All Blacks 2026
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2026:
Wait what? Were you not in NZ at the time? They were a clusterfuck off the field. There's a number of player books from that era that provide examples. There was cliques and factions all over the place which was one of the first things the new coaches had to fix in 2004.
Yeah the likes of Mark Shaw. He was a complete DH at that time.
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@mohikamo It’s a real credit to the sleuthing skills in this group. Once we caught a whiff that something was there, everyone tapped into their own networks to piece the puzzle together. I think the critical mass of connections we have here is quite unrivaled.
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@kev said in All Blacks 2026:
Be interested to see what a Kirk led board will do with the shit sandwich that is the non performing Silver Lake deal. Having given away permanent ownership / revenue share you have to make it work somehow.
Kirk will definitely be able to deal with that shit sandwich better than any other person in NZ rugby, EVER!
If he cant get a good outcome, it aint possible. -
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2026:
I certainly get he wasn't exactly popular but that seems to pale in comparison to what I've heard on this thread about Razor.
It's close, but I think Mitchell is the winner.
Only cos I think Razor didn't really know what the fuck he was doin.
Mitchell and his assistants knew they were bein dicks, and didn't care.
But the ex-AB coach tag would have been enough to allow him to stay in the game and have some learnings in the last 20 years.
No way is he comin back tho, F that. -
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@Cyclops said in All Blacks 2026:
It still feels like a massive longshot that he ever gets the gig again though.
Won't happen. His supposed strengths are the very reason he got booted. This wasn't a case of not having unfamiliar skills - it's a complete grotesque failure of the very thing he was supposed to be best at.
It really puts into perspective the success the Crusaders setup has had .
Know it's unfair, but I have this nagging feeling NZR were conned.
I can see that argument, but what explains his success at the Crusaders?
Surely the guys that played under him there - Whitelock, S Barrett, Taylor in particular - would not have stood for him if he was a genuine conman?
Not sticking up for Razor here - the guy is clearly an intellectual midget with an over-inflated ego and looking at his AB stint in isolation, it's clear there's a bit of the chancer about him - but I just don't see how a genuine conman gets away with it for 7 years.
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@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
If using speed and skill was the basic strategy, I actually agree with that.
That would be fine if we had enough speed and skill - but we don't.
In fact, our biggest area of strength is the fat, slow blokes.
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@junior The Saders success indicates that Razor could achieve outstanding results when he had a monoculture to manage.
In fact, I have no doubt he was able to bring the players to the boil to the point where they felt they could run through brick walls.
I think he achieved that in first half of Ellis Park last year.
But it seems clear that the ABs have fractured into cliques and Razor was unable to unify them as ABs first and foremost.
And when the going got tough those splits came to the surface, most notably in Wellington.
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@junior said in All Blacks 2026:
That would be fine if we had enough speed and skill - but we don't.
Not right now.
But generally I think NZ will always have an edge in that area.
And it should be the first strategy.
Never guna beat England/France/Saffers consistently with just a power type game.Only Fiji can edge us in the speed and skill dept.
But we can deal with them in those other ways. -
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
Never guna beat England/France/Saffers consistently with just a power type game.
I'm not so sure. Ryan has developed a strong tight 5 who often dominated the above. The problem was doing it consistently.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
Ryan has developed a strong tight 5 who often dominated the above.
Yeah the best feature of the current outfit.
This is the easier part of the game to perfect tho; practice making perfect.If we could get some sort of speed and skill game going we'd become very difficult to roll.
But this is more difficult because it is more instinctive.I think Razor was maybe trying to achieve this (never really sure WTF he was trying to do); but failed miserably.
As for being conned; NZR bought it!
And now they've chucked it in the trash.
The guys who made that purchase should be looked at. -
Has Ralph ever coached?
Hammer has a track record of coming in and sorting out cultural issues, I am not saying he is the long term solution but he is a great short term band aid.
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If you want to take the piss with the Hammett references, you need the right image, such as:
Alongside something like 'Hammer time!'
However, if you seriously think a guy who has been coaching first XV rugby since 2021 is the right guy to take over the ABs, then well, I don't think you wanting him as the AB coach is your biggest problem.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@lak said in All Blacks 2026:
Hammer has a track record of coming in and sorting out cultural issues
If you're actually being serious, it'd be good to know what you're referring to and whether you mean successfully or disastrously.
Ignore the troll.
