All Blacks 2025

[mariner4life]

if we accept that Vaai will continue at 6, then they have selected Finau and Parker to fight over the same bench minutes.
However what happens when Barrett is fit given the form of Patty T and Holland? They don't seem overly willing to go the 6-2 route, so you imagine that both Finau and Parker will become redundant at that point.

The whole thing seems a but muddled

[Crazy Horse]

@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

Dalts dropped? Wild

Look who he plays for......

Same team as Christie?

He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.

And Gingers. Poor bugger, plays for the Blues and is a ranga. So brave.

[Dan54]

@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:

Finley Christie's continued selection is troubling. Kyle Preston offers something different, I guess but Folau Fakatava and Xavier Roe are better players. Weird that Josh Lord (who is injured) gets picked ahead of Sam Darry who isn't.

Also , I certainly not convinced that either Fakatava or Roe are better players than Christie. Not really a Christie fan, but don't think the other 2 set the world on fire.. Fakatave struggles to get start with Hawkes Bay, and Roe has looked good at times for Chiefs, but also at times bloody ordinary. We really lose a lot with Roigard.

[nzzp]

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

Dalts dropped? Wild

Look who he plays for......

Same team as Christie?

He's just there to prove Aucklanders shouldn't be selected.

And Gingers. Poor bugger, plays for the Blues and is a ranga. So brave.

So stunning and brave.

[sparky]

Tevita Mafileo is a bolter.

He trained with the ABs in 2023, he was in the All Blacks XV in 2022 and the 2018 Under 20 squad, but I can't remember many people pushing for his inclusion with the ABs.

[African Monkey]

@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:

Tevita Mafileo is a bolter.

He trained with the ABs in 2023, he was in the All Blacks XV in 2022 and the 2018 Under 20 squad, but I can't remember many people pushing for his inclusion with the ABs.

He never plays lol (exaggeration).

[African Monkey]

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

Dalts dropped? Wild

Look who he plays for......

Same team as Christie?

That's how desperate times are at 9 currently.

[Ghost678]

So… who’s slightly sweating over that Eden Park record?

[sparky]

@Ghost678 I'm worried it's going to be 1937 all over again........

[canefan]

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

Dalts dropped? Wild

Look who he plays for......

Same team as Christie?

That's how desperate times are at 9 currently.

It reflects a lack of courage by the selectors. Fakatava feeling no love

[Kirwan]

Extremely hard to argue against an anti-Blues bias. Getting to the point that it will affect our ability to attract talent, as players with AB ambitions will look at the Cantab Coaches and wonder if they have to move to be picked.

Christie is only there as injury cover, and as soon as Barrett is back they'll boot Patrick who's playing fantastic.

Forget the drama around Sotutu, which shows the coaches in a poor light, not picking Dalton is pathetic.

[sparky]

@Dan54 I thought he failed a HIA at the weekend.

https://twitter.com/rugby_scoop/status/1951569716788785570?s=46

[Bovidae]

@sparky No. They said Lord passed his HIA but Barnes decided to not to put him back on the field.

[Frank]

Razor says Parker can also play 8.

[brodean]

The tight five is the best thing about this ABs squad.

The loose forwards, halfbacks, and 13 are pretty inexperienced and the 10s are rocks and diamonds.

It will be a real challenge for this squad to win games in arguably the toughest opposition of the twenties across the three other RC teams.

[Kiwiwomble]

@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:

@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:

How the fuck did combover win so many SR titles?

Four of the loose forwards are effectively carbon copies of each other.

Richie McCaw. Dan Carter.

both left the saders before razors time.....

[Bovidae]

It sounds like Mafileo got selected for his ability to play both sides in a touring party. Williams should be available for test 2.

Parker, Lakai and Lord will play NPC in Rd 2. Darry needs more game time.

[frugby]

I’ve just watch Tupou Vaa’i put in some of the better back to back performances we’ve seen and Ardie Savea play great rugby back at openside, yet people are moaning about the loose forward mix?

Sititi was great last year, deservedly comes back in and gets a go at 8. Parker, who was everyone’s favourite bolter also comes in presumably as the backup 8.

Kirifi, who many wanted to be given a chance, is retained, and Lakai, who went past Papalii last year, and by most accounts is a very special player returns from injury.

Squabbling about Sotutu (and Akira Ioane!) is a waste of time. They want fetchers at 7, and Papalii isn’t that.

Jacobson possibly fortunate, but on paper he shapes as the last picked loosie anyway. This meltdown is crazy.

[brodean]

@frugby

Hardly a meltdown. People are allowed to express disappointment without it being called a meltdown

[sparky]

If you think this is a meltdown, then you've never seen the Fern in full on meltdown time.