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Thread: Zinzan Brooke column (BBC website)

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    Veteran Contributor JediKnight's Avatar
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    Zinzan Brooke column (BBC website)

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/5319298.stm

    A year out from the World Cup, the All Blacks are exactly where they want to be.

    They have been very good in the Tri-Nations and the only question is: 'Will they get it right on the day?'

    People ask if they have peaked too early, or will they go downhill in the next year?

    But I think they can only get better, and this team is probably eight or nine players better off than the 2003 World Cup side.

    NZ WORLD CUP RECORD
    1987 - Winners (beat France)
    1991 - Semis (lost to Australia)
    1995 - Final (lost to S Africa)
    1999 - Semis (lost to France)
    2003 - Semis (lost to Australia)
    But on any given day you can turn a side over. The All Blacks have made semi-finals and finals but not always achieved the end result.

    Let's face it, the big four or five teams only need to get two games right at the World Cup, if they get a good draw and an easier quarter-final.

    This is not the soccer World Cup - most of the big teams will go through, history has shown that - so we shouldn't read too much into peaks and troughs in between.

    Last year Australia lost eight Tests on the trot and yet six months down the track they have had a few wins, come close to beating the All Blacks and got some confidence again.

    It is amazing how we judge people. Graham Henry made a big gamble last year on the Grand Slam tour by picking two separate sides and a lot of old All Blacks said he was cheating the jersey by allowing other guys to play.


    Fly-half Daniel Carter is one of the few certainties for Graham Henry
    But I think he has created an environment that the players want to be part of. No-one can say their spot is guaranteed, other than perhaps Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter.

    The rest of the positions are up for grabs. With 30-40 players you never know who is going to get in.

    That environment stops any complacency, although they did come a bit unstuck against South Africa last weekend.

    I don't know whether they thought the game was in the bag after their performance the previous week, but they didn't really put South Africa away. The Springboks stepped up a level but the All Blacks should have shut them out.

    Regardless of whether Graham thinks it may be a good thing to lose the odd game, I was hoping New Zealand would win.

    If they had it would have created a lot of turmoil in the South Africa camp and put more pressure on their coach Jake White.


    I would like to see Rodney So'oialo run a bit more from number eight

    You want the opposition camp to be unsettled but the All Blacks have actually armed the Boks with a bit more ammunition and confidence, which is the element missing from their game.

    If you look at the 2003 England side, they had belief in what they were doing. Sometimes 10 to 15% of winning or losing games is that confidence in your ability to run a ball out, or stop a try, or score a try.

    I don't see too many areas of weakness in the All Blacks, although the line-out is a problem.

    When you have Chris Jack at 6ft 7in, Ali Williams and Jason Eaton at 6ft 8in and you can't win your own ball, there is something going wrong. Maybe the calls are too difficult.

    My brother Robin has done a couple of sessions with them but they clearly need more work to sort it out.

    The scrummaging is good but I am bit nervous about the number eight position. Rodney So'oialo has gone a bit quiet in the last 12 months and hasn't dominated games like before.

    I would like to see him run a bit more, and the number eight, nine, 10 and 15 combinations attacking the short side more.

    It is very robotic rugby at the moment and we are playing a bit like the Australians did a few years ago.

    Even if you play plenty of games together, it doesn't mean you will get it right on the big day

    Our counter-attacking play is fantastic and our strongest weapon, because there is so much pace and ability when they are running the ball back.

    But our structured play from set positions is not so good, and when it is open play and defences are up solid, we go through 10 or 15 phases and then someone tries to 'milk' a penalty.

    One of the best positions to attack is off a scrum, and I would like to see the number eight taking it over the gain line, rather than just feeding it out to the backs.

    You need to have that confidence and arrogance to take the ball up when the opposition tries to screw your scrum.

    People have questioned whether Graham Henry should play his top side more often, but even if you play plenty of games together, it doesn't mean you will get it right on the big day.

    What I like at the moment is, because they have used so many different players, it is hard for opposition coaches to focus on a particular team.

    There is more than enough rugby left before the World Cup to worry about combinations, with a northern hemisphere tour in November, the Super 14 and another Tri-Nations yet.

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    Player Jethro's Avatar
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    Thanks for the post Jedi. A few more points l think.

    1. The ABs aren't playing the percentages at the moment, which any World Cup winning team will do. If the ball's deep in your own half kick the leather off it.

    2. The line outs are problematic at the moment. Is this a ruse?

    3. Henry stated start of year, the likely AB frontline would be unleashed on the end of year tour (England, Wales, France).

    4. Are there players outside the current squad who might start games early next year?

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    Player blindsid3's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jethro
    2. The line outs are problematic at the moment. Is this a ruse?
    Since when has intentionally being bad at Line Outs (or any other set piece for that matter) been a deliberate strategy or part of a game plan?

    That's like saying the deficiencies of our front row are deliberate, or that our losing streak offshore is all part of the master plan.

    In reality, the ABs are good, but they are not perfect. Their lineout sucks and needs work.

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    NZ WORLD CUP RECORD
    1987 - Winners (beat France)
    1991 - Semis (lost to Australia)
    1995 - Final (lost to S Africa)
    1999 - Semis (lost to France)
    2003 - Semis (lost to Australia)
    But on any given day you can turn a side over. The All Blacks have made semi-finals and finals but not always achieved the end result.

    Makes attractive reading doesnt. Gladdens ones heart!

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    Player Jethro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blindsid3
    Since when has intentionally being bad at Line Outs (or any other set piece for that matter) been a deliberate strategy or part of a game plan?

    That's like saying the deficiencies of our front row are deliberate, or that our losing streak offshore is all part of the master plan.

    In reality, the ABs are good, but they are not perfect. Their lineout sucks and needs work.
    The kiwi line out is going okay, except against the Bokke at the moment. Check the stats for the final AB v Wallaby game in Auckland Could be the rotation isn't bringing the big men (not ever going near our second string hooker) together in the same game.

    Considering we actually have a line out coach, the guy needs to be given the arse or there's something more than meets the eye.

    If you take a look at the AB lineups for each of the 9 Internationals thus far this year, there are some dramatic changes week to week. Henry's boxing clever at the moment, still have doubts about whether or not rotation will work in terms of France 2007.

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    Champion Contributor chook's Avatar
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    Hey Jethro,
    'Henry's boxing clever at the moment, still have doubts about whether or not rotation will work in terms of France 2007.'

    If it does work do you think that all the top teams will really try and emulate it? If it fails I guess it will go the way of that extinct bird that rhymes with gogo

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    Veteran Contributor frontrow's Avatar
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    Hey chook, is that Flo Jo, the runner who recently passed away, possibly due to the misuse of steroids....

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    Player Jethro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chookmustard
    Hey Jethro,
    'Henry's boxing clever at the moment, still have doubts about whether or not rotation will work in terms of France 2007.'

    If it does work do you think that all the top teams will really try and emulate it? If it fails I guess it will go the way of that extinct bird that rhymes with gogo
    With the amount of Rugby the International players get through each year, self preservation to rotate your team. Unfort l support the Magpies, and we don't have the luxury at the moment. Canterbury and Auckland have started to use it.

    Would imagine all three of the TriNations outfits will start resting top line players in the tour matches prior to T3 kick off. EOYT seems to have evolved to some sort of development process, whether to finalise line-ups, or to blood new players. Guess we're stuck with it due to the RWC.

    Bring back large tours is my call, but wont happen.

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    Champion Contributor chook's Avatar
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    Frontrow : 'Hey chook, is that Flo Jo, the runner who recently passed away, possibly due to the misuse of steroids....'

    one works just as well as the other, neither could fly so well!

    I'm not against resting players and trying out new combos, in fact i'm quite happy to see some new guys get a run. The resting in the S14 comp seems to be a bit excessive to me, but hey, im obviously not a top line coach or a high performance athelete so I dont know if it would be beneficial or not. I'd rather see the best of the best each weekend though in the S14 if t all possible.
    cheers
    chook

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