All Blacks 2025
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@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@restofit said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Papali'i & Darry should be there over Finau & Lord... but we don't pick Blues with this coaching setup.
Monstered the Chiefs in the 1/4s missing 2 abs and took Crusaders to 86 mins in the Semi.
Razor must think Cotter is a coaching demi-god considering their clinical performances in the playoffs 2024 & 2025 with barely any test quality players!
Well, if we picked those two guys, there would be 7 Blues in the squad and 8 Crusaders.
We won the competition and you guys lost nine games.
Its not about Blues vs Crusaders. There should be more of both. There's too many Chiefs and Canes.
There's always too many Canes and Chiefs.
But, if the Fern majority got their way, who gets dropped?
Beauden, Christie, ALB, Sevu, Kirifi and Finau.
For something like: Jacombe, Pledger, Ennor, Tangitau, Papali'i, Flanders
There's less Blues and the same number of Crusaders.
I'd prefer the frst group of players - mainly because Beaudy is a significantly better option than Jacombe at present. Pledger looks like he'll be a much better player than Christie in due course, but he's really just broken out in NPC. Ennor, meh. Tangitau, apparently not. Paps - yes for me, but Ardie will start. Flanders - haven't watched him to see if he can sit convincingly in the stand with Luke Jacobson.
My real point is - many of you Blues guys seem to see a massive conspiracy, where there's really just a few line calls gone against you.
Actually, Lord vs Darry could be added to the above set to bring you to parity, but for me that one is a coin toss, where they can't pick both - and if Vaa'i were fit they'd pick neither.
Edit: And a minute later they're both in - but, I'd rather have Patrick.
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
My real point is - many of you Blues guys seem to see a massive conspiracy, where there's really just a few line calls gone against you.
Our best performing 10 is gone. Our 6 (arguably best 6 in the comp) is gone. Our 8 (player of the year) looks like he is going. Our 7, another ex-AB, won't get picked. They talk about getting big men but Peter Dinklage has more hope of being picked as an AB loose forward.
Who does get picked? Christie and BB. Two players I can't remember any Blues supporter on here demanding to get picked. 3, if you add Stephen ('even Ethan Blackadders's tougher than me') Perofeta. Ok, he played ok when picked but I think even ardent Blues fans were surprised.
Darry was a good one but picked out of necessity.
So our loose trio, finally well-balanced and arguably the best combo in the tournament, has been eviscerated, with the top performers packing their bags overseas.
Not a conspiracy, but not a great state of affairs.
I was confident that Razor would be more inventive and innovative than Foster. I'm not saying he's worse, but, without the help of someone like Schmidt, I can't say he's clearly a step forward. His selections are just as conservative, the team has no plan B, the bench is usually a chaotic step down, and they don't seem to learn from match 1 to 2. It's hard to rate their performance against the Wallabies, who looked better coached, because the Wallabies still lack a 'head'. But what is clear to me is that the only silver lining in NOT picking Blues forwards is it might help them keep their edge. Too many players plateau or worsen once they are regularly picked for the ABs. Newell is a noteworthy exception.
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@frugby @SouthernMann, that makes sense and fair call then.
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Paul Cully has written quite a good article on the Post about selections. We are all quick to ask for new players, but not all the new boys have been raging successes.
19 Debutants in the last two years, and most of those have failed to make an impact.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Sam Darry in to AB squad, Patrick Tuipulotu out with shoulder injury needing surgery.
Phew! That's an easy solution to keep the Blues quota!
You haven't got many in the AB XV either.
@Chris said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Sam Darry in to AB squad, Patrick Tuipulotu out with shoulder injury needing surgery.
Phew! That's an easy solution to keep the Blues quota!
You haven't got many in the AB XV either.
Is this a Chris B/Chris rope a dope fishing expedition? He keeps tell me we are conspiracy theorists, you keep pointing out to me the lineups!
Look, the Blues have fallen away, some of our best have left, I get that. I am however in the unenviable position of wondering if being called into the national team under these coaches is actually good for the players. While being called into the XV-it didn't look to me like playing well there (let alone 'possessed') was an effective way of getting into the ABs!
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I dont see then issues with Ennor, probably playing some of his better rugby, still looked quick in super this year, id have included Lam over Havili or McLeod, so much looking backward, are we developing players or topping up thier retirement funds for a number of them? (harsher than it is meant to be)
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Hookers: Brodie McAlister, Jack Taylor, Bradley Slater
Props: George Dyer, Josh Fusitua, Benet Kumeroa, Siale Lauaki, Xavier Numia
Locks: Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Josh Beehre, Isaia Walker-Leawere
Loose forwards: Kaylum Boshier, Devan Flanders, Te Kamaka Howden, Christian Lio-Willie, Dalton Papali’i, Sean Withy
Halfbacks: Folau Fakatava, Kyle Preston, Xavier Roe.
First five-eighths: Josh Jacomb, Rivez Reihana
Midfielders: Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Dallas McLeod, Daniel Rona
Outside backs: Chay Fihaki, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Caleb Tangitau
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Jamie Joseph exercising self interest to ready Pledger for the Landers.
We've got two years to get Dylan World Cup-ready. He should be playing introductory International rugby this November.
@Wurzel said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Jamie Joseph exercising self interest to ready Pledger for the Landers.
We've got two years to get Dylan World Cup-ready. He should be playing introductory International rugby this November.
So Joseph does have some selection sway?!
[In reference to other posters] I find it hard to believe he doesn't have influence over selection to some extent. He doesn't strike me as a pushover type of guy! -
Good to see another Chiefs 6/8 make the cut.
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Kumeroa - do they see him as a LH or TH?
Who got the call after the Darry promotion? My guess is Boshier.
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Kumeroa - do they see him as a LH or TH?
Who got the call after the Darry promotion? My guess is Boshier.
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@Bovidae suppose this is indicative Kumeroa’s finally got a super rugby gig for next year. Wonder if it’s at the Landers?
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@Bovidae suppose this is indicative Kumeroa’s finally got a super rugby gig for next year. Wonder if it’s at the Landers?
@handa457 said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Bovidae suppose this is indicative Kumeroa’s finally got a super rugby gig for next year. Wonder if it’s at the Landers?
Ma’u is out injured and will have been named. If Kumeroa has picked up a gig at the landers that would be great
