All Blacks 2026
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@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 Actually, adding a bit more. One person (I can’t remember who) posted on The Fern that Papalii allegedly threw a punch at Razor during the EOYT 2024. That wasn’t substantiated, and my source couldn’t confirm it. I personally highly doubt that's true.
What I can confirm is that coming into 2024, Papalii had been told he was firmly the No. 7 the All Blacks wanted, with Cane leaving. He came into camp, was asked to play a certain way, then was dropped after a handful of games and barely featured again in 2024. He was pretty frustrated with the communication, selection, and style of play. On top of that, someone along the line had apparently floated that he might be future captain material. So to go from “potential future captain” to being dropped with limited communication clearly put him offside.
Yeah not sure about that one, he did play in 2025 albeit very briefly.
Also he was more than likely pissed off his Super Rugby winning Blues loose forward teammates were on the outer too ?
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@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 Actually, adding a bit more. One person (I can’t remember who) posted on The Fern that Papalii allegedly threw a punch at Razor during the EOYT 2024. That wasn’t substantiated, and my source couldn’t confirm it. I personally highly doubt that's true.
What I can confirm is that coming into 2024, Papalii had been told he was firmly the No. 7 the All Blacks wanted, with Cane leaving. He came into camp, was asked to play a certain way, then was dropped after a handful of games and barely featured again in 2024. He was pretty frustrated with the communication, selection, and style of play. On top of that, someone along the line had apparently floated that he might be future captain material. So to go from “potential future captain” to being dropped with limited communication clearly put him offside.
It seemed the natural move, he does have concrete feet in traffic at times, but still plays very much in the way of current international 7s and was needed if we were to carry Ardie at 8 in his choose-to-get-involved-when-I-want style.
We have plenty of journos or sources to journos on here, so it's surprising to not have heard from the most accurate sources we have here yet.
I'm still with @taniwharugby, we may see an assistant go but Razor would need to walk IMO.
@SammyC, that was a fascinating post coming from one of the Canterbury-ish mafia, and hard to argue with, do you think he's signed up to Ben Darwin's 'data' that experience of playing together is the secret sauce?
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It's going to be a laugh when we all find out that Ian Foster started these rumors.
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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.
I hope you are right but I'd be surprised SA would let Brown go. This would do wonders for our backline and I'd be very interested in who Joseph would favour for forwards. I liked what he did with NZ XV forwards this year. Sounds too good to be true, actually.
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume the Highlanders will get razor in return for fucking our season?
It's Hammer time!
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:
Considered writing for a living Bob?
Writing for money? It's in his nickname.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume the Highlanders will get razor in return for fucking our season?
It's Hammer time!
surely we've suffered enough!
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@sparky 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?
Still playing for Toulon.
But as player/coach I thought..ok, I just read he is training as a coach there since about Feb...with some playing because he is still a legend.
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2026:
It's Hammer time!
surely we've suffered enough!
With Hammer's style of coaching I get the impression there was always more suffering around the corner..
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
One player has the reigns the other hates Hanson who has a lot of power in the group.
It sounds more personal than just a difference in tactics?
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@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2026:
given how keen they were to get him there in the 1st place.
And I'm keener to get rid of those guys than Razor!
And I think two of them have gone (Robinson/Anthony). -
@gt12 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 Actually, adding a bit more. One person (I can’t remember who) posted on The Fern that Papalii allegedly threw a punch at Razor during the EOYT 2024. That wasn’t substantiated, and my source couldn’t confirm it. I personally highly doubt that's true.
What I can confirm is that coming into 2024, Papalii had been told he was firmly the No. 7 the All Blacks wanted, with Cane leaving. He came into camp, was asked to play a certain way, then was dropped after a handful of games and barely featured again in 2024. He was pretty frustrated with the communication, selection, and style of play. On top of that, someone along the line had apparently floated that he might be future captain material. So to go from “potential future captain” to being dropped with limited communication clearly put him offside.
It seemed the natural move, he does have concrete feet in traffic at times, but still plays very much in the way of current international 7s and was needed if we were to carry Ardie at 8 in his choose-to-get-involved-when-I-want style.
The Dalton situation was the weirdest and hurt the ABs the most given the way our loosies have been getting bitch slapped around. He was always the obvious replacement to take over 7 and captaincy from Cane, and his form has absolutely warranted it as well. I'd love him to get the captaincy this year.
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Wow reading through all this it sounds like it is possible Scott Hanson has been fired and Scott Robertson has said 'if he goes I go' and David Kirk and co are working through possibilities of what that looks like.
I can live with Robertson getting fired but not if Jason Ryan, Ardie Savea and Beauden Barret carry on in their current positions.
I agree with a previous poster that said it was unacceptable no new players where selected on that EOYT but I would go further and say that generational athletes like H Sotutu and A Ioane where unnecessarily thrown on the scrap heap in a humiliating manner (whether or not they actually where bound for greatness) and lost to NZ rugby and maybe now to be followed by Dalton Papali'i is unacceptable. Jason Ryans head needs to roll also along with Savea who has been the crutch for supporting the destruction of our loose forward talent.
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@Frank Thats what i would like
JJ and Cotter (presuming to hard heads would work together) are NZ contracted so $ saved
Schmitt still has some Oz commitments but is finishing
Brown is other option but comes with a price to SAOutside of them ..Pat Lam
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
If I were NZR, I'd still look at Rennie pretty closely.
Rennie is a good bet for turning around an underperforming team in a short period of time.
Fair, he's a win now sort of coach, I'd back him in the lead up to 2027. If eyes are post RWC then I'd prefer a Schmidt type coach, blood juniors in crucial positions and build depth.
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@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 Actually, adding a bit more. One person (I can’t remember who) posted on The Fern that Papalii allegedly threw a punch at Razor during the EOYT 2024. That wasn’t substantiated, and my source couldn’t confirm it. I personally highly doubt that's true.
What I can confirm is that coming into 2024, Papalii had been told he was firmly the No. 7 the All Blacks wanted, with Cane leaving. He came into camp, was asked to play a certain way, then was dropped after a handful of games and barely featured again in 2024. He was pretty frustrated with the communication, selection, and style of play. On top of that, someone along the line had apparently floated that he might be future captain material. So to go from “potential future captain” to being dropped with limited communication clearly put him offside.
Don't forget about the headbutt
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
I can live with Robertson getting fired but not if Jason Ryan, Ardie Savea and Beauden Barret carry on in their current positions.
I agree with a previous poster that said it was unacceptable no new players where selected on that EOYT but I would go further and say that generational athletes like H Sotutu and A Ioane where unnecessarily thrown on the scrap heap in a humiliating manner (whether or not they actually where bound for greatness) and lost to NZ rugby and maybe now to be followed by Dalton Papali'i is unacceptable. Jason Ryans head needs to roll also along with Savea who has been the crutch for supporting the destruction of our loose forward talent.
Yep. You can get away with not picking the outstanding Super player of the year if your ABs are dominant without him... But if the ABs are then a bit shit, with our loose forwards regularly outplayed, that decision looks incredibly poor.
Ardie has turned into a poor man's David Pocock. Doesn't do enough other things, and with less turnover highlights (and more chip kicks).
BB seems like a nice guy who cares a lot about the ABs, but he's never really been a 1st 5, and he's old. The backline is simply far superior when he's not at 10. -
Don't mind Rennie, seems to build team spirit up nicely. Doubt it would be him though. And his Wallabies record would count against him.
