All Blacks' (likely) Squad Fitness (form?) Updates

First topic message reminder :

In response to LondonTiger's Lions' fitness thread, here's my crack at the NZ squad prospects. Any updates appreciated


Updated June 16th

Player	Position	Notes
Dane Coles	Hooker	Concussion. Looking unlikely for the Lions now
Codie Taylor	Hooker	Misfired in the lineouts for the Crusaders vs Lions. Excellent game vs Samoa
Liam Coltman	Hooker	Injury cover for Coles. Good for the Highlanders vs the Lions. Not selected vs Samoa
Nathan Harris	Hooker
Joe Moody	Prop	Scrum & defence good vs Samoa
Wyatt Crockett	Prop
Kane Hames	Prop	Maori Squad
Owen Franks	Prop
Charlie Faumuina	Prop
Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen	Prop	Not selected
Ofa Tu'ungafasi	Prop	Backup prop as he can play both sides of the scrum at a pinch
Brodie Retallick	Second row
Sam Whitelock	Second row	In good form prior to sitting out a 2 week ban for striking the (Golden) Lions player who took him out in the air
Scott Barrett	Second row	Back from injury for a good 30 mins off the bench vs Samoa
Luke Romano	Second row	Has slipped behind Barrett, but playing fairly well
Patrick Tuipolotu	Second row	Not selected
Jerome Kaino	Back row	Back from knee surgery & played well vs Samoa
Liam Squire	Back row	Broken thumb. Due back mid June
Stephen Luatua	Back row	Not selected
Sam Cane	Back row
Ardie Savea	Back row	Returning to the 'Canes' bench after concussion June3. Has been In imperious form at both 7 & 8
Kieran Read	Back row	Broken thumb. Due back early June - not expected to play before the 1st test
Luke Whitelock	Back row	Not selected
Elliot Dixon	Back row	Released to play for the Maori
Matt Todd	Back row	Injury cover selection
Akira Ioane	Back row	Injury cover for Abs, released to play for the Maori
Vaea Fifita	Back row	Injury cover for Abs. Good off the bench vs Samoa
Aaron Smith	Scrum half
TJ Perenara	Scrum half
Tawera Kerr-Barlow	Scrum half
Augustine Pulu	Scrum half	Not selected
Beauden Barrett	Outside half
Aaron Cruden	Outside half	Missed Samoa test due to leg injury for Chiefs vs Canes
Lima Sopoaga	Outside half	Hamstring kept him out until mid-May. Average for the Highlanders vs Lions, good off the bench vs Samao
Ryan Crotty	Centre	Rib cartilage injury. May be back for the 1st test
Anton Lienart-Brown	Centre
Sonny Bill Williams	Centre
Ngani Laumape	Centre	Bolter - playing like a young Nonu for the Canes this season
Jack Goodhue	Centre	Injury Cover for Crotty. Excellent Super Rugby season, had some good moments for the Crusaders vs the Lions
Malikai Fekitoa	Centre	Not selected
Charlie Ngatai	Centre	Missed a year of rugby due to concussion. In the Maori squad
George Moala	Centre	Not selected
Julian Savea	Wing	Not at his best yet. Normally peaks around August so WIP
Waisake Naholo	Wing	Excellent for the Highlanders vs the Lions
Nehe Milner-Skudder	Wing	In the Maori squad
Rieko Ioane	Wing	Excellent for the Blues vs the Lions
Seta Taminavalu	Wing	Not selected
James Lowe	Wing	In the Maori squad
Ben Smith	Full back
Israel Dagg	Full back
Damien McKenzie	Full back	In the Maori squad
Jordie Barrett	Utility	Decent on debut off the bench vs Samoa

mikey_dragon wrote:Which ABs are available to Blues when the Lions touch down in Auckland?

Kaino, SBW, Faumuina, Luatua.

mikey_dragon wrote:Which ABs are available to Blues when the Lions touch down in Auckland?

AB's squad won't have assembled so Blues will be full strength.

Kaino may not be fit, otherwise capped AB's in the squad are:
Faumuina, Parsons, Tuipolotu, Luatua, Pulu, SBW, Moala, Ioane, Ranger

Of those, Ranger will miss the ABs squad, as will (probably) Ioane & Tuipolutu. Moala is a possible omission

Tuipolotu, Moala is centre, Iaone a flanker, and Ranger is a wing/centre if I remember rightly? Apart from the obvious ABs I'm not so familiar. Blues look like a very good outfit which is a concern.

mikey_dragon wrote:Tuipolotu, Moala is centre, Iaone a flanker, and Ranger is a wing/centre if I remember rightly? Apart from the obvious ABs I'm not so familiar. Blues look like a very good outfit which is a concern.

Until you compare them with every other team we are playing.

mikey_dragon wrote:Tuipolotu, Moala is centre, Iaone a flanker, and Ranger is a wing/centre if I remember rightly? Apart from the obvious ABs I'm not so familiar. Blues look like a very good outfit which is a concern.

Tuipolotu plays lock, Moala, Rieko Ioane & Ranger all play wing/centre. Ioane's brother Akira is the flanker - he's had 7s, Maori* and U20 caps but not ABs.


*Their Dad was capped 5 times by Samoa, their Mum is Maori and played womens rugby for NZ

mikey_dragon wrote:Tuipolotu, Moala is centre, Iaone a flanker, and Ranger is a wing/centre if I remember rightly? Apart from the obvious ABs I'm not so familiar. Blues look like a very good outfit which is a concern.

Think he means Reiko Ioane - the insanely talented wing/centre

Akira is the flanker but he's not close to the AB squad

Scottrff wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Tuipolotu, Moala is centre, Iaone a flanker, and Ranger is a wing/centre if I remember rightly? Apart from the obvious ABs I'm not so familiar. Blues look like a very good outfit which is a concern.

Until you compare them with every other team we are playing.

It would just be Crusaders and the ABs who are better, the rest will be without their internationals when playing the Lions. I'm not sure who would feature for the Maori - they had one hell of a team in 2005 though.

If the Blackness keep up with the loose forward injuries, then surely Luatua is a bolter for the test team?

Can we slag him off for hanging out on the wing?

Daggs back for the Crusaders this week.

Ben Smith & Lima Sopoaga back this week too

Pete C (Kiwireddevil) wrote:Ben Smith & Lima Sopoaga back this week too

Yes so 9, 10, 15 now back to 3 and 2 deep, both locks are good, now we just need the two loosies...looking better...

Gooseberry wrote:Can we slag him off for hanging out on the wing?

When Luatua came in and took the place of Kaino he was outstanding. It was a bit of a shame he couldn't get in the team when JK returned from Japan. I know this is a reference to what I said about an overhyped Turk player and it's pretty poor. Like I keep saying a flanker needs to do their flanker duties first and anything else is a bonus.

Luatua is going to Bristol right?

mikey_dragon wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:Can we slag him off for hanging out on the wing?

When Luatua came in and took the place of Kaino he was outstanding. It was a bit of a shame he couldn't get in the team when JK returned from Japan. I know this is a reference to what I said about an overhyped Turk player and it's pretty poor. Like I keep saying a flanker needs to do their flanker duties first and anything else is a bonus.

Luatua is going to Bristol right?

Yep Luatua's off to Bristol. On a salary roughly equivalent to some Championship teams' entire squad wage

Updated OP

When is the NZ squad expected to be named for the Tests

BamBam wrote:When is the NZ squad expected to be named for the Tests

Soon. I can't remember if it's before or after the Crusaders' match though.


Brodie Retallick is out of this week's match vs the 'Canes after suffering headaches - he was kept off the field at the weekend despite passing his HIA as a precaution.

Which means that currently we have the world's best hooker, lock & fullback sidelined by concussion issues. Sigh.

Time to rely on the depth

Thursday I think

Ben Smith concussed himself by tripping over his own foot. What a goober. Surely he's taking the mickey.

ebop wrote:Ben Smith concussed himself by tripping over his own foot. What a goober. Surely he's taking the mickey.

He headbutted the ground properly hard too.

Updated OP.
Player ratings from the Samoa test

Player	Rating - NZ Herald	Rating - Fairfax (Stuff)
Ben Smith	8	8.5
Israel Dagg	7	7
Anton Lienert-Brown	9	8.5
Sonny Bill Williams	7	6.5
Julian Savea	7	7.5
Beauden Barrett	8	8
Aaron Smith	7	7
Ardie Savea	8	7.5
Sam Cane	7	7.5
Jerome Kaino	7	6.5
Sam Whitelock	7	6.5
Brodie Retallick	8	8
Owen Franks	7	6
Codie Taylor	8	7
Joe Moody	8	6
Nathan Harris	7	6
Wyatt Crockett	7	6
Charlie Faumuina	7	6
Scott Barrett	8	7
Vaea Fifita	7	6
TJ Perenara	9	7
Lima Sopoaga	7	6
Jordie Barrett	7	6
Avg rating	7.5	6.9

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11877848
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/93772990/how-the-all-blacks-rated-against-samoa-in-their-first-test-of-the-year