The Silver Fern

@gt12 said in TRC Squad:

@Kirwan said in TRC Squad:

Pretty funny using the fact that Akira is going overseas to not pick him, as if he doesn’t have an out clause if he got selected. Even funnier when you consider all the overseas crusaders they are luring back.

It's not like he's going for the rugby, Kintetstu are the worst team in league 1 (just came up I think). Osaka is nice, but it's not like he's off to Panasonic, Toshiba etc.

They actually just got demoted to Div 2 following last season.

@voodoo if anything it’s a compliment. a shit Richie McCaw > good Peter O’Mahony QED.

Cane showed the mouthy Irish git exactly that in the QF. He was immense that night, inviting reasonable comparison with the Incomparable. Takes some going to make the ludicrous a serious consideration, even for just a game.

Go well, Sam Cane. They asked the impossible of you: leave the jersey better than you found it. You failed gloriously, honourably. Coming up to the scratch over and over, seemingly undaunted by the heavy yolk of your responsibility. Unbowed by a broken neck, still less the critics’ ludicrous, invidious comparisons.

Each of the 99 times you toed the mark reducing the awful weight of that famous jersey for the next few men to shoulder.

@BorderJB said in All Blacks MOTM v Wallabies I:

Sititi, Ratima, Vaai the last couple games have been great.

Interesting voting strategy...

@dogmeat said in Should Ardie play 7?:

@mariner4life reddit are banning all nudity and adult content from October

looooool

and so dies Reddit, gone the way of tumblr

@DaGrubster said in All Blacks vs Wallabies I:

@Dan54 said in All Blacks vs Wallabies I:

@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks vs Wallabies I:

I've started doing crosswords to ward off dementia

So have I but suspect I left it too late!!😖

That’s the 4th time you have replied to that post Dan 🤦‍♂️

Post? What post Grubs???😁

@Nepia said in All Blacks MOTM v Boks II:

@voodoo said in All Blacks MOTM v Boks II:

I just can't fathom how that performance got him into the MOTM conversation.

A reflection of the other performances in the team ...?

I guess putting a fat red line through the whole backline shrinks the field...

Vaai, Taylor, Clarke

No draw option available ?

@antipodean said in Leon MacDonald Quits:

@KiwiMurph I get the feeling reading some rugby media that they wait until this forum has had a go at fleshing out the argument and then asking an AI to summarise the thread and write them an article.

We done a few of those now, works surprisingly well.

@Billy-Tell czesc

https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/nowhere-to-hide-for-all-blacks-as-south-african-mini-tour-looms/

@Bones Like I say, faint praise. He did the basics okay. 3rd vote was definitely for the least worse player.

I was going to go for ALB like you, but then I remembered how poor our midfield defence was.

@African-Monkey said in Still talking about Foster:

@nzzp said in Still talking about Foster:

@nzzp said in Still talking about Foster:

Good call. Naive is probably right.

Update: I think a mix of thin skinned and naive.

His talking about the games in 2021 were something like (not a direct quote) we smashed Tonga 102-0, then beat Fiji by 57 and 60- but still some people weren't happy.

I remember those Fiji games. They were coached by Vern and Ryan - and their forward pack scored a try or two against us up the guts. They looked sharp. People were right to critique the performances.

Yeah, that first Fiji test we had Blackadder, Sotutu and Frizzell who were beaten to the punch at breakdown a lot. It was only the last 20 where Fiji faded and Coles scored about 4 tries from rolling mauls where we pulled away but we struggled for large periods of that test.

Beating that Tonga team shouldn't even be mentioned as a test. They had to pull a bunch of guys out of Auckland club rugby to make the numbers as covid rules at the time didn't allow for them to pick most of their overseas players.

That Fiji test essentially made Ryan's name, they were really well drilled. What's stange is that it doesn't seem to have given Cotter much pop. I know that he is planning on retiring but he is one of the names who I think has the philosophy to be very successful at the next level with players of AB talent.

@pakman said in All Blacks vs Argentina I:

@Bones said in All Blacks vs Argentina I:

@pakman god that was depressing, couldn't finish it.

Fucking funny though at the bit where Razor says what they were doing all last week.

The first ten were all exit, so parked rest for when I'm feeling sunnier!

Quite a lot of Squidge over-excitement, but we often kicked without sizing up what was in front of us, and a handful of instances where almost entire pack folded one side of ruck leaving other side woefully under-defended.

Not sure if a system thing but I'd not noticed that in other games.

@Dan54 said in All Blacks MOTM v Fiji:

I went ALB and Proctor, then in a virtual toss up with CC, I ended up going BB.

maybe because B is better then a C??

it's like the good old Smith days; we've gone from A B C smith to AA BB CC in the side 🙂

@Dan54 said in Norm Hewitt:

@MN5 Mate just probably with his book, I personally got annoyed that he was a victim too often in it, it was unfair he last captaincy of HB because he was pissed and tried to get into wrong room of motel etc. Perhaps ot was Laws as author who pissed me off. I could accept he was a drug dealer, bully etc he turned himself around (and we didn't have net in those days so he wasn't judged like players are now), just the impression the book made him sound like a victim annoyed me is all. As I said that just may of been Laws the author'.

Fair enough.

I might have another read over the weekend and see.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks vs Fiji:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks vs Fiji:

The big question is whether TJP is fit, as then they have a selection decision to make.

So my question above was answered, and it wasn't what most of us would have expected.

Ironically, if TJP wasn't injured in the 1st test vs England I don't think Ratima gets the opportunity to show the difference a quick pass makes compared to Christie.

True, but the fact it happened does give me more confidence in the coaching team.

Christ, beware 14.5% shiraz drinking during the game.

I didn't vote for Beaudy, and I should have. Ethan, DMac and that was apparently it for me. Wild.

Have a virtual vote Beaudy and I'm looking forward to watching the replay this week