All Blacks 2026
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Did anyone see the news about Mike Anthony, the head of high performance, quitting to go to a performance role in the English Premier League?
This thickens the plot even further as it was Anthony who had been tasked with carrying out the review of Robertson’s 2025 AB campaign.
Did the board find fault with his report? Anthony worked with Robertson at the Crusaders. Perhaps Kirk and the board rejected his review as a whitewash?
I think Razor and his crew are gone. Yes, the AB performances were underwhelming. But the real reason to clear out the coaches are the multiplying signs of real dysfunction in the coaching and management and selection set-up.
That dysfunction began almost as soon as Razor was appointed when Leon MacDonald walked out. Then you had Jason Holland getting out of his contract earlier with little explanation.
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see this is not a happy camp and that the problems are unlikely to get better without radical action.
Knowing David Kirk, he’s not one to linger in ripping off the plaster if it needs to be done. They could muddle through for another year under some stitched-up compromise, but does anyone seriously believe this will get any better?
The disastrous Mark Robinson era is over at the NZR. Razor’s appointment was symptomatic of that era, in which PR spin, image management and careerist politicking took precedence over substance and results.
The only real argument I can see against doing the deed now is that a new CEO has yet to be appointed. (Honestly, the management of NZ Rugby is a shambles.)
For now, though, a hard-headed, cool-eyed assessment of the past two years of drift and endless experimentation would suggest Razor will be packing his bags next week.
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@His-Bobness I agree. The results are what they are. The lack of progress and the seemingly toxic nature of Razor's tenure are the most concerning aspects. The guy and his team appear to be out of their depth when it comes to building a cohesive winning team with honesty, accountability, and unity. I'm increasingly convinced that nothing short of a full excision will suffice if we want to get back on the right track
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Anthony was covered in the CEO thread.
Your observations are spot on IMO.Anthony did the review; and then the guys (kirk/tricker/mealamu) that reviewed the review were probably not impressed.
That seems to have started a lot of gossiping that has ended up at the fern.
I'd say everything is on the table atm, up in the air so to speak, but doubt that anything has been finally decided.
Probably looking at the options.The second head has rolled tho, Anthony, left . . . real quick.
Robinson has gone; Anthony has gone; but there is still one other head I want, and it aint Razor.The business with Razor will be sorted, if not now, it will be in the middle of this season (in Japieland), one way or another.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2026:
@xman said in All Blacks 2026:
If all 3 Barrett brothers, Taylor, Jordan, McKenzie backs Robertson but Savea wants him sacked, what does NZR do? Savea would be the odd man out of that senior group. I doubt if less experienced players are dissatisfied that would sway NZR to sack Robertson. Savea alone won’t do it. It will have to be few of the senior players to turn on Robertson. Taylor, Jordan, Scott Barrett are all Crusaders so you would think they remain loyal to him. I’m skeptical the other 2 Barretts would go against their brother. Rieko and ALB are the other senior players but their position in the team is vulnerable.
You control the senior players, your job is safe. That’s how Foster stayed when his job was on the line. I suspect that’s one of the reasons why Robertson chose Scott Barrett as captain and his brother Jordie as vice captain because he couldn’t trust Savea as he was loyal to Foster. If shit hits the fan like now, Savea wouldn’t have the same loyalty. It’s the same in every office environment or politics.
If Savea’s coup fails, then that would be the end of his All Blacks career. No way Robertson would tolerate him. I doubt even the other senior players will trust him. Once the trust is gone, it’s impossible to repair.
The thing about Savea is, is that he is extremely popular with the public. It would be a PR disaster if he was ousted out of all of this.
And it's clearly not one player causing all the problems and we'd all be hunky-dory if he left.
Yeah, it's strange how this whole saga has now morphed into Savea vs the Barrett brothers over Razor's retention. Other than Scott, why is the assumption automatically that the Barrett's are all aligned? Because Beaudy run's training? Maybe he decided to take some initiative at training because he thought that Hansen is an idiot - and maybe Razor thought that was great because Beaudie has heaps of mana and experience and he wants to empower the team. None of that would mean that Beaudie thinks Razor and / or Hansen are not problems.
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@junior I tend to agree. While I can see a scenario where Reiko, Dalts, ALB and a few other players who haven’t got a look in under Razor kick up a stink, I think Savea’s name being thrown around as the ringleader is telling - and it shifts this from ‘I’m upset at not getting picked’, to ‘he’s lost the room’.
I can’t imagine a scenario where he does that alone, or without at least a few other senior players who are also getting game time support him. In fact Beaudy may be running trainings because Razor has lost the room, and Beaudy is trying to put the team first.
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@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@junior I tend to agree. While I can see a scenario where Reiko, Dalts, ALB and a few other players who haven’t got a look in under Razor kick up a stink, I think Savea’s name being thrown around as the ringleader is telling - and it shifts this from ‘I’m upset at not getting picked’, to ‘he’s lost the room’.
I can’t imagine a scenario where he does that alone, or without at least a few other senior players who are also getting game time support him. In fact Beaudy may be running trainings because Razor has lost the room, and Beaudy is trying to put the team first.
I haven't seen anything to suggest that Savea is the ringleader of anything other than @xman's speculative post about a split between the Crusaders (plus BB and JB) and the rest of the team lead by Ardie. The only other thing in the thread about Savea is @george33's post that Savea won't play again for this coaching group - no mention of any other players being involved in that all.
I am no fan of Savea, and I want him gone (at least from the staring XV), but to suggest that he's forcing NZR and his teammates into a "me or Razor" situation is just wild speculation based on nothing at this stage.
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
Did the board find fault with his report? Anthony worked with Robertson at the Crusaders.
Sounds like a conflict of interest to me.
Knowing David Kirk, he’s not one to linger in ripping off the plaster if it needs to be done.
Good medical reference!
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@george33 said in All Blacks 2026:
My source came back and said coaches will be told this but no official announcement until new coaches are signed on he's hearing Joseph and Brown .That's all he's hearing. How it plays out have to wait and see.
The coaches will be told what?
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@junior
told they are goooorn
yeah feels like they are trying to get the alternates lined up.
Joseph/brown would be my most favoured option right now if they are going for a full clear out
Heaps of OE
Joseph definitely not a huggy.brown and razor will cost them; but maybe not the rest so much.
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I hope the rumours are true.
The final straw for me was the end of year tour when they didn't pick a single new player in the squad.
Reece, Leinert-Brown, Christie, Jacobson and others were a complete waste of time. The public would a accept the losses if you were picking and developing young guys.
I've posted on here before (usually some dickhead calls me out about not posting my source) that it's pretty common knowledge that Razor has no interest in building depth past the next world cup.
He’s all about his own legacy and wants to win the world cup with NZ and then go and win it with England or
someone else. Becoming the first coach to win it with 2 different countries.He's obviously got some metric where you need "x number of experienced test players do it"
The problem with that is that those players should actually deserve their place, not just be there because experience.
I would have picked Pledger, Tangitau and Lucas Casey in the squad... all look like future greats to me.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
Still playing for Toulon.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
More than Piri.
Doing choice Manus off the pier in Eastbourne takes up a lot of time.
Poor old Razor, under the pump like this and we’re only half way through January. What a difference a couple of years makes……where are all his gushy, matey docos now ?
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@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@junior
told they are goooorn
yeah feels like they are trying to get the alternates lined up.
Joseph/brown would be my most favoured option right now if they are going for a full clear out
Heaps of OE
Joseph definitely not a huggy.brown and razor will cost them; but maybe not the rest so much.
I find JJ somewhat hard to judge, as experience seems to me to have been more in taking lesser teams to play above themselves, rather than maintaining excellence and consistency. Nevertheless he speaks plainly and well, and makes sense when he talks - which is a big improvement in itself.
If I were NZR, I'd still look at Rennie pretty closely. -
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
Coach? Pffft...get him back in the 12 jersey.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
Coach? Pffft...get him back in the 12 jersey.
Given he appears to have freakish longevity, an incredible legacy and some underwhelming alternatives I fully support this
Jordie can go to fullback or join the rest of his brothers out to pasture.
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
But the real reason to clear out the coaches are the multiplying signs of real dysfunction in the coaching and management and selection set-up.
I hate it when people make my point better than I do ...
Considered writing for a living Bob?
