Carter’s back in business
28 Oct 2010
Dan Carter has returned to the All Blacks’ starting XV for Saturday’s Test against the Wallabies in Hong Kong but there’s no room for Sonny Bill Williams.
Carter missed the third Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney with an ankle injury, but has recovered from surgery to reclaim the No 10 jersey from the axed Aaron Cruden.
But Williams, a rugby league recruit who has played for Canterbury in the national provincial championship, has been overlooked by coach Graham Henry and may have to wait until the Scotland match in two weeks’ time to make his All Blacks debut.
‘We didn’t want to fire Sonny Bill into the deep end,’ Henry said. ‘We think he needs a bit of time to get accustomed to what we are trying to do out there and I think he needs clarity of what this All Blacks team are trying to do. It would have been a big ask to throw him out there in a big Test match like this without having time to get his feet under the table.’
Henry has made three other changes to the side that beat the Wallabies 23-22 with Joe Rokocoko returning to the left wing for Israel Dagg (injured), Jimmy Cowan at halfback for Piri Weepu (injured), and Jerome Kaino at blindside flanker for Victor Vito (not on tour).
New Zealand – 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 John Afoa, 18 Samuel Whitelock, 19 Daniel Braid, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Isaia Toeava.
88 Comments
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28 Oct 2010, 12:22 pm
did anyone hear, Father Ted got pinged for speeding but the cop didn’t give him a ticket…cos the cop is not authorised to issue speeding fines
28 Oct 2010, 12:26 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) : if he’s fit i would play Toeava evey time. Probably your most dangerous runner amongst the backs.
28 Oct 2010, 12:27 pm
@Transformation(Transformation) :
True.
Ted was doing 81kph in a 50kph zone.
When asked about it, at todays Press Conference, he replied………”I’m not commenting on that”.
28 Oct 2010, 12:30 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) : compare it to with boks strongest side and we have much to look forward to.
Backs: very good center pairing, good kicking 10 and wingers to burn.
loosies: on par with nz with brussouw back
locks: best in the world
front row: with smit on the bench they are as good as any.
28 Oct 2010, 12:34 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
Over the last year or so, Toeava has grown in confidence and is now realising his potential.
Myself, I’d stay with Nonu and Smith at this point, but have Toeava on the bench for sure. Good impact player and can cover any backline slot.
28 Oct 2010, 12:34 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) : you forget that NZ have a far superior coach and game strategy / tactics.
28 Oct 2010, 12:39 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) : i’d still play toeava. i’m basing that on my own fear when we play nz…..i’d rather have the boks fave nonu.
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell) : very true. but if, by some miracle, the team can gel and buy a decent game plan on the blackmarket we may be title contenders
28 Oct 2010, 12:39 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
Captain Smit will not be on the bench logie.
Victor’s 2nd tenure as Cappy, will end the same way as his first tenure……………….in failure.
So they will stay with Jon next year.
28 Oct 2010, 12:56 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) : we’ll see. with bismark on form i cannot see smit playing hooker, and after the failed conversion to prop last year he will end up as an advisor in the coach’s box.
28 Oct 2010, 13:25 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
oh, so he’s gone from “messing around with the midfield” – its unchanged for HK, the same combination all season – to now surmising that “the writing is on the wall”.
I suppose not picking 1 other midfielder would have sent out a stronger message. At this stage, and Im guessing for another 2+ weeks, SBW wont even feature on the bench.
Competition for places is key in any squad. Besides, your eg’s of McDonald and Cullen at previous RWCs are irrelevant as neither were midfielders. SBW is.
28 Oct 2010, 13:30 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
schucks, thanks for the advice oh wise one.
You may have missed my previous posts on the subject. Im NO fan of ex-leaguies and certainly dont buy in to the SBW-hype machine.
Having said that, he’s an incredible athletic talent. My guess is he would need 2 Super seasons to be ready. But then he has been a pro rugby player since he was 15yrs old so if he cant adapt in an AB touring environment then he never will.
Funny tho – Big Hit must have sensed NZers reluctance to fall for the SBW hype machine because he’s – all of a sudden – backing him. SBW is a NZer, dont forget…..
28 Oct 2010, 13:33 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : What would your bench look like if SBW were picked as a replacement?
Weepu, SBW, Dagg?
28 Oct 2010, 13:34 pm
SA Best 22
1.Guthro
2.Smit(c)
3.Du Plessis
4.Bakkies
5.Matfield
6.Brussow
7.Smith
8.Spies
9.Du Preez
10.M.Steyn
11.Habana
12.De Villiers
13.Fourie
14.JPP
15.F.Steyn
16.Bismark
17.Beast
18.Rossouw
19.Burger
20.Hougaard
21.De Jongh
22.Aplon
NZ Best XV
1.Woodcok
2.Mealamu
3.Franks
4.Thorn
5.Donnely (forget about Williams-he’s done)
6.Kaino
7.McCaw(c)
8.Read
9.Cowan
10.Carter
11.Rokocoko
12.Nonu
13.Smith
14.Jane
15.Mils
16.Hore
17.Franks
18.Whitelock
19.Braid
20.Weepu
21.Donald
22.Toeava
Those are the 2 best teams in the world.No doubt
28 Oct 2010, 13:36 pm
Israel Dagg?
28 Oct 2010, 14:03 pm
Mish Mash
not giving up on Comical Ali just yet. I read here that “Dan Carter will never play again” just a few months before he did. He looks OK…
Ali has apparently secured himself a short contract to play in UK and will then roll right in to Super Rugby. Not counting ON him but certainly not counting him OUT either.
28 Oct 2010, 14:15 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)
Fair enough,but the whole Carter thing was wishful thinking on whoever’s part.He has lost a yard of pace though as achillies tend to do.But he’s still class
Ali hasnt played in almost 2 yrs..24 months is a lifetime in rugby.Remember Andre Snyman??? never returned the same after such a long lay off.I doubt even if he comesback he’ll be anywhere near the region of world class as before.Have a look at Chris Jack as well who was affected by injuries a lot during his NH stint.watched him play for Tasman..not the Jack that was an AB superstar.
I fear the same for Ali
28 Oct 2010, 14:19 pm
@Mighty Horua(Mighty Horua) :
Dagg will miss out as he covers only back 3.Toeava will trump him there in 22 where Toeava covers 11/12/13/14/15 and 10-at a push.Unless Dagg starts above Roko,which wont happen.
28 Oct 2010, 15:26 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : No he’s not, he’s a rugby league player mate…..but my point remains. NZ rugby forked out $1 bar for him to warm a bench.
28 Oct 2010, 15:31 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami) : I’d ahve Dagg on my bench as he’s another goal-kicker. That’s if **** Weepu isn’t covering 9/10 already
28 Oct 2010, 16:00 pm
SBW has had 1.5 seasons for Toulon and 1 for Canterbury.
all at 12.
His only experience in Union is at 12. In most peoples eyes that would make him a ‘midfielder’ but continue clutching at straws in your desperation to compare apples and oranges.
28 Oct 2010, 16:07 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : have you followed him in the itm cup? he doesn’t impress me that much so far.
28 Oct 2010, 16:12 pm
NEW ZEALAND EMBARRESSED BY FAKE CV
Wellington – New Zealand’s military chief admitted on Thursday the defence force was “seriously embarrassed” after a top scientist who made wild claims about his background was granted high security clearance.
The head of the Defence Technology Agency Stephen Wilce quit last month after it was revealed he falsely claimed he was an ex-Marine combat veteran and an Olympic bobsledder who raced against Jamaica’s “Cool Runnings” team.
A government inquiry released on Thursday found the recruiting process that led to Wilce’s appointment was “flawed in significant respects”, prompting moves to tighten procedures.
“Some dumb decisions were made,” Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae told reporters.
British-born Wilce resigned from the agency, which provides technology support to New Zealand’s military, after commercial broadcaster TV3 alleged he padded his resume and made a string of fanciful claims about his past.
They included being a combat veteran and a member of Britain’s bobsleigh team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where he supposedly competed against the Jamaican team which inspired the 1993 film “Cool Runnings”.
“I know them all,” Wilce said in footage filmed by an undercover reporter. “I know all the Jamaican guys… mad, absolute nutters.”
No record
TV3′s “60 Minutes” reported that no record existed of Wilce serving in Britain’s Royal Marines or having combat experience and that no one on the 1988 British bobsleigh team had heard of him.
Previous employers and colleagues told the programme Wilce had claimed he designed guidance systems for Britain’s Polaris nuclear missiles, a defunct system launched 50 years ago during the Cold War.
Wilce headed 80 staff at the Defence Technology Agency for five years.
Mateparae said that while screening procedures had proved inadequate, most of the failings lay with Wilce.
“He represented his work history, military career, achievements, academic qualifications and activities in other fields in a way that was neither honest nor complete.
“Not only have his actions damaged his reputation, they have damaged the morale of those he led at the Defence Technology Agency, and they have damaged the reputation of the New Zealand Defence Force.”
Mateparae said the report, which found that Wilce had not posed a threat to national security, had been passed to police for further action if warranted.
- AFP
28 Oct 2010, 16:13 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) :
If im not mistaken he played the majority of his rugby at 13 at Toulon.He did have stints at 12 as you say.But i stand to be corrected.Saw a lot of clips of him with 13 on his back Toulon days.
And league players always have trouble in union,esp acclamitising to intricacies of the game.And midfield defensive patterns esp at international level aint no joke.Seen many a veteran mess up.
But jury is still out I guess.We shall see,because when he played in Barbarians game a couple of yrs back he had sum nice touches but that was as close international test level as he has come close to.He was bullied in contact offense & defense by Mortlock that day.
28 Oct 2010, 16:17 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
great with ball in hand, poor without it.
The comparisons with Jonah look rather relevant dont they.
1 AB tour and a Super season will give us more of an idea, I will judge him then. But Id far rather stick to a Kahui or Toeava as midfield cover.
Bench players HAVE to add something tho. They are primarily there to turn around a losing position if required. In this case, only, he may fit the bill because he can make things happen. But I dont see him as a starting midfielder against the Top 5 opposition.
Im no fan of ex-leaguies tho, so lets agree about that.
28 Oct 2010, 16:18 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever) :
Im surprised
I didnt know we had any armed services left.
28 Oct 2010, 16:19 pm
@logie_Jumpbuck(logie_Jumpbuck) :
Seen some footage in ITM-a few games of SBW.He is very good ball in hand,esp in contact when he keeps ball alive.His best attribute is the ability to pull off some fantastic offloads.sublime-keeps continuity on attack.Solid defender.
But hasnt done enough to be an AB.
Robbie Freuan had a fantastic season & deserved a place(yes I know he is a 13)
But with Donald & Toeava able to cover 12,SBW is a luxury
28 Oct 2010, 16:19 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami) :
Offensive weapon; defensive liability.
Leaguies arent paid to THINK.
Theres the wall; now run through it !
28 Oct 2010, 16:21 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) :
Whoa….BP…comparisons of Jonah with SBW
Sheesh..thats sacrilege…
Find urself mate…LOL
28 Oct 2010, 16:28 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : What exactly is the NZRU’s plan with SBW if he’s not gonna feature in next year’s World Cup?
28 Oct 2010, 16:49 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami) :
steady on, that comparison was made by others here, not moi. For which I duly mocked them !
28 Oct 2010, 17:10 pm
@Frankly speaking(Frankly speaking) :
do you really think a hard-nosed b@stard like Lord Ted is stupid enough to pick SBW for RWC if he hasnt come up to the standard by Sept’11 ?! He strikes me as not answering to anyone on selection, he has been ruthless in the past and will continue to be.
Forget about the dosh NZRFU have, supposedly, thrown at him – they threw a more significant amount in a failed attempt to bring Hayman back to NZ but then threw a few spare parts and created Franks’enstein Monster instead.
29 Oct 2010, 04:01 am
I think the Wallabies are going to be Honked and then Konged!!
They are saying that the AB’s by 5 points but I think we will see a bit of a higher difference. AB’s by 15+
29 Oct 2010, 08:08 am
Hello all ! Back from service still alive – cant wait to see Sonny Bill play in the black – Saders are going to be unstoppable next S14 – see Daag is on board too
29 Oct 2010, 09:53 am
@captain fantail(captain fantail) :
disagree. The Wallabies have been in camp for 3 weeks already and the ABs, by’n'large, will be coming in to this Test completely underdone having only assembled this week. This is – by far – the Aussies best chance to topple the Men in Black.
29 Oct 2010, 09:54 am
What time is this game?
I mean local SA time, not middle earth time.
29 Oct 2010, 10:09 am
@Dawn(Dawn) :
10:30am Saturday SA-time
Peaches.
30 Oct 2010, 00:04 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami) : Does the same apply to Fourie du Preez?
30 Oct 2010, 07:47 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : I hear what your saying- but do you thing GH and Richie will be coming to lose? There is alot on this game as the beginning of the EOYT and I reckon they maybe better prepared than what some think!
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