Blacks braced for battle
13 Oct 2011
Richie McCaw defies injury to start the semi-final against Wales, while flyhalf Aaron Cruden is elevated to the starting line-up.
Richard Kahui and Israel Dagg also come back into the side after injuries and run on at wing and fullback respectively, replacing Sonny Bill Williams (bench) and Mils Muliaina (injured). Cruden replaces Colin Slade, who torn a groin muscle against Argentina. Stephen Donald provides pivot cover on the wood.
McCaw has nursed a serious foot injury throughout the tournament and hasn’t trained with the squad on-field as yet. His first involvement with the collective will come at the captain’s run on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Andy Ellis is preferred to Jimmy Cowan as scrumhalf cover, while Ben Franks is also named on the bench after missing the win over the Pumas as a late withdrawal with stomach problem and Victor Vito is the loose forward reserve due to injury to Adam Thomson.
Speaking about the weight of responsibility on Cruden, the fourth flyhalf the All Blacks have used at the tournament, coach Graham Henry said: ‘He’s a bright rugby player, he knows the game well, he’s captained a lot of teams, he directs the traffic well.
‘It’s a big game isn’t it, the biggest game he’s ever played in, the biggest game a lot of them have played in quite frankly. I’m sure it’s challenging but he seems to be handling it well.’
Henry scoffed at the suggestion that the halfback pair of Piri Weepu and Cruden ‘didn’t get the job done’ despite victory against the Wallabies in Sydney in September last year.
‘In Cruden’s case he’s a year older, a lot more experienced, and I think that’s important,’ Henry said. ‘You learn from those experiences. That was his first big test. Very seldom are people the finished product in their first outing. You get better with age and he’ll be a very good footballer as time goes on. He’s a very good footballer now.
‘Piri was in that game, and he kicked a lot of penalties and conversions, and played particularly well. We finished up winning, so perhaps he did get the job done.’
There were reports that Sonny Bill Williams would start ahead of Kahui on the wing, but Henry was emphatic in his support of the latter. Sonny Bill has been a great player to bring off the bench. He can play a number of positions now and has become a bit of a supersub.
‘Richard has played superbly. We held him back last week but this World Cup he’s played some top footy. He seems to handle the big occasion well, it seems to bring the best out of him, and perhaps this is his best position. We didn’t have any doubt that if he was right he’d be picked,’ he said.
New Zealand – Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Richard Kahui, Aaron Cruden, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (c), Jerome Kaino, Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.
Subs: Andrew Hore, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Victor Vito, Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald, Sonny Bill Williams
92 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 » Show All
13 Oct 2011, 21:33 pm
Have to wait another week for those welsh dragons, Ritchie.
13 Oct 2011, 21:41 pm
Against Wales? Don’t you guys have some kind of an editor?
13 Oct 2011, 21:43 pm
this is going to be fantastic & the fact that i don’t prefer any of these sides makes it even better…i actually don’t mind if craig is “a bit lenient”
13 Oct 2011, 21:45 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: Very good!
13 Oct 2011, 21:46 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-2: mhlekazi ndiyakubhotisa…
nawe ukuba you were updating the website while in hurry to get to the pub u’d be making these errors
13 Oct 2011, 21:47 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: Will we see a facebook war over the Tasman Sea. One side saying: Graig never to officiate again”, while the other side saying: “From now on all our games to be reffed by Craig” !
13 Oct 2011, 21:48 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-2: They probably have France vs SA in the other semi!!
13 Oct 2011, 21:49 pm
I want New Zealand to win against The Wallabies. But my greatest fear is Cooper if he regains his mojo. He is due a massive game especially with the crowd giving him tough time. Backlash is bound to happen. Gee hope id does not happen.
13 Oct 2011, 21:50 pm
Couldn’t possibly throw my support behind either of these teams.
A bit like kissing your sister.
So I will just sit back and watch the drama unfold as a pure neutral.
And wait for the tears.
13 Oct 2011, 21:52 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)@scar(scar)-7:
Can you believe it. Keo is gonna MOER Ryan Vrede. Or he must report him to Mbalula.
13 Oct 2011, 21:54 pm
Duh, don’t drink and write Ryan
13 Oct 2011, 21:55 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-5: Nam ndiyavuma Xhego. Ndiyathemba ukuba umqabaqaba okwegqabi levinika. Sundays game is making nervous.
13 Oct 2011, 21:59 pm
This is NZ time to take the whole thing.
Play the right way vs Oz and they will take it
Copy Bok tactics,the AB line is far more clinical and Joubert wont make it a free for all at breakdown.
In last 25mins,AB’s will run riot.
AB’s by 10
13 Oct 2011, 22:05 pm
Who cares. This WC is tainted.
13 Oct 2011, 22:06 pm
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-14: Lol.
13 Oct 2011, 22:08 pm
Game of the tournament.
The winner will take the world cup without any doubt
Sadly it will probably be NZ.
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-8:
Why do you not like Quade ?
Rugby needs people like him
And that includes the sublime skills and personality
Just imagine every player being a goody- goody like Morne Steyn
It will be boring, man
13 Oct 2011, 22:10 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-13:
Well they have taken their time about it. Their Kiwi referee had to do something to ensure the Boks didn’t ‘fluke’ another RWC.
13 Oct 2011, 22:13 pm
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-14:
lol sore loser.
13 Oct 2011, 22:15 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-16:
Agree. It is gonna be massive.
You misunderstood me on Cooper. I like him, he is typical example of what sport is all about – ENTERTAINMENT. Morne Steyn is like a unonkala (a crab). Nearest interpretation – one trick pony. Never and will never like his rugby.
13 Oct 2011, 22:22 pm
Kiwis will take this one. Aus got absolutely dominated by the Boks except at the breakdown. With Reid and McCaw there Aus are going to have a tough time and this time they come up against a real no.8 and not a Michelin man like Spies. ABs have a devastating backline.
13 Oct 2011, 22:29 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-19: bwahahahahaha “wadidiyela unonkala”
13 Oct 2011, 22:32 pm
@Samba Bok(JayDaFiveOh)-20: if stuart barnes is to be believed, pocock is just THAT much faster than ‘metatarsal’ mccaw, that & a lenient craig…kuzoshuba!
13 Oct 2011, 22:39 pm
@Samba Bok(JayDaFiveOh)-20: Agreed. All Blacks should win fairly easily as long as they use their forwards and smash the Aussies up front. If they try and run the Australians off the park then you bring them into the game. The boks needed to be more adventurous in their approach and the All Blacks need to be a little more conservative.
13 Oct 2011, 22:50 pm
Good AB team, should be a great game. Hope for their sake Richie lasts the 80 and Cruden does well
Could be a blessing in disguise for the ABs as well, if Cruden does, as a possible future 10
13 Oct 2011, 22:51 pm
I see Helen has stepped in as sub-editor at Keo.
13 Oct 2011, 22:54 pm
Just watched Rugby Club on Sky and they analysed Jouberts refereeing between Aus and ABs. Joubert is definitely way more strick against Pocock and I think the breakdown is going to be less of a problem
I wonder what the Aussie strategy will be, i.e. will they run that inside attack line where Digby comes across and attacks the 9/10 channel to test Cruden. Especially after Read’s missed tackle against the Argies last weekend
13 Oct 2011, 22:56 pm
The bench looks strong……but only if I take Spooners self-imposed advise and “ignore” Ellis and the Duck.
If ABs can get past the Wallas, with those 2 getting anywhere near the pitch, then I’ll loosen my tie.
B L A C K !
13 Oct 2011, 22:57 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-
Relax as there is not too much to worry about.
Too many of the Aussies(REDs contingent) are being asked to peak for a third or fourth time(S15,TNs, 1/4s vs.SA and now against ABs) while the rest for the third time and all in less than 2 and 1/2 months or so.
You can scour the annals of sports’ history and I doubt you will ever find that being done successfully. Or you can phone Noakes and ask him if it is at all possible and he WILL give you a resounding NO.
But any horse has to run the race to win it and any horse,like Babaro, can break a leg.
I will take the former while anyone else messes up by concentrating on the latter.
13 Oct 2011, 23:01 pm
@ET.(ET.)-28:
yessus, wtf are u on about tonight? u speaking in funigalore again? nee man.
13 Oct 2011, 23:01 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)@ET.(ET.)-28:
You can only peak a set few,number of times in a season e.g for a good SA racehorse say for the Met in Jan. and then the July in July. Everything in between is below 100% and thus merely prep.
For the ABs the TNs was merely prep. and was not focussed on.
Know too that any SH team that wins the TNs in RWC year never wins that WC of that same year.
13 Oct 2011, 23:02 pm
@cab(cab)-29:
Jou lelike Tannie se …….?
13 Oct 2011, 23:05 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-16:
Do you still doubt you possibly witnessed the start of the newest disaster and that with Warner being unfornately run out for a duck?
Where is Steyn?
13 Oct 2011, 23:05 pm
@ET.(ET.)-31:
yessus u lucky u not near me right now, thats one thing u will get a lekker haymaker for, they’ll need to call the maxillofacial unit.
13 Oct 2011, 23:08 pm
if that heavily strapped right knee of cruden’s acts up and Beaver has to get on the pitch then the blacks will see their moer.
13 Oct 2011, 23:09 pm
@ET.(ET.)-28: I think you have a point, the Aussies have not looked as sharp as in the S15 and then the TN
13 Oct 2011, 23:10 pm
@cab(cab)-33:
Jy is ‘n ware verkrampte moerskon want die woorde wat uitgelos is is maar net ” mooi ding”. En onthou dis net jou tannie(aunt).
13 Oct 2011, 23:11 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-34:
grazed his knee skateboarding, von Trapp. He doesnt want it to get “as infected and poisonous as a Bok fan”.
apparently.
(I might have made that last quote up tho. Then again….).
13 Oct 2011, 23:12 pm
@danuk(danuk)-35:
They have been rather lethargic and lacking total focus to be inventive for long periods in most games.
Defending you can do more easily. It is like driving an automatic.
13 Oct 2011, 23:15 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-37: a plaster would’ve sufficed surely, not that heavy bandage.
13 Oct 2011, 23:15 pm
@ET.(ET.)-38: Yeah, plus their forwards only had a real physical presence for the 1st 10-15 mins last week. Will be interesting to see how the ABs go, but if the Aussies crumble like against the boks then it could be a proper spanking. Especially if the breakdown is heavily penalised …
If that happens then I expect there might be a yellow
I can’t remember what tactics the Aussies played in the TN game they won. They’ll definitely have to kick better if they want to stand a chance
13 Oct 2011, 23:15 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-39: ‘heavy-looking’
13 Oct 2011, 23:16 pm
tannie was ANC, ma was PFP, ek wissel tussen AWB en witwolf wanneer jy in die omgewing is.
13 Oct 2011, 23:20 pm
@danuk(danuk)-40:
Remember too that the WC is in N.Z. and the Wallabies struggle there in recent times. In the TNs game in N.Z. they were given a resounding hiding a few short months ago with Horwill, Pocock, Genia, Beale Cooper and the rest all involved.
13 Oct 2011, 23:22 pm
@cab(cab)-42:
Wat de fok het enige van dit te doen met die saak van rugby?
Ek hou van witwolwe soos jy want dan weet ek waar ek staan met jou.
13 Oct 2011, 23:24 pm
@danuk(danuk)-40: in brisbane the aussies defended like men possessed, cut down space on 1st phase defence pretty quickly and isolated midfield players. they attacked the breakdown with zeal often forming pods of 3 to blitz opponents off their feet…with the resultant quick ball the did their thang with genia going more than 3 phases & waiting for the mismatch and like magic there were mealamu & franks & gone was genia like a flash.
13 Oct 2011, 23:25 pm
So Wales are playing the ABs in the semis
Keo jou do-os
13 Oct 2011, 23:26 pm
@ET.(ET.)-44:
dankie.
skepskop hom tussen die pale deur in sy hol.
13 Oct 2011, 23:26 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-45:
Aussies played cr@p against the Boks
They better up their game big time
13 Oct 2011, 23:27 pm
Keo is jy dronk vanaand?
13 Oct 2011, 23:29 pm
@danuk(danuk)-40:
The important thing about that last TN game in Aussieland which got them the trophy is that the ABs were simply not interested in the trophy as they know they have never ever won the WC every single time they won the TNs of that year. You can check that out for yourself.
That game, like the PE game, was just part of the AB prep. for this WC.
Pages: [1] 2 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.