All Blacks 2021

ACT Crusader

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

11 Blues

What planet are we living on.... I see room for one or two tokens

Canes4life

@tim I think four Blues loose forwards is a little bit of a stretch. Can't see Robinson getting in especially with the way Blackadder has played. I woud have Grace ahead of Robinson aswell.

I also think they will pick PUJ with his ability to play 12/13. Rayasi to miss out there and Fainga'anuku to be picked as a winger.

bobily2

@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:

I think it's good to first establish how many players are likely to be picked in each position.
Because the first squad to be picked is for the July Internationals, it's probably best to look at the first squad named in 2018 as an example (no RWC, no Covid).

2018 squad:
33 players (and 1 "apprentice")
17 forwards, 16 backs
2 hookers
5 props (2 LH, 2 TH, 1 covering both)
3 locks
7 loosies (1 openside, 1 openside/8, 1 lock/loosie, the rest 6/8 or 8/6)
3 halfbacks
3 first five-eights
5 midfielders
5 outside backs

Considering the financial constraints, it's hard to see them picking a bigger squad.

Quote below says 35 players for the championship and July tests

Foster said the plan was to pick 35 for July, then disassemble and re-select a second squad the same size for the championship and extra Bledisloe.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/300313754/rugby-championship-schedule-unveiled-home-comforts-for-all-blacks

I'd think we'd select an extra hooker and a lock with the extra 2 spots. Perhaps a loose forward swapped out for a prop

sparky

Karl T
Hodgman
De Grott (Maybe Ross)

Taylor
Aumua
Eklund (Coles not doing enough this season to justify his place)

Laulala
Ofa T
Williams (Lomax and Angus T miss out)

Whitelock (c)
Retallick
Tuipulotu
S Barrett
Vaa'i (PPP to the Maoris)

Grace
A Ioane
Blackadder
Papali'i
A Savea
Sotutu (Jacobson just misses out)

Smith
Weber
Drummond (might gamble on Roe or only pick 2 half backs)

B.Barrett
Mounga
DMac

Havili
ALB
Nankiwell
R. Ioane (Peter Umaga-Jensen misses out)

Leicester Fainga'anuku
Jona Nareki
W. Jordan
Reece
J. Barrett

Crusaders 12
Blues 11
Chiefs 6
Hurricanes 3
Highlanders 3

Bones

@kiwimurph said in All Blacks 2021:

@kiwiwomble Nareki is the form left wing in the country and should be picked.

He has a huge left boot and has underrated power to go with his footwork - what I liked today was his cleanup work - he looked good when things were going the Rebels way.

Leicester will be in the mix too but there could be room for both.

Yeah, I'd be intrigued to see Nareki get a chance, if he could translate his super form to internationals it'd definitely be something different, I just feel it probably wouldn't quite get there (or like in super rugby he take quite a while to not have absolute clangers every game). Really liking Faingaanuku too, his early season form was irresistible and I was leaning towards him over Roane, but he's just quietened a tad (since being shifted for the overblown Ennor) and now I'm learning towards Roane his pace over the previous two wins hands down.

family man

@bones I think Julian savea form has been very good recently! Would not rule him out as the power winger. Finding form at the right time I think and has that experience.
I am a big nareki fan and would love him to get picked
Fainganuku I think lacks the X factor! Ok he has the power but lacks pace and just looks a bit disinterested at times

sparky

@family-man Good call. Great to see Da Bus back in form. Hopefully he can continue that in the next few weeks for the Hurricanes and then for the ABs.

I'd love to see the big man from Miramar score more tries for the ABs.

Bones

@family-man @sparky tell him he's dreaming!

No complaints about his form this weekend though.

Dan54

@tim said in All Blacks 2021:

The tight five selections for the next squad seem pretty locked in now (Moody is out), except for 3rd tight head prop.

Props

Karl Tu'inukuafe
Aidan Ross
Alex Hodgman
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
?

Hookers

Codie Taylor
Dane Coles
Asafo Aumua

Locks

Sam Whitelock
Brodie Retallick
Patrick Tuipulotu
Scott Barrett

Train with the team:

Tamaiti Williams
Samisoni Taukei'aho
Tupou Vaa'i

Probably only one thing I would change is I think I would have Vaa'i ahead of PT, think he is already ahead of PT!

Mackerzzzz

A Hogman
De Groot
A Ross

C Taylor
A Aumua
D Coles

N Laulala
O Tuangafassi
T Lomax

S Whitelock
P Tuipulotu
S Barrett
T Vaii (brodie has the same issue as tj - he needs to play for a nz team to be eligible?)

A Savea
E Blackadder
D Papalii
H Sotutu
A Ioane
S Frizzell

A Smith
B Webber
??

R Moanga
D McKenzie
M Hunt (BB same issue as tj and brodie?)

D Havili
A Lenert-Brown
R Ioane
B Ennor

L Fianganuku
W Jordan
J Barrett
S Recce
J Nareki

sparky

@mackerzzzz BB and BBBR played in Japan while under NZR contracts with agreed sabbatical clauses so they can play for the ABs straight away, if picked.

TJP's situation is a bit different. His contract with NZR came to an end. He signed then to play in Japan. Then later on he asked to have his Japanese contract terminated for personal reasons so he could come back to NZ. He is not eligible for the ABs until he plays for a NZ-based side again.

mofitzy_

@sparky
I would pick them but these games are perfect to blood a few new players so I would understand if they aren't.

Crucial

@mofitzy_ said in All Blacks 2021:

@sparky
I would pick them but these games are perfect to blood a few new players so I would understand if they aren't.

Without reading back, hasn’t Fozzie already said the there will be two squad selections? The first one may be to have a better look at some players while the next is the “first choice” one?
BB and BBBR may find themselves in the first squad so they can get a gauge on size/fitness etc compared to the old data

bobily2

@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:

@mofitzy_ said in All Blacks 2021:

@sparky
I would pick them but these games are perfect to blood a few new players so I would understand if they aren't.

Without reading back, hasn’t Fozzie already said the there will be two squad selections? The first one may be to have a better look at some players while the next is the “first choice” one?
BB and BBBR may find themselves in the first squad so they can get a gauge on size/fitness etc compared to the old data

Yup, 35 players in both squads. A squad selection for the July tests, and then again for the championship.

Stargazer

I hope one thing and that's they're not going to use the first squad for some odd Brett Cameron type of selections. I only want players in it that really deserve it and would have a good chance of being selected for the second squad as well if it wasn't for some senior or injured players returning. Don't want "for old times' sake" selection like the Bus, either.

Chris B.

Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.

I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.

Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.

Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.

Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!

gt12

@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:

Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.

I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.

Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.

Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.

Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!

I’m totally on board with this idea, and think they need to start giving him really high quality coaching, because he’s relatively new to rugby and it often shows with some of his silly decisions. He’s a weapon though , so if we invest in him now he could be ready for 2023.

Chris B.

@gt12 Exactly.

Jonah wasn't ready when we first picked him - and then he was.

gt12

@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:

@gt12 Exactly.

Jonah wasn't ready when we first picked him - and then he was.

The other problem is that sending him back to NPC won’t tell us anything new, and might slow him down because he can get away with not developing additional tools, plus some of those silly decisions won’t hurt so much, and the coaching can be very iffy (especially looking at Auckland’s current issues).

Chris B.

@gt12 If Fozzie is picking a sort of development squad for the first tests, then you've got to think it would be madness not to at least have him in that.

What's interesting to me is how different the styles of Rayasi and Leicester are. Leicester pretty much seeks contact and fights to stay on his feet and set a target. Rayasi much more elusive, but when he's tackled he seems to go to ground pretty easily. Hopefully we can develop some hybridized versions.

Of course, a challenge with Rayasi is that he's so big that, unless they're well positioned, defenders struggle to get their arms around him properly and are just brushed aside.

The Silver Fern

All Blacks 2021