All Blacks 2025
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I mentioned yesterday that an international defensive trend right now is to rush the midfield, negating any real chance for a centre to have much impact offensively, especially if they are seen as more of a distributor than a line breaking athlete.
One thing Lester could bring to 13 that no other centre can right now is his game breaking ability via his power game. Getting him into 13 could be one way to somewhat negate the rush D that we are seeing because he is a player that will cut open a defence if they don't get it quite right.
As many on here know, I'm a fan of Proctor but I don't think his style of game suits the way we are trying to play. We are conservative on attack, and we are currently using our centres as battering rams. If that's the gameplan we want to implement, fine, but surely you then need to pick a power player who is going to get us over the advantage line. Lester could be that guy but I'd rather them make a call., I'm so sick of the chopping and changing.
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@MN5 he's more likely to fall off them in defence.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@MN5 he's more likely to fall off them in defence.
The only reason he needs to defend is because our 10's kick possession away.
That will change when we get the quality 10 that is Mo'unga on the field.
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Heard Preston to start.
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
https://media.tenor.com/a0DR7gvSTu0AAAAM/robertdowneyjr-wide-eye.gif
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Heard Preston to start.
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
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@taniwharugby I genuinely can't understand it. In my opinion he's one of the best game managing halfbacks in New Zealand at the moment and he's a constant threat around the ruck.
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2025:
@taniwharugby I genuinely can't understand it. In my opinion he's one of the best game managing halfbacks in New Zealand at the moment and he's a constant threat around the ruck.
Especially when Fakatava went pretty close to signing with Razor's Crusaders after they approached him.
I wonder when he is eligible for Tonga?
On the LF front I thought he wasn't eligible (from an NZR point of view) until the EOYT?
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@pakman said in All Blacks 2025:
Maybe we should find out if he's free at the moment...
Jordie is 28, Ma'a is 43. I'd hope Jordie has at least a speed advantage at this time in life.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
edit to add: and you just know that Rassie has brought Faf in to target our last man standing halfbacks. Faf is not a complete player, but he is a royal pain in the arse for opposition halfbacks, and very experienced. -
Heard Preston to start.
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
The starting side is stronger than the last test already.
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@handa457 said in All Blacks 2025:
@taniwharugby I genuinely can't understand it. In my opinion he's one of the best game managing halfbacks in New Zealand at the moment and he's a constant threat around the ruck.
Especially when Fakatava went pretty close to signing with Razor's Crusaders after they approached him.
I wonder when he is eligible for Tonga?
On the LF front I thought he wasn't eligible (from an NZR point of view) until the EOYT?
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Are the https://all.rugby/player/ stats reliable?
I had a look through the yellow cards stats for some of our 12 options over the last few years. QT looks to have cleaned his record well, JB, DH and Big Jim had quite a few (but JB balanced them out with some nice red colours), ALB's yellow card count was also worrying (certainly a worrry at international level). The only one I found with a clean record at 12 was A J Lam.
https://all.rugby/player/jordie-barrett
https://all.rugby/player/david-havili
https://all.rugby/player/timoci-tavatavanawai
https://all.rugby/player/anton-lienert-brown
https://all.rugby/player/aj-lam -
I forgot QT's but I didn't mean to flood the thread. Those interested can use the search button.
I assume positional changes affected some of these stats but have no simple way to balance that. -
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
edit to add: and you just know that Rassie has brought Faf in to target our last man standing halfbacks. Faf is not a complete player, but he is a royal pain in the arse for opposition halfbacks, and very experienced.@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
Yeah I think 10 minutes of the bench in the final doesn’t out way the other starts he has had where he kicked really well off both feet kicked better than Hotham through the SR season.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
Yeah I think 10 minutes of the bench in the final doesn’t out way the other starts he has had where he kicked really well off both feet kicked better than Hotham through the SR season.
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
Yeah I think 10 minutes of the bench in the final doesn’t out way the other starts he has had where he kicked really well off both feet kicked better than Hotham through the SR season.
In terms of skill no, the worry is if that display was due to the pressure of the big match - then this is much bigger... I'd be much happier easing him in in a different game.
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
Yeah I think 10 minutes of the bench in the final doesn’t out way the other starts he has had where he kicked really well off both feet kicked better than Hotham through the SR season.
In terms of skill no, the worry is if that display was due to the pressure of the big match - then this is much bigger... I'd be much happier easing him in in a different game.
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
Heard Preston to start.
He had a great start to the SR season, but wasn't that mainly his running and support play? From what I recall his kicking isn't exactly the best, which if my memory serves me correctly would be a worry after our last outing.
Kicking is strength of his he can kick off both feet.
Generally yes, super final tight match off the bench no. I'd rather him start than finish, based on that admittedly very limited snapshot.
Yeah I think 10 minutes of the bench in the final doesn’t out way the other starts he has had where he kicked really well off both feet kicked better than Hotham through the SR season.
In terms of skill no, the worry is if that display was due to the pressure of the big match - then this is much bigger... I'd be much happier easing him in in a different game.
I like the idea someone who can kick off both feet quicker pass is quick on the ground better option than Christie who is a handbrake.
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I am very confused why Caleb Clarke isn't with the AB squad this weekend.
He was named in the initial AB Rugby Championship squad. He played a full game for Auckland in the NPC in terrible conditions in the weekend. But he still out of the AB squad on the basis of injury?
How does this make sense?
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I am very confused why Caleb Clarke isn't with the AB squad this weekend.
He was named in the initial AB Rugby Championship squad. He played a full game for Auckland in the NPC in terrible conditions in the weekend. But he still out of the AB squad on the basis of injury?
How does this make sense?
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
I am very confused why Caleb Clarke isn't with the AB squad this weekend.
He was named in the initial AB Rugby Championship squad. He played a full game for Auckland in the NPC in terrible conditions in the weekend. But he still out of the AB squad on the basis of injury?
How does this make sense?
Coz Razor lurves Reece
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@Jet said in All Blacks 2025:
Money in the bank.
He had off days. Outsanding generally, but there were days he struggled with the boot.
I remember a game against the Bokke where he missed a lot ... even the best have off days.
Yeah I was watching highlights of a test from that golden era where he played well in general play but missed at least 3 goal kicks. One was pretty standard too.
Off the top of my head… 2008 Capetown vs the Boks. We won 18-5. Was a horrendous swirling wind. Carter overcompensated and missed a lot of kicks. So did Percy from their side. It was Percy’s 50th test too from memory.
@junior said in All Blacks 2025:
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@Jet said in All Blacks 2025:
Money in the bank.
He had off days. Outsanding generally, but there were days he struggled with the boot.
I remember a game against the Bokke where he missed a lot ... even the best have off days.
Yeah I was watching highlights of a test from that golden era where he played well in general play but missed at least 3 goal kicks. One was pretty standard too.
Off the top of my head… 2008 Capetown vs the Boks. We won 18-5. Was a horrendous swirling wind. Carter overcompensated and missed a lot of kicks. So did Percy from their side. It was Percy’s 50th test too from memory.
19-0
