All Blacks 2026
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@Biorealism said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2026:
have to think someone like Mealamu who is obviously fairly close to things still would be well aware if one or two players are gettign too big for themselves and pull them back into line or be equally as keen to push them out the door if they are contributing to a toxic environment.
PLenty of these older players will be hurting from the past 5 or 6 years, regardless of Marshall being a twat, the issues he has had in the public eye with Akira stem from his love of the jersey and seeing it devalued, and probably like most, frustrated that someone as talented as Akira never quite turned that final corner and realised the immense talent he possessed.
Marshall was quite adamant that Razor was doing an ok job as coach, wasn't he?
I seem to recall Marshall becoming increasingly critical of the way the ABs were performing. But he drew the line at criticising Razor. Goldie and to a lesser extent Mils were also increasingly vocal. I suppose they weren't overly surprised when he got the chop, although they acted like they were. Maybe because no one had ever been fired mid cycle before?
I thought that too although then remembered Wayne Smith got replaced by John Mitchell mid WC cycle in 2001. Although in that case Smith may have only been on a two year contract (?) although it was expected he would be reappointed.
IIRC Smith went into his offseason review and basically questioned whether he was the right man for the job. The board read that as he was not the guy they wanted to run the ship and picked Mitchell
Yep and actually stood down, stood again, hoping to show he had support of NZR, but they chose Mitchell, who to be honest was a reasonably popular choice with rugby people at that stage. I think it was before Smith was properly appreciated, and could also of seen him move to specialist backs coach at test level
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@junior said in All Blacks 2026:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
It's hardly news that a number of All Blacks over the years have enjoyed having a few roots away from home on a tour.
And I've met pious, religious types who turn out to be into crazy stuff nocturnally.
The bit about a player being a Machiavellian genius and manipulating twenty other people against the coach is the part I find significantly harder to believe.
That would also imply that Ardie's kava sessions are more open and inclusive than has been suggested.
The video I saw had Ardie leading a few PI blokes doing their PI thing with Jordie and Will J clapping along with them. Didn't look cliquey to me,
And the big Dutchmam
And Codie Taylor
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@Bones tradition schmadition, seems a rather lame one for my mind, especially if you think based on last year, they are looking at SB or Ardie...be rather amusing if the new coach was announced then they announced Dalton as his captain.
New coach to stamp his authority on the squad, establish a new order.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
This definitely rules Sir Wayne Smith out:
Any chance you can summarise? Paywqll
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@taniwharugby just might make some of the preseason/buildup quite difficult, probably certain stuff you line up the captain to get in front of. But I quite like the idea of everyone coming in on somewhat of a level footing after the catastrophe of the last couple of years.
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
This definitely rules Sir Wayne Smith out:
Any chance you can summarise? Paywqll
He's heading overseas to a professional club. As yet unknown
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Perhaps Japan somewhere? Replace Dave Rennie when he comes back for AB job?
But he's not really leaving NZ rugby , his contract finished at end of last year. Gee he would be disappointed, he had advisory role with ABs and Black Ferns coaches, and both have lost jobs! -
Smith will be going back to Kobe
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@ChiefsMana said in All Blacks 2026:
Smith will be going back to Kobe
Which where Dave Rennie is currently. I wonder which team he is working with next?
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A well-run process - the Star-Times understands more details will be revealed on Monday with interim NZ Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster taking a lead role - will dig into those hard times to see whether they do actually point to a recurring weakness or whether there has been growth over the scar tissues.
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Why would Wayne Smith, aged 68, and semi-retired on the Gold Coast want another high pressure rugby gig at this time of his life? Is he short of super? Or is he suffering from relevance deprivation syndrome?
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
Why would Wayne Smith, aged 68, and semi-retired on the Gold Coast want another high pressure rugby gig at this time of his life? Is he short of super? Or is he suffering from relevance deprivation syndrome?
Maybe it’s not a high pressure position e.g. head coach, people manager? If you’re 68 or older and feeling physically and mentally fit, want to keep your brain active and feel you can contribute to a team or an organisation, and enjoy a challenge …why not?
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@His-Bobness Maybe he needs something to do for 10 years until he's old enough to go into politics. (It's a bipartisan joke, guys!).
I sort of wonder whether the pool of applicants might be quite a lot thinner than we might hope.
Razor's 2024/2025 schedule did him no favours in terms of maintaining a high winning percentage and developing youngsters - and 2026 is going to be at least as difficult and probably even moreso.
If whomever is selected gets out of 2026 with a 70% winning record in tests I reckon they'll be doing well. If the wheels come off with injuries etc there's a hell of a lot more loseable matches than that. You look at the Gats Lions tour to NZ and they got rolled by several Super teams.
And then you've got a RWC where your most likely QF opponent is SA. If you're young enough to go again, you might be best waiting till 2028 to pick up the pieces.
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
Why would Wayne Smith, aged 68, and semi-retired on the Gold Coast want another high pressure rugby gig at this time of his life? Is he short of super? Or is he suffering from relevance deprivation syndrome?
Wayne Smith seems to have taken David Kirk's decision to sack Scott Robertson very personally indeed.
There's history between the two going right back to the cancelled All Blacks tour in the mid-1980s and the Cavaliers.
"The Professor" was a central part of the All Blacks coaching box for many years and I'm grateful for his contributions. But it's time to move on.
