2025 All Blacks v France series
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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 hasnât 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.
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@Bones said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Pretty astounded Higgins wasn't named captain tho
All in good time.
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You Cantabs are great with AIâŚ..
Itâs hard to ignore a guy who bleeds for every carry, smashes every ruck like it owes him money, and covers every inch of the field like itâs personal. But somehow, Ethan Blackadder still didnât make the cut. And when Scott Robertson tried to explain that away with the word âversatility,â it felt less like a coaching philosophy and more like a convenient smokescreen.
This is the same Blackadder who was a wrecking ball in the Super Rugby Pacific finalâstarting at 6, finishing at 7, and dominating both roles like he owned the jersey. His absence isnât just surprisingâitâs baffling. Meanwhile, DuâPlessis Kirifi, whoâs been on and off the All Blacks radar and is built strictly for openside, gets the nod again. A new cap? Technically, yes. But to hear some folks call him the best 7 in the comp this yearâwhile Ardie Savea literally took home Player of the Yearâmakes you wonder what tape theyâre watching.
You can respect Kirifiâs hustle, his flair for being noticed, maybe even his off-ball charisma. But in a squad being sold on âversatility,â this is where it gets shaky. Because if versatilityâs the ticket, Blackadderâs resume shouldâve been laminated.
Throw in Tom Christie, another machine whoâs somehow invisible to national selectors, and it starts to feel like those with flash outshine those with fire. And that's a dangerous message to send in a World Cup cycle.
Sure, Savea at 7 with Sititi at 8 and Finau at 6 is a trio you can back. But what happens if Savea limps off in the 62nd minute against France? Do you plug in Kirifi, who plays one position, or do you wish you had someone who could flex like Blackadder?
Maybe this is all part of Razorâs master plan. Maybe thereâs a bigger vision we havenât seen yet. But when a player performs like a man possessed in the biggest game of the year and still gets left behind, itâs fair to question the mapâespecially if the compass points to âversatilityâ but the selections donât.
For now, congratulations to the 35 who made it. No one gets there by accident. But some names missing from that list deserve more than just a shrug and a buzzword. They deserve answers.
#AllBlacks #EthanBlackadder #ScottRobertson #RugbySelectionDrama #SuperRugby #DuPlessisKirifi #RugbyUnion #ArdieSavea #AllBlackSquad2025
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@MN5 said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
You Cantabs are great with AIâŚ..
Itâs hard to ignore a guy who bleeds for every carry, smashes every ruck like it owes him money, and covers every inch of the field like itâs personal. But somehow, Ethan Blackadder still didnât make the cut. And when Scott Robertson tried to explain that away with the word âversatility,â it felt less like a coaching philosophy and more like a convenient smokescreen.
This is the same Blackadder who was a wrecking ball in the Super Rugby Pacific finalâstarting at 6, finishing at 7, and dominating both roles like he owned the jersey. His absence isnât just surprisingâitâs baffling. Meanwhile, DuâPlessis Kirifi, whoâs been on and off the All Blacks radar and is built strictly for openside, gets the nod again. A new cap? Technically, yes. But to hear some folks call him the best 7 in the comp this yearâwhile Ardie Savea literally took home Player of the Yearâmakes you wonder what tape theyâre watching.
You can respect Kirifiâs hustle, his flair for being noticed, maybe even his off-ball charisma. But in a squad being sold on âversatility,â this is where it gets shaky. Because if versatilityâs the ticket, Blackadderâs resume shouldâve been laminated.
Throw in Tom Christie, another machine whoâs somehow invisible to national selectors, and it starts to feel like those with flash outshine those with fire. And that's a dangerous message to send in a World Cup cycle.
Sure, Savea at 7 with Sititi at 8 and Finau at 6 is a trio you can back. But what happens if Savea limps off in the 62nd minute against France? Do you plug in Kirifi, who plays one position, or do you wish you had someone who could flex like Blackadder?
Maybe this is all part of Razorâs master plan. Maybe thereâs a bigger vision we havenât seen yet. But when a player performs like a man possessed in the biggest game of the year and still gets left behind, itâs fair to question the mapâespecially if the compass points to âversatilityâ but the selections donât.
For now, congratulations to the 35 who made it. No one gets there by accident. But some names missing from that list deserve more than just a shrug and a buzzword. They deserve answers.
#AllBlacks #EthanBlackadder #ScottRobertson #RugbySelectionDrama #SuperRugby #DuPlessisKirifi #RugbyUnion #ArdieSavea #AllBlackSquad2025
No mention of Blackadder getting injured every two seconds in this is astonishing.
Kirifi over Blackadder any day of the week as a 7.
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Today I learned that Chat GTP has a Crusader bot function.
"Are the selectors even watching the same games as the rest of us?! Ethan Blackadder has been throwing his body on the line week in, week out â playing like an absolute beast for the Crusaders â and somehow heâs NOT good enough for a spot in the ABs squad?! Are you kidding me?!?!?!
This guy bleeds red and black!!! Heâs the definition of mongrel, heart and workrate!!!
You need someone to make 20 tackles and still be the first one to the ruck? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone to carry hard into a brick wall for the full 80? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone who will die for the jersey? ETHAN BLACKADDER!!!!!
Instead weâre picking guys whoâve barely played a full game this year, or who go missing when it actually matters!!! Itâs like the selectors are picking on name and hype instead of whoâs actually putting in the mahi!!! What more does the guy have to do?! Win yet another Super Title?! Start tackling planes out of the sky?!?!?
Absolutely disgraceful decision. Leaving Ethan Blackadder out is a straight-up insult to everything the All Blacks jersey is meant to stand for!!! If you want grit, passion, and someone whoâll never take a backward step â itâs ETHAN BLOODY BLACKADDER!!!
Sort it out, NZR. Wake up. This is a shambles.
#JusticeForBlackadder
#Crusaders4ever
#MongrelMatters
#PickTheRightMen" -
@MN5 said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
You Cantabs are great with AIâŚ..
Itâs hard to ignore a guy who bleeds for every carry, smashes every ruck like it owes him money, and covers every inch of the field like itâs personal. But somehow, Ethan Blackadder still didnât make the cut. And when Scott Robertson tried to explain that away with the word âversatility,â it felt less like a coaching philosophy and more like a convenient smokescreen.
This is the same Blackadder who was a wrecking ball in the Super Rugby Pacific finalâstarting at 6, finishing at 7, and dominating both roles like he owned the jersey. His absence isnât just surprisingâitâs baffling. Meanwhile, DuâPlessis Kirifi, whoâs been on and off the All Blacks radar and is built strictly for openside, gets the nod again. A new cap? Technically, yes. But to hear some folks call him the best 7 in the comp this yearâwhile Ardie Savea literally took home Player of the Yearâmakes you wonder what tape theyâre watching.
You can respect Kirifiâs hustle, his flair for being noticed, maybe even his off-ball charisma. But in a squad being sold on âversatility,â this is where it gets shaky. Because if versatilityâs the ticket, Blackadderâs resume shouldâve been laminated.
Throw in Tom Christie, another machine whoâs somehow invisible to national selectors, and it starts to feel like those with flash outshine those with fire. And that's a dangerous message to send in a World Cup cycle.
Sure, Savea at 7 with Sititi at 8 and Finau at 6 is a trio you can back. But what happens if Savea limps off in the 62nd minute against France? Do you plug in Kirifi, who plays one position, or do you wish you had someone who could flex like Blackadder?
Maybe this is all part of Razorâs master plan. Maybe thereâs a bigger vision we havenât seen yet. But when a player performs like a man possessed in the biggest game of the year and still gets left behind, itâs fair to question the mapâespecially if the compass points to âversatilityâ but the selections donât.
For now, congratulations to the 35 who made it. No one gets there by accident. But some names missing from that list deserve more than just a shrug and a buzzword. They deserve answers.
#AllBlacks #EthanBlackadder #ScottRobertson #RugbySelectionDrama #SuperRugby #DuPlessisKirifi #RugbyUnion #ArdieSavea #AllBlackSquad2025
Sounds like SBW1.
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@sparky said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
You need someone to make 20 tackles and still be the first one to the ruck? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone to carry hard into a brick wall for the full 80? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone who will die for the jersey? ETHAN BLACKADDER!!!!!
Call me old-fashioned but I prefer a player who can live and play well for 80 minutes. And if they train by running into brick walls maybe they should try out league.
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@nostrildamus said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@sparky said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
You need someone to make 20 tackles and still be the first one to the ruck? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone to carry hard into a brick wall for the full 80? Ethan Blackadder. You need someone who will die for the jersey? ETHAN BLACKADDER!!!!!
Call me old-fashioned but I prefer a player who can live and play well for 80 minutes. And if they train by running into brick walls maybe they should try out league.
Na, Run it straight is where it's at these days.
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@African-Monkey said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@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.
How would he be considered in front of Iose or Flanders?
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@booboo said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@African-Monkey said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@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.
How would he be considered in front of Iose or Flanders?
I thought all 3 of them would have made up the loose trio. They could all take turns playing 7.
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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?
Probably not as many times as the Foz
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@Bones said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
I'd be a bit loathe to judge Holland's ball carrying off SR this year. He seemed to be just so busy he didn't have energy left, but he showed good power and feet last year at a few levels.
Great ball in hand for the NZ XV.
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@KiwiMurph said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@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
Here is a stat for you.
Funnily enough, I am not bitching about why he is left out of the ABs. I completely understand the logic and personally think a Finau/ Vaai/ Parker(maybe) is a better fit at 6.
You keyboard warriors saying he isn't a good footy player is going beyond the pale though. All I see is vindictive shenanigans, the same kind of skulduggery that dogged Akira (another good player). It is all along provincial lines, repetitive, and boring. Go suck a plop. -
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
You keyboard warriors saying he isn't a good footy player
What has been said?
