All Blacks 2025

[Bones]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

Tavatavanawai kind of looks like he has a pot belly. If that's the case I think the current selectors frown on that sort of thing.

I reckon work rate and involvement probably trumps whether some rando on the internet thinks a player has a Potbelly.

Last time I checked the point of this forum was for randoms to speculate on rugby and rugby players?

My bad. Feel free to "speculate" on whether a player has love handles and what Razor thinks of them, whilst ignoring the actual rugby. Quality.

[canefan]

Razor has to stop thinking in the past and focus on the talent he has right in front of him. There is no one playing overseas that deserves an automatic spot in the team (Jordie doesn't count because he's on sabbatical)

[brodean]

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

Tavatavanawai kind of looks like he has a pot belly. If that's the case I think the current selectors frown on that sort of thing.

I reckon work rate and involvement probably trumps whether some rando on the internet thinks a player has a Potbelly.

Last time I checked the point of this forum was for randoms to speculate on rugby and rugby players?

My bad. Feel free to "speculate" on whether a player has love handles and what Razor thinks of them, whilst ignoring the actual rugby. Quality.

If you don't think that kind of thing is a factor then you mustn't have heard about the importance of body language also.

De Groot has been asked to lose some weight under two coaching regimes now.

These things are factors.

I wouldn't complain if Tavatavanawai was in the squad. I'd like to see how he goes. I just think that is potentially a factor against him.

[Bones]

@brodean and I think you're off on another bizarro.

[brodean]

@Bones Good on you.

[Bones]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones Good on you.

No tell me more about this scientific potbelly discovery, the one severely impacting the highlanders best player and stopping him having any crucial involvement in a game. Then we can move onto guys like ALB, Clarke, Sititi and discover why them not having a girly waist is a factor in their non-selection.

[brodean]

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones Good on you.

No tell me more about this scientific potbelly discovery, the one severely impacting the highlanders best player and stopping him having any crucial involvement in a game. Then we can move onto guys like ALB, Clarke, Sititi and discover why them not having a girly waist is a factor in their non-selection.

Conditioning is a factor in professional coaches minds when it comes to choosing the professional athletes they want on their teams.

Do you really think that is a controversial position?

[Bones]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones Good on you.

No tell me more about this scientific potbelly discovery, the one severely impacting the highlanders best player and stopping him having any crucial involvement in a game. Then we can move onto guys like ALB, Clarke, Sititi and discover why them not having a girly waist is a factor in their non-selection.

Conditioning is a factor in professional coaches minds when it comes to choosing the professional athletes they want on their teams.

Do you really think that is a controversial position?

You didn't say anything about conditioning, you imagined a potbelly. So you think he's unfit?

[brodean]

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

[canefan]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/cms_media/module_img/8853/4426637_7_org_2371576_1_.jpg

Like this guy. He was shit as. What a slug.

I'm more concerned about how a player can actually play rugby.

I remember a time years ago, when an AB coach preferred Caleb Ralph to Jonah Lomu, probably because he lacked conditioning. Preposterous when you look back now

[Landers92]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

It’s just how some people are built mate. Come on, you don’t live under a rock. Look up Chuck Liddell, and all time UFC great, he has the same kind of abdominal structure when fighting.

Jim played basically all the minutes for the Highlanders in an incredibly physical position and being the most involved. If he wasn’t tackling he was jackling for the ball which is incredibly fatiguing. Far from ‘lack of conditioning’.

I guess his competition leading 78 defenders beaten with the nearest to him being Dmac on 53 is even more impressive considering his lack of conditioning. Maybe there’s still a chance for all of us.

[Grooter]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

He definitely doesn't lack professionalism. the most respected respected player by his peers at the landers, played all bar 15 minutes this season. Lead the round robin in defenders beaten & turnover won. If Razor needs him to lose 3kgs over the next month I'm sure he would accept such a challenge

[Bones]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

You're ignoring the bit where you made up the potbelly.

And you ignored the other examples of "potbelly" players, who got selected.

And you ignored Tavatavanawai playing serious minutes and still being one of the best on the park at the end of matches.

By the same token, I reckon Ah Kuoi will never make the ABs because they don't like guys that have blue eyes.

[canefan]

I think someone has to get off their high horse already

[brodean]

@Grooter said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

He definitely doesn't lack professionalism. the most respected respected player by his peers at the landers, played all bar 15 minutes this season. Lead the round robin in defenders beaten & turnover won. If Razor needs him to lose 3kgs over the next month I'm sure he would accept such a challenge

He did that last year too. Most defenders beaten and turnovers won. He wasn't even called in to the AB XV.

[brodean]

@Landers92 said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones

A pot belly on a professional athlete would generally be considered an indicator of lack of conditioning.

Lack of conditioning is generally an indicator that an athlete doesn't take their preparation seriously and lacks professionalism.

Some coaches of elite teams don't like to have players like that on their teams.

It’s just how some people are built mate. Come on, you don’t live under a rock. Look up Chuck Liddell, and all time UFC great, he has the same kind of abdominal structure when fighting.

Jim played basically all the minutes for the Highlanders in an incredibly physical position and being the most involved. If he wasn’t tackling he was jackling for the ball which is incredibly fatiguing. Far from ‘lack of conditioning’.

I guess his competition leading 78 defenders beaten with the nearest to him being Dmac on 53 is even more impressive considering his lack of conditioning. Maybe there’s still a chance for all of us.

I'm not criticising him as a player or a person.

I'm saying some coaches don't like it when players are built like he seems to be. I've already said I wouldn't mind seeing him getting a go.

[Victor Meldrew]

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2025:

My starting backline:
Roigard
McKenzie
Clark
Barrett
Proctor
Ioane
Jordan.

For the 1st Test, think Robertson will stick with last years lineup and have Proctor and Love in the 23. If we win the first 2 Tests, then Proctor & QT to start

Roigard
DMac
Clark
Barrett
Ioane
Reece
Jordan

Proctor
Tupeau
Ratima

[Bones]

@Victor-Meldrew Jordie covering ten? No

[Canes4life]

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2025:

My starting backline:
Roigard
McKenzie
Clark
Barrett
Proctor
Ioane
Jordan.

For the 1st Test, think Robertson will stick with last years lineup and have Proctor and Love in the 23. If we win the first 2 Tests, then Proctor & QT to start

Roigard
DMac
Clark
Barrett
Ioane
Reece
Jordan

Proctor
Tupeau
Ratima

Don’t think they’ll go both Proctor and Tupaea on the bench. But I like your thinking around starting them together. I think they would compliment each other nicely.

[Frank]

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:

Tavatavanawai kind of looks like he has a pot belly. If that's the case I think the current selectors frown on that sort of thing.

I reckon work rate and involvement probably trumps whether some rando on the internet thinks a player has a Potbelly.

Last time I checked the point of this forum was for randoms to speculate on rugby and rugby players?

My bad. Feel free to "speculate" on whether a player has love handles and what Razor thinks of them, whilst ignoring the actual rugby. Quality.

If you don't think that kind of thing is a factor then you mustn't have heard about the importance of body language also.

De Groot has been asked to lose some weight under two coaching regimes now.

These things are factors.

I wouldn't complain if Tavatavanawai was in the squad. I'd like to see how he goes. I just think that is potentially a factor against him.

This guy had a big pot belly. Wasn't too bad apparently.