All Blacks 2025

[MN5]

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2025:

Here's something to criticise/discuss.

Marc Hinton and Paul Cully selected their AB team to play now. They've taken different approaches with JB, and there is some provincial bias. Neither chose Tele'a.

Marc Hinton is actually @Bones

I might need Tim to translate this one.

He picked all your favourite players

[Bones]

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2025:

Here's something to criticise/discuss.

Marc Hinton and Paul Cully selected their AB team to play now. They've taken different approaches with JB, and there is some provincial bias. Neither chose Tele'a.

Marc Hinton is actually @Bones

I might need Tim to translate this one.

He picked all your favourite players

Havili and Blackadder? Righto...

[MN5]

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2025:

Here's something to criticise/discuss.

Marc Hinton and Paul Cully selected their AB team to play now. They've taken different approaches with JB, and there is some provincial bias. Neither chose Tele'a.

Marc Hinton is actually @Bones

I might need Tim to translate this one.

He picked all your favourite players

Havili and Blackadder? Righto...

Yeah that's the joke. Ah forget it, I'll get my coat.....

[Bones]

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2025:

Here's something to criticise/discuss.

Marc Hinton and Paul Cully selected their AB team to play now. They've taken different approaches with JB, and there is some provincial bias. Neither chose Tele'a.

Marc Hinton is actually @Bones

I might need Tim to translate this one.

He picked all your favourite players

Havili and Blackadder? Righto...

Yeah that's the joke. Ah forget it, I'll get my coat.....

I think you meant to say mn5's favourite players.

[MN5]

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2025:

Here's something to criticise/discuss.

Marc Hinton and Paul Cully selected their AB team to play now. They've taken different approaches with JB, and there is some provincial bias. Neither chose Tele'a.

Marc Hinton is actually @Bones

I might need Tim to translate this one.

He picked all your favourite players

Havili and Blackadder? Righto...

Yeah that's the joke. Ah forget it, I'll get my coat.....

I think you meant to say mn5's favourite players.

Well yeah they both picked Ardie Savea

[nostrildamus]

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

Well yeah they both picked Ardie Savea

at 7 I believe. That would have raised an eyebrow last year I imagine. Looks like we still don't know who our loosies should be (esp 6).

Did Hinton not pick Jordie, will he not be available?
And Havili over Lam huh. Another thing, Vaa'i seems ranked higher than Scott? And Hinton puts him back at 6?

Fullback/wing-can't believe we have a paucity there, if the Razor gang choose Fihaki as wing/15 over the other candidates, that is ballsy. Or something.

[nostrildamus]

added: I'd have thought Proctor would have edged past Irish Ioane in the eyes of the Razor gang.

[Steven Harris]

Was in at the Sport Nation studios on friday , picked up some oil that both Fihaki and Tangitau will be selected in the first All Black squad .

[george33]

@Steven-Harris actually herd same thing from, different source also, so must be something in it.

[Steven Harris]

@george33 Justin Marshall who does a Sunday show is good mates with Razor , i got this oil through one of the hosts at SN so i have no reason to doubt it

[george33]

@Steven-Harris exactly, have herd same thing, but sportnation really, Marshall.

[KiwiMurph]

@frugby said in All Blacks 2025:

wouldn’t make a difference, but if it did, it would be minimal.

At test level you should be looking for any improvements no matter how minimal.

We lead both Boks games in the second half - we only just lost to France by a point or so.

The margins are fine at test level - you can't afford to carry players.

We got absolutely nothing out of our bench loose forward and our bench utility back position last year. The likes of Lio Willie, Lam, Tavatavanawai etc should be being looked at to see if they can make a difference.

Proctor at 13 and Rieko at 23 is worth a look. Even something like a 6-2 bench with Sotutu covering the backs would be an interesting experiment - there would be cries that it would be too risky but what's really to lose when the likes of Jacobson and Havili/ALB got picked on the bench test after test and offered zero test after test.

I'm not saying try all of the above but at least try something.

There were some encouraging signs late in the AB season in terms of an evolution on the bench - the likes of Tosi and Tuipulotu really added some oomph late in games that wasn't there earlier in the season because they weren't involved.

Similarly on the wing we are crying out for more pace - Reece and Telea are dynamic in short spaces but lack real pace to really punish opposition when they get put into space. Tangitau has the profile of a player our backline could use if developed properly.

[KiwiMurph]

@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2025:

Was in at the Sport Nation studios on friday , picked up some oil that both Fihaki and Tangitau will be selected in the first All Black squad .

Players locked in before the business end of Super Rugby

Interesting....

[Steven Harris]

@KiwiMurph thought the same as well , personally i would like to see these players under a more pressure come the playoffs ,knock out rugby you tend find out a bit more .

[booboo]

Would like to know the metrics they're judging Fihaki on.

[Bones]

@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:

Would like to know the metrics they're judging Fihaki on.

Height?

[MN5]

@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:

Would like to know the metrics they're judging Fihaki on.

All other metrics fade into insignificance next to the ‘playing for the Crusaders’ metric

[Steven Harris]

@booboo to be fair his form is way better than it was last year when he was a surprise selection has shown some really good speed in open space at times and does possess a massive punt and can place kick from distance

I really don’t know end of the day Razor seems to see something in him that many of us can’t see
Anything to add @Chris

[Chris]

@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2025:

@booboo to be fair his form is way better than it was last year when he was a surprise selection has shown some really good speed in open space at times and does possess a massive punt and can place kick from distance

I really don’t know end of the day Razor seems to see something in him that many of us can’t see
Anything to add @Chris

I have noticed he has moved in to the midfield when defending inside the 22 and has pulled off some big direct hits.If you go back and track him in the replays.
He does get lost on defence when he is wide sometimes but it seems that is a defensive pattern Matt Todd is using as Amua does the same thing.
He has pace is a big unit they might see him as a good option under the high ball.big boot which may get us down field.
People have their favourites I am not sure how he would go in test rugby.
I am not convinced he will be selected atm.

[reprobate]

I just don't see it eh. Yeah he's playing reasonably, but both Blues wingers, both Chiefs winger, both Highlanders wingers, the other Crusaders winger and the Crusaders FB are better wingers than him for me.