@antipodean Yeah, I suppose they wouldn't want for it to be a repeat of the BIL tour to Aust where you are recycling players for different teams. I was only thinking another 1-2 games.

Neil Barnes is back for another year. The article says that Teihorangi Walden is the new Academy Manager.

https://www.trfu.co.nz/newsarticle/161668?newsfeedId=694504

only if said nation cares about said championship

....

That's a shame as I think Kalounivale is the best BF TH prop.

@Donsteppa said in Black Clash:

@Biorealism said in Black Clash:

It must be a fine line for guys like Wagner and Southee with the bowling as even though it's meant to be a light hearted game no one wants to get smacked around in front of a big crowd.

I guess it's an interesting challenge for those guys in festival cricket. Pace off won't turn them into dibbly dobblies... probably like predictable slower balls, but still with plenty of pace to work with for hitting big.

after being subjected to the Fox coverage of the Ashes for 6 weeks with endless frothing over their fancy special camera that recorded bowlers actions i can expertly say those bowlers still have their wrist snap speed which surely they cant just turn off.

@pakman said in FFS get a grip:

@pakman said in FFS get a grip:

I was deeply unhappy when I viewed 30 to 50 of England tape.

BUT I just want ABs to continue the legacy.

ABs were ahead at HT in 10 of 12 tests this year.

The clear inference is that the starting selection is the best in World Rugby.

I know that doesn't fit the current narrative, but those are facts, and we led the Boks at HT in both games.

AND in general our last quarter is fine.

NO NEED TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH BATHWATER!

We have quite a few key players out: Lomax/Vaa'i/Paddy T/Jordie/Narewa.

The decision not to hook Beauden at 30 cost us the England match. We should have been out of sight at HT.

And yes, we dropped our bundle when Codie was shown the absurd yellow card.

BUT this team isn't that far from where we need to be.

When we get behind (as all teams do occasionally) we just need to work through our processes and let our superiority count. NO NEED FOR MIRACLE PLAYS.

The coaching staff needs to eat some humble pie and apologise to the squad.

Including recognising that fresh legs sometimes are more important than playing the best players into the ground.

So subbing the releavant starters at 45/50 is now the smart play!

So get back on the horse and focus on giving the Welsh one hell of a beating.

END OF RANT.

The coaching staff needs to eat some humble pie and apologise to the squad.

Certainly the decision to leave Beauden Barrett on the paddock to start the second half AND play 15 minutes was insane.

I don't think I have ever seen a coach leave an obviously injured player on the pitch for that long, not just in rugby but any match or sport I have ever been watching.

Id really love to one day find out the truth about why he played and trusted Barrett to the degree that he did in 2025 because it never made any sense from an outsider perspective.

"Are you going to the party at Tony Brown's place?". "I don't appear to have an invite...."

Love this time of year when all the "Team XYZ release striking new livery" headlines. Yet you were immediately able to see who the article was about from the picture before you saw the headline as it looks just like last year's car.

@Nogusta said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@gt12 said in All Blacks 2025:

@antipodean

Traditionally the best source on the forum so I’m prepared to accept it.

Well he also said that 2025 will be Sotutu's last year in NZ rugby so lets see if he ditches his contract with the Blues.

He asked for a release from his final year but was refused

Yeah you got that other stuff right mate. I was shocked but in the end things are looking much better and I hope Papali'i gets another chance.

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

If the general tenor of these stories is true, I'd be extremely pissed off were I an England fan.

And were I in a position of power I'd be handing Brendon his cards.

Sounds like a fucking shambles from the 1980s.

Good news for Baz. There's a job opening up in NZ. And he was ahead of Dan Carter as a teenager, don't ya know, so that's enough of a pedigree for NZR!

Streetclothes supposedly out for surgery now, and likely to be traded for pennies on the dollar. Fuck the Mavs.

In other news, it looks like Ja will get the Trae Young treatment and be traded away to whoever might give up any expiring contract to get him. The Bucks might be interested which could be an improvement on fucking Kuzma, but Ja is such a jumped up little fluffybunny I don’t think I’d want him on my team (apparently he’s from a middle class home, just likes acting like a gangsta, silly stupid piston wristed gibbon).

Actually very happy to stumble upon some news regarding the California Legion - they will be spreading home games throughout the state and will be playing in the Bay area/Sacramento in back to back weekends in May. Will plan on going to both matches.

I'm assuming they are playing around the state as a way of gauging fan interest. Ofc it must be shit for their established fanbase in socal but hopefully the crowds are good enough that at the least they continue to play some matches in Nor cal. Even better would be a permanent team in this part of the state.

@Canes4life said in Super Rugby - The Future:

@Dan54 said in Super Rugby - The Future:

@mohikamo said in Super Rugby - The Future:

@Dan54 said in Exodus:

Yep, I want to keep the NPC. Why? Because it probably the best and enjoyable comp in the country. Does it cost NZR money, yep, but I only looking at it as what I want.

Haha
The older ferners can remember when NZ did have a world class domestic rugby comp.
Big crowds, great players, great games.
So sad for the younguns; at least the olduns have the memories.

Mate I pretty keen on our domestic comp now. I prefer to to super.
Not as good as maybe could be, but I find it best we got.
Even that I would be very keen to having (as some have said) 9-10 team comp, or even the old 3 tier system. I also understand why it wouldn't work in this day or professionalism .
I also understand the idea of 9-10 teams in extended Super, but could only work with full rework of world rugby calendar (and perhaps a lot more money) . Perhaps not only moving RC to beginning of year, but also the inbound tours etc. Then go for a proper comp without stopping for tests?
Just a random thought.

If I could go back to any sort of rugby period it would be the early 2000s Super Rugby era. Electric rugby, huge crowds and amazing players. Take me back.

The domestic NPC comp is nothing more than a development comp now unfortunately. The standard has dropped hugely over the last 10 years and with All Blacks barely playing in it, it’s just not a profitable model anymore with very moderate crowds. If nothing is done with Super Rugby it could end up with the same fate unfortunately.

Yep would love it, but we stuck with paying the bills with test rugby now aren't we! The test window moved later etc, and followed by Autumn series etc has surely put ruined things.
F*** professionalism stuffing things up!!

I know we had to have it etc, but it certaily ruins sport really doesn't it?

Stephen Jones makes the NRL 360 journalists look good with his smugness and just generally being an A grade fluffybunny.

For 2025
Highlights
Most of NPC (especially games I at live) was tops for me, also watching the young ones from Otago etc coming through.. especially the Shield games, even my beloved Naki losing it was a good watch

Low light was a up between last 20 minutes at Caketin against Boks, and perhaps the Pom test?

2026 Looking forward to the AB tour of SA by far, and with a little bit of interest on how the new Nations cup plays out (just something new to get a bit of interest hopefully), also NPC again.
Not a lot else to interest me really, just rugby!

@voodoo said in The Darts:

@booboo said in The Darts:

Yeah. Am with @voodoo here.

Regular afternoon drinks at the pub at Uni we threw quite a number of darts. With a couple of mates in particular. I was the third best of the three of us. But did get to throw at least a couple of 180s. Mis-spent youth ... or mis-spent student loan ...

Now 147 on a snooker table is not believable...

I had a 140 once - just spun the white back too far after sinking the pink and left a cut that I just missed.

Gutted

Ok, that’s not true - I think I’d have been lucky to have ever made even 4 shots in a row on a full size pool table. Those things are like aircraft carriers!

I might have to go and practice my ten pin bowling tomorrow

Supercross about to get underway here in the States. Jett Lawrence - Aussie superstar out for the season with an injury so that leaves the door wide open. Should be entertaining.

@Tim said in Rugby World Cup general discussion:

Australian Rugby probably wise to take a set payment.

Yes, if the very financial French could F it up, super risky for virtually everyone else.
Means all the upside will be WRs, which I suppose is ok.

@MN5 said in West Indies tour of NZ:

If I was doing a less than expert ranking of NZ keepers it would be something like.......

Watling
McCullum
Smith
Blundell
Parore

First two should be self explanatory, I remember Smithy being sensational in partnership with Hadlee although being very hit or miss with his batting ( as guys were in his era ) he may have been a better keeper than one and two......

Blundell despite his woes still did a good job overall even if Hay looks a superior replacement and Parore was a classy keeper and lovely looking batsman ( record doesn't really indicate it )

Apparently Wadsworth was very good but I'm too young to have seen him play.

Would any others warrant a mention ?

Only other NZ keeper on the linked list is Warren Lees who was also reasonable (Smith's predecessor). Smith was the best keeper I've seen play on the keeping side, but I also don't think there's enough in it to be worth selecting him in test cricket over Watling or McCullum so I agree with your order of 1-3 as a list of keepers without any thought as to team balance - I would put Parore above Blundell though. It's easy to forget how good a keeper Parore actually was, but he comes up on a lot of the all time stat lists and often near the top. On Parore's batting, he played as a specialist batter for a bit while we experimented with Lee Germon as specialist captain and keeper for anyone who remembers those particularly dark days of the 90s... Had he applied himself better at not getting out, he could well have been our best ever instead of debating whether he's 4th or 5th on our all time list.

Having said that, in an all time side, Hadlee, C Cairns and Vettori would be reasonable all rounders so needing Watling for his batting would be slightly less important unless specifically selecting a grinder at 6 or 7. Smith usually batted 8 or 9 and had a very high SR as he was a dasher rather than a grinder so would probably fit right into modern ODI/T20s in the later middle order or pinch hitter (he still has the world record for highest score at 9).

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/comments/4xdsev/stats_looking_at_test_wicketkeepers/ - always dangerous looking at Reddit posts, but on the topic of byes, IDS Smith was the third lowest Byes per Innings on the list (scraped from match cards apparently so no Statsguru link available), which backs up him being the best NZ keeper ever on the keeping side of the ledger. Interestingly, Parore and McCullum were both better than Watling on that measure, but Watling also hadn't finished playing yet so may have improved since the work was done.