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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
June International Tests Review 11 views
25 June 2012 by The Swede Eaters
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Scotty Donaldson looks at the June International test matches and what he thought of the format.
The June International Test Rugby window has now closed with all series
going largely as predicted, but the margins of some of these matches
were the main surprise.
The three main three test match series
all went the way of the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights, although there
was at least one anxious moment per series.
South Africa drew
the final match against England 14 all, although they won the first two
matches with some breathing space. New Zealand thrashed Ireland in
matches one and three, but only snatched a late win in test two thanks
to a Dan Carter drop goal. Australia beat Wales in all three matches,
but the last two were especially close.
Surprisingly it was the
unfashionable Scotland team which set the cat amongst the pigeons by
beating Australia in a one off match. Less surprisingly they also beat
Fiji and Samoa away for a clean sweep.
Argentina and France drew their series one all, with the French gaining an emphatic revenge victory in the second test.
Italy won twice in North America.
For
the first time in ages the Northern Hemisphere sent down relatively
strong squads for three match series which was an improvement on the
one-off rubbish we usually get these days. The placement of this series
during the Super Rugby season also meant less preparation time for the
hosts and an element of rotation was required by the SANZAR unions to
manage their players. Injuries are inevitable with such a physical game
as rugby at the international level and it seems that some injuries
sustained to the likes of Daniel Carter, Victor Vito and Kieran Read
could mean they miss future important Super Rugby fixtures over the next
month, right at the business end of the Super Rugby season when their
teams need them the most.
The All Blacks got a chance to see if
some new players could handle the intensity of test match rugby and I
must say that the future looks bright. New Zealand has unearthed some
players to cover for when the unthinkable happens and Richie McCaw and
Dan Carter can't play. Guys like Aaron Cruden, Sam Cane, Brodie
Retallick, Luke Romano and Julian Savea showed enough promise to warrant
future selection. There were also some good performances by much
maligned players like Hosea Gear, Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam to
add depth and a challenge for the selectors. There were also some
questions raised including the future position of Richie McCaw and what
to do with Ma'a Nonu. All in all it was a satisfying series win and we
blooded some young talent.
How did you think the All Blacks went? Are Sam Cane and Aaron Cruden or Beauden Barrett the next Richie McCaw and Dan Carter?
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2012/06/june-internationals-test-rugby-review.html
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