All Blacks 2025
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Hurricanes coming into some really lethal form this week. Looking quite resurgant, our other Kiwis teams somewhat flat. Highlanders have some really awesome young players, man they need the rub of the green.
@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2025:
Hurricanes coming into some really lethal form this week. Looking quite resurgant, our other Kiwis teams somewhat flat. Highlanders have some really awesome young players, man they need the rub of the green.
Still have a few players to return yet as well. But the forwards were really cooking, and the backs led by Cam, Hohepa and Love did well. The midfield combo, especially Sullivan, played great
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
Comprehension not your strong point? How is he? Or how did I think he was?
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
Comprehension not your strong point? How is he? Or how did I think he was?
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
Comprehension not tour strong point? How is he? Or how did I think he was?
*your.
I was wondering how you thought he was, that's all !
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
Comprehension not tour strong point? How is he? Or how did I think he was?
*your.
I was wondering how you thought he was, that's all !
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
How is he "vanilla" especially compared to the incumbent AB loose forwards. I thought his mongrel was a bit of a point of difference ?
Comprehension not tour strong point? How is he? Or how did I think he was?
*your.
I was wondering how you thought he was, that's all !
He was.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Apparently not.
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On what we have seen from Super this year, I thinking only a couple at most, will sneak in There is no way ABs are going to be playing the same style as super rugby teams. I can see Fabian Holland being in squad, and personally I would have a couple of others (maybe Kirifi and Tangitau), but somehow I doubt they will get picked.
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I've come around to Kirifi. Always thought he was a bit vanilla and too small.
But he plays "bigger" than that, and is a gun at t/os.
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
Not on board with the Wellicane Mafia about Iose. Yet.
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
i'm coming around to the idea of starting Lakai with Ardie on the bench to cover 7 & 8 by mid-season.
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
i'm coming around to the idea of starting Lakai with Ardie on the bench to cover 7 & 8 by mid-season.
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
i'm coming around to the idea of starting Lakai with Ardie on the bench to cover 7 & 8 by mid-season.
Ardie is only a gazillion and one times better than Lakai, why would you bench him?
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
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@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
He can’t be vanilla based on his name alone.
DuPlessis for fuck sake. As a first name!
Ben Smith he ain’t.
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@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
This is exactly the question I asked and got shot down cos my comprehension is no good.
I now have no idea what flavour he is
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
This is exactly the question I asked and got shot down cos my comprehension is no good.
I now have no idea what flavour he is
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
This is exactly the question I asked and got shot down cos my comprehension is no good.
Tour.
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Something like this for the first Test?
- Assuming they are all fit to play *
Williams, Taylor, Lomax, Vaa'i, S. Barrett (c), Finau, A. Savea, Sititi, Roigard, D Mac, C. Clarke, J.Barrett, ALB, Jordan, Love
Aumua, De Groot, Tosi, Holland, Lakai, Ratima, Perofeta, Tupaea.
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Something like this for the first Test?
- Assuming they are all fit to play *
Williams, Taylor, Lomax, Vaa'i, S. Barrett (c), Finau, A. Savea, Sititi, Roigard, D Mac, C. Clarke, J.Barrett, ALB, Jordan, Love
Aumua, De Groot, Tosi, Holland, Lakai, Ratima, Perofeta, Tupaea.
@sparky assume Pisi is Tosi?
If it weren't for TJ Perenara's injury last year, Robertson wouldn't have debuted any players until the Fiji Test. Suspect he'll go for the 'tried and true' in at least the first game against France, especially after their less than impressive performance against Italy at the end of last year.
So I think that's largely on the money, but with Jordan at fullback and either Reece or Tele'a on the wing, and either Tuupulotu or Lord on the bench in place of Holland. Could potentially see Taukei'aho over one of the other two hookers also.
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@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
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@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
Making the 23 or making the wider squad? I don't think there's a scenario where a guy who started 10 matches last year doesn't make Robertson's first squad of 2025.
I hadn't actually realised you'd left him out of the team... Have a feeling Robertson will plump for him at 13... Might be a different scenario if there were another option absolutely smashing the door down at centre but Lienert-Brown has been good rather than great and Billy Proctor has been injured.
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@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
It's not like he was busting down doors last year either. He'll be there. Not that he'll be needed if Higgins recovers, won't matter who the outside backs are then.
