The Silver Fern

@sparky said in Sam Cane - All Blacks Captain:

Which test was Andrew Hore ABs captain for?

It was a club game.

@cantab79 said in AB Test Team v France.:

Can't believe people are seriously suggesting that Steve Hansen has not called up Akira Ioane because he is saving him for the Maori team. Is there any precedent to back up this theory? Luke Whitelock has outplayed Ioane at both Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup levels this year, and that's why he's been selected.

How does that pie taste?

Look. Tana and BOD have buried the hatchet and are sharing a laugh.

Next on Tana's list are @Kirwan and @Duluth

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@booboo said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

Apparently BOD was a pundit on the Irish coverage and didn't take the result well. If anyone has the footage and can post it I will be eternally grateful

Was on the ITV coverage.

He had the look of a man who's swallowed a wasp during during a live TV interview and that distracted him from the fact he's also having a severe bowel spasm.

Excellent.

A quarter final exit is an Irish tradition isn’t it?

Planet Rugby’s Ireland fans are still delivering gold

“We knew all of this in advance.
That’s why Joe player what he felt was his best team.

In cooler weather, better ref, neutral location both teams given the same amount of rest and our B team puts 40 points on them.

Do we really think that Japan making the quarters wasn’t just what WR wanted?

At this rate Japan might make the semis or better.

Reminds me of Korea/Japan WC in the football.”

Also a whole thread about how bent Gardner is

http://forum.planetrugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91481&sid=5594db999ca625c55956a0becc14a9dc

I don’t remember bok fans being this graceless at all and their team came back and gave ours a hell of a game in the semis.
I hope Heneke Meyer had a smile on his face last night .
The only downside for Japan is no one in their pool is going to take them lightly so they’ll be playing their top side if possible.

As a neutralish observer (I was obviously backing Japan) I didn't notice any obvious issues with the officiating. Did anyone? (Haven't read the thread.)

What are their specific whinge? Or is it just victim mentality?

Some of them have been saying Japan had an advantage because they play in the super rugby comp and are more used to the way Gardner refs .

Victim mentality, delusions of grandeur or just ungracious arseclowns? Take your pick

According to comments on the42 Ireland were beaten by some fella called Hugh Middity.
He wasn’t on the team sheets but must have been there because everyone is saying “Hi, Hugh Middity”

What about stupid people that think they can coach and select the ABs but have no clue about it. They can piss right of!

@allblacksfan72 said in Are there any All Blacks wildcards left ?:

How about George bridge? Has all the qualities needed for test rugby

A red and black jersey?

@Canes4life said in Bledisloe 1:

Our best player not being there next week is a huge loss. Big chance for Hoskins though.

Is something wrong with Sami?

Can someone please correct this thread title. It is doing my head in.

This thread makes for a hilarious read back. ETNZ go from chumps to champs to chimps to champs with every gybe and tack.

@taniwharugby said in Crusaders v Highlanders (2 April 2021):

@crucial oh aside form tackles, he was, as were many of the saders guns.

The biggest worry for the ABs is the way RM gets taken off his game when his team gets knocked backwards. Tonight was RWC semi-like

@Dan54 said in Exodus:

@Bovidae He's the type of player who unfortunately is a big loss, never going to be an AB , but so important to depth!

A little more than that IMO.
We are very quick to write players off in NZ if they don't look test standard after a couple of years.
Nankivell is 26 and each year he has shown improvements to his game while gaining experience. He is exactly the type of player that other countries target, qualify then turn back at us (eg Lowe, JGP etc).
Not saying he will be an international elsewhere but does roughly fit that scenario.
The concern isn't the other teams getting him, it is us missing out on possibly having a 28 year old, very experienced midfield player in the best form of his life as all the pieces of the puzzle come together for him.
Evidence in NZ over recen times though shows that those players are usually ignored in favour of some flash young potential that has to learn on the job.
Pity.

@antipodean said in All Blacks vs USA:

Playing teams like the USA should be treated like mid-weekers. No one should get a Test cap for this "demonstration effort".

Disagree. That is like the insults NZ Cricket used to get for decades.

Just because you aren't a top tier test team doesn't mean you don't deserve to play tests.
That's the point. You are testing yourselves against another team. That's how you get better and just one reason why the ABs won't be playing a 'demonstration'.
In fact those playing need to show they are worthy of the jersey they are wearing.
We have had plenty of touring players disappear from future squads after playing second tier teams.

@Stargazer said in All Blacks vs Ireland - series decider:

Taukei’aho didn't have the impact in the Ireland tests that he had last year. I can also understand them not starting Coles, who hasn't played much at all, this year. So in that light, starting Taylor makes a lot of sense. I don't think he's been as bad as people are posting here.

Auckland test he came on and did all the tackling for all the team. Something like 13 tackles in 20 minutes. Taylor made 6 in the 60 minutes before that.

Keep Nonu on. Didn’t get the Sky memo to ask leading non questions. Asking real ones and pressing the answer.

@Paekakboyz said in Passing of Queen Elizabeth:

@Crucial it's clear she was in her element with the social stuff. Sir Geoffrey Palmer was talking on RNZ this morning about the Queen's visit in 1990 and the number of events she attended. Said there was a dinner with like 70 odd guests and she wanted a talking point for every single one of them. That's is awesome and she must have had an amazing memory to retain all that information and then weave it into her banter with folks.

The stuff is all written down on a card and there is a slick operation that you wouldn't always notice. For example the people in her meet and greet corridor were spaced just far enough apart that as she finished one group her assistant (in our case the Lord High Chancellor), who has just been handed the info from his aide, briefs her on the very short walk to you. The names are then introduced formally but she has already worked out a couple of talking points.
Ours was a bit funny as the missus and I don't share the same surname and we happened to be standing either side of our friends (a couple) when the card was started. That meant that we had to stand back in that order to greet her and no one connected the dots that we were together. The wife and one of the others were work colleagues from different countries and he was in uniform and obviously with his wife. They chatted work with Her Majesty for a bit (she was very knowledgeable), she spoke to the other wife with general chit chat then turned to me and said 'and how do you fit into all of this?' . I pointed at the missus and said 'logistics for her' and she laughed and said 'I have one of those as well'.
She twigged straight away that her assistants had managed to separate us and found it funny. The LHC wasn't impressed though. Silly old twit.

SBW is there over Laumape for a number of reasons (experience in general, experience at RWCs) but most importantly he is the better player for the gameplay and structure.
He is there to be in pod one which involves bending the line and recycling quickly out to the second playmaker.
NL is great at bending the line but his ball handling is not at SBWs level.
I probably would have had NL there over Crotty but concede that loses some squad flexibility.
NL is just unlucky not undeserving

Ennor joining the team is the most alarming bit of news.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

Why not wait until after the final?

Foster confirmed he will announce a squad of 36 on Monday, June 13 in Auckland, ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific final.

Just in case Bridge breaks a tackle in the final.

@Bones said in Foster, Robertson etc:

Scott Robertson clearly has enemies in high places

We have to assume that this iteration of the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) don’t want Scott Robertson around.

One of the most stupid articles Bidwell has ever written and that's saying something.
"If they wanted him in the national set up he would be there by now." - Razor doesn't want to work with anyone other than his own team.
"We hounded Warren Gatland out of this country." - really?
"We made it clear to Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown and Dave Rennie that they had no future here." - Um, no. They were offered other opportunities and decided not to be dogs with two bones.

Article reads like the post of a pissy fans, ignoring facts to make a point.