The Silver Fern

But Rieko and Akira are the dick heads of NZR, right?

Southland likely to pull 10,000 today, and hold the record for biggest in season crowd for a second year in a row. Pretty impressive there, other regional centres need to take note and replicate.

@SouthernMann said in All Blacks XV 2024:

Discussions arou dpotential injury replacements in teams like this are quite funny. There is nothing between the players and it is just about fans wanting their guys. Highlanders: withy or Broughton. Crusaders: anyone. Hurricanes: Delaney, Iose. Chiefs: Mathias, Parker Blues: Segner, Sufoa, Any of those options would be fine. Although, Mathias is an outrageous call. I reckon there is a chance no one will be called in and they just bring the non playing All Blacks down.

Personally, Highlanders fans tend to be the least bias, mostly because we're used to not having our guys in there anyway. We just want anyone but Crusaders, Blues, Canes, or Chiefs players.

Nathan Williamson  /  Feb 3

Super Rugby Pacific introduces Player of the Year award for 2025 season

Feels long overdue

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks v Springboks I:

EdG is getting dealt to

Aye, that was Newell there.

@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:

@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:

Dec 4, 2024

French say 'non' to a Test against All Blacks in USA — report

L'Equipe newspaper states negotiations over a Test In USA have failed, meaning France will play all three matches in New Zealand next year.

NZR leadership looking like idiots. Not only have they alienated their core supporters, but they have made the French Rugby authorities look more sensible and in touch with reality than themselves. I'd call the NZR leadership clowns, but clowns are sometimes funny.

The French are hardly good faith actors, owing ARU about $2 million, sending a weakened squad our way.

@Machpants said in Blues 2025:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2025:

Today the boys were presented with championship rings for the 2024 season

Utterly gopping

Na, that's cool, appeals to a younger audience too.

@Machpants said in Blues 2025:

@WoodysRFC said in Blues 2025:

@Machpants said in Blues 2025:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2025:

Today the boys were presented with championship rings for the 2024 season

Utterly gopping

Na, that's cool, appeals to a younger audience too.

Younger? Those sort of shitty rings are USA from the 1830s!

Huge numbers liking this on social media, really leaning into the American Sports, which the younger generation are obsessed with.

@Bones said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

I'd be a bit loathe to judge Holland's ball carrying off SR this year. He seemed to be just so busy he didn't have energy left, but he showed good power and feet last year at a few levels.

Great ball in hand for the NZ XV.

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:

@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2025:

@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:

An interesting gem that Justin Marshall picked up, I assume from the AB coaches, Reiko Ioane is the fastest player in the AB squad with Leroy Carter not far behind.

This has been known for quite a number of years. Nic Gill said this back when he was the trainer.

Nick Gill is still the trainer isn't he?

Either this info is out of date, the team is incredibly slow or Rieko is carrying an injury because 2025 Rieko is nowhere near as fast as 2017 Rieko.

Or, idk, he's just the fastest in the team.

Anyone notice how often SA send in a player to remove a player prior to a tackle being made?

@Bones said in Crusaders 2026:

@Mauss said in Crusaders 2026:

@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2026:

Hopefully this comes back to bite me in the years to come, but I don't think he will. He is a magnificent athlete playing the wrong position, but what his right position is, I don't know. He reminds me of Eric Rush.

I find it a bit of a strange signing (if true) for this reason: he doesn't strike me as a Crusader loose forward at all. Johnny Lee, on the other hand, looks like he was built specifically for playing for the Crusaders.

So, like you, I don't really know what the plan is here. Both from the Crusaders' perspective as well as that of Mathis. With Savea playing openside at Test level, there's a clear demand for dynamic flankers who have excellent game understanding and the ability to anticipate line breaks and breakdowns. But I'm not sure Mathis will be given that kind of 'freedom' at the Crusaders. Or maybe the Crusaders are trying to get with the times as well?

Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

By the same token, he seems like a very crusaderish wing.

Next George Bridge.

@Nepia he's not a Cantabrian though, so he doesn't have automatic rights to selection just yet.

Couldn't care less about the A Cup now that it's never coming back to NZ. The Silverferns win over Australia, particularly after their series loss to England is pretty impressive, particularly as wins over Aus are so rare.

@ploughboy said in Chiefs 2025:

@Bovidae any stand outs?

Leroy Carter, looked good both on the wing and at half.

@sparky said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

@cgrant said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

Attisogbe is a gun. Better than Penaud IMO. Best winger in France behind LBB.

I agree. I think he's fantastic. I wish we had someone like him.

I'm sure he is immensely talented, but that highlights video didn't exactly make me think he's something we don't already have. One of the highlights was him head-highing someone.

McNicholl has been surprisingly very good these past two years, always looks threatening at Super level too.

Love doesn't quite have the ability to break open a game from 15 the way Jordan or McKenzie can, he's a much better 10 imo.

@Kiwiwomble said in Super Rugby - The Future:

@SBW1 yeah, the Jags (or equivalent) re-entering was a very strong rumour thats not eventuated

Probably not helped by the Argentinian economy completely tanking.

Launching February 7.

Every pass from Christie and Beaudy is either above the head, or behind the player, can't take advantage of space out wide like that.