All Blacks 2025
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Timing is interesting since the backline looked like it had markedly improved in the Bledisloe Cup and frankly wasn't too bad versus the Boks, save for that second half in Wellington. It was terrible in Argentina ofc.
The defence is my overriding concern. It's too porous and prevents the ABs from being able to put teams away, even if they lead from the first minute to the last.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
Dave Rennie would be my choice for new backs coach.
I think Rennie would be a good option. It looks to me like the ABs need a stronger voice for their backline attack because right now they just seem incredibly unsure in both phase play and counter-attack. Rennie is a guy who could provide that. Whether he’s still a genuine candidate probably depends on his relationships within NZR, and whether things soured after the 2019-2020 selection procedure.
There are some good, young attack coaches around the world, with Sam Vesty (Northampton Saints), Noel McNamara (Union Bordeaux Bègles) and Tyler Bleyendaal (Leinster) probably being at the forefront of those. But none of them are particularly experienced and I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Another option might be Chris Boyd: he doesn’t have a lot of Test experience but he’s coached around the world and he’s an excellent attack coach, in my view. His teams typically have both an excellent attacking shape and mentality so he’d be a pretty good fit. He would also be an outside voice which could shake things up a bit, in a good way.
Or Wayne Smith could come back in, but I’m not sure he’d be interested in another fulltime gig. But he could really help with what has been a badly misfiring backline attack.
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
Ugh. The marketers have stolen our team
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@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
From my ignorant vantage point Razor seems too insecure to have strong personalities working under him. I've seen him in pressers get all defensive over questioning that wasnt all that hostile. He doesn't seem to like to be challenged so I can see how a senior and respected old hand like Wayne Smith works because he is laid back and not an uptight, A type personality therefore poses no threat to Razor.
I could be reading this all wrong but I feel like the reason Razor has these second rate coaches under him is cos anyone with more clout is going to unsettle him.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
Ugh. The marketers have stolen our team
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
Ugh. The marketers have stolen our team
Welcome to 2008.
They stole it a long time ago.
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Timing is interesting since the backline looked like it had markedly improved in the Bledisloe Cup and frankly wasn't too bad versus the Boks, save for that second half in Wellington. It was terrible in Argentina ofc.
The defence is my overriding concern. It's too porous and prevents the ABs from being able to put teams away, even if they lead from the first minute to the last.
@nonpartizan having had a couple of sessions with Rennie decades ago ( one being defence focused) and usually with a terrible memory, the learnings stuck in my head to this day. Extremely good communicator and enabler.
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
From my ignorant vantage point Razor seems too insecure to have strong personalities working under him. I've seen him in pressers get all defensive over questioning that wasnt all that hostile. He doesn't seem to like to be challenged so I can see how a senior and respected old hand like Wayne Smith works because he is laid back and not an uptight, A type personality therefore poses no threat to Razor.
I could be reading this all wrong but I feel like the reason Razor has these second rate coaches under him is cos anyone with more clout is going to unsettle him.
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
From my ignorant vantage point Razor seems too insecure to have strong personalities working under him. I've seen him in pressers get all defensive over questioning that wasnt all that hostile. He doesn't seem to like to be challenged so I can see how a senior and respected old hand like Wayne Smith works because he is laid back and not an uptight, A type personality therefore poses no threat to Razor.
I could be reading this all wrong but I feel like the reason Razor has these second rate coaches under him is cos anyone with more clout is going to unsettle him.
Based on his performance to date, I think he needs to be made to feel uncomfortable
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Two coaches leaving in the first season and a half of Razor's tenure.
Im happy to see some dust being kicked up, but the optics are appalling.
We are getting it wrong from the top down.
Now they all set off for Chicago with this elephant in the room.
This should have been done weeks ago so a new backs coach can bed in.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2025:
From the article. Money more important than excellence. Damning.
Given the results to date, the lack of silverware and the two dramatic coaching departures, history won’t be kind to the executive and high-performance regime that ran the process to appoint Robertson.
......, following the arrival of US fund manager Silver Lake as an equity partner, there was a stronger, commercial narrative being built around the All Blacks. Various influential figures within NZR are believed to have viewed Robertson as a more charismatic and engaging figure to have at the helm of the national team.
Robertson was effectively deemed more on brand than Foster, and the sort of engaging, accessible character that could win the All Blacks a new audience and serve as a better frontman for content hub NZR+ which would form the centrepiece of the commercial strategy.
Sounds like the plot line to ‘The Morning Show’ on Apple
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
From my ignorant vantage point Razor seems too insecure to have strong personalities working under him. I've seen him in pressers get all defensive over questioning that wasnt all that hostile. He doesn't seem to like to be challenged so I can see how a senior and respected old hand like Wayne Smith works because he is laid back and not an uptight, A type personality therefore poses no threat to Razor.
I could be reading this all wrong but I feel like the reason Razor has these second rate coaches under him is cos anyone with more clout is going to unsettle him.
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mauss said in All Blacks 2025:
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring in a young, inexperienced kind of guy into what feels like a very tense environment.
Tense? The AB Coaching set-up comes across as bloody poisonous
Bring in JJ and Rennie to act as a voice of reason compared to Razor's cadre of underqualified yes men
From my ignorant vantage point Razor seems too insecure to have strong personalities working under him. I've seen him in pressers get all defensive over questioning that wasnt all that hostile. He doesn't seem to like to be challenged so I can see how a senior and respected old hand like Wayne Smith works because he is laid back and not an uptight, A type personality therefore poses no threat to Razor.
I could be reading this all wrong but I feel like the reason Razor has these second rate coaches under him is cos anyone with more clout is going to unsettle him.
Robertson doesn’t want to work with some coaches and others don’t want to work with him. I think I’d find it hard to deal with a lot of his motivational speaker nonsense talk. Coaches with other options probably don’t buy into it.
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I'd love to know what he really is like as a coach, from the clips I have seen at training, he just seems to oversee things without being too directly involved, but I could and probably am totally incorrect.
The coaching answer is Schmidt or Rennie. Not another one of these yes man muppets -
@nonpartizan having had a couple of sessions with Rennie decades ago ( one being defence focused) and usually with a terrible memory, the learnings stuck in my head to this day. Extremely good communicator and enabler.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@nonpartizan having had a couple of sessions with Rennie decades ago ( one being defence focused) and usually with a terrible memory, the learnings stuck in my head to this day. Extremely good communicator and enabler.
So how is it best to hold a tackle bag?
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You got to wonder if holland has just tapped out because he feels out of his depth , and is getting out with a feeling of dignity before an inevitable sacking comes
@kiwiinmelb yeah kinda.think it was more a mutual thing, probably makes it easier to get a new gig than if he is forced out.
But hey, who knows, Razor obviously has a unique style that it would seem isnt to everyone's liking, if he was getting results, they'd just have to suck it up, but we arent, so things gotta change, and like Fozzie before him, the underlings are first to go.
But agree with someone above, seems daft to drag this out over the tour.
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Actually I do seriously remember about 3-4 years back reading an interview with Holland in Rugby News. In it he said one of reasons he left Canterbury set up, that he and Razor (although good mates) had different philosophies on coaching. Kind of rung a bell when he joined ABs.
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I'd love to know what he really is like as a coach, from the clips I have seen at training, he just seems to oversee things without being too directly involved, but I could and probably am totally incorrect.
The coaching answer is Schmidt or Rennie. Not another one of these yes man muppets@Darren said in All Blacks 2025:
I'd love to know what he really is like as a coach, from the clips I have seen at training, he just seems to oversee things without being too directly involved, but I could and probably am totally incorrect.
From Sam Whitelock's book.....
Without doubt Razor sees things differently. Here’s a story from our first year working together that sums him up perfectly. I had played massive minutes for the Crusaders and the All Blacks over the past few years, and my body was screaming at me.
A niggly Achilles would plague me for the rest of my career. Razor got me into his office and showed me a photo..... of a rooster leading a group of hens across a bridge. He pointed at the rooster and said, ‘This is you.’
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Where are you going with this one, Ray?’
‘If there’s something that needs doing, you’re the first one to do it. If there’s a drill that needs demonstrating, you’re first up and doing it. But I need this …’ Then he showed me another photo, and I saw a dog with three sheep in a little mob.
What Razor was showing me, in his inimitable style, was that he needed me to bark from behind.
