The Silver Fern

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks v France I:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v France I:

Seems to me the Crusaders spent a lot of time and effort to quieten DMac, they seemed (in the final) to take his worth a lot more seriously than some posters on here.

I think it's more what @Canerbry was saying, they knew if they put some heat on him he'd wilt and not have much of an impact on the match, which is what happened.

Whereas they didn't even need to focus on BB to beat the Blues?

That says DMc is more potent just in itself.

@Chris said in All Blacks v France I:

Yeah I watched all the Blues games Barrett did play well for the Blues apart from the odd silly mistake.

I watched most.

Beauden's long range kicking, and especially his exit plays, were terrible. This is one area DMac has it all over him, and he has his poor moments. We will never match the top international teams if we simply cannot get out of our 22 properly.

The Blues did not play better once he got back in the team, quite the contrary -- that is, he's no better than Plummer or Perofeta. In particular, the Blues centres scored almost no tries this year, despite a hard-working forward pack, because BB doesn't set up a back-line very well. It's no coincidence that the All Black back-line becomes similarly dry in tries when he has taken over.

How many times do we have to repeat the end of last year, where we are going OK under McKenzie, only to replace him with Barrett and then get worse? How does our sudden improvement once Beauden was replaced by Mo'unga get ignored?

I get that DMc is not the sort of player that everyone likes. But at least he is good for the other backs to run off, and gives us options other than poor chips, mid-field bombs and cross-kicks.

@sparky said in All Blacks v France I:

@Daffy-Jaffy Is Giorgi Beria any relation to Lavrentiy Beria?

I just wasted 15 minutes checking, thanks. Apparently Beria is a relatively common name in Georgia.

You lot can smirk all you like, but he has a very valid point.

It's not a bout popping the ball off the ground -- it's about doing that when on attack regardless of what the situation is -- accepting that you win some, you lose some, but it tends to lead to a turnover if it goes wrong, but a try if it goes right. In the past you did it if you could see someone steaming up, but it wasn't pre-programmed.

It has been clear for a while that making a line break does not generate tries like it used to. The Chiefs have learned that the hard way at the pointy end in the last three seasons. You pretty much have to score or get a penalty immediately from a break or you might as well not bother having made it. Once the ball is in a ruck for 3 seconds it is basically static.

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

@Jet said in All Blacks 2025:

When someone has a hot hand you have to go with them.

up to a point, yes. Outside backs probably. But Test rugby is a different beast to Super. Form does not necessarily translate.

Edit: experience in Tests are valued for a reason. They are (and should be) damn hard

But how do you find out, if you never try someone?

It's hard to say that test experience is so valuable when there's a few ABs at the moment that clearly are not better for their extra experience. Beauden was way better as a newbie than he is now. That would be true for half the team, come to think of it.

Also Leroy Carter has played international level, so we know whether he can handle the pressure.

@mariner4life said in NZR CEO Mark Robinson Resigns:

because rugby boards and clubs spend like they are a much bigger sport than they really are.

Hardly just rugby. European football is way out of control -- they are making serious money and yet can manage to go broke on it.

I've followed all of the Giro stages (using SBS and a VPN). It started as boring and ended quite phenomenally.

I think Del Toro was just blown, rather than out-played. There were lots of riders able to keep up with him at the end, which should not be happening on a final mountain stage like that if you are a grand tour winner.

Rathkeale are always going to have to travel, but going all that way to get quite a few hidings must hurt extra.

Now do the men's!

You can't have as many issues as the Highlanders have and then say it was the ref.

The ref didn't kick it out on the full. The ref didn't spill the high kicks. etc

@BMR323 said in School Rugby 2025:

both Schools with hostels with a widespread catchment.

I don't know about PNBHS, but Fielding manage to "catch" quite a few boys that aren't in their catchment area.

I can see why they put up the dates for the post-season fixtures, but it rankles me a bit that they give the Hurricanes ones the same billing level.

So modest to enter the Hurricanes semi-finals and finals in their fixtures list by Fielding.

@Kirwan said in Hurricanes vs Blues:

I think BB is only a ten at this stage of his career, not attacking enough at the back and his kicking last week cost us at least two trys, was poor.

His kicking was poor, so you advise moving him a position where he will kick more?

Beauden is now entirely a fullback, and an out of form one at that.

It's got to be someone for Sotutu love, surely? It's a rare AB thread that doesn't eventually work its way round to how he was "shafted".

I've gone for the draw. Not because I think it will be a draw, but because I think it will be mighty close.

We have started to look like we have sorted out some of our defensive issues, but we don't know how to score against similarly tight defences. So a close one either way.

I'm a lot happier now DMc is starting. I would have gone Ireland otherwise.

@kpkanz said in NZ Sevens 2024-25:

I'm really hoping Mathis isnt spending the next 8 months playing sevens instead of a full season of super rugby.

But would he get a full season of super rugby? He's not a starter over Jacobson, Finau and Sititi. If injuries strike he may get a few games.

Full time playing and training with the Sevens would be at least as good, provided he plays.

@canefan said in NZ First Five Crisis:

@Chester-Draws said in NZ First Five Crisis:

@frugby said in NZ First Five Crisis:

RE-OPENS THREAD

I can't believe I'm saying this but Plummer just has to have a crack. DMac is not the one.

If Plummer, at 26, is "the one", I'll eat my hat. I'm not unhappy that Plummer is in the squad, because he would be the next best, but that's it. There's no upward path from where he is now. We've all seen him play, and it's solid.

Every good first-five (or halfback for that matter) gets to their peak young. Usually very young. I remember watching Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden and DMc all standing out at age 21.

So when we get a decent replacement for DMc, it will be some tyro, barely out of the Under 20s. Like all the other decent first-fives (and halfbacks) we've had. Mo'unga took a long time to crack the ABs, relatively, and he was in the squad at 23.

The idea that we are going to spend a couple of years displacing DMc so a guy who is never going to be any better than him can get game time is risible.

The guy Plummer reminds me of is Stephen Donald. Who looked really good at SR level, but also took a long time to get international duty, because that was his level -- and really only played when multiple injuries struck.

You may be right about Plummer. But wouldn't you take the chance just in case he can be good, and start him for a half in a dead rubber vs Aussie on Saturday?

I don't think this is a dead rubber at all. The ABs need to fix their end of game issues, and they can only do that by taking games seriously. Aussie also desperately need a win, so will go in all fired up.

I've no issues if Plummer starts in a minor game on the end of year tour. We can't leave him on ice forever.

But the idea that he has any chance of being substantially better than DMc is rather wishful thinking.

@frugby said in NZ First Five Crisis:

RE-OPENS THREAD

I can't believe I'm saying this but Plummer just has to have a crack. DMac is not the one.

If Plummer, at 26, is "the one", I'll eat my hat. I'm not unhappy that Plummer is in the squad, because he would be the next best, but that's it. There's no upward path from where he is now. We've all seen him play, and it's solid.

Every good first-five (or halfback for that matter) gets to their peak young. Usually very young. I remember watching Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden and DMc all standing out at age 21.

So when we get a decent replacement for DMc, it will be some tyro, barely out of the Under 20s. Like all the other decent first-fives (and halfbacks) we've had. Mo'unga took a long time to crack the ABs, relatively, and he was in the squad at 23.

The idea that we are going to spend a couple of years displacing DMc so a guy who is never going to be close to as good as him can get game time is risible.

The guy Plummer reminds me of is Stephen Donald. Who looked really good at SR level, but also took a long time to get international duty, because that was his level -- and really only played when multiple injuries struck.

@BerniesCorner said in Springboks vs All Blacks 2:

@KiwiMurph said in Springboks vs All Blacks 2:

This AB pack is starting to remind me of 99-01 AB era packs

Undersized try hards.

That were superior to the SA forwards for the majority of the first game.

ABs were also bigger.

We are not a small side, regardless of how strongly that myth is embedded.

It is an odd climb, because the really steep bits are mixed with some very gentle parts. Downhill even. The 24% was only a tiny bit and the average, even for the last three km, was a lot lower..

The first guys over the line looked absolutely blown and made it look totally brutal. When Roglic went over he didn't look anything like that though.