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Rieko moves in for Blues

By RugbyPass

The Blues will be looking to get their season back on track as they face their third South African opponent in as many weeks.

The loss of All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams shifts Rieko Ioane into second five, where he will partner with George Moala.

Williams is set to miss up to eight weeks after breaking his wrist in week five against the Stormers.

Promising flyhalf Stephen Perofeta pairs with Jonathan Ruru in the halves, who have both earned their first starts of the season.

Jordan Trainor will start on the right wing and Mike Tamoaieta at tighthead prop in place of All Blacks Matt Duffie and Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who will take up one of their mandated rest games.

Josh Goodhue starts at lock for the injured Scott Scrafton.

Head coach Tana Umaga is hoping for an accurate 80-minute performance at home.

“We’ve trained well but we can’t give our opponents the sorts of starts we have given this season. We are looking to be a lot more accurate, to protect our own ball much better, get a good platform upfront and be more accurate in defence.

“We had one good game in South Africa but then let ourselves down. At this level of competition, we need to perform for 80 minutes and look to improve with every outing.

“Injuries have cost us some players but we have others coming back. We have some players who have been working really hard in training and for the Development team that have put their hands up and deserve an opportunity.

“We are looking forward to getting back on home territory at Eden Park and keen to produce a strong performance for our fans.”

BLUES

1. Pauliasi Manu, 2. James Parsons (C), 3. Mike Tamoaieta, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Josh Goodhue, 6. Jerome Kaino, 7. Murphy Taramai, 8. Akira Ioane 9. Jonathan Ruru, 10. Stephen Perofeta, 11. Melani Nanai, 12. Rieko Ioane, 13. George Moala, 14. Jordan Trainor,15. Michael Collins.
Reserves: 16. Leni Apisai, 17. Ross Wright, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Jimmy Tupou, 20. Kara Pryor, 21. Sam Nock, 22. Bryn Gatland, 23. TJ Faiane.

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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