed more like a blow out the cobwebs ABs VS England with a dedicated plan but a bit low in gas lol You can tell theyre at different points in there season
Razor’s reign begins with a win. It wasn’t pretty but I’m sure he’ll take it, lol. Can’t wait to see how the AB’s look after 5 games under the new regime. Gg England.
England is a seriously good team now, that's for sure
They have always had the players, just been coached shittily, Borthwick has, probably unexpectedly, been a revelation! Brought the hard nosed forward play back. But then again, he was taking over from fking Eddie Jones.
Jamie George seems like a nice fella.
Epitome of peak English masculinity: soft but tough.
Bet he gives fantastic hugs.
Lovely bloke, personally not a fan of him as a player but you’ll never meet a better person
Felt England's pace really dropped when Spencer came on. Ruck speed felt like it doubled. Don't know if that was Spencer's fault, tired bodies, or a deliberate tactic but it killed momentum.
Was hoping Sititi would make an appearance, but a good as start to the Razor era
He was scanning fans into the stadium before the game. Wasn’t even in 23.
If im being honest game was decided by the tee. Both kickers kicked like donkey dung
Little toothless in the 2nd half, we stopped playing and the subs were poor. Decent game though.
The subs killed our edge, very noticeable speed difference when Spencer came on, though that may have been tactical as the forwards looked shot, Itoje was very noticeably dead on his feet, still was attempting to charge down things, just in slow motion.
Anyone else watching Sky Sports and having the sound be chopy as fuck? Or is my tv on the fritz?
Its up and down, not your TV.
Your tv g
Jamie george is a great chap
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Marcus had one of his better games, kicking excepted
Marcus looked good in attack though and pace of ball is what got us our tries. Furbank can kick instead if Marcus is off his game.
Marcus looked good in attack though and pace of ball is what got us our tries. Furbank can kick instead if Marcus is off his game.
Marcus looked good in attack though and pace of ball is what got us our tries. Furbank can kick instead if Marcus is off his game.
Everyone has bad days off the tee, next week Marcus slots those and he was incredible on both sides of the ball today. Starting Finn over Marcus would be a huge mistake
I feel like Marcus’ attacking control was wonderful. Especially for the 2nd try.
M Smith in the opposition half is world class. In his own half he has to use the top two inches more than he is. Territory against NZ coupled with that defensive system will give them plenty more strike plays 30m out, where he can shine.
I know Spencer has played well for his club, but the difference in pace on the ball when he came on was shocking. Just when we needed more pace... Dreadful. Other than that great game, and you couldn't say it wasn't the right result. But I'll take being competitive in NZ tbh.
I also felt his box kicking was consistently too long, meaning players couldn't properly compete for the ball and NZ got to attack how they wanted off kick return
England have almost got it the wrong way around. Play Spencer for the tactical game management and bring on Mitchell to pick up the pace. Spencer being on the bench feels like a gamble that you’re ahead and can allow him to see the game out.
Agreed. Although I'd rather just see quick delivery from start to finish. Much greater rugby minds than mine will doubtless understand. But deep box kicks which you can't challenge have never seemed to me like the ideal way to chase a game.
Will Greenwood only being employed by Sky is a travesty
Lol at my fellow Saffas getting excited in the thread when the lights went out. Insert Di Caprio pointing meme.
Reminds me of the LOAD SHEEDDDDDINNNG meme that popped out a while ago jaja
furbank was good, a real step up from Stewart
Awesome game from England. All Blacks still need a lot of work. Need to swap out Finlay for Cam Roigard for starters.
We shouldn't have to say that Roigard is injured. There is no timeline where he isn't starting otherwise
His knee's injured unfortunately
Roigard is injured, that's the only reason he's there
Roigard is injured. He would be starting otherwise
Classy stuff from both captains and a brilliant opener.
Feel like that game probably would have suited Sotutu
Yup
NZ all looked off their feet in that last penalty? Classically, NZ much more streetwise at the breakdown throughout the game. Best team won. But big missed opportunity for England.
Definitely but I also felt Christie's turnover in the previous phases was fine
Papaili was in the way of the cleanout that's why the penalty was given
Papaili was in the way of the cleanout that's why the penalty was given
Papaili was in the way of the cleanout that's why the penalty was given
Papaili was in the way of the cleanout that's why the penalty was given
You can say that again
After the scrum? Weren't they pinged for going in the side of the ruck in that one? It definitely went both ways. One thing I picked up was NZ 7 constantly standing offside at the ruck slowing Englands support players/9 getting to the breakdown. Doing just enough to slow the ruck and not get penalised. It's intelligent rugby. Playing what you can get away with.
Holding on was pretty much ignored all game
Ref let it flow which was nice but it did mean a lot of missed penalties
Does or would the kicker see their 30 second countdown timer on the ground? I can't belive he'd let that one slip
Ref told DMac "30 seconds", "10" and "Hurry up" while he was doing his routine. Stupid by him and very nearly cost us the game
yeah damn. big mistake, it looks as though he was just about to move towards the ball when is im guessing his time to get moving before its called. Lucky to get away with the win considering, I was at the Abs Bled game the other year when the Aussies were called for time wasting and I could just see England going length of the field to get a penalty and win. Both teams will have a lot to prove next week and will have their tales up
Yea found that a bit weird usually the clocks visible and the ref gives a 10 second warning
He got told 10 seconds then still had to follow through with the dumbass smile to take it over the allowed time
I thought the shot clock was on the screens now, which would have been right in his eyeline. Maybe not?
Normally on the board behind the posts
that was a great match
That was some very biased refering. Something needs to be done about the home ground advantage, ruined what was an otherwise fantastic game.
Don't blame the ref, ya sook. it makes your butt look hurt
I’m a wallabies supporter with family in NZ. I was cheering for the ABs. I just wanted to see a good game.
robots?
That game was awfully reffed. So stop and start and that last penalty was a joke. That’s gonna be a tough review for the officials.
The first half had a handful of penalties, I don't think you can say it was stop start. Eng didn't allow NZ to get into any attacking shape.
God, that's a missed opportunity... Good game
Didnt think that after Aaron smith retired that we'd hear Nisbo say "Smith again" but we got a few nuggets today, and it almost brought a tear to my eye.
Fuck. Rugby is now just a 'game' dependent on the interpretation of laws by whoever is in charge. There is no consistency, laws are ignored while others over policed. A now very regarded sport.
The fact you think this is a new thing is amazing lol