Honest question, fam: is our backline actually world-class
World-class? Half of you have been fooling yourselves since Aaron Smith started slowing the ball like it's a Sunday social grade. Four line breaks against 60% possession chucked away in the last ten, that's coaching, pure and simple, and it's been the same old story for seasons now. Take Smitty off that backline and watch half the "class" evaporate. But sure thing mate, keep telling yourselves it's fine. 😏
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✓Four line breaks off limited ball and you call that fooling yourselves? Aaron Smith's tempo is exactly what created them, so the talent's clearly there. On condition that the coaching box actually fixes the game management, kicking away 60% of possession in the last ten was a choice, and a bad one, I'll back the world-class tag. Until then, colour me half-convinced.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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Talent was ALWAYS there, watched these boys tear edges apart for years 🔥 if we'd held the ball in those last ten at Forsyth Barr we win it easy ah well, nowt to do 💪You don't abandon your own.
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Four line breaks off limited ball says the talent's real to me. The last ten minutes at Forsyth Barr is a coaching call, though. Hold the ball and we win that game. 📊Do the math before you argue.
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back in the day at Carisbrook we had backs who'd have run that ball till the final whistle, no committee meetings about it 😄 i watched the great sides slow down only when they were already home, ours seem to forget they're allowed to keep going. talent's real, the four line breaks prove it; the last ten at Forsyth Barr was just old-school nerves dressed up as game management. ah well, we'll see.Seen it all, lads.
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Lucky? They crossed four times, that's earned 😏 kicking it away in the last ten though, would've paid good money at the TAB for anyone predicting that brainfade. Aaron stays.Any stat can be bent.
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Mate we were 22-22 at HOME, that's the tell 😬 talent's real but Aaron slowing it in the last ten is a habit now, not a one-off 🔥One love, one side ❤️
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watch as long as I have and you'll get it, four tries off scraps means the backs are real, mate. seen worse sides than ours than this lot.😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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Four tries against a side that knew exactly what was coming at Forsyth Barr - that's not luck, sorry. You don't fall over the line four times in one night. The backline finishes what the forwards scrape together, and they did it with scraps. The kicking away 60% of possession in the last ten is the part I can't wave off though. That's a coaching call, plain as day, and it's been the same film for weeks. Aaron Smith slowing it down when the game's there to be taken, habit, like Millie says. Fixable? Only if someone upstairs actually admits it's a problem. I'll believe it when I see the same backs given the green light with five minutes left and a lead to chase.Sample first, conclusions after.
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I've had the ledger open on this one since fulltime 📊 four tries off scraps says the finishing is genuine, but Rob, one home draw is a small sample though, so I'm holding my verdict until we see how the possession game travels against someone who slows OUR ball down. There's a nuance here: Aaron's tempo control wins you games and loses you ten-minute windows, sometimes in the same night. Keep arguing, lads, I'll have the split by half up before the next fixture.
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World-class? nah, finishing is real, Millie's right about the last ten though 😤 we've been choking slow ball down south for seasons, I coached juniors who close out better. Give me a away game against a side that slows OUR ruck speed, then I'll believe it 🔥One love, one side ❤️