Weepu to tackle Boks
13 Sep 2012
Scrumhalf Piri Weepu will start for the All Blacks against the Springboks this Saturday.
Weepu replaces incumbent No 9 Aaron Smith, who was ineligible for a starting role at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium because of a breach in discipline following last Saturday’s Test against Argentina. According to Fairfax NZ News, Smith’s infraction involved him arriving back to the team hotel after the game past the team-imposed curfew.
Weepu may not boast Smith’s speed but it is his physicality that the All Blacks will look to harness in a bloody battle with the Boks.
In other changes, Liam Messam replaces Victor Vito on the blindside flank, while lock Sam Whitelock and hooker Andrew Hore also start.
New Zealand – 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock
Subs: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Brodie Retallick, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Aaron Smith, 21 Beauden Barrett, 22 Tamati Ellison
71 Comments
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13 Sep 2012, 08:23 am
Hansen has the Boks’ number.
Match grunt with grunt in the first half in the form of Hore, Messam and Weepu.
Then bring on the likes of Mealamu, Retalick, Vito and Smith to up the tempo in the second half and run rings round the tired legs of behemoths like Alberts and Vermeulen who is still getting match fit.
Meyer will need to use his subs astutely.
13 Sep 2012, 08:24 am
Ellison there ahead of Ben Smith.
Definite plan to up tempo in second half and blow Boks away.
13 Sep 2012, 08:29 am
Hansen 45 Meyer 10
13 Sep 2012, 08:32 am
Is Transformation on here already?
How does one pronounce Lionel Mapoe’s surname?
Do the commentators have it correct: Mapooh?
13 Sep 2012, 08:32 am
i see ryan has taken down the other all black thread
13 Sep 2012, 08:34 am
@Sheriff-54:
Yeah, when I read Mapoe I also thought it was pronounced “Muhpwe”.
But it seems it is “Muhpoo”.
13 Sep 2012, 08:39 am
@Transformation-55:
Cos he didn’t do his homework by making incorrect statements like the Abs not picking outside the 22 from last week even though Tamati Ellison was brought in.
13 Sep 2012, 08:42 am
In unscripted asides during a roughly three-hour speech last week at a research exposition, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said Jamaican “men are always drunk”, have no interest in higher education, and people freely smoke marijuana.
Why the attack on Jamaicans of all people?
Why not focus on the fact that their athletes/sprinters are dominating the world?
13 Sep 2012, 08:53 am
@Sheriff-58:
Perhaps Robert is an old 10cc fan “Don’t like Jamaica… Oh No…We Love her….Oh Yeah”
13 Sep 2012, 09:40 am
It’s a smart call to bring in Weepu against the boks, with the boks big kicking game, to have weepu, cruden, Dagg, and Jane to a lesser extent as kicking options to negate the boks. Weepu’s ability to vary his game from 9 suits the Blacks, the Boks defense around the rucks is pretty weak and Weepu will test that and keep the boks honest, tighten them up, then Aaron Smith will come on and the Show will begin.
13 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
It’s a smart call to bring in Weepu against the boks, with the boks big kicking game, to have weepu, cruden, Dagg, and Jane to a lesser extent as kicking options to negate the boks. Weepu’s ability to vary his game from 9 suits the Blacks, the Boks defense around the rucks is pretty weak and Weepu will test that and keep the boks honest, tighten them up, then Aaron Smith will come on and the Show will begin, it’ll be East-West for 20-30 mins.
13 Sep 2012, 09:42 am
oops
13 Sep 2012, 09:44 am
Weepu to tackle boks….and the buffet……farking hard!!!!!
13 Sep 2012, 09:55 am
@Sheriff-54: their pronounciation is wrong…it’s a flat Ma with the aaaah slightly dragged and a sharp “pu”!
13 Sep 2012, 10:19 am
Ahhhh the Januarie of All Black rugby. No complaints from my side.
13 Sep 2012, 11:09 am
@Te Rangatira-57: still think messam hasn’t nailed that 7 jersey?
And Messam’s return had been pretty clearly sign-posted after the Chiefs leader’s outstanding form in 2012.
“He’s bringing a consistency of high quality performance,” added Hansen.. “There’s just a little bit more physicality there than we were getting off Victor [Vito]. He’s comfortable in his own skin at the moment and is playing particularly well.”
13 Sep 2012, 11:09 am
@Transformation-66: 6 jersey…
13 Sep 2012, 11:19 am
@Transformation-66: Looking good though – always rated him higher than Kaino but now has a chance to show the talent that promised so much quite a few years ago …thought in all honesty that he had lost his chance
13 Sep 2012, 11:20 am
@Transformation-67: They have the luxury of balance, they can play a more general 6 in Messam because in Ritchie they get a fether and carrier in one. If we play Brussow we must play a big carrying blindsider. I suppose that’s why I like Flo in the team as he also offers a carrying option.
13 Sep 2012, 11:29 am
@Skeppie-69: but a guy like pocock and just last week michael hooper dispelled that perception…he carried 45m on his own which was about 15m less than our starting loose trio combined plus he hit 35 rucks which was about 13 less than our loose trio combined.
the point is dave dennis was there to play his own game and not to compensate for hooper’s supposed shortcomings!
it’s limited thinking.
13 Sep 2012, 22:50 pm
@Transformation-66:
He’s doing a good job at the moment Trans, like I said previously I wanted him to play blindside and that Thompson should be shown the door…has he nailed down the 6 jersey long term…..don’t think so cause I think Steven Luatua from the Blues will make his way into the Abs in the next year or so and Victor will steadily improve.
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