SBW on the wing! Crazy positional errors.

Well that´s what Earle Kirton, former flyhalf and AB selector and scarf aficionado, would have us do with SBW. He likes the idea of Carter, Nonu, Smith and SBW.

To me that is very left field, although technically it´s right field as he prefers Hosea Gear on the left wing. But it´s also madness and utterly ridiculous. For a start, Williams has no rugby at wing. You can´t play somebody at international level with no experience at a position. NZ has found this out with their fullback to centre nonsense. Secondly, it removes the weapon of SBW: the offload in the middle of the field with all the traffic tied up in the tackle with space around inside or outside to exploit. Put him on the wing and you can only do an inside offload or a wrap around but easier to see coming. Thirdly, he doesn´t have enough pace and defensively he would have no idea. In short, it makes about as much sense as purchasing a pair of leather trousers. The end result is the same. You´ll be laughed at.

It´s not all madness though. Despite Mathewson´s poor recent form, he still likes the idea of a zippy pass and someone who is the quickest off the mark as replacement halfback and Colin Slade as the best backup to Carter.

But what in your mind is the worst positional change? From an All Black point of view, the Cullen to outside centre really grates. I can´t remember the player´s name but an Italian got moved into halfback and in the end you felt sorry for the guy (I think he was a backrower but my only enduring memory of that match was going from comic relief to cringe factor 50+ and hoping a sniper would finish the poor guy off.)

What are your worst calls for your team, be they national, club or provincial?

That's a weird idea. The biggest thing that SBW brings to the table is his offloading game. So put him far away from the midfield in a position where he'll be the guy finishing moves off... right! Are you sure he didn't mean Nonu on the wing? I'm you're not wrong, but if you were gonna put any All Black centre out there- he'd be the one, no?

You're quite right- Mauro Bergamasco from flanker to scrum-half was the worst positional change I've ever seen. He cost them so many points- he just didn't know what to do. At all. It was a disaster. It was a good example of how crucial the 9 is in defence and attack.

And all that preceded by Nick Mallett earnestly insisting that he'd been working 'really hard' on his box kicking

For Ireland, we seem to avoid the worst excesses of experimental coaches, probably because we tend to be a lot more conservative.

Sorry, I forgot to put the link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/5238849/Put-Sonny-Bill-on-the-wing-at-Cup-Kirton

I don´t like the idea of Nonu on the wing. He has played there before but in my opinion not very well. Inside centre is his new home and he shouldn´t move.

Cheers for the name. For me Bergamasco conjures up the image of a rabbit in the headlights.

Well I like the idea of Nonu on the wing. As a non-AB fan, it would be kind of nice of you to deliberately handicap yourself to make it more interesting.

Maybe you could do that in the group stages to make it more fun?

In all seriousness, I agree with you. You have Gear, Maitland, Sivivatu, Jane etc. It's madness.

I'm 100% sure SBW will not be selected on the wing. He will be played with Smith in the center in the Tri-Nations. If they work well together, that will be the number 1 World Cup center partnership. They're the best individuals at 12 and 13. If it doesn't work well (and I don't see why it wouldn't) you still have the Nonu/Smith combo or the SBW/Fruean option.

If I can just go off topic for a sec; Berquist is coming to Leinster. What do Kiwi's think of him? Will he be a good signing for us?

To be honest I´m not sure if Smith and Nonu´s partnership will be broken up. I can certainly see SBW playing some games but it´ll be at inside centre, that´s for sure. I don´t think Freuan will be picked. Kahui is a better replacement because he can also play wing and is a very solid player.

As for Berquist, he did a good job for the Crusaders when Carter was injured. I think he´s nothing spectacular but he seems like a good solid all-round player. Don´t know why Leinster is signing him. Is Sexton leaving or are they are hoping some NZ knowledge will rub off on him.

He's being signed as a back-up to Sexton.

Sexton will miss loads of games because he's an international. 22 league games a year, Irish first choice players play around 8 or 9 on average.

Well fair enough then. I think Sexton has more natural talent but he performed admirably in Carter´s absence so I´m sure he can do a good job for Leinster. Just don´t expect Cooper magic or another Nick Evans. But better than poor old Donald!

Kia earle kirtons an idiot when it comes to selection. He did this with the last 2 or 3 world cups and out of the blue comes out with left field rubbish that is bound to spark commentary. Hes an attention seeker and isnt even smart enough to refrain fron playing players out of position when we clearly have learned the hard way not to do.
Even as a coach placed himself in gumboots behind the touchline just to 'stand out' and was a hopeless coach.
Henry isnt that stupid.

No of course not taylorman. There´s no way Henry will get that cute with selections.

I´d have loved to have seen Jonah play test rugby in the forwards (he played 6 at Wesley College) just to see how he would´ve fared. But happy to have seen him on the wing where he did a lot of damage. I do remember him coming at number 8 on the scrum in one test.

Well SBW is a good idea on the wing. It just AINT at this time. At the WC no one will be playing out of position. If they are then Henry aint the learner I thought he was.
The temptation is to think they have to have both Nonu and SBW or other players in the same position on the field somewhere at the same time- thats what caused the problem last time- trying to put too many eggs in one basket when weve never needed to do it at any other time.

James Hook at full back; total waste of time and takes an attacking weapon right out of his game standing back there. Counter-attacking from that position has never been a strength of his.

Then there's another, Huw Bennet at hooker...

Paul Richards (the scrum-half/versatile back) has featured in a RWC final at flanker, although that was out of necessity born of injuries.

The reverse of that, a flanker at scrum-half - the Bergamasco fiasco - was, as mentioned earlier, one of the worst positional switches ever seen.

From an England perspective, Monye at 15 ruined the guy's confidence in the 2009 AIs. A class winger, he'd just got back from the Lions' tour and he got shoved into 15 for club and then for country against Australia and they just mercilessly targeted him.

Look at the 13s from the last three WCs for the All Blacks. Ridiculous. Kirton's on some good electric puha.

Note Wayne Smith today commented on this suggested and said if anyone moved to the wing it would be Nonu not SBW

But he was quick to add that neither was going to happen. Cue sigh of relief that another player won´t play out of position (I know he´s played at wing before but that doesn´t mean he was any good, unlike Tana Umaga who made the move inside from the wing to outside centre and finally inside centre).

Smith said, I have a lot of time for Earle.

Reading between the lines, I´d say that roughly means stay the hell out of team selections you scarf-wearing gumboot freak. FAIL!!!

Hines seems to be endlessly picked at Flanker for Scotland, I have no idea why, he is a Fantastic lock but just does not have the pace or agility to play flanker.

Sam Norton knight at Outside half not brilliant.

Please pick SBW at winger. And Carter at lock, McCaw at prop etc. We have to have some chance.

Yours

An England fan

This may seem a little pedantic, but Andy Robinson has thrice made the cardinal sin of using Alastair Dickinson as a tighthead, and on each occasion it has completely ruined our platform and been the principal reason for defeat.

We've also seen Laney at 15, Southwell in the centres, Hines at flanker, Henderson on the wing and Roland Reid on the wing. Horrid.

FES
But in defence of Robinson, it isn't as though he has the same resources to pick from as the ABs. Admitedly, I don't get Hines as a flanker when you have plenty of good batk row players, but I can see some justification in trying some things with your back line.

I note you don't comment on Sean Lamont at 12, where he's done OK despite it not being his ideal position.

mckay1402 wrote:Sam Norton knight at Outside half not brilliant.

I still have nightmares about that.

I can never remember who it was against but a couple of years ago in an early season magners league game Munster played Denis Leamy at 12.

Now it was only for one game and im pretty sure it was because we had nobody else to due injuries/suspensions but that was a strange one.

dummy_half wrote:FES
But in defence of Robinson, it isn't as though he has the same resources to pick from as the ABs. Admitedly, I don't get Hines as a flanker when you have plenty of good batk row players, but I can see some justification in trying some things with your back line.

I note you don't comment on Sean Lamont at 12, where he's done OK despite it not being his ideal position.

I wasn't in favour of Lamont at 12, but was proved wrong on that score.

Dickinson at 3 was unforgivable though with Murray, Low and Cross all decent tightheads.

Southwell at centre was actually Matt Williams rather than Robinson, as was Laney at 15. I think Reid may have been Hadden. I assure you, in each of these cases there were better options. As for Andy Henderson on the wing - believe me that was uncalled for.

dummy_half wrote:Please pick SBW at winger. And Carter at lock, McCaw at prop etc. We have to have some chance.

Yours

An England fan

I bet McCaw with a little bit of surgery to remove a neck bone or two would be the best prop in the world inside 2 years

Luke McAlister was 13 for a game against Aussie. Mortlock ate him up. As he did MacDonald in the 03 WC. Now I know we've got a habit of picking people out of position at 13 in crucial tests but I'd say that took the cake as the most ridiculous.