All Blacks 2025
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.You make some good points. But he played a significant part in the way that backline operated, and he was important to their winning season. And as you said you can only think. If Razor had given him a run perhaps we might have known if he was up to it or not
That is half my point though: you can't expect to become an incumbent AB based on one genuinely pretty good season. A frankly fucking amazing season like Hoskins had wasn't enough to even make the squad.
If you choose to leave at that point rather than back it up and press your claim, that's on you.Perhaps he saw he had no shot, and took the money. I could understand, DMac arguably outplayed BB last season and he can't get a start
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
Perhaps he saw he had no shot, and took the money
Exactly. He got 2 mins under Razor all on defence and only got that because Beauden came down with an illness in the days leading up to the game. He knew he had no shot.
-
Personally feel like Plummer didn’t get a shot, because it was quite clear he didn’t have the tools to go any further than he had shown.
He was limited - and I think Reihana sits more in this camp.
One could argue Love and Jacomb possess the X-Factor skills that mean they could be a long-term solution, but one seems to favour fullback at every turn, and the other has yet to be consistent at Super Rugby level.
Leaves the coaches still with DMac and Barrett - and I personally think neither is up to the task, but for all the criticism of BB last night, I encourage people to watch the game again, because there was 3-4 moments of quality in key moments, that in my opinion DMac is not capable of doing.
It’s a tough conundrum, because at the end of the day every option is floored, so whoever they select will look like the wrong option.
-
Bit left field but I wouldn’t mind seeing Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens on one wing once he’s fully fit post injury. Hes very good under the high ball and has a great skill set. IMO the ABs have always looked best with one hybrid wing/full back on one wing
-
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
-
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
The reserve lock becomes a bit of a useless position now with Pat not there. Lord and Holland are more starters than impact of the bench. Handy if there's an early injury, but their roles don't really suit making an instant impact off the bench.
I hope to see Jordan pushed out wide and McKenzie at the back.
-
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
The reserve lock becomes a bit of a useless position now with Pat not there. Lord and Holland are more starters than impact of the bench. Handy if there's an early injury, but their roles don't really suit making an instant impact off the bench.
I hope to see Jordan pushed out wide and McKenzie at the back.
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
-
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
Im sure he is.
-
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
-
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
So Taylor will be out for Springboks II. We will have to bring in another hooker into the squad.
Will Patty T be back? We only used Holland very late in the piece given how well our starting locks were playing. I think if Patty was available and with his impact, we may have seen a change earlier to one of our loosies.
Narawa will almost certainly be out.
Sititi copped a bad knock, but passed his HIA. They’ll be keeping an eye on him for any delayed symptoms.
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
The reserve lock becomes a bit of a useless position now with Pat not there. Lord and Holland are more starters than impact of the bench. Handy if there's an early injury, but their roles don't really suit making an instant impact off the bench.
I hope to see Jordan pushed out wide and McKenzie at the back.
@African-Monkey as you say they need insurance as well as impact if a starting lock go down in the first minute of play.
-
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
Im sure he is.
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
Im sure he is.
Failed an HIA in the loss to Auckland last week.
-
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
-
Beaudens best game this year imo was France I in Dunedin..... Flawless goalkicking and pretty good distribution without a ton of inaccurate kicking from hand ..
I wonder to what extent that was a function of DMac playing the whole game. I think the backline went well that game because with DMac, Jordan and Jordie on the pitch there was enough playmaking and footballing skill for Beauden to be more of a facilitator.
I wouldn't have minded seeing Beauden and DMac both start a test match since then because I think the backline has been pretty pedestrian since.
Either way Dmac has been under used this year by Razor and co. He needs more minutes.
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks 2025:
Beaudens best game this year imo was France I in Dunedin..... Flawless goalkicking and pretty good distribution without a ton of inaccurate kicking from hand ..
I wonder to what extent that was a function of DMac playing the whole game. I think the backline went well that game because with DMac, Jordan and Jordie on the pitch there was enough playmaking and footballing skill for Beauden to be more of a facilitator.
I wouldn't have minded seeing Beauden and DMac both start a test match since then because I think the backline has been pretty pedestrian since.
Either way Dmac has been under used this year by Razor and co. He needs more minutes.
It was because Roigard was playing more than any other reason. Roigard controlled a lot of the game -
-
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
Im sure he is.
Failed an HIA in the loss to Auckland last week.
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Bell will obviously come in to cover.
Aumua injured? (Haven't been following.)
Im sure he is.
Failed an HIA in the loss to Auckland last week.
Thanks for that, haven't kept up with NPC but just assumed he was out long term.
-
Sorry just come back on here to see if you’re all still sacking the coach.
-
Sorry just come back on here to see if you’re all still sacking the coach.
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Sorry just come back on here to see if you’re all still sacking the coach.
Your team plays poorly, the coach usually gets criticised especially as ABs coach. It's how it goes.
You guys in Chch should know this. You spent 4 years trying to get Foster and Cane sacked.
-
Sorry just come back on here to see if you’re all still sacking the coach.
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Sorry just come back on here to see if you’re all still sacking the coach.
Pleasing result - hopefully flows through to the rest of the TRC. 2 more huge home games to come this month.
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
He's also excellent under the high ball - was one of the best in the country.
-
Credit to Robertson. His team won the biggest game of the year for us.
I'm still not convinced about the backline coaches and I am worried that there are going to be two or three more defeats to come this year.
But in terms of winning our biggest game since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he gets a tick.
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
What I found infuriating was we never saw whether his skillset could translate to Test rugby. We've become enamoured with 10s who "break games apart" rather than execute with consistency and are well-rounded enough that they keep defences honest whilst providing good, timely service to their outsides.
He played a season (or enough of one) to look good with a gameplan that sought to dominate in the forwards. Surely that's a capacity we want to see from our game managers - keep the ball in front of our forwards and give it to the backs when opportunity provides?
Instead I feel Razor's messaging in the media is for a 10 that waits until he can be in a position to exploit an opportunity himself. At least that's my impression.
Personally I want a 10 that decides quickly if there's opportunity for his outsides to do something and give them the opportunity or keep the ball in front of his forwards. Your 10 doesn't have to be the superstar.
-
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:
@KiwiMurph It's a bit poor to just turn up for the cash.
I would have picked Plummer last year instead of Perofeta, but he still would have been third choice. In my mind he's David Hill.
Reihana is promising, but doesn't look test ready.
I don't buy that these guys were/are the missing links.
DMac or Beaudy is the question - until the second coming!
If Plummer had been staying I would have picked him over Beauden at 10 for the Blues, and he was more successful.
I don't think he is/was the answer at AB level, he had one good year then fucked off - and it's not like his individual brilliance won that title.Plummer is actually a good option in a game like yesterday. He runs more direct, is a more physical tackler and is better at securing ball it the breakdown. These are requirements in the modern game for a 10.
His option taking is also better than both BB and Mckenzie.
What I found infuriating was we never saw whether his skillset could translate to Test rugby. We've become enamoured with 10s who "break games apart" rather than execute with consistency and are well-rounded enough that they keep defences honest whilst providing good, timely service to their outsides.
He played a season (or enough of one) to look good with a gameplan that sought to dominate in the forwards. Surely that's a capacity we want to see from our game managers - keep the ball in front of our forwards and give it to the backs when opportunity provides?
Instead I feel Razor's messaging in the media is for a 10 that waits until he can be in a position to exploit an opportunity himself. At least that's my impression.
Personally I want a 10 that decides quickly if there's opportunity for his outsides to do something and give them the opportunity or keep the ball in front of his forwards. Your 10 doesn't have to be the superstar.
@antipodean case in point, when BB spun the ball wide in a timely manner Tupaea scored. But it's more the exception than the rule. And all those dinky kicks, the opposition see through that stuff. Whereas the one time BB went for the 50/22 and whadya know.....
