All Blacks 2025
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I think the bench is going to be a major consideration this year. Potentially they are ability to fashion Sotutu into a finisher? I wouldn’t have him in my squad but I think he’d offer more as a bench option than Jacobson even if the latter can play multiple positions.
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With the potential selection of both Kirifi and Lakai, I hope stronger consideration of a 6:2 bench is taken this season. They were close a couple of times last year but I think with where the game is at and where we have depth, what happens in the last 20 minutes it is far more critical to have fresh forwards.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
With the potential selection of both Kirifi and Lakai, I hope stronger consideration of a 6:2 bench is taken this season. They were close a couple of times last year but I think with where the game is at and where we have depth, what happens in the last 20 minutes it is far more critical to have fresh forwards.
I'm concerned about a loose forward selection stacked with relatively small bodies - Sititi, Lakai, Kirifi, Savea - that reads like an injury away from being belted against teams that like to muscle up.
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You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
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@brodean alternatively, Blues fans are biased towards Hoskins because they think he doesn't get a fair crack. Evidently we just saw the game differently.
He only got one single vote for MOTM in the other two games played since chchfanatic's previous comments so I don't think it matters hugely either way.
If he only got 1 single vote for MOTM in the other two games then that would indicate that your first point about Blues fans being biased towards Hoskins is wrong.
Btw I don't think he's done enough this year to be selected but to say he was no where near MOTM against the Chiefs is just plain wrong. It's one thing to say another player was better but to say he was no where near it is ridiculous.
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I can't picture a situation where a fit Blackadder misses out on selection. With three 12 options and two 13 options available even with ALB injured, I don't see why Tavatavanawai would be needed as injury cover either. Unless it was coming straight from the top, I'm not sure how someone would learn that Ioane was being considered as a wing either. Would love to know how close to the team your source is @chchfanatic.
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I can't picture a situation where a fit Blackadder misses out on selection. With three 12 options and two 13 options available even with ALB injured, I don't see why Tavatavanawai would be needed as injury cover either. Unless it was coming straight from the top, I'm not sure how someone would learn that Ioane was being considered as a wing either. Would love to know how close to the team your source is @chchfanatic.
Yeah @chchfanatic is usually pretty close to the money - but, this team is going to look quite a bit different to what I'd expect if he's right this time.
I don't see why they would need all of Jordie, Timoci and Dave - three specialist second-fives - and if they pick these three then surely there's no room for Quin Tupaea - with Rieko and Proctor.
Blackadder missing out would be a significant surprise - especially now Parker is injured - but, not beyong the realms of possibility if they wanted to pick two big sixes - Finau.... and maybe Howden?
Still deciding on Hoskins or CLW seems slightly unusual as well. They're two very different players.
Hoskins if you want a big, powerful 8 - CLW if you want a smaller more mobile one.
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re havili and blackadder....is there any chance theyve just given up? too many chances and either got injured or not stepped up?...regardless of their super form
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Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
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Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
Looks like he is straight out of an advertising catalogue. Not a Toyota though
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
Looks like he is straight out of an advertising catalogue. Not a Toyota though
@SouthernMann said in All Blacks 2025:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
Looks like he is straight out of an advertising catalogue. Not a Toyota though
Rodd & Gunn is over priced Ponsonby farmer-core crap.
Kiwi RM Williams.
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
isn't that a Defender?
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
isn't that a Defender?
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2025:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
isn't that a Defender?
It is, he would of got his pretty quick, same as Richie McCaw . And it's from around the aerea where his old man's farm is.
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this chat is wild
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You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
Looking at Canefan's suggested list:
LOOSE FORWARDS:
Peter Lakai (Hurricanes)
Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika)
Dalton Papali'i (Blues)
Luke Jacobsen (Chiefs)/Lio-Willie (Crusaders)/Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
Du Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes)
Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)
Wallace Sititi (Chiefs)Take out the big body (Finau) and then what are we left with to shove into the match 23? If there's no Sotutu (given he can only play 8 and 12) then the biggest is Jacobsen - that's a dangerously small loose forward trio for Test rugby no matter what way we put it.
So either we add a fit Parker (hopefully) or more loose forward spots at the expense of some other position in the squad. I don't see the point in carrying Lakai, Sititi and Kirifi, especially if Ardie's SR form at openside gives Razor the impetus to put him in there. They're all just too much alike for me.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
Looking at Canefan's suggested list:
LOOSE FORWARDS:
Peter Lakai (Hurricanes)
Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika)
Dalton Papali'i (Blues)
Luke Jacobsen (Chiefs)/Lio-Willie (Crusaders)/Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
Du Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes)
Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)
Wallace Sititi (Chiefs)Take out the big body (Finau) and then what are we left with to shove into the match 23? If there's no Sotutu (given he can only play 8 and 12) then the biggest is Jacobsen - that's a dangerously small loose forward trio for Test rugby no matter what way we put it.
So either we add a fit Parker (hopefully) or more loose forward spots at the expense of some other position in the squad. I don't see the point in carrying Lakai, Sititi and Kirifi, especially if Ardie's SR form at openside gives Razor the impetus to put him in there. They're all just too much alike for me.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
Looking at Canefan's suggested list:
LOOSE FORWARDS:
Peter Lakai (Hurricanes)
Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika)
Dalton Papali'i (Blues)
Luke Jacobsen (Chiefs)/Lio-Willie (Crusaders)/Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
Du Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes)
Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)
Wallace Sititi (Chiefs)Take out the big body (Finau) and then what are we left with to shove into the match 23? If there's no Sotutu (given he can only play 8 and 12) then the biggest is Jacobsen - that's a dangerously small loose forward trio for Test rugby no matter what we we put it.
So either we add a fit Parker (hopefully) or more loose forward spots at the expense of some other position in the squad. I don't see the point in carrying Lakai, Sititi and Kirifi, especially if Ardie's SR form at openside gives Razor the impetus to put him in there. They're all just too much alike for me.
Can he ????
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
Looking at Canefan's suggested list:
LOOSE FORWARDS:
Peter Lakai (Hurricanes)
Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika)
Dalton Papali'i (Blues)
Luke Jacobsen (Chiefs)/Lio-Willie (Crusaders)/Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
Du Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes)
Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)
Wallace Sititi (Chiefs)Take out the big body (Finau) and then what are we left with to shove into the match 23? If there's no Sotutu (given he can only play 8 and 12) then the biggest is Jacobsen - that's a dangerously small loose forward trio for Test rugby no matter what we we put it.
So either we add a fit Parker (hopefully) or more loose forward spots at the expense of some other position in the squad. I don't see the point in carrying Lakai, Sititi and Kirifi, especially if Ardie's SR form at openside gives Razor the impetus to put him in there. They're all just too much alike for me.
Can he ????
@MN5 he's done it for the Blues in an emergency and been pretty handy at it. He's got very good skills (hence why he's a good 8 IMO).
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An Ardie - Sotutu midfield pairing would have some punch.
