All Blacks 2025
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On the high balls, my issue isn't so much with our ability to field opposition kicks, it's more about our ability to disrupt when chasing our own high balls. Jordie would obviously make a difference at the back defensively as he is world class under the high ball, but the way it's currently refereed it's not really a fair contest. The defender HAS to catch the high ball, whereas the chasers just have to get up and try it slap it back which is much easier to do. What frustrates me is we don't seem to exploit this the way other teams do. Every high ball we put up should have one player going up and disrupting, and 2 - 3 players waiting to pounce on the ball.
I do wonder if WR could look at implementing a law that states the chasing players has to actually make a genuine effort to catch the ball rather than just slapping it back, similar to the intercept where if it's not a genuine attempt to catch the ball, the knock on becomes a penalty. It does become a bit subjective, but the way teams just put it up and try and disrupt these days doesn't make for great viewing.
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
I do wonder if WR could look at implementing a law that states the chasing players has to actually make a genuine effort to catch the ball
Hmmm, the rugby league "Disruptor" rule.
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Christ on a bike, this moaning for moaning's sake is getting a bit silly. ABs should apparently either release no media, or only release media of fans popular problem areas, or special tactics.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Christ on a bike, this moaning for moaning's sake is getting a bit silly. ABs should apparently either release no media, or only release media of fans popular problem areas, or special tactics.
Yeah, this is just media/PR fluff.
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And just to advocate for the devil even more. One of the most commented on, frustrating things from the past few years is when we've very rarely seen the ABs absolutely dominate with their "up the middle", fast paced game played around the breakdown with offloads and quick ball, bodies in motion.
When it's been pulled out it's been devastating for opposition and it's extremely rarely used - I'm definitely not against seeing more of it.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
"up the middle", fast paced game played around the breakdown with offloads and quick ball, bodies in motion.In the club comp I foillowed this year (not an NZ one, but a huge amount of Kiwis in it) this was the basic strategy of all teams, all grades.
A great watch.
Going wide was the option play. Only after you had achieved the go-forward. -
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
"up the middle", fast paced game played around the breakdown with offloads and quick ball, bodies in motion.In the club comp I foillowed this year (not an NZ one, but a huge amount of Kiwis in it) this was the basic strategy of all teams, all grades.
A great watch.
Going wide was the option play. Only after you had achieved the go-forward. -
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
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@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
That's not a low percentage play. Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai throwing offloads 2cm above the ground is a low percentage play.
Great point, sounds like a winner.
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@Darren said in All Blacks 2025:
Comical how a short clip of a few guys practicing offloads is getting people so worked up.
Worked up for pointing out the complete stupidity of it considering all our other flaws in our core roles. You must think we're good at our core roles? Lol.
Lineout has regressed over the season, still can't take high balls, can't kick accurately, can't throw a straight lineout, can't kick chase, can't clean rucks effectively to play uptempo as everyone is saying we should do LOL.
But yeah, let's work on falling offloads.... Hopefully we're working on bounce passes next to keep our tempo!
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
That's not a low percentage play. Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai throwing offloads 2cm above the ground is a low percentage play.
Great point, sounds like a winner.
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
That's not a low percentage play. Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai throwing offloads 2cm above the ground is a low percentage play.
Great point, sounds like a winner.
What's the percentage of contestable box kicks being caught?
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@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
That's not a low percentage play. Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai throwing offloads 2cm above the ground is a low percentage play.
Great point, sounds like a winner.
What's the percentage of contestable box kicks being caught?
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:
Quite surprised by the amount of people that are keen for us to keep practicing low percentage plays. Hilarious.
Yeah true, shouldn't practice box kick reception at all, great point.
That's not a low percentage play. Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai throwing offloads 2cm above the ground is a low percentage play.
Great point, sounds like a winner.
What's the percentage of contestable box kicks being caught?
You tell me. Contestable box kicks aren't even about being caught lol. They're about forcing errors in the air. Especially against the All Blacks as they're shit under the high ball. Do you seriously think we are improving there?
But yeah, stuff catching high balls. Let's practice falling offloads!
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Christ on a bike, this moaning for moaning's sake is getting a bit silly. ABs should apparently either release no media, or only release media of fans popular problem areas, or special tactics.
I saw footage on the news of them passing, running and then tackling. Lets hope they surprise England this Saturday and don't do any of this.
Oh fucking hell. Hope like hell there wasn't any footage of them pushing in scrums otherwise we're completely fucked.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Christ on a bike, this moaning for moaning's sake is getting a bit silly. ABs should apparently either release no media, or only release media of fans popular problem areas, or special tactics.
I saw footage on the news of them passing, running and then tackling. Lets hope they surprise England this Saturday and don't do any of this.
Oh fucking hell. Hope like hell there wasn't any footage of them pushing in scrums otherwise we're completely fucked.
There was a pic of De Groot on the AB FB page showing his bandaged head. Clearly balancing the message and channelling their inner Colin Meads & Buck Shelford.
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@Darren said in All Blacks 2025:
Comical how a short clip of a few guys practicing offloads is getting people so worked up.
Worked up for pointing out the complete stupidity of it considering all our other flaws in our core roles. You must think we're good at our core roles? Lol.
Lineout has regressed over the season, still can't take high balls, can't kick accurately, can't throw a straight lineout, can't kick chase, can't clean rucks effectively to play uptempo as everyone is saying we should do LOL.
But yeah, let's work on falling offloads.... Hopefully we're working on bounce passes next to keep our tempo!
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
And just to advocate for the devil even more. One of the most commented on, frustrating things from the past few years is when we've very rarely seen the ABs absolutely dominate with their "up the middle", fast paced game played around the breakdown with offloads and quick ball, bodies in motion.
When it's been pulled out it's been devastating for opposition and it's extremely rarely used - I'm definitely not against seeing more of it.
Never understood why teams once they get momentum and a 1-2 phases of go forward decide to spin it wide, often with miss passes in midfield
The backs are lined up FFS
Far more productive to keep it straight, narrow and fast with quick drives, drops, and pick & gos
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
And just to advocate for the devil even more. One of the most commented on, frustrating things from the past few years is when we've very rarely seen the ABs absolutely dominate with their "up the middle", fast paced game played around the breakdown with offloads and quick ball, bodies in motion.
When it's been pulled out it's been devastating for opposition and it's extremely rarely used - I'm definitely not against seeing more of it.
Never understood why teams once they get momentum and a 1-2 phases of go forward decide to spin it wide, often with miss passes in midfield
The backs are lined up FFS
Far more productive to keep it straight, narrow and fast with quick drives, drops, and pick & gos
Yep. The aim should be to create space or mismatches before going wide. You need a half line break at least to have a set backline backpedalling enough for it to be useful - a gainline+ hit up or two is nowhere near sufficient in itself.
But if you can manipulate things - commit a few of the opposition backs to make tackles on forwards, re-align your backline while you're doing it to leave their forwards defending backs, or a small back defending someone like Sititi -those mismatches you're after and appropriate support runners, then you're in business. -
@No-Quarter I have a great solution that would get rid of contested kicking: You kick it and contest, the defending team can smash you in the air.
That would see a change in tactics.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter I have a great solution that would get rid of contested kicking: You kick it and contest, the defending team can smash you in the air.
That would see a change in tactics.
Outlaw attacking players contesting at all. Safer, less useful tactic, more attacking rugby.
Or when they're not trying to catch it and fuck it up, rule it a deliberate knock on and yellow card the fluffybunnies.
