All Blacks 2026
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I find it extremely hard to believe that the fastidious and professional David Kirk and his review panel would deliberately neglect to interview any Crusaders players in Robertson’s All Blacks squad. That would be ridiculous and would render the entire process redundant.
They would have interviewed as many people as they could within the camp, including the senior Crusaders players Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor.
All this silly talk about player power and rebel factions is also fanciful. Even from outside the AB environment it was evident the team and the coaching set-up was dysfunctional. When McDonald walked and then Jason Holland, it was clear things were going awry.
The manner of the losses, and the jammy nature of some of the close wins also tells you, to use Kirk’s word, that Robertson and his coaching panel were on the wrong ‘trajectory’.
The player interviews were really only about assessing the internal culture and formed part of a wider review. In that sense, the notion that Kirk and the panel were given a bum steer by Savea and others with an axe to grind defies common sense or awareness of how Kirk - a former All Black captain and world class business executive - operates.
The big question for me now is whether Jamie Joseph can rightly be seen as the inside favourite when his ‘running mate’ Tony Brown has admitted he is locked into the Boks contract till the World Cup.
Without Brown, I think Joseph looks far less compelling, leaving a possible combination of Schmidt , as director of rugby, Rennie, as head coach, and MacDonald and Ryan as assistants perhaps the best mix - assuming they are all available.
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@His-Bobness would potentially open the up to legal action too if the review wasnt conducted fairly.
Only way SB wasnt involved if he chose not to, which would probably be more damning cos wasnt he one of the ones that came out in support of Fozzie?
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@taniwharugby Precisely. We’re dealing with people’s livelihoods here. Governance and review processes have to be both rigorous and thorough. This is not the amateur hour that operated under Mark Robinson.
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Sumo on Sports nation
Inside scoop before any announcement was that it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case. They haven’t announced the new coach as yet, but Joseph is effectively the ONLY coach available, was seen in NZR prior to the announcement, with the Highlanders training disrupted as a result says they’re only waiting to do so to avoid the confirmation it was a hit job. Dame Patsy and RobINson’s atrocious mismanagement of the organisation is what’s played out here, and it’s all butt covering at Razors and the sides expense.
Stevenson believe him or not
I think this is were George got his info about no crusaders interviewed.
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@Chris lol come on mate. Joseph being the ONLY available coach… you really believe that?
Can also confirm with you that the Highlanders training being off that week was pre planned.
Razor isn’t the victim here. He contributed to the team being in the state it is. Accept it and move on.
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@Landers92 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris lol come on mate. Joseph being the ONLY available coach… you really believe that?
Can also confirm with you that the Highlanders training being off that week was pre planned.
Razor isn’t the victim here. He contributed to the team being in the state it is. Accept it and move on.
No I never said I believed it all as I know some of it is not true after speaking to people.
Just put it up for discussion I just copy and pasted the highlights.
Accept it and move on ? not an issue for me
I said you live and die by your results as a coach when the rumour came out he was sacked. -
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case.
This doesnt even make sense. Kirk was directly asked about Ardie and he responded. He didn't even name Beauden.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case.
This doesnt even make sense. Kirk was directly asked about Ardie and he responded. He didn't even name Beauden.
Didn’t say Sumo was right just put it up for people to see.
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Not to mention BB has probably benefited more than anyone from Razor being in charge, unless he thought he had played poorly and should have been dropped too?
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
Sumo on Sports nation
Inside scoop before any announcement was that it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case. They haven’t announced the new coach as yet, but Joseph is effectively the ONLY coach available, was seen in NZR prior to the announcement, with the Highlanders training disrupted as a result says they’re only waiting to do so to avoid the confirmation it was a hit job. Dame Patsy and RobINson’s atrocious mismanagement of the organisation is what’s played out here, and it’s all butt covering at Razors and the sides expense.
Stevenson believe him or not
I think this is were George got his info about no crusaders interviewed.
I though BB was team Razor?
Also, I tend not to believe Sumo, he once called me the C word on here.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
Sumo on Sports nation
Inside scoop before any announcement was that it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case. They haven’t announced the new coach as yet, but Joseph is effectively the ONLY coach available, was seen in NZR prior to the announcement, with the Highlanders training disrupted as a result says they’re only waiting to do so to avoid the confirmation it was a hit job. Dame Patsy and RobINson’s atrocious mismanagement of the organisation is what’s played out here, and it’s all butt covering at Razors and the sides expense.
Stevenson believe him or not
I think this is were George got his info about no crusaders interviewed.
I though BB was team Razor?
Also, I tend not to believe Sumo, he once called me the C word on here.
I was about to say Sumo is normally wrong but after your post mmmmmm
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case.
This doesnt even make sense. Kirk was directly asked about Ardie and he responded. He didn't even name Beauden.
Didn’t say Sumo was right just put it up for people to see.
Not criticising you - thanks very much for sharing the info
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
it was player led by Beauden and Ardie, and Kirk coming out and defending them specifically near guarantees that was the case.
This doesnt even make sense. Kirk was directly asked about Ardie and he responded. He didn't even name Beauden.
Didn’t say Sumo was right just put it up for people to see.
Not criticising you - thanks very much for sharing the info
Just thought It might have been an interesting talking point
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
Eddie Jones has waded in:
https://www.planetrugby.com/news/eddie-jones-offers-three-standout-theories-on-scott-robertsons-sacking-he-pays-the-price-for-new-zealand-rugbys-failings"Some things stand out to me. Firstly, we’ve spoken about the decline in New Zealand rugby since 2019, and their record against South Africa is less than 50 per cent,”
“There’s an ongoing trend in New Zealand rugby of which Scott Robertson is not in control of. He could have arrested it, but there’s probably a talent issue starting to arise in New Zealand, which they need to look at from a more holistic point of view. Sometimes the coach pays the price for that."
Makes a lot of sense AND Eddie explaining away his shit tenure with Japan
Both things can be true at the same time
