All Blacks latest – SBW to make Test debut
4 Nov 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the latest from the All Blacks’ Grand Slam tour.
SBW to make Test debut – Sonny Bill Williams will start at No 13 for New Zealand against England at Twickenham on Saturday. In other changes to the side that lost to the Wallabies in Hong Kong, Alby Mathewson replaces Jimmy Cowan at scrumhalf, Hosea Gear starts on the left wing in place of Cory Jane, while lock Sam Whitelock comes in for Tom Donnelly.
All Blacks – 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Sonny Bill Williams, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock. Subs: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Isaia Toeava.
39 Comments
4 Nov 2010, 08:46 am
Hyper-Hypo Dragon!!
4 Nov 2010, 08:47 am
This should be interesting. What time is this game?
4 Nov 2010, 08:49 am
Looks like the AB’s are hooding up for another smash and grab!
4 Nov 2010, 08:50 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami) : @ 2 – Where are you (in the world – I mean)
4 Nov 2010, 08:51 am
I hope SBW has a good game because he has a lot of hype he has to fulfill.
4 Nov 2010, 08:55 am
Is that all 350 pounds of him?!
4 Nov 2010, 08:56 am
@GoBokkeAndIreland(GoBokkeAndIreland) : Afrika Borwa.
4 Nov 2010, 08:57 am
All Blacks by 30.
4 Nov 2010, 08:58 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami) : @ 7 – well game is on at 16:15, SA time.
4 Nov 2010, 08:59 am
@scrumfan(scrumfan) : @ 8 – agree!
4 Nov 2010, 09:05 am
Got this in my inbox…
There was movement on the sidelines, for the word had got around
Replacement fly-half Stephen Donald was soon to take the ground.
The game was all-but over, the Darkness held the lead
The Wallabies were clearly shagged, it was time to about concede.
The Men-in-Gold were down by 12 and it had all been seen before
Sookface had just come on, as Gits was shown the door.
But just when all seemed hopeless and the only outcome was defeat
The Man from Waiuku River rose ungainly to his feet.
His warm-up on the sideline was something of a farce
He’s not very good at kicking, and he can hardly f*cking pass.
When Smug Ted dragged Dan Carter, ’cause his ankle was near shot
The look on Richie’s face said “Ol’ Ted’s lost the f*cking plot”.
For DC on one leg is a better bet than Waiuku River’s two
Anyone who’d seen him butcher things for Mooloo, knew what he would do.
So the Man from Waiuku River did stumble on into the line
And it was only seconds later, the sun began to shine.
Gilbert ran the Gilbert with style, poise and grace
He timed a sweet ball to Shmoo, who had far too much pace.
It was 24-19 as the conversion sailed over from near the 3rd row
Rocky gathered the boys’ round “With Donald on lads, we’ve got a f*cking show!”.
On the Man from Waiuku River did bungle, not stopping to draw breath
He even had a chance at a penalty goal to win it at the death.
But for those who know him best, it was always going to shank
He’s just so God-damn gawky; he’s like a f*cking plank.
But still our Man kept plodding, he wasn’t done with yet
There was still one more balls-up, as bad as it could get.
For the Man from Waiuku River, again had the ball in his hands
And to win the game he had to only kick it to the stands.
But alas he stuffed the kick and downfield the ball did soar
You could almost hear O’Conner shout “F*ck me dead, I’m gonna score!”.
And so he did just that, young O’Connor was now the hero
On the other side The Man from Waiuku River, a freshly minted zero.
The Wallabies went wild, and the crowd they pissed it up
“Stick the 10 straight up your a*se”, they screamed – they even won a Cup.
And down by Waiuku Riverside, where the youngsters dream of greatness
They should remember their Stephen Donald, is completely f*cking hopeless.
4 Nov 2010, 09:11 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) : Yes I read that the other day on Green and Gold. Funny buggers.
Have to say I’ve always had a soft spot for Banjo Paterson, spins a nice yarn.
4 Nov 2010, 09:12 am
@GoBokkeAndIreland(GoBokkeAndIreland) : Cool Thanks.
4 Nov 2010, 09:12 am
Okay SBW let’s see what you got.
4 Nov 2010, 09:17 am
England prepare to smother All Blacks
——————————————————————————–
03 November 2010, 06:52
England believe defence may be the best form of attack as they prepare to stifle the free-scoring All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday after the New Zealanders’ record-breaking southern hemisphere season.
The All Blacks romped to this year’s Tri-Nations crown at a canter, completing an unprecedented clean sweep of victories while racking up a record haul of both tries (22) and points (184).
A statistical analysis of the Tri-Nations released by the International Rugby Board on Monday said the competition may represent a “seminal moment” in the history of rugby as teams emphasise attack over defence.
The IRB report found that a total of 52 tries were scored in nine Tri-Nations matches this year at an average of 5.8 per game, nearly double the 27 tries scored in 2009 at an average of three per game.
The change in the way the breakdown is refereed has encouraged teams to keep the ball in play, with significantly more passes and fewer kicks per game.
Yet the winds of attacking change blowing through rugby have left England defence coach Mike Ford distinctly unruffled as he prepares for Saturday’s showdown with the All Blacks at Twickenham.
“I think there were three games in the Tri-Nations that produced an average of 77 points,” Ford told journalists at England’s training base. “I don’t know what everyone else thinks, but that for me is not test rugby.”
While acknowledging last weekend’s thrilling Bledisloe Cup encounter between Australia and New Zealand in Hong Kong was “a fantastic game,” Ford noted “there was still 50 points scored.”
Twickenham on Saturday promises to be a throwback to a leaner, meaner era, Ford said. “We want to make this a good old-fashioned test rugby game,” he said. “Whatever you think that means, we know what it means. But we’re pretty confident of what we can do defensively.”
Even so, history is not on England’s side. England have leaked an average of 32.5 points per game against Southern Hemisphere opposition during Ford’s reign yet the coach insists his team have the ability to stifle the All Blacks.
“We’re pretty comfortable where we’re sitting defensively at the moment,” Ford said. “We know we have to up the ante obviously because we’re playing the best in the world.
Ford said England’s squad were “miles in front” of where they had been at the same stage last year, and had benefited from a harder-nosed shift in the way that defensive duties were viewed.
“Our mentality has changed defensively with the ‘no excuse’ mentality. It’s not a case of ‘They’ve just scored one try, so we’ll go back and score one or two. Everybody is talking about how many tries have been scored, how quick the rucks are, and how exciting it is.
“Defensively we have got to figure out a way to stop that. And we’re pretty confident that we can.
“The players know that when we haven’t got the ball Saturday, we’re going to endeavour to produce one of the best defensive performances ever.”
Key to England’s gameplan would be stopping flyhalf Dan Carter and captain Richie McCaw, described by Ford as the All Blacks’ talisman.
“You don’t need rocket science to know that if we can negate his strengths and put him under pressure then there’s a big part of their game gone,” Ford said. “There’s no special plan for McCaw in terms of defence.
“Obviously he’s going to try and get his hands on the ball and create havoc there. Like every other team we’ll have a plan for that. But Australia showed that if you can get that right then you can gain a lot of advantages there.
“If we can put him under pressure and show that he has got weaknesses it’ll go a long way towards us winning the game.”
4 Nov 2010, 09:20 am
Okay, now from the pundits on Planet Rugby… Tickles can correct the following copy n paste.
You can see how much the AB’s rate England with the fact that SBW probably makes his AB’s debut in the first XV against them. Most debutants worm their way into the last few minutes of games that are already in hand. In his case they’ll just throw him in knowing he won’t be tested much. I like what Hansen said in regards to the game being decided by who can keep up when played at pace. I see England running out of lungs and dying around the 50 min. mark like the horse that Maximus rode to try to save his family in Gladiator.
4 Nov 2010, 09:21 am
I like the Russell Crowe reference… Geez poor friggin horse carting Russ around.
4 Nov 2010, 10:37 am
why are they playing SBW at 13?? He is more suited to the 12 role which he has played majority of his union career.plus if they wanted to blood a more explosive 13,Robbie Freaun is still sitting in NZ.plus Toeava is also on tour(he was horrendous on defense/alignment in Tokyo-his slip on Beale TWICE led to tries for OZ)
4 Nov 2010, 11:25 am
This selection by GH smacks me very much of Cardiff’07 when he named both Fijians on the wings; its called Arrogance (and you can bank that one, BH).
Whitelock is a lightweight.
Alby as a starter ?
The leaguie out-of-code out-of-position ?
Death or Glory – which one will it be ?
4 Nov 2010, 11:39 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther) :
Sam Whitelock looked alot more composed than Boric this passed year and GH already tried Ross and failed. The starter Donnely is injured, what else must he do.
Matthewson was a star for the Blues this year, and Cowan in my view has lost his starting spot to Weepu (who has been help to Carter with kicking duty too), who is out, also with injury. So he gives Mathewsson a go. If he sucks, Cowan can cover.
AS for SBW. You already knew it was going to play out like this yesterday. All we can do is wait and see.
I’m very excited about this match.
4 Nov 2010, 11:40 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami) :
Isia deserves to be dropped this week. He let the side down defensively. I agree with Freuen though. I love watching him play.
4 Nov 2010, 11:52 am
@rossoneri(rossoneri) : Andy Ellis is on the bench this weekend. Cowan not in the match 22
4 Nov 2010, 12:09 pm
@Frankly speaking(Frankly speaking) : Then Matthewson is a better choice to start than Ellis.
4 Nov 2010, 12:13 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri) : What happened to Khan Fotui’alii? (spelling)
He impressed me in the Super 14
4 Nov 2010, 12:30 pm
@Frankly speaking(Frankly speaking) : Khan is still playing. I like him too. Did well for the Saders this year.
GH has an obession with Ellis. That’s why I’m glad Mathewsson is getting a go ahead of him, if Cowan and Weepu are injured.
4 Nov 2010, 12:40 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri) :
You sure about Donnellys being injured ? he was a straight sub in HK and no mention anywhere that he has pulled up.
SBW has had 1 match at 13 this season, vs Otago (who were rubbish all season, unfort). He didnt look comfortable. Unless he’s got the ball in that 1 big dumb mitt, quite frankly he never does.
Look, I like Alby and have said so often here. But Jimmy the Bogan, despite his limitations, was tailormade for a combative Engl team who will attack the fringes all day. Jimmy also played well in HK and it was noticeable that his D went missing in those last 10mins when Aus upped the ante. And dont anyone tell me Andy farken Ellis is better than Jimmy, let alone my neighbours overweight labrador. In fact I would go as far as to borrow a phrase from Ratel….”he’s poo”.
Personally I think the selection unnecessarily, and without logic, hands a small advantage back to Engl. If I was Johnno I would instruct Ashton and Foden to being hunting intercepts from SBWs dumb 1-handed Hail Mary passes. I would tll the big Easter Egg to run and Alby the Ant all day, thereby negating DC. And I would guess that Whitelock will look all helter skelter and beardy, fringing in the midfield, whilst the action rumbles up the big white blanker of a maul all day.
The only logic I can think of is that, considering they lost in HK, its time to put a rocket up the whole squad. If this XV reply in kind, then I’ll eat my Dunce hat. With salt.
4 Nov 2010, 12:53 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : Look, if Donnely and Cowan are fit, then I too don’t get the sellection. But why would they not even be in the match 22. Maybe GH is experimenting. As for SBW, they are taking a chance. Scary chance since they do not even have Conrad Smith on the bench for this match.
4 Nov 2010, 13:00 pm
Im not sure tho – who is the dumbest rugby man on the planet ?
We all know Krusty is in the box seat, rugbys version of the King of Swaziland, as he picks out shoes from between his teeth like a new bride every season.
But step forward, John Wells:-
“”There were three games in that competition (TriN’10) averaging out at 77 points each,” he said.
“That’s not test rugby. We want this to be an old-fashioned test and we know what that means. We have a ‘no excuses’ mentality. We don’t say: ‘They’ve scored one try, so we’ll score two.’ We’re comfortable with where we sit defensively, with putting up the shutters, and we’re confident we can deliver.”
~chortle~
4 Nov 2010, 13:01 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri) : @ 27
“maybe” ???????
4 Nov 2010, 13:02 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : I think you’ve mis-read Henry on this occasion. He’s trying to bring the potency back to the NZ attack after two lacklusture efforts v Oz (hence jettisoning the fairly 1D Cowan and limited threat of Smith).
4 Nov 2010, 13:07 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)
Oh BP, we’ll see what happens on match day.
4 Nov 2010, 13:22 pm
A SBW and Maá Nonu midfield pairing is a mouth watering prospect.
Could be a tough day at The Office for Shontayne Hape.
4 Nov 2010, 13:26 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) :
That’s my attitude too. If this combination works, it could be devastating and a massive advantage for the AB’s! Let’s see if they can pull it off.
4 Nov 2010, 15:57 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane) : Yes but why not play SBW at 12 where he has been devastating for Canterbury ???? I expect Monu and SBW to swop regularly …..Sonny Bill for president !!!!!
4 Nov 2010, 16:02 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit) :
Conrad wasnt “limited” in the TriN’10, he was the best 13 on the field. Scoring them, making them.
What GH is doing, BH, is taking the p*ss by underrating Engl, at Twickenham, with what are essentially 3 x debutant starters.
Taking the p*ss is the reserve of Keo-bloggers, not AB selectors.
Im just a little annoyed right now but should calm down roughly about the time of the 3rd pre-Haka pint of G. Speaking of which, are you ready to share one with me or havent you got that West Country accent down pat yet ?
4 Nov 2010, 16:02 pm
And if Ryan thinks McCaw is not the best fetcher in the game – i expect Ryan to be eating humble pie for Xmas this year – McCaw revolutionised the openside position in world rugby , yes there will be imitators but the Warrior will always be the master.
4 Nov 2010, 16:11 pm
@stew(stew) :
Great ‘Expect’tations
dont wait up for Santa because…….ssssshhhhhhhhhh….he doesnt exist !
Ryan is trying to cut a niche for himself in the Stephen jones, Chris Rattue, Spiro Zavos mould. His presence here is the Good Cop (Keo, only because he owns it, mind) Bad Cop (Ryan) routine.
4 Nov 2010, 16:12 pm
@stew(stew) : like Michael Jones before him Stew, like Michael Jones before him…
4 Nov 2010, 16:35 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : @ 38
L E G E N D !
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