All Blacks v France II
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@sparky said in All Blacks v France 2:
More from Chat GTP on the man who will have le sifflet during Saturday's test.
Here’s a detailed look at Christophe Ridley, a rising star in rugby officiating:
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Background & Education
• Born: 16 April 1993 in Paris, France, but is an English-qualified rugby referee .
• Education: Studied Sports Coaching at the University of Gloucestershire (from 2013), benefiting from a unique officiating scholarship run by ex-World Cup ref Chris White . He now tutors on the programme and serves as a “referee in residence” for the RFU–University Officiating Hub .⸻
Refereeing Career
• 2016: Turned professional arena referee, debuting in Championship and quickly moving into Premiership Rugby .
• Premier Competitions: Regularly oversees Premiership Rugby, European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, and United Rugby Championship (since 2021–22) .
• International Stage:
• Debut as lead referee in Six Nations in 2024, officiating France v Italy .
• Assistant Referee at the 2023 Rugby World Cup .⸻
Key Milestones
• Premiership Final 2024: Assigned as the main referee for the Northampton Saints vs Bath game at Twickenham—a prestigious first for a post-Wayne Barnes official . His semi-final showing earned him broad praise:
“Been the best ref in the league this season imo…” 
“To be fair Ridley has been better and not many referees get domestic and European finals in the same year.” 
• European Champions Cup 2023: One of the Assistant Referees in the final ().⸻
Personality & Style
• Mentored by Wayne Barnes and influenced by Luke Pearce for his calm, flowing style .
• Performance-driven: Adopts a rigorous review routine—waking early post-match for analysis—with a pursuit of perfection, supported by his partner Katie Nelson .
• Mindset: Describes “quiet arrogance” and a constant quest for growth, regularly consulting experts across fields .
• Life off-field: Balances intense on-field demands with renovation projects, gym workouts, and time with his dogs and partner .⸻
Community Engagement
• Hosts local events like quiz & curry nights to share insights and support veteran programmes .
• Actively involved in mentoring upcoming referees through his role with the University and RFU Officiating Hub .⸻
SummaryChristophe Ridley is one of England’s most promising rugby referees: a former Leicester Tigers academy player turned professional official, with a strong academic foundation and a distinguished track record across domestic and international competitions. Known for his composed, performance-driven approach.
Despise him already.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too . Backline, I not sure about, but if they want Jordan back at 15 would look at Nawara on right wing, and would maybe look at Clarke on left, we need to get better under high ball, we were poor on Saturday.
Makes sense to me Dan.
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Ardie did a lot of linking and continuity work I thought. He isn't a typical 7 but for people on here to say he was "shit", well, that wasn't my take on his game.
The forward I really thought we were missing was a 2024-level Sititi. -
There’s quite a few changes in that lineup from a positional stance and therefore would require more of change than I think is necessary from the first test.
I’m more inclined for this series to make a direct swap (ala CLW for Sititi) than shoehorn guys that weren’t the original option.
De Groot
Taylor
Newell
Tuipoluto (in for Scooter if injured)
Holland
Va'ai
Savea (C)
Lio-Willie
Roigard
Barrett
Ioane
Barrett
Proctor
Narawa or Clarke (in for Reece)
JordanTaukei'aho
Norris
Tosi
Finau
Kirifi
Ratima
McKenzie
Tupaea -
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too .
That would be an utter fucking disaster.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too .
That would be an utter fucking disaster.
Agree, we can't have both on the field at the same time. Kirifi was getting bounced back like a winger when he was carrying.
Just have both covering seven, and get a big body playing eight.
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I don't see the point in playing Finau off the bench, yes he played there a bit this year, but if we want to see if he's our Kaino-like (acknowledging no one will ever be completely that level) then he has to start.
It is completely weird to pick a 6 in a squad, the only true blue 6, and then play him off the bench.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks v France 2:
I don't see the point in playing Finau off the bench, yes he played there a bit this year, but if we want to see if he's our Kaino-like (acknowledging no one will ever be completely that level) then he has to start.
It is completely weird to pick a 6 in a squad, the only true blue 6, and then play him off the bench.
They have a bunch of pieces that don't quite fit. Or they can't make them fit yet
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Kirifi's size has always counted against him, and that was pretty evident when he came on. He's an effective jackler as his short stature makes him difficult to move, but when it comes to the collisions he'll get smacked around at test level. It's also why players like Riccitelli have struggled to make the ABs, as @Chris-B has often talked about on here, size matters at the top level and that factors into the selection equation. Often players that have looked great at Super level have struggled with the physicality the next level up.
Not saying Kirifi should be discarded, he's really come of age as a player and if used right he could have an impact off the bench, but I can't see him as our starting 7 against the top teams.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks v France 2:
Kirifi's size has always counted against him, and that was pretty evident when he came on. He's an effective jackler as his short stature makes him difficult to move, but when it comes to the collisions he'll get smacked around at test level. It's also why players like Riccitelli have struggled to make the ABs, as @Chris-B has often talked about on here, size matters at the top level at that factors into the selection equation. Often players that have looked great at Super level have struggled with the physicality the next level up.
Not saying Kirifi should be discarded, he's really come of age as a player and if used right he could have an impact off the bench, but I can't see him as our starting 7 against the top teams.
You can definitely get away with a small 7 if it's a really well-defined role and you have other loosies supplying excess size and power. We have neither.
Having said that, I'm still pleased to see him there. Rewarding form is good, and he has been very good this year. It also shows Robertson is actually looking to achieve something other than injury cover with his bench, which was such a weakness for us last year.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too .
That would be an utter fucking disaster.
There is little difference between Kirifi, Savea and Finau compared to Savea, Lio Willie, and Tupou. Both two small guys with one big guy. I don't like either of those combos except as a stop gap.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France 2:
Ardie did a lot of linking and continuity work I thought. He isn't a typical 7 but for people on here to say he was "shit", well, that wasn't my take on his game.
The forward I really thought we were missing was a 2024-level Sititi.I don't think he was shit but he was certainly instrumental in that Woki try. Clean break happens on his tackle and then Woki smashes through him like nothing on the try line. He looked kinda tired I thought.
Too many small guys in the loose forwards will wear them down.
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@brodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@antipodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too .
That would be an utter fucking disaster.
There is little difference between Kirifi, Savea and Finau compared to Savea, Lio Willie, and Tupou. Both two small guys with one big guy. I don't like either of those combos except as a stop gap.
Left the Wallablies and playing for the ABs now ? Interesting
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@MN5 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@brodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@antipodean said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Canes4life , mate I wouldn't mind seeing Vaa'i stay at 6, start Pat T at lock, and see how Ardie goes back at 8, and start with Kirifi. Leave Finau as bench player, though would be happy to see Jacobson on bench too .
That would be an utter fucking disaster.
There is little difference between Kirifi, Savea and Finau compared to Savea, Lio Willie, and Tupou. Both two small guys with one big guy. I don't like either of those combos except as a stop gap.
Left the Wallablies and playing for the ABs now ? Interesting
Vaai vood you say such a thing
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@booboo said in All Blacks v France 2:
Re small 7s ...
Two recent that went/go ok are Kwagga and Michael Hoopah!
Great example, I'm a Kwagga fan! But he has another skill apparently:
Bok defence guru backs 'coach' Kwagga
Jerry Flannery has lavished praise on flanker Kwagga Smith, describing him as an "on-field coach", while also lauding Eben Etzebeth’s leadership ahead of his record-breaking cap.
Not sure Hoopah is such a great example as he was a very good 7 but he could be manhandled because of size. OTOH I doubt George Smith was much bigger if at all but I don't remember him being manhandled very often.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France 2:
@booboo said in All Blacks v France 2:
Re small 7s ...
Two recent that went/go ok are Kwagga and Michael Hoopah!
Great example, I'm a Kwagga fan! But he has another skill apparently:
Jerry Flannery has lavished praise on flanker Kwagga Smith, describing him as an "on-field coach", while also lauding Eben Etzebeth’s leadership ahead of his record-breaking cap.
Not sure Hoopah is such a great example as he was a very good 7 but he could be manhandled because of size. OTOH I doubt George Smith was much bigger if at all but I don't remember him being manhandled very often.
Players were generally smaller during George Smith's era however he played with Toutai Kefu and Owen Finegan so there was a good balance. I think Smith would be a bit bigger and physically stronger than Hooper. Kwaga Smith is immensely strong for his size.
