All Blacks 2024
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It's a comment on the lowering of standards. NZ fans/media have never been as forgiving as they are right now
Notice how many times summaries of the season just leave off the Argentina game? We shouldn't be losing to them in NZ and definitely should be conceding 38 points to them
Arrogant? Yes. But that pressure is what drove standards for decade after decade.
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
It's a comment on the lowering of standards. NZ fans/media have never been as forgiving as they are right now
Notice how many times summaries of the season just leave off the Argentina game? We shouldn't be losing to them in NZ and definitely should be conceding 38 points to them
Arrogant? Yes. But that pressure is what drove standards for decade after decade.
Absolutely
The same thing is happening with the Labour Government in the UK
Those who supported it are so invested in it and so convinced that it's better that they can't accept the reality
The ABs are a ball hair from winning big matches against higher ranked opponents
They're missing key players in key positions and/or key players are not performing to their known best
They're blowing good leads and are unable to change tactics during a match if things are not working outAll those things can be (and IMHO are) true at the same time
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
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Bit of an open question
say we have a passable EOYT, no real hidings, maybe lose one or two, win the rest....what will Razor have achieved this year?
i dont feel he's done much of anything to build for the future, largely his selections have fallen on the "experience" side of the fence ...we've also lost the freedom cup and RC
what was the pass mark?
i feel at the start of the season i was thinking we would either
a ) all change, squad picked on form or potential, might win some, might lose some....but we start developing for the future
b ) safe selections but new game plan, one thing at a time (might be the safest best to get results)
c ) new blood but trying to implement the old attack from anywhere game plan betterI could have understood all three approaches
but i feel like what we've got is by and large
d ) lots of the same people doing a lot of the same things we've seen before...and still not winning
which seems like the worst of all worlds
@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2024:
Bit of an open question
say we have a passable EOYT, no real hidings, maybe lose one or two, win the rest....what will Razor have achieved this year?
Has it been the success we all dreamed of? Of course not, and Razor would tell you that. I think Razor would even admit to making a few mistakes, but this year has been fine margins.
If you look through the first year of most RWC cycles, as much as working out your new talent, it is also often about working out who isn't up to the task either... and I think we'd be surprised that they probably have developed some fairly strong opinions.
They've gone with the approach of working out which of the current guys can fit the system first, which is conservative, but it could yet be proven the right one. Easier to bring fresh talent into a side which knows what it is doing, then one trying to find its identity. If I was to guess, I think the coaches are probably well aware that there is loads of talent u23, so they want to ensure there is an established spine so that they can just drop these guys in - but doing it all at once is very risky.
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It's a comment on the lowering of standards. NZ fans/media have never been as forgiving as they are right now
Notice how many times summaries of the season just leave off the Argentina game? We shouldn't be losing to them in NZ and definitely should be conceding 38 points to them
Arrogant? Yes. But that pressure is what drove standards for decade after decade.
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@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
It's a comment on the lowering of standards. NZ fans/media have never been as forgiving as they are right now
The AB's are arguably lucky, but also weakened by, that drop-off in the wider care factor...
@Donsteppa said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
It's a comment on the lowering of standards. NZ fans/media have never been as forgiving as they are right now
The AB's are arguably lucky, but also weakened by, that drop-off in the wider care factor...
Yeah, short term everyone (players, coaches, administrators) are more secure in their jobs. Longer term I think it does damage
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@MiketheSnow Will Jordan at 14. Tyrel Lomax at TH.
@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow Will Jordan at 14. Tyrel Lomax at TH.
Possibly
It would depend on the make up of the front and back threes
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow Will Jordan at 14. Tyrel Lomax at TH.
Possibly
It would depend on the make up of the front and back threes
@MiketheSnow Lomax is nailed on for TH. He’s the only guy this season to get the better of Ox Nche (who is the premier world LH) and nails his core roles around the field and then some.
Jordan - you can’t leave him out. His strike rate is ludicrous. Toss up with Penaud or Arendse for me.
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan would be options.
Ardie Savea…..a few years ago
Beauden Barrett…..a few more years ago
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan would be options.
Ardie Savea…..a few years ago
Beauden Barrett…..a few more years ago
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 Why do people always ignore the props
Cos with Bart and Red Beard gone and @NTA too biased against NZ I have no idea if they’re any good or not
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 Why do people always ignore the props
Cos with Bart and Red Beard gone and @NTA too biased against NZ I have no idea if they’re any good or not
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 Why do people always ignore the props
I didn't
There are some very good props up our way
Lomax will need to be firing on all cylinders to come away with his World XV place come December
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan would be options.
Ardie Savea…..a few years ago
Beauden Barrett…..a few more years ago
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
Agreed
But you're Welsh. We don't take moral victories from 'nearly winning'. Or at least most of us haven't accepted that level yet
We lost the RC, we couldn't beat SA, and we lost to Argentina. We found ways to lose games we should've won.
It's not good enough. The level of criticism for the AB side has been minimal. If things don't improve on the EOYT maybe we'll see some real pressure.
How many NZ players would make a World 15 currently
Realistically
Zero
Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan would be options.
Ardie Savea…..a few years ago
Beauden Barrett…..a few more years ago
Jordan possibly if he had the right centre inside him
We'll know soon enough
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 Why do people always ignore the props
Cos with Bart and Red Beard gone and @NTA too biased against NZ I have no idea if they’re any good or not
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@NTA Nick, what's your opinion on the lost Wallaby talent that is Tyrel Lomax?
Good prop. Wish he was still on this side of the ditch. I think he'd go better with our locks than yours.
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@NTA Nick, what's your opinion on the lost Wallaby talent that is Tyrel Lomax?
Good prop. Wish he was still on this side of the ditch. I think he'd go better with our locks than yours.
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@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@NTA Nick, what's your opinion on the lost Wallaby talent that is Tyrel Lomax?
Good prop. Wish he was still on this side of the ditch. I think he'd go better with our locks than yours.
@NTA said in All Blacks 2024:
@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@NTA Nick, what's your opinion on the lost Wallaby talent that is Tyrel Lomax?
Good prop. Wish he was still on this side of the ditch. I think he'd go better with our locks than yours.
He went all right against Ox and the Boks pack with Vaa'i behind him, apart from a couple of scrums. And ABs had upper hand by end of H1 in Cape Town. Even better against England with Paddy T.
LSL is good scrummaging LH lock. Is Frost top dog of the local TH locks?
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2024:
Bit of an open question
say we have a passable EOYT, no real hidings, maybe lose one or two, win the rest....what will Razor have achieved this year?
Has it been the success we all dreamed of? Of course not, and Razor would tell you that. I think Razor would even admit to making a few mistakes, but this year has been fine margins.
If you look through the first year of most RWC cycles, as much as working out your new talent, it is also often about working out who isn't up to the task either... and I think we'd be surprised that they probably have developed some fairly strong opinions.
They've gone with the approach of working out which of the current guys can fit the system first, which is conservative, but it could yet be proven the right one. Easier to bring fresh talent into a side which knows what it is doing, then one trying to find its identity. If I was to guess, I think the coaches are probably well aware that there is loads of talent u23, so they want to ensure there is an established spine so that they can just drop these guys in - but doing it all at once is very risky.
@frugby said in All Blacks 2024:
but this year has been fine margins.
Shipping 20-25 points in the second half on a regular basis isn't fine margins, it really isn't.
They've gone with the approach of working out which of the current guys can fit the system first, which is conservative, but it could yet be proven the right one. Easier to bring fresh talent into a side which knows what it is doing, then one trying to find its identity.
Not sure that makes sense. Why would you build a system and then use people unlikely to be around when the system is fully in place? Wouldn't a coach be better to develop a system which make the best use of his player pool and likely lifespan?
I think the coaches are probably well aware that there is loads of talent u23, so they want to ensure there is an established spine so that they can just drop these guys in - but doing it all at once is very risky.
There is an established spine and has been since England 1. And most of the successful new players haven't been dropped in, they've been picked due to injury and the likes of Proctor being given the barest minimum of game time. That's the biggest downside for me this year has been missed opportunities to develop players - just hope things change on the EOYT.
