Spoke to a few of them after the game. Apparently the Georgians are more fat than anything so not nearly as physically as it actually looks

The team's being announced at 7pm on Friday (NZT).

@Bovidae this doesn't feel like a purely McMillan selection...

Seems odd. So many of the better players mot starting.

Reckon ah Khoi has gone well. Georgia is a good choice to play because you have to win the forward battle.

At the stadium. Holy shit those Georgians hit hard

I'd put McLeod on the wing rather than Tupaea. Scrums and maul defence will be important. The latter was an issue against Munster.

I think this is a big game for Simon Parker. I watched him pretty closely this Super Rugby season because I think he has a lot of good facets to his game – high defensive work-rate, physical in contact, solid skills in the lineout – but there were times where he just didn’t get involved enough. I remember Finau getting injured midway through the season and Parker being asked to fill in at 6 and he sort of just drifted throughout those games. The game against the Rebels in Melbourne especially he just couldn’t find a way to impact the game, and the lack of physical edge was really noticeable for the Chiefs team and the way they want to play.

As the starting number eight he has to be able to demand the ball and make plenty of carries. That Georgian defence is going to sting, though, so it’s going to be a pretty big test for him. That said, it certainly looks like he feels more comfortable at eight than at six, so hopefully he can provide good impact there.

@Bovidae so Christie has leapt ahead of Hotham? That would go against the biasness we have come to expect...

@Mauss yeah Parker is an interesting one, big unit, does the work, but for me seems more Reuben Thorne-like in the way he gets through his work, doesn't Carry as much as id like/expect.

Parker did a lot of ball-carrying last year for Waikato, so that can be a strength of his game. I've always said that no.8 is his best position, and criticised McMillan for playing him at 7. He is tall so is a handy lineout option too.

@Billy-Tell

@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

@KiwiInLondon said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

At the stadium. Holy shit those Georgians hit hard

KiwiInMontpellier

Massive kiwi contingent here

https://www.allblacks.com/news/all-blacks-xv-team-named-for-match-against-georgia

Rotation. A 6:2 bench.

1 George Bower (Crusaders / Otago)
2 Kurt Eklund (Blues / Bay of Plenty)
3 Marcel Renata (Blues / Auckland)
4 Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
6 Caleb Delaney (Hurricanes / Wellington)
7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes / Wellington)
8 Simon Parker (Chiefs / Northland)
9 Finlay Christie (Blues / Ta$man)
10 Josh Jacomb (Chiefs / Taranaki)
11 Kini Naholo (Hurricanes / Taranaki)
12 Riley Higgins (Hurricanes / Wellington)
13 Dallas McLeod (Crusaders / Canterbury)
14 Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs / Waikato)
15 Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs / North Harbour)

16 Bradley Slater (Chiefs / Taranaki)
17 Xavier Numia (Hurricanes / Wellington)
18 Saula Ma’u (Highlanders / Otago)
19 Fabian Holland (Highlanders / Otago)
20 Corey Kellow (Crusaders / Canterbury)
21 Devan Flanders (Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay)
22 Noah Hotham (Crusaders / Ta$man)
23 Chay Fihaki (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Stevenson I reckon. No AJ Lam, who has the most utility value.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV v Georgia:

Yeah. We can assume that Bower is rated ahead of Numia, and Christie ahead of Hotham.

Surely some of these selections are to see how fringe players go. Holland and Hotham not starting? Tupea on the wing? No AJ Lam? Simon Parker in the team. Flanders on the bench.

I seriously worry about the maul and offensive ruck. Without Holland, Dyer, and Haig in that lineout, I think the Georgians will see a massive opportunity to flex a bit of physical dominance

Parker's a big lump and if he were a bit more aggressive he could be a gun player. He can be a bit passive at times but has all the attributes and skills to be a very good player.