2025 All Blacks v France series
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@MN5 said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@KiwiMurph said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Duluth said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@antipodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Blackadder could benefit from adding more muscle and strength to his frame. With his undoubted engine, that would enable him to have more impact in the collision.
Sure, but he's is not that small
I think it's something else. Coaches of his and EB himself have joked about how unco he is. Too often he gets himself into weak positions going into contact and crumbles/bounces off etc
A lot of this you could actually apply to Rieko as well - he is a more than willing ball carrier but for a big man he goes to ground after initial contact a hell of a lot. Especially since his breakout first couple of years - my sense is that coaches have worked out where to target him as a ball carrier.
He's quite tall but not exactly built like a tackle buster.
He looks taller and heavier than Ardie Savea who is a great tackle buster.
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@brodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
He looks taller and heavier than Ardie Savea who is a great tackle buster.
I think Ardie has a stockier core and legs. Regardless, Ioane could burst more tackles (may be a key criterion for AB coaches)...
I agree Ardie is shorter than Rieko. I went through some AB etc photos, I also don't think, despite the stats, that Dalton is much taller if at all than LJ. -
@Kirwan said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Well that was a methodic dismantling of the Blackadder myth. Confirmed beyond all doubt the "busy but ineffective" label.
As a ball carrier, sure. He's almost McCaw-like in his lack of metres and evasiveness.
Is a ball carrier what we need to accompany and balance Sititi and Savea? -
@reprobate said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Kirwan said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Well that was a methodic dismantling of the Blackadder myth. Confirmed beyond all doubt the "busy but ineffective" label.
As a ball carrier, sure. He's almost McCaw-like in his lack of metres and evasiveness.
Is a ball carrier what we need to accompany and balance Sititi and Savea?I'd accept his lack of carrying ability if he was a bone crunching tackler and smashed rucks like a madman
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Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
No, more a case of folk expressing concern at his limitations as a player
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
Hands up if you've joined the pile-on
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Fk me, how many times can people talk about Blackadder on this forum?
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
Interesting response to statistics
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Hearing from a source that Naitoa Ah Kuoi has been bought into the All Black squad , i have no reason to doubt this info and i stand to be corrected but if it is correct i would be keen to know who he is replacing
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
No.
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@reprobate said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Kirwan said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Well that was a methodic dismantling of the Blackadder myth. Confirmed beyond all doubt the "busy but ineffective" label.
As a ball carrier, sure. He's almost McCaw-like in his lack of metres and evasiveness.
Is a ball carrier what we need to accompany and balance Sititi and Savea?I don't care if he's a ball carrier, I want his ruck clear outs and tackles to be effective.
Who cares if he makes 15 tackles if he's escorting guys over the try line? Espcially at six, you need stoppers there. Obviously Kaino and Collins used to cut people in half, but I could mention another six that tackled harder than Ethan.
Reminds me when I started work on a helpdesk, I had awesome call stats because I took all the easy items off the queue. Not actually that useful but looks great on paper.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Geez, it is just a circle-jerk of butt-hurt provincial bias against Blackadder, isn't it?
It's the opposite really. If he played for the Highlanders he would be nowhere near the All Backs. Not the first or the last to be selected purely on club mana opposed to individual ability.
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@Canes4life said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Fk me, how many times can people talk about Blackadder on this forum?
That's what happens when there's a perception that someone is getting an easy ride without justification
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@Canes4life said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Fk me, how many times can people talk about Blackadder on this forum?
About equal to the number of times the Canes are mentioned.
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@Frank said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Canes4life said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Fk me, how many times can people talk about Blackadder on this forum?
About equal to the number of times the Canes are mentioned.
I still reckon mentions of Blackadder would outnumber the accumulation of mentions that Canes players have had in this thread.
Blackadder hasn’t made the ABs, let it go people.
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@Steven-Harris said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Hearing from a source that Naitoa Ah Kuoi has been bought into the All Black squad , i have no reason to doubt this info and i stand to be corrected but if it is correct i would be keen to know who he is replacing
Quite happy with that. Unsure if he's the answer, but he, like Kirifi, has proven himself time and time again at domestic level and is worth a look.
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@Bones said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Pretty astounded Higgins wasn't named captain tho
Thought Brad Shields was a Shoe in once he became eligible.
