All Blacks 2026
-
-
@Tim said in All Blacks 2026:
The Herald understands feedback from players and staff presents a deeply concerning picture of the All Blacks environment, with multiple sources pointing to widespread internal frustrations.
Two assistant coaches, Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland, voluntarily departing in the last two years sparked red-flag concerns with how the All Blacks are being run. But the fresh, stinging feedback from within – with communication, trust, strategy and selection all believed to have been raised – cannot be ignored.
All teams have unhappy players with selection, but concerns with the All Blacks environment are believed to spread well beyond individuals alone.
Support from senior players proved powerful in Ian Foster retaining his position as All Blacks head coach in 2022 – as the players approached then NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson in his Johannesburg hotel room to strongly voice their views.
This time around, the opposite could be true.
At this stage, NZ Rugby is likely to allow Robertson further time to deliver significant improvements but if the players aren’t satisfied with the initial post-season All Blacks review findings and solutions – which could range from changes in coaching personnel to roles and responsibilities – they may request a second review is conducted.
Depends who’s doing the complaining right? We can’t have a cake and eat it too. If it’s Barrett, Savea etc complaining, then who gives a fuck what they’ve got to say. If they’re whinging surely it’s a good thing. If it’s the same leadership group sucking lemons on the field, they can go too
-
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris can you elaborate on the Papalii turning down a Black Jersey story? First I'm hearing of it.
I know nothing about that rumour someone posted that on the fern .
I have seen nothing about if or heard anything about Papalli turning down a AB chance.
It seems a bit of a stretch to me. -
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
It's also not a candidate's job to present themselves as 'might not be as good as my record shows', it's up to the people doing the hiring to figure that out.
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
So . . . the people that hired him need to be looked at. -
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
can you elaborate on the Papalii turning down a Black Jersey story? First I'm hearing of it.
The rumour is that Papalii was asked to train with the AB squad, while with the ABXV squad in England at the end of the year . . . and said no thanks, I'm staying with the ABXV squad.
-
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
It's also not a candidate's job to present themselves as 'might not be as good as my record shows', it's up to the people doing the hiring to figure that out.
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
So . . . the people that hired him need to be looked at.The guy that hired him resigned after he'd fucked NZR by getting into bed with Silverlake....
-
-
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
can you elaborate on the Papalii turning down a Black Jersey story? First I'm hearing of it.
The rumour is that Papalii was asked to train with the AB squad, while with the ABXV squad in England at the end of the year . . . and said no thanks, I'm staying with the ABXV squad.
Also worth noting that this came from the most accurate rumour poster on TSF and then was backed up another very accurate poster
-
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
-
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
can you elaborate on the Papalii turning down a Black Jersey story? First I'm hearing of it.
The rumour is that Papalii was asked to train with the AB squad, while with the ABXV squad in England at the end of the year . . . and said no thanks, I'm staying with the ABXV squad.
Also worth noting that this came from the most accurate rumour poster on TSF and then was backed up another very accurate poster
Neither of whom have any reason to stir up shit, neither are partizans.
-
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
-
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
So did Hammett apparently....
-
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
It's pretty obvious why he'd be picked: absolutely excellent Super rugby coaching results. I don't think it is valid to say that marketing had become more important than results to NZR and that's why he got the job - he had the bloody results, that was literally the strongest argument in his favour.
It's the powerpoint presentations which should have countered that - and that's on the people doing the hiring. Every time he opens his mouth seems like a red flag to me.
-
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
It's pretty obvious why he'd be picked: absolutely excellent Super rugby coaching results. I don't think it is valid to say that marketing had become more important than results to NZR and that's why he got the job - he had the bloody results, that was literally the strongest argument in his favour.
It's the powerpoint presentations which should have countered that - and that's on the people doing the hiring. Every time he opens his mouth seems like a red flag to me.
Nah. The people who hired him wanted someone who looked like a winner at international level - plus he was fresh and "different". They knew he was untested at international level but that was an inconvenience to be ignored.
-
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
can you elaborate on the Papalii turning down a Black Jersey story? First I'm hearing of it.
The rumour is that Papalii was asked to train with the AB squad, while with the ABXV squad in England at the end of the year . . . and said no thanks, I'm staying with the ABXV squad.
Dalton Papalii has a bloody good book in the making.....or at least a nice long stuff article.
Judging by how unbalanced the loosies have been this year his "snubbing" makes Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu look like sensible omissions.
-
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
It's pretty obvious why he'd be picked: absolutely excellent Super rugby coaching results. I don't think it is valid to say that marketing had become more important than results to NZR and that's why he got the job - he had the bloody results, that was literally the strongest argument in his favour.
It's the powerpoint presentations which should have countered that - and that's on the people doing the hiring. Every time he opens his mouth seems like a red flag to me.
Nah. The people who hired him wanted someone who looked like a winner at international level - plus he was fresh and "different". They knew he was untested at international level but that was an inconvenience to be ignored.
There simply are not going to be candidates who are tested and a proven success at tier one international level on any sort of regular basis.
-
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
The thing is, I think the people that hired him knew exactly what they were getting.
A marketing man's dream?
The problem I have with this argument is that he's absolutely not. He's barely coherent in an interview.
Does bloody great PowerPoint presentations though, apparently.
It's pretty obvious why he'd be picked: absolutely excellent Super rugby coaching results. I don't think it is valid to say that marketing had become more important than results to NZR and that's why he got the job - he had the bloody results, that was literally the strongest argument in his favour.
It's the powerpoint presentations which should have countered that - and that's on the people doing the hiring. Every time he opens his mouth seems like a red flag to me.
Nah. The people who hired him wanted someone who looked like a winner at international level - plus he was fresh and "different". They knew he was untested at international level but that was an inconvenience to be ignored.
I also think there was an element of trying to keep the fans onside and being worried about the public reaction if they didn’t install him as coach and let him coach another international team .
He was the popular choice by a long way by the masses and everyone was very vocal about it ,
