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@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:
If the general tenor of these stories is true, I'd be extremely pissed off were I an England fan.
And were I in a position of power I'd be handing Brendon his cards.
Sounds like a fucking shambles from the 1980s.
McCullum is only the second worst coach from NZ though, that's something in his favour.
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Tim Spoke to my source and got some new oil on the Papalii situation. Again take with a grain of salt. I'd back this guy. And all I can say is holy shit if true.
I'll hold off sharing all the details publicly now. But it's fair to say Papalii was directly told he would be picked for RC by Razor, made some...life altering choices for his family as a result, told Razor what they'd be prior to it all, and then was omitted from the squad.
We don't need to go into detail about those choices, but safe to say, as a family man I'd be fucking murderous if they happened to me.
Long story short Papalii does not just hate Razor, but seems to have the sort of desire for vengeance that burned Rome down.
Crikey, his tell all book will send Ardies to the bargain bin faster than you can say TikTok following…..
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@handa457 Actually, adding a bit more. One person (I can’t remember who) posted on The Fern that Papalii allegedly threw a punch at Razor during the EOYT 2024. That wasn’t substantiated, and my source couldn’t confirm it. I personally highly doubt that's true.
What I can confirm is that coming into 2024, Papalii had been told he was firmly the No. 7 the All Blacks wanted, with Cane leaving. He came into camp, was asked to play a certain way, then was dropped after a handful of games and barely featured again in 2024. He was pretty frustrated with the communication, selection, and style of play. On top of that, someone along the line had apparently floated that he might be future captain material. So to go from “potential future captain” to being dropped with limited communication clearly put him offside.
Yeah not sure about that one, he did play in 2025 albeit very briefly.
Also he was more than likely pissed off his Super Rugby winning Blues loose forward teammates were on the outer too ?
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
If it true that Robertson and Hansen have gone, then that's one helluva a scoop for the Fern.
I haven't seen any print journalists go anywhere near this yet. So yeah, I'm sceptical.
Probably too embarrassed after fawning over him a couple of years back.
@handa457 said in All Blacks 2026:
@junior that’s fair. I may be getting ahead of myself there. I have a source who’s a sporting journalist who can repeat the Savea rumour. But he couldn’t confirm if true. (hell he might have even just heard it from someone here).
He does have done good oil. And is close to a few blues players. He told me end of 2024 about some issues between Razor & Papalii.
But as I said, may be getting ahead of myself
Without trying to look through millions of previous posts what happened here again ? did Papalii get selected on the EOYT and then turn it down ? is that the issue that is referred to in the video that @Duluth shared ?
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
Coach? Pffft...get him back in the 12 jersey.
Given he appears to have freakish longevity, an incredible legacy and some underwhelming alternatives I fully support this
Jordie can go to fullback or join the rest of his brothers out to pasture.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
A bad culture, players thinking they are bigger than the team… only one person for the job.
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
Actually Nonu might make a useful assistant coach, what is he doing?
More than Piri.
Doing choice Manus off the pier in Eastbourne takes up a lot of time.
Poor old Razor, under the pump like this and we’re only half way through January. What a difference a couple of years makes……where are all his gushy, matey docos now ?
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
The rumours are getting more unbelivable every day.
Ardie will back in black in 2026 I have no doubt.He has free reign in the ABs to do what he likes.
Hitting rucks, mauls, tackling etc is for other chumps. As long as he's free to run the ball he'll have lots of good content for his socials in 26......
@george33 said in All Blacks 2026:
@MacDazzler Sam Casey also confirmed that it's very unlikely that Ardie Savea would play again under current AB coaches.
Care to elaborate further on this ? something definitely rotten in camp if this is the case.
Ardie is one of the best players in the world, well, according to TikTok and Instagram anyway.....
@Godder said in Ashes 2025/6:
Young men away on overseas work trip drank a lot. More news at 11...
Ironically, England largely lost the 1st test to Bazball, being Head's individual brilliance. Win that, scrape through the 5th test, and maybe it's a whole different conversation.
I'm not sure of the best way forward in all areas because it's not obvious to me that England have a stack of replacement players, captain or coaches ready to just step in and be as good. However, Rob Key sounds like a plonker and England could definitely sharpen up the fielding so maybe start there as an obvious "learning" and make Key the scapegoat.
I'm not sure how much the drinking was the issue, after all Beefy Botham put a hell of a lot away when he was winning the Ashes for England back in the day, although to be fair it was harder for him to keep the weight down and fight off the niggly injuries later in his career.....
I think the issue was England played only one way, and when the pressure was on that one way turned to shit.
@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:
It was pointed out Carse had one of the best strike rates on ashes series, 36 balls per wicket. He just went for a few runs. He seemed to bowl better in his later spells too which seemed to highlight he’s not really suited as an opening bowler. Does better when the ball is softer and older
Only other English bower who looked the goods was Tongue
Jofra to me is over rated. His record isn’t even that good. He improved before he broke down (again) but the series was already lost by thenFind it funny 9% who voted that combined team didn’t pick Head…
Duckett did have an excellent strike rate
Plus the name Travis Head is very silly and he looks like an 80s throwback. That's all I can think of.
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
Stokes - times his bowling entry - most heavy lifting is done by others.
well, that's their job. Stokes still bowled almost 20% of all their overs, as the 4th seamer, and that's without being fit enough to bowl in the final innings of the tour.
In this last test took the first two wickets of the Aus first innings.
First test ripped the entire middle order out to take 5
Bowled his fair share the rest of the time.
15 wickets at 25, the vast majority of those numbers 1-7.Weird take to get in to him about his bowling efforts on this tour. Batting? absolutely, but he busted his ass with the ball.
Stokes looked to have pretty much given up bowling a couple of years back but has definitely picked things up of late.
His numbers in both disciplines don't stack up to the truly great all rounders, ( probably better than Flintoff, not a patch on Beefy, particularly early Beefy ) but he is a big moment player. Bowled well this tour, a real let down with the bat ( although his top order sure didn't help in this department )
Most definitely worth his place in a combined team over Green.
@No-Quarter said in Ashes 2025/6:
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.It also shows the difference between the sides was coaching / gameplan rather than individual performances. McCullum has to wear this Ashes loss, it was his attack at all costs gameplan that cost them the first three matches.
Oh, and dropped catches. So many easy catches shelled that would have completed changed the course of every test.
When you're as bits and pieces at test level as Will Jacks is you need to be a shit hot fielder. That dropped catch was one of the biggest clangers I've ever seen.
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.
Skull is having none of this nonsense……
But seriously, you make a good point. Root and Stokes get in ( on bowling, not batting ), Brook deserves a shout and even Crawley despite a pair first test had his moments. Archer, Tongue and Carse all had fine spells too.
@KiwiMurph said in Ashes 2025/6:
Being punched and then fined 70k ?
That's a tough night out. Perhaps the bouncer didn't know who he was ?
Ricky Ponting came out of his issues ok though, maybe Brook will do the same......
