All Blacks EOYT
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@nzzp said in All Blacks EOYT:
@canefan said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MN5 Who the hell wrote that jizz soaked drivel?
AI
Soft porn for Saders fans
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Bones Let me see if I can find something to be disagree about with your post, Chris B.....

The thing about hookers is - we've had a very clear prototype since Fitzy. A big, mobile ballrunner. Advanced by Dane Coles and continued on by Taylor and Sami T.
Now, we could have picked the likes of Riccitelli or Eklund - but, frankly, they're too small to ever be effective against the best teams. Genetics are against them and that's a harsh fact of life for most of us when it comes to test rugby.
They would have got the shit beaten out of them this year by the bomb squad - and three years hence they'll still get the shit beaten out of them.
So instead, we've got four months of training into young Bell, who has the size to be useful in the future. We've lost no games because of that. And next year we should get Sami T back.
Looking like a great investment to me!
Does Keven Mealamu mean nothing to you ?
@MN5 said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Bones Let me see if I can find something to be disagree about with your post, Chris B.....

The thing about hookers is - we've had a very clear prototype since Fitzy. A big, mobile ballrunner. Advanced by Dane Coles and continued on by Taylor and Sami T.
Now, we could have picked the likes of Riccitelli or Eklund - but, frankly, they're too small to ever be effective against the best teams. Genetics are against them and that's a harsh fact of life for most of us when it comes to test rugby.
They would have got the shit beaten out of them this year by the bomb squad - and three years hence they'll still get the shit beaten out of them.
So instead, we've got four months of training into young Bell, who has the size to be useful in the future. We've lost no games because of that. And next year we should get Sami T back.
Looking like a great investment to me!
Does Keven Mealamu mean nothing to you ?
Not in the slightest.
I'll tell you something you didn't know about Kev - he and Codie Taylor are almost exactly twelve years apart in age there's 10 days in it. So, if Codie is motivated, he can go to the next RWC.
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I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
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I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
Chat gpt. I asked it to describe Razor in the spirit of Life of Brian.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
Chat gpt. I asked it to describe Razor in the spirit of Life of Brian.
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
Chat gpt. I asked it to describe Razor in the spirit of Life of Brian.
Stop being modest. You wrote it yourself….from the heart !
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v Japan:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v Japan:
All in all a bit of an average game, I know not top team etc, but a combination of a real crap field and not a lot of connection in either team left me thinking it not a test I'll remember for a long time.
Did you and @Bones enjoy the game together?
Well as he in England , and I still in NZ, not quite mate lol!
Oh what, I thought you said earlierin the thread that you were over there! Never mind then haha!
Naa Mate meant to head off tomorrow!
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v Japan:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v Japan:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks v Japan:
All in all a bit of an average game, I know not top team etc, but a combination of a real crap field and not a lot of connection in either team left me thinking it not a test I'll remember for a long time.
Did you and @Bones enjoy the game together?
Well as he in England , and I still in NZ, not quite mate lol!
Oh what, I thought you said earlierin the thread that you were over there! Never mind then haha!
Naa Mate meant to head off tomorrow!
Safe travels!
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
Chat gpt. I asked it to describe Razor in the spirit of Life of Brian.
Stop being modest. You wrote it yourself….from the heart !
@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
I thought it sounded like Indian cricket fans talking about Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar
Mind you @nostrildamus is a weird fish sometimes so maybe he had a bit of a late night write up ?
Chat gpt. I asked it to describe Razor in the spirit of Life of Brian.
Stop being modest. You wrote it yourself….from the heart !
I'll admit I admired some of the prose
But I'm scared if asked to write a day in the life of Sotutu in Albert Camus style it will just select one of my posts... -
@Bones Let me see if I can find something to be disagree about with your post, Chris B.....

The thing about hookers is - we've had a very clear prototype since Fitzy. A big, mobile ballrunner. Advanced by Dane Coles and continued on by Taylor and Sami T.
Now, we could have picked the likes of Riccitelli or Eklund - but, frankly, they're too small to ever be effective against the best teams. Genetics are against them and that's a harsh fact of life for most of us when it comes to test rugby.
They would have got the shit beaten out of them this year by the bomb squad - and three years hence they'll still get the shit beaten out of them.
So instead, we've got four months of training into young Bell, who has the size to be useful in the future. We've lost no games because of that. And next year we should get Sami T back.
Looking like a great investment to me!
@Chris-B Fitzy was strong but he wasn't that big. And yes I have met him. And I don't think Coles was that big either? Compared to SA and England I don't think our regular hookers often looked that big?
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@Chris-B pointing out they picked an average youngster when they were painted into a corner doesn't seem that great to me.
@Bones said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B pointing out they picked an average youngster when they were painted into a corner doesn't seem that great to me.
The original point I was making was - Razor wouldn't have been forgiven if we'd lost a game because of Bell.
Even though I've pointed out why there was some logic to that selection, which to labour the point with NZ A picks (or not):
Riccitelli - too small
Eklund - too small
Slater - injured
McAlister - another Crusader -
@Chris-B Fitzy was strong but he wasn't that big. And yes I have met him. And I don't think Coles was that big either? Compared to SA and England I don't think our regular hookers often looked that big?
@nostrildamus For his era, Fitzy was big - he wouldn't be now.
None are as big as e.g. Steve Thompson - maybe Sami T.
Coles wasn't huge but was exceptionally fast.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks v Japan:
Robertson had a choice of picking a team for the future and take a few losses as a learning experience or picking a team including experienced players at the end of their careers to improve his win ratio.
I hope we don't get the worst of both worlds.
To be honest, I don't believe the vast majority of NZ will forgive losses just because Razor's playing some young guys. Particularly if they're not "my" young guys. For example, George Bell.

I think you've got to judge them on their results and in almost every case - particularly when we're still more than three years out from the next World Cup - I'm not particularly concerned about squeezing 15 minutes off the bench into a promising rookie.
I'm concerned about winning.
I'm happy for them to squeeze the last drops out of Cane and Perenara and maybe Beaudy if that's what they think gives them the best chance of winning (and I somewhat agree that it does).
But, aside from that - we are playing the promising rookies.
Listed with caps
Tosi (3)
Darry (5)
Finau (4)
Sititi (5)
Roigard (5)
Proctor (1)
Perofeta (5)
Bell (1)
Lord (6)
Lakai (0)
Love (0)That's effectively half this week's team with less than 6 caps. And we've got a whole lot of guys off on the A tour who are going to play Georgia in an almost test.
@Chris-B
That's all true and it's fine if we are winning (and well) but we're really not.
At this stage in his coaching cycle, I'm not sure sticking with players at the very fag-end of their careers is the way to go - it just reduces the time he has to build the team he wants.
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@Bones said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B pointing out they picked an average youngster when they were painted into a corner doesn't seem that great to me.
The original point I was making was - Razor wouldn't have been forgiven if we'd lost a game because of Bell.
Even though I've pointed out why there was some logic to that selection, which to labour the point with NZ A picks (or not):
Riccitelli - too small
Eklund - too small
Slater - injured
McAlister - another Crusader@Chris-B said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Bones said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B pointing out they picked an average youngster when they were painted into a corner doesn't seem that great to me.
The original point I was making was - Razor wouldn't have been forgiven if we'd lost a game because of Bell.
Even though I've pointed out why there was some logic to that selection, which to labour the point with NZ A picks (or not):
Riccitelli - too small
Eklund - too small
Slater - injured
McAlister - another CrusaderCorrect, because Bell is average and would have been a stupid selection. Why would you select a youngster off the back of an ordinary season, above 3 proven performers in good form?
You've chosen about the worst option to try and prove your point and it's bordering on bizarre... probably because it's a point you can't prove?
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@Bones said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B pointing out they picked an average youngster when they were painted into a corner doesn't seem that great to me.
The original point I was making was - Razor wouldn't have been forgiven if we'd lost a game because of Bell.
Even though I've pointed out why there was some logic to that selection, which to labour the point with NZ A picks (or not):
Riccitelli - too small
Eklund - too small
Slater - injured
McAlister - another Crusader -
@Jet said in All Blacks v Japan:
@sparky said in All Blacks v Japan:
The whole thing had an end of season Barbarians "let throw the ball around" feel to it.
Get ready for the intensity to be turned from 1 to 10 for the next three weeks.
The next 3 weeks will be a different sport.
Dublin on a Friday night, with a pissed up after work crowd, the RWC quarters, Ioane-gate fresh in the memory.
We are in for a hiding.
No we're not


What is with the doom and gloom.
Why are we hyping up these northern teams to this level?
We beat England 2-0 up front first 2 games with the new regime. We are much better than we were then.
The same England team that beat Ireland and were about to beat France but conceded a penalty in the 80th minute to lose.
@kpkanz said in All Blacks v Japan:
We beat England 2-0 up front first 2 games with the new regime. We are much better than we were then.
England at Twickenham will be a tough ask. We were actually close to losing either of those games and they were at home.
And I'm not convinced we are better that we were then. Part of that is expected as game plans etc bed in, but the on-field management and ability to stay focussed when under pressure (particularly in the last quarter) has gone off a cliff.
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Exhibition game. You can argue whether playing it like that was a good idea or not, but that was very clearly the intention for the whole game - so criticising guys throwing it around and rash offloads etc is kinda missing the point.
Good things:
Aumua finally got a decent run, his early throwing yips improved, and he showed some of the offensive and defensive power that could see him become a real asset.
Some decent minutes into both the giant props.
Big Pat played pretty well.
Finau more minutes more confidence.
Sititi unsurprisingly at home at 8.
Roigard getting more minutes.
Bad things:
Roigard was pretty average really, apart from the try - and there's only so much credit you can give for that with Japan's tackling performance. Hopefully he still makes the England team.
Defensive alignment was really poor at times. Soft tries conceded, and a few glaring missed tackles.@reprobate said in All Blacks v Japan:
Roigard was pretty average really, apart from the try - and there's only so much credit you can give for that with Japan's tackling performance. Hopefully he still makes the England team.
Disappointed Robertson didn't leave him out longer. maybe had a minor niggle?
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@Chris-B
That's all true and it's fine if we are winning (and well) but we're really not.
At this stage in his coaching cycle, I'm not sure sticking with players at the very fag-end of their careers is the way to go - it just reduces the time he has to build the team he wants.
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks v Japan:
@Chris-B
That's all true and it's fine if we are winning (and well) but we're really not.
At this stage in his coaching cycle, I'm not sure sticking with players at the very fag-end of their careers is the way to go - it just reduces the time he has to build the team he wants.
Yeah - but, there's only a handful.
Cane and Perenara have already announced that they're gone - and there's only a handful of others who are possibly too old to go to the next world cup. Taylor, Tuúngafasi, Tuipolotu, Beauden, Havili, Reece and Telea.
When you line them up against Mealamu, Woodcock, Thorn, DC, Nonu - it';s only the wings that almost certainly won't make it because it's rare they get to 30.
I guess my point is that we've got tons of time.
I don't want to lose matches to develop newbies this year.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks v Japan:
Roigard was pretty average really, apart from the try - and there's only so much credit you can give for that with Japan's tackling performance. Hopefully he still makes the England team.
Disappointed Robertson didn't leave him out longer. maybe had a minor niggle?
@Victor-Meldrew yeah I dont understand subbing him early. He certainly hasn't had too much rugby, he has had a couple of games to get some match fitness, and zero to gain by playing TJP. Maybe a niggle, or maybe it points to them already deciding they are starting him next week, because otherwise there seems no upside.