All Blacks 2024
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@Landers92 yeah he's eligible I'm pretty sure. Who do we select then if Finau and Blackadder aren't available? Razor isn't going to select Ioane, he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsistent. Razor may go with Grace but the ABs won't dominate physically with him there. Who else is there? I mean if we're still picking Cane then why wouldn't Shields be in the mix? He's one of the form blindsides in Super this year.
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsisten
Multiple MOTM efforts for the ABs. Didn't step up against the more physical sides. I'm not sure I'd pick him, but he is far from a failure in Black
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Why the fuck would they pick Cane. His form has been a roller coaster over the last four years - especially when coming back from injury. He was immense in the quarter final - ok in the semi and then a pile of shit in the final. Cost us the game. If he was covering a position that had no depth I'd understand. But that isn't the case. There should still be a good core of experienced players in the team so his leadership isn't needed.
Also hope they don't pick Shields. If he wanted the jersey he should've stayed to battle it out. Just can't see how he's playing good enough to have this conversation.
@Toddy said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Why the fuck would they pick Cane. His form has been a roller coaster over the last four years - especially when coming back from injury. He was immense in the quarter final - ok in the semi and then a pile of shit in the final. Cost us the game. If he was covering a position that had no depth I'd understand. But that isn't the case. There should still be a good core of experienced players in the team so his leadership isn't needed.
Also hope they don't pick Shields. If he wanted the jersey he should've stayed to battle it out. Just can't see how he's playing good enough to have this conversation.
There have been a lot of loosies starring in SRP so far. I agree, probably time to move on
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris I have a feeling that Akira will be in squad
Can't see it mate
Razor coached Akira at U20s so he's known him for a long time.
It's now or never for Akira - he's certainly giving the selectors something to think about with his form - Stern Vern has him humming and a bit of a blueprint for how Akira can be effective at test level. There's not an abundance of 6s around.
We will see I don't expect him to be there, Jacobsen probably has more chance as he is seen by some to have a high work rate.
Razor has stated he likes Loosies that get off the ground quickly and keep working and are always in the game and don't drift.That is why he mentioned Lilo-Willie although I don't expect he will be in the squad. -
@Kiwiwomble in saying that I would have Lakai infront of Harmon, so for Harmon to get a chance all of Papali'i, Savea and Lakai would need to be injured.
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Kiwiwomble in saying that I would have Lakai in front of Harmon.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsisten
Multiple MOTM efforts for the ABs. Didn't step up against the more physical sides. I'm not sure I'd pick him, but he is far from a failure in Black
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsisten
Multiple MOTM efforts for the ABs. Didn't step up against the more physical sides. I'm not sure I'd pick him, but he is far from a failure in Black
More that the tactic of positioning him in the wide channels failed against the Boks because almost none of the rugby took place there. He paid the price for low involvements caused by tactics
The way he was used by the AB XV last year is interesting. In one match he was exclusively in the wide channels but in the other he was in the centre of the field. Testing an A & B scenario?
The Blues have used him in a tight role this season. It works for this stage of his career. Not sure he has that same acceleration after all the ankle problems
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsisten
Multiple MOTM efforts for the ABs. Didn't step up against the more physical sides. I'm not sure I'd pick him, but he is far from a failure in Black
More that the tactic of positioning him in the wide channels failed against the Boks because almost none of the rugby took place there. He paid the price for low involvements caused by tactics
The way he was used by the AB XV last year is interesting. In one match he was exclusively in the wide channels but in the other he was in the centre of the field. Testing an A & B scenario?
The Blues have used him in a tight role this season. It works for this stage of his career. Not sure he has that same acceleration after all the ankle problems
@Duluth i think almost anyone thats showed some potential deserves another shot under razor, as you say different tactics might have completed different results
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsisten
Multiple MOTM efforts for the ABs. Didn't step up against the more physical sides. I'm not sure I'd pick him, but he is far from a failure in Black
More that the tactic of positioning him in the wide channels failed against the Boks because almost none of the rugby took place there. He paid the price for low involvements caused by tactics
The way he was used by the AB XV last year is interesting. In one match he was exclusively in the wide channels but in the other he was in the centre of the field. Testing an A & B scenario?
The Blues have used him in a tight role this season. It works for this stage of his career. Not sure he has that same acceleration after all the ankle problems
@Duluth Case in point being when he got the ball with space out wide in the first half against the Canes. In 2016 he probably goes the length of the field and scores. Today, definitely not haha.
He was better in the wider channels up until about 2022. He doesn't have the same athleticism to play wider anymore, so he has no choice but to play a tighter game that involves more contact.
It helps that he's playing under a coach domestically that can get the best out of him playing closer to the ruck.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Can't see the point of selecting a player who won't play Super Rugby in 2024 or 2025. You are effectively selecting a player from overseas. May as well get Mo'unga and Retallick in that case.
I'd select Cane. He's a 95 test AB and AB captain who was playing excellent rugby at the World Cup.
Get a young loosie (I.e. Lakai or whoever) around the squad for the year to soak up knowledge from Cane then transition in 2025.
Presuming the coaching staff are conservative for the England series:
I think the additions to the front rowers club may be solely Numia for Laulala and Aumua for Coles. Locks will be Barrett, Tuipulotu and two others (hopefully McWhannell). Cane, Sotutu, Papali'i, Finau, Savea, Ioane as backrowers (Lakai to come in after England are dispatched). Halves are TJP, Christie and Funaki. First fives are DMac and Beaudy with Havili in the team covering positions in midfield too. Midfielders are Jordie, Rieko, Havili and Proctor. Back three will be Reece, Clarke, Love, Tele'a and ..?
A some of those selections will not be in the squad I reckon.
Ioane won’t be there or Funaki
Darry more likely than McWhannell.
The rest I think will be there.
Bower a big chance under Ryan as well.Obviously Ioane isn't liked by the coaches but is Funaki not either or is that just your opinion? Fair enough if it's your my opinion, just curious haha.
Just my opinion I don’t think he will pick a real rookie HB in his first squad.
Funaki may become an AB latter but not for that first squad imo. -
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Just my opinion I don’t think he will pick a real rookie HB in his first squad.
There's 3 experienced halfbacks?
TJ, Christie and ?
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Just my opinion I don’t think he will pick a real rookie HB in his first squad.
There's 3 experienced halfbacks?
TJ, Christie and ?
Fakatava or Ratima who Razor rates he tried to get both to the Crusaders they have more SR minutes under their belts than Funaki.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@pakman said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@pakman said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@frugby said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@pakman said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Interesting that Stuff article on Cane mentions a 32 man AB squad. Presume nine front row, four locks, six back row, two halves, two first fives, four midfield and five in back three?
Three halfbacks is a lock in, so probably shave off a back row.
Given we're talking two domestic tests, I'm not convinced three halfbacks is a lock. I expect it will come down to who Razor wants to take a look at. Great shame there's no AB XV match in July.
Not picking 3 halfbacks and 3 hookers in a 32 man squad is madness. Need backup in case someone goes down during warm ups at least
DMac?
So a halfback goes down in warm-up and our starting 10 is our back up 9 vs England?
Beaudy is our starting 10.
@pakman I bet you anything in the world he won’t be unless dmac is injured.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@ploughboy said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
would it be fair to say AS is only l;oose forward guaranteed get in squad?
Can't see how Sotutu and Finau aren't guaranteed.
Oh and Barrett...
Feel like Sotutu has been given quite a few chances and not stepped up. He's in great form but is he showing any of the assets this year that have been missing in the past? I think he's largely been doing the stuff he's always been good at but just taking it to the next level.
Obviously a new coaching group though, so can definitely see him getting picked - but don't think he's guaranteed.
I’m not sure about ‘quite a few chances’ he got none last year obviously and the year before that sparingly used.
I think he started in the test match against Aus )the Raynal test match). It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight.
Can’t remember about his chances before that, but it is clear that he has matured into a better player after the work he has put in over the last 8-10 months
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I’m not sure about ‘quite a few chances’ he got none last year obviously and the year before that sparingly used.
I think he started in the test match against Aus )the Raynal test match). It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight.
Can’t remember about his chances before that, but it is clear that he has matured into a better player after the work he has put in over the last 8-10 months
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight
and this is where our current season structure just sucks. Once super rugby finishes, these guys don't get to play high level rugby unless they are in the test team.
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight
and this is where our current season structure just sucks. Once super rugby finishes, these guys don't get to play high level rugby unless they are in the test team.
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight
and this is where our current season structure just sucks. Once super rugby finishes, these guys don't get to play high level rugby unless they are in the test team.
There could be an interesting idea there to build an NZ specific model to allow that focused on what NZR really cares about - the AB brand.
It would require cooperation from Oz and SA though, so I don't like the chances, however, if SANZAAR allowed two teams from the Pacific Nations Cup to come up to the Rugby Championship (likely Fiji and Japan who could play off with the other nations to allow movement between the competitions), we could add the ABXV or Maori AB team to that competition (likely alongside Australia A). If OZ didn't or couldn't participate, we could have two teams in the competition.
We could then have at least one of our second teams competing against Samoa, Tonga, USA, and Canada. Whether the level of that competition is stronger or weaker than NPC is a separate question, but it would allow for collaboration across the two squads and have guys in the next tier playing if and when injuries strike.
Feel free to bag this, I'm not wedded to it, just putting it up for discussion.
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@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Just my opinion I don’t think he will pick a real rookie HB in his first squad.
There's 3 experienced halfbacks?
TJ, Christie and ?
Fakatava or Ratima who Razor rates he tried to get both to the Crusaders they have more SR minutes under their belts than Funaki.
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
they have more SR minutes under their belts than Funaki.
Is this really a plus though? If Funaki can be playing as good, or better in less minutes, then surely that's a pro rather than a con.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
they have more SR minutes under their belts than Funaki.
Is this really a plus though? If Funaki can be playing as good, or better in less minutes, then surely that's a pro rather than a con.
I suppose it depends how they look at it operating behind a forward pack which is going forward mostly gives him an arm chair ride,compared to HBs operating under more stress and going backwards a lot so performing under pressure more.
