2025 All Blacks v France series
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Btw, the weird thing about the French approach to this series is how do you explain to the players who acquited themselves well in Dunedin why they were left out for the second test. Dropping 10 players from the first test makes absolutely no sense from a team building point of view.
Players want to play and they want to win, I'm just not sure how you sell players on being part of a project that is pretty incoherent.
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@nonpartizan devil's advocate being you're selecting a lot of young players and they all know they're going to get a taste (as well as giving them a wage boost and locking them in).
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@Steven-Harris said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Money also trumps anything we see down here in NZ
It's true but one thing NZ has that no other country can match is heritage, tradition and pride in the jersey.
To me the respective approaches to this series speak to how New Zealand have something that the French will never be able to buy or throw money at.
The word I would use is integrity.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@canefan said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
And it allows them to develop depth while devaluing test rugby. It doesn't help that we then can't pump them the way they deserve
But doesn't it speak volumes about the levels of NZ & French Rugby that we struggle to put away a French development team?
Thats the point I was trying to make, poorly in hindsight
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@Bones said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@brodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
Vaa'i did well for his try. He's probably deceptively fast but he definitely runs like a lock and not a loose forward.
Thought he did a pretty decent job of mimicking PSDT tonight.
That's high praise. He's coming along nicely. Need to see how he goes against a top 3 A team. He should get a chance soon against the Saffas.
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Hoping it isn’t mass changes next week, as I’d like to see guys fill some roles…
- de Groot
- Taukei’aho
- Newell (Lomax)
- Vaa’i
- Holland
- Jacobson
- Kirifi
- Savea
- Roigard
- Love
- Ioane
- Tupaea
- Proctor
- Narawa
- Jordan
- McAllister
- Norris
- Tosi
- Tuipulotu
- Finau
- Hotham
- Tavatavanawai
- McKenzie
When bigger tests roll around, I still think Tuipulotu would be best used as your impact man - Scott Barrett will rise to the challenge. Finau gets one last chance, and possibly edging to that territory for Kirifi so I’d start him to get a proper read.
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@brodean hopefully another good run next week and good leadership from Ardie and the heat will be on Scott.
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@taniwharugby said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@brodean hopefully another good run next week and good leadership from Ardie and the heat will be on Scott.
Who is more of a certain pick at the moment? I know who I favour.
I'm not a Crusader supporter but I'm not sure how SB is a better pick at Captain than Ardie apart from his history and clearly close relationship with the coaches. But that is a good reason. -
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@frugby said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Bones gut feeling is that Kirifi hasn’t taken his chance, and will be usurped by Lakai when he returns. Be good to see him given a proper go this week though.
Yeah Kirifi seems to have the unwanted "busy but ineffective" Blackadder tag, unfortunately you can also add "small" to that.
Griping with the ref and not getting turnovers. Did he actually do anything of note ?
Would love him to prove me wrong next week.
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@frugby said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:
@Bones gut feeling is that Kirifi hasn’t taken his chance, and will be usurped by Lakai when he returns. Be good to see him given a proper go this week though.
He took quite a long time to become a dominant force at SR level too. Unfortunately you don't get that opportunity in test rugby, especially at his age. I get the feeling he's doing his best to do the role given, but it probably doesn't suit him and he needs to just go out rip shit n bust.
