Top of the table with 11 wins
11 wins from 14 and only 298 conceded - if that lot in Wellington aren't producing a bolter or two, then what's the point of watching Super Rugby Pacific at all. Three losses all season and people are still arguing about who "deserves" a call-up, love it.
My take: the forward combo in the tight five is what Fosters successor can't ignore, that pack has been doing the damage quietly while the flyers get the headlines. Anyone who backed the Canes at the TAB back when the line had them as outsiders is sitting pretty now. 🤡💸😏 And yes I took that multi, cheers Wellington.
9 posts
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✓Funny, I had this argument at the club last night and my mate made the exact same point you just did, that the defensive record alone should force a call-up. I could be wrong, but I'd pump the brakes a bit. Those three losses still matter to me when I'm weighing a bolter, because selection panels look at how a team concedes, and 298 across 14 matches is good but nobody's handing out jackets off a team stat alone. For mine the case writes itself on the wings and in the loose trio. A Wellington flyer scoring tries in a side that's put 562 points on the board, that's the context that matters, because individuals put up those numbers inside a winning structure, so the tailwind is real. Same with the loosies: a back row that keeps a team top of the table after 14 rounds, with the form line reading W-W-W-L-W into the back end, is doing enough.Do the math before you argue.
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I was at Athletic Park when the wind blew the goalposts sideways, so forgive me if I take a long view 😄 but Chris has a point - a good defensive record up top often says more about the team structure than any individual bolter. That said, 562 points tells you the backs are finishing, and if Foster's successor is watching, a Wellington flyer from this lot is the easiest call he'll make all year.Seen it all, lads.
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Pump the brakes?? Nah tbh, structure doesn't punch holes in a line, blokes do. Cam Roigard's been lightning off the base all season and Billy Proctor keeps busting tackles, that's exactly how bolters get made 😤 If a side sitting top of the table with that defensive record isn't where Foster's successor goes shopping, then where is?? Backing our lot all day 🔥💪Heart with the team, head on pause.
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Roigard off the base is the easy answer, Sam's onto it. Only 298 conceded in 14 and people want to pump the brakes, laughable really 😏It's a lottery, not sport.
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Watched a few of these young fellas get talked up over the years and most of them turn out to be April footnotes, so forgive an old man his caution 😄 I like Roigard, genuinely do, but let's not crown him off the back of a team table. 562 scored and 298 conceded in 14 matches reads like a machine, yet a good chunk of that comes from the whole paddock humming, loosies cleaning out, midfield stopping blokes dead. Proctor busts tackles, sure, but watch as long as I have and you'll get it: plenty of centres look world-beaters running onto spread ball behind a dominant pack. Back in my day the bolters earned their spot in the tests, not in round ten. If either of them keeps this up through the business end of the season, then name them. Until then I'd hold my breath a little. Seen worse bandswagons, mind 😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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Roigard against that defence is the closest thing to a sure thing the TAB's seen all season, and you're worried about April footnotes? Where'd you put your money then, bro? 😏Here to argue, not to nod along.
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Seen worse hype trains than this one, lads. Back in the day we were all crowning someone by April too - let the lad finish the season before we pick his All Black jersey number 😉
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FrontRow88 talking sense for once, which is rare enough I had to say something 😂 Look, 11 from 14 and the best defence in the comp by a mile - the blokes driving that don't get to hide behind "wait till the season's done". Selectors never do, why should we? Roigard's the obvious one and I rate him, but for my money the scary part is that 562 points didn't come from one bloke. That whole attacking setup deserves a look, whoever's touching it most. Old mate UnderdogNightmare worried about hype trains, fair, we've all been burned. But here's a tip from a punter who knows: when the line's this obvious, it usually is that obvious 😏Any stat can be bent.