All Blacks 2025
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What I struggle with, is a couple of years ago we had a loose trio that spent an entire season bitch slapping every other trio around in Super Rugby, in a style akin to test footy. They also did exactly that in the finals, the matches that are most akin to test footy at that level.
Since then, our biggest problem with the ABs has been our loosies, and these guys have been barely sighted. Akira gave up and went to Japan. Hoskins to his credit has stuck around but has been forced to watch players like Lio-Willie be brought in ahead of him, and Dalton has been kept at arms length and now dropped despite his strong form in SR and recently against France.
My point here isn't that we need to draft Akira, Dalton and Hoskins into the starting side right now (though that wouldn't hurt). My point is that the loose forward selections and tactics from these coaches have been an absolute mess from the get-go. Ignoring form, selecting undersized trios, favouring ineffective workhorses over players that can have an impact, none of it makes any sense and I think it's going to be the undoing of this AB side.
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It could be worse, I guess.
I'm relieved that Ethan Blackadder and David Havili aren't there.
Luke Jacobson is the new coaches' favourite and lives a charmed life for someone who is made of glass and hardly world class. God knows, what Dalton Papalii has done to piss them off?
Those injury cover selections are a bit baffling, aren't they? Tevito Mafileo would be no where that high on my prop depth chart and why isn't he named as a new cap?
Finley Christie's continued selection is troubling. Kyle Preston offers something different, I guess but Folau Fakatava and Xavier Roe are better players. Weird that Josh Lord (who is injured) gets picked ahead of Sam Darry who isn't.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.
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if we accept that Vaai will continue at 6, then they have selected Finau and Parker to fight over the same bench minutes.
However what happens when Barrett is fit given the form of Patty T and Holland? They don't seem overly willing to go the 6-2 route, so you imagine that both Finau and Parker will become redundant at that point.The whole thing seems a but muddled
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.
And Gingers. Poor bugger, plays for the Blues and is a ranga. So brave.
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It could be worse, I guess.
I'm relieved that Ethan Blackadder and David Havili aren't there.
Luke Jacobson is the new coaches' favourite and lives a charmed life for someone who is made of glass and hardly world class. God knows, what Dalton Papalii has done to piss them off?
Those injury cover selections are a bit baffling, aren't they? Tevito Mafileo would be no where that high on my prop depth chart and why isn't he named as a new cap?
Finley Christie's continued selection is troubling. Kyle Preston offers something different, I guess but Folau Fakatava and Xavier Roe are better players. Weird that Josh Lord (who is injured) gets picked ahead of Sam Darry who isn't.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
Finley Christie's continued selection is troubling. Kyle Preston offers something different, I guess but Folau Fakatava and Xavier Roe are better players. Weird that Josh Lord (who is injured) gets picked ahead of Sam Darry who isn't.
Also , I certainly not convinced that either Fakatava or Roe are better players than Christie. Not really a Christie fan, but don't think the other 2 set the world on fire.. Fakatave struggles to get start with Hawkes Bay, and Roe has looked good at times for Chiefs, but also at times bloody ordinary. We really lose a lot with Roigard.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.
And Gingers. Poor bugger, plays for the Blues and is a ranga. So brave.
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.
And Gingers. Poor bugger, plays for the Blues and is a ranga. So brave.
So stunning and brave.
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Tevita Mafileo is a bolter.
He trained with the ABs in 2023, he was in the All Blacks XV in 2022 and the 2018 Under 20 squad, but I can't remember many people pushing for his inclusion with the ABs.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
Tevita Mafileo is a bolter.
He trained with the ABs in 2023, he was in the All Blacks XV in 2022 and the 2018 Under 20 squad, but I can't remember many people pushing for his inclusion with the ABs.
He never plays lol (exaggeration).
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
That's how desperate times are at 9 currently.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
That's how desperate times are at 9 currently.
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
Dalts dropped? Wild
Look who he plays for......
Same team as Christie?
That's how desperate times are at 9 currently.
It reflects a lack of courage by the selectors. Fakatava feeling no love
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Extremely hard to argue against an anti-Blues bias. Getting to the point that it will affect our ability to attract talent, as players with AB ambitions will look at the Cantab Coaches and wonder if they have to move to be picked.
Christie is only there as injury cover, and as soon as Barrett is back they'll boot Patrick who's playing fantastic.
Forget the drama around Sotutu, which shows the coaches in a poor light, not picking Dalton is pathetic.
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@Dan54 I thought he failed a HIA at the weekend.
https://twitter.com/rugby_scoop/status/1951569716788785570?s=46
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The tight five is the best thing about this ABs squad.
The loose forwards, halfbacks, and 13 are pretty inexperienced and the 10s are rocks and diamonds.
It will be a real challenge for this squad to win games in arguably the toughest opposition of the twenties across the three other RC teams.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
How the fuck did combover win so many SR titles?
Four of the loose forwards are effectively carbon copies of each other.
Richie McCaw. Dan Carter.
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
How the fuck did combover win so many SR titles?
Four of the loose forwards are effectively carbon copies of each other.
Richie McCaw. Dan Carter.
both left the saders before razors time.....
