All Blacks 2025
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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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I’ve just watch Tupou Vaa’i put in some of the better back to back performances we’ve seen and Ardie Savea play great rugby back at openside, yet people are moaning about the loose forward mix?
Sititi was great last year, deservedly comes back in and gets a go at 8. Parker, who was everyone’s favourite bolter also comes in presumably as the backup 8.
Kirifi, who many wanted to be given a chance, is retained, and Lakai, who went past Papalii last year, and by most accounts is a very special player returns from injury.
Squabbling about Sotutu (and Akira Ioane!) is a waste of time. They want fetchers at 7, and Papalii isn’t that.
Jacobson possibly fortunate, but on paper he shapes as the last picked loosie anyway. This meltdown is crazy.
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@frugby since when does a few passing comments = a meltdown, wild take
@Kiwiwomble People are moaning for moaning sake - it’s boring. The loosies went well against France, and the only changes are the addition of Parker and Lakai.
Papalii was only ever there as cover, as I say they want a fetcher at 7, and he is not that. The things Papalii did well, don’t compliment the rest of the trio.
I think the big positive is the coaches have actually identified what they want each position to do, they clearly want a huge blindside who is a lineout option (Vaa’i, Parker & Finau), a fetcher at 7, and a ball playing eight.
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@Stag yep no overwhelming cantab bias this season. Last year social media did go into rage when Fihaki and Bell were around the team. Truth is Taylor, Williams, Newell, Barrett & Jordan obviously in our best 23. Preston gets in as cover ok but he's just cover. Reece well here's hoping 1 of the chiefs wingers can leap ahead of him
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Reminds me of the Wayne Smith ABs, and also the Mitchell Blacks. They tried to play fast and wide, but IIRC we were undone by teams that took us to task up the guts. If the Lions series suggested anything, it's the importance of the collision area and the breakdown (surprise surprise)
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If the coaches think Dalton Papalii isn't a fetcher, then coach him to be a fetcher. To dismiss him as "not a fetcher" shows a closed mindset.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
If the coaches think Dalton Papalii isn't a fetcher, then coach him to be a fetcher. To dismiss him as "not a fetcher" shows a closed mindset.
Perhaps they tried that last year when he was in the squad and it didn't take
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@Stag yep no overwhelming cantab bias this season. Last year social media did go into rage when Fihaki and Bell were around the team. Truth is Taylor, Williams, Newell, Barrett & Jordan obviously in our best 23. Preston gets in as cover ok but he's just cover. Reece well here's hoping 1 of the chiefs wingers can leap ahead of him
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The elephant in the room is we have 4 Chiefs loose forwards plus Vaa'i in the squad now and they failed to deliver in the quarter this year, the final this year, and multiple other finals over the last few years.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
The elephant in the room is we have 4 Chiefs loose forwards plus Vaa'i in the squad now and they failed to deliver in the quarter this year, the final this year, and multiple other finals over the last few years.
your focus it on wrong positions. we loss final because our reserve props struggled and our back three couldn't catch a bomb. the fact that two of the 3 back three are in this team is what you should be worried about.
