All Blacks 2022

Kirwan

@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2022:

@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2022:

Man, I needed a good laugh. Jordie and Will rated higher than Ioane?

The very definition of a minority opinion.

Jordie may not even beat Will on his own for the 15 jersey, and Will is very inexperienced at Test level.

Ioane is now one of the top players in two positions at Test level, delivered - objectively - on the field. Not the promised potential of a Jordan or the inconsistency of JB.

yeah but is his last name Barrett?

No?

Check and mate bluestards #pwned

Both are lucky RI doesn't play 15 too :face_with_tongue:

booboo

@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2022:

can anyone actually name the top 10 players in the world right now?

This was all much easier when we just said

R McCaw
D Carter

and left the rest to fend for themselves

A "top ten player in the world" is a bit of a pointless concept.

It's not a game where all players bring the same skill sets.

Better question is who makes a World XV / is number one in their position.

Being a casual Aussie sports fan he probably wouldn't expect to pick too many tight forwards, just those guys from the highlights reels (although that may include Tupou).

Tim

@mariner4life So we did have that world XV poll ...

Although it could probably have had more French and Irish players in it.

Duluth

@Tim said in All Blacks 2022:

@mariner4life So we did have that world XV poll ...

Although it could probably have had more French and Irish players in it.

https://www.thesilverfern.com/post/681268-tsf-team-of-the-year-2021

Crazy Horse

@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2022:

Ioane is now one of the top players in two positions at Test level, delivered - objectively - on the field.

If he has a top season at test level at centre this year then yeah, top player in two positions. Last year he was very good, but still looked like a winger doing a good job at centre. This year to me, at Super level, he is looking more and more like a centre. Hoping he can show it at Test level too.

Old Samurai Jack

Well....this is a mature conversation......
RI is head and shoulders above everyone else at center in NZ at the moment and we have some good wingers in Jordan and Reece with some other prospects like LF, Clarke, etc who may or may not make the grade based on the business end of the season to take the winger spots.

Crazy Horse

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2022:

Well....this is a mature conversation......

As opposed to which Fern conversations?

nzzp

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2022:

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2022:

Well....this is a mature conversation......

As opposed to which Fern conversations?

Awful analysis, incorrect conclusions, zero insight
Wrong about pretty much everything

Frank

@Stargazer said in All Blacks 2022:

@mariner4life That's one opinion. I'd put Jordie Barrett and Will Jordan ahead of him.

How about David Havili and Devan Flanders?

Bovidae

TheMojoman

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2022:

@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2022:

Ioane is now one of the top players in two positions at Test level, delivered - objectively - on the field.

If he has a top season at test level at centre this year then yeah, top player in two positions. Last year he was very good, but still looked like a winger doing a good job at centre. This year to me, at Super level, he is looking more and more like a centre. Hoping he can show it at Test level too.

At test level he'll need a decent 12 next to him - solid playmaking and kicking with the ability to bend the line and give Ioane some space to use his pace to try and get outside of his defender. A blend of Havili/Tupaea.

cgrant

@Stargazer said in All Blacks 2022:

@cgrant If he still played on the wing, yes. Not as a midfielder.

Please name a better centre. Fickou ? Ringrose ? Hmmm, RI all day IMO.

Bones

@cgrant said in All Blacks 2022:

@Stargazer said in All Blacks 2022:

@cgrant If he still played on the wing, yes. Not as a midfielder.

Please name a better centre. Fickou ? Ringrose ? Hmmm, RI all day IMO.

Fickou definitely, RI not a million miles behind though.

Bones

@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2022:

the inconsistency of JB.

There's that lag again...

MN5

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2022:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2022:

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2022:

Well....this is a mature conversation......

As opposed to which Fern conversations?

Awful analysis, incorrect conclusions, zero insight
Wrong about pretty much everything

It’s amazing how many ferners don’t admit this though.

No Quarter

My 2c..

I've got Rieko as one of the best rugby players in the world, every single team would give their left testicle to have him in their starting lineup at either 11 or 13. Low error rate, strong tackler and fucking lethal on attack. Absolutely world class.

I've also got Aaron Smith as the best halfback bar none. Every 10 around dreams of playing outside him just for the extra space he gives with his pass alone, without mentioning his game awareness and great option taking. The ABs always look threatening with him at 9.

Jordie and Jordan are both right up there at 14 and 15. Jordie solid as a rock at the back, strong tackler, strong runner and a fantastic kicking game to boot. Jordan looks like he's going to end up an AB great alongside the likes of Cully, he's just freakish with ball in hand and can break open any test with 1/4 of an opportunity.

Our starting backline is actually stupidly good. It's our forwards where we are struggling a bit - two past greats in Whitelock and Retallick in the twilight of their careers without anyone new really stamping their mark to put them out to pasture. Same in the front row, some decent options but nobody really dominating and screaming pick me. Though Samisoni has future great written all over him but early days yet.

Akira has the potential to be great, but needs to be more consistent. Dalton is a future great but again early days. Ardie is great at what he does, but is being played out of position affecting the balance of our loose trio.

We have loads of talent and some of the worlds best sprinkled through the team, we just need a gameplan that actually plays to our strengths and we'll be extremely difficult to beat.

antipodean

@cgrant said in All Blacks 2022:

@Stargazer said in All Blacks 2022:

@cgrant If he still played on the wing, yes. Not as a midfielder.

Please name a better centre. Fickou ? Ringrose ? Hmmm, RI all day IMO.

Lukanyo Am was named as TSF's centre for last year, and he was decidedly average.

antipodean

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2022:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2022:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2022:

@Old-Samurai-Jack said in All Blacks 2022:

Well....this is a mature conversation......

As opposed to which Fern conversations?

Awful analysis, incorrect conclusions, zero insight
Wrong about pretty much everything

It’s amazing how many ferners don’t admit this though.

I'm more than prepared to admit it's perfectly correct about a lot of you.

KiwiMurph

With Fakatava unlikely to have his eligibility sorted by the Irish series, barring injury you'd have to think the 3rd halfback spot will come down to either Weber or Perenara (behind Smith and Christie). Will Weber be able to show form coming back from injury or do they go with Perenara?

If Weber gets some form back they could pick Weber and run Perenara in the Maori ABs (Ratima seems like a good selection for Maori ABs).

gt12

@antipodean said in All Blacks 2022:

@cgrant said in All Blacks 2022:

@Stargazer said in All Blacks 2022:

@cgrant If he still played on the wing, yes. Not as a midfielder.

Please name a better centre. Fickou ? Ringrose ? Hmmm, RI all day IMO.

Lukanyo Am was named as TSF's centre for last year, and he was decidedly average.

I was coming to post exactly the same thing. He’d also make any team at either 11 or 13.

The Silver Fern

All Blacks 2022