All Blacks 2026
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@taniwharugby i feel it lowers the chance of it being Brown though unless he's outright playing games with his statement
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@taniwharugby that's my thinking NZR already made the call .
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
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obvious preface with "I don't really know i can only comment on what i saw from my couch" but it looked to me like there were two very different parts of the Razor reign.
The team started 2024 playing flat out at all costs, DMac touched the ball damn near every phase, including kick return. Then after that Aus win that was closer than it should have been Razor rissoled DMac and reinstated BB.
At that point i think we saw a complete change in teh way we play. We reverted to a 10 standing in the pocket shovelling the ball, forwards started playing as first receiver (like we had been doing for ages) and we kicked a shitload more. Does this coincide with BB also taking over training and setting up a "pattern" he was far more comfortable operating? I don't know. -
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
That's what makes the whole episode so bizarre. Razor gets the job he covets, then departs from everything that seemed to underpin his success up to that point
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
That's what makes the whole episode so bizarre. Razor gets the job he covets, then departs from everything that seemed to underpin his success up to that point
Maybe he does just let the senior players he has dictate the style of play and sticks to motivating. I imagine Sam Whitelock would want to play a different way to Beauden Barrett.
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@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
That's what makes the whole episode so bizarre. Razor gets the job he covets, then departs from everything that seemed to underpin his success up to that point
Maybe he does just let the senior players he has dictate the style of play and sticks to motivating. I imagine Sam Whitelock would want to play a different way to Beauden Barrett.
Just seems odd
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@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
That's what makes the whole episode so bizarre. Razor gets the job he covets, then departs from everything that seemed to underpin his success up to that point
Maybe he does just let the senior players he has dictate the style of play and sticks to motivating. I imagine Sam Whitelock would want to play a different way to Beauden Barrett.
also, maybe a team thats been building together through a full preseason etc forms a cohesive gameplans semi organically.....where as those same players rock up to much shorter international camps all with ideas of what works...and razor is unprepared to pick one....so kind of just says yes to it all
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@mariner4life I had the same read. Think they were actually heading in the right direction and then Razor got scared.
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Thats the point. They were trying to but it failed because the players he picked weren't suited to that approach
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2026:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Absolutely not. What Crusaders team has a loose forward attempting chip kicks in front of his own posts?
That's what makes the whole episode so bizarre. Razor gets the job he covets, then departs from everything that seemed to underpin his success up to that point
Maybe he does just let the senior players he has dictate the style of play and sticks to motivating. I imagine Sam Whitelock would want to play a different way to Beauden Barrett.
also, maybe a team thats been building together through a full preseason etc forms a cohesive gameplans semi organically.....where as those same players rock up to much shorter international camps all with ideas of what works...and razor is unprepared to pick one....so kind of just says yes to it all
He does seem like the sort of coach who would let players ‘express themselves’, ‘back their instincts’ and ‘play their natural game.’
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Thats the point. They were trying to but it failed because the players he picked weren't suited to that approach
Trying to? Then why did he pick looser players instead of DP, and even Hoskins who had both demonstrated they could win playing a forward dominated game? Akira too
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@george33 said in All Blacks 2026:
@george33 And I'm hearing that Leon McDonald will be involved obviously not head coach tho.
Whaaattt!!
Pigeon amongst the cats! -
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
Was what we got actually Crusaders rugby? I don't recall our forward pack being anywhere near as physical as the Saders packs of my memory. I also seem to recall Saders teams playing with more structure, something we can't accuse this latest ABs team of
Thats the point. They were trying to but it failed because the players he picked weren't suited to that approach
or maybe overseas teams have greater depth in tough physically imposing forwards?
