All Blacks 2025
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I think the Highlanders (albeit it is only two games) are a pretty good case study for what the All Blacks need to do.
Jamie Joseph is obviously a better coach than Clark Dermody, but more than anything he is a better selector - and that is key.
Razor and his coaching staff are clearly very talented - you don’t have the success he had a Super Level without that. I would hope on reflection he can learn from his errors of last year and can pick with more clarity this year.
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@frugby said in All Blacks 2025:
I think the Highlanders (albeit it is only two games) are a pretty good case study for what the All Blacks need to do.
Jamie Joseph is obviously a better coach than Clark Dermody, but more than anything he is a better selector - and that is key.
Razor and his coaching staff are clearly very talented - you don’t have the success he had a Super Level without that. I would hope on reflection he can learn from his errors of last year and can pick with more clarity this year.
yeah I'm hoping for a improvement to.last year looked like a guy who had only coached in a pond.
this year will be interesting -
@ploughboy I think most would agree that the forwards operated pretty well… loose trio might need to evolve, but there is a plethora of options there.
I think Jase Ryan will like Simon Parker (was he in the XV?)
It was the backline that was a shambles, particularly from a depth standpoint.
I have been a big defender of both J Barrett and R Ioane as a midfield, but I do think a midfield of Tavatavanawai and Proctor has a certain level of intrigue to it.
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@frugby our loosies got consistently outplayed nearly every weekend, with injury enforced Sititi the only bright light, though he was an 8 playing 6 so we didn't have any kind of enforcer on the field. That did make things more difficult for our backs, we rarely had clean ball.
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Roigard and DMac are easily our best 9 and 10, both inside and outside of NZ. If Razor can't make it work with them then he needs to hand in his resignation asap.
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It is crazy to me that every posters biggest concern this year is overly conservative selections. I really thought that was a Fozzie thing and that Razor would shake things up, but all we got was the same old selections with some Crusader bias sprinkled on top, so the worst of all worlds.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
Fabian Holland, if fit, is a near certainty to be added to the AB squad.
Barrett, Vaa'i, Lord, Tuipulotu, Holland (and an injured Darry) isn't a bad crop of options.
Yeah add in the front row we have and we'll be competitive with anyone in 2025.
I really hope they use a quick 7.
Bout time also that DMac runs the show from 10 with no interruptions. -
Not buying in to @sparky 's logic.
Sparky: France beat Italy by more than we did. Therefore France will beat ABs.
Also Sparky: Ignores NZ beat England 3x. Eng beat France ...
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@Jet said in All Blacks 2025:
Takeaways after 2 rounds of Super.
Im not impressed, from an Allblack perspective, with DMAC and Beaudy playing 15 instead of 10.
Ardies vanity project in Moana is a complete waste of time. They have shipped 100 points in 2 games.
i think the last bit is a bit of a beat up, the force have shipped 86 and are second on the table, i have no problem with him giving this a go, their games have been entertaining if nothing else
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Tavatavanawai is quickly becoming this year's Lam. Let's see what other skills he can bring to the midfield before chucking him at 12 for the ABs.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
It is crazy to me that every posters biggest concern this year is overly conservative selections. I really thought that was a Fozzie thing and that Razor would shake things up, but all we got was the same old selections with some Crusader bias sprinkled on top, so the worst of all worlds.
I think it was inevitable this would happen in his first year to be fair.
I don’t necessarily think it is unusual that a new coach any sport would favour his trusted old boys when stepping up to the biggest job in the sport, in fact I think it is probably a fair enough natural bias… however in years 2&3 as the natural bias wears off he has to steer away from it, and I expect that it will.
The real telling point will be whether they can move past Blackadder, Havili etc. whilst also picking the likes of say Leroy Carter or Caleb Tangitau if they are in better form than Sevu Reece and Chay Fihaki.
Selections for the NZ XV also need to be way better, because Corey Kellow making that team was a pisstake.
I had little issue with the non-selection of Sotutu, because Sititi proved his worth, but they need to keep selecting positively in the problem positions (6/8, 10, 11,14,15)
The ABs were not a mile off last year, things were way more concerning under Foster after Y1 than Razor after Y1.
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@Crazy-Horse i mean...what else are we looking for? strong runner, good if basic distribution (no one is SBW), strong on D and LOVES a pilfer and can even bang the odd 50/22...most importantly he's making solid decisions, runs to his support, works hard to get front foot ball and looks to get outside his man to put outsides in space
not saying hes a 10 in every one of of those facets....but the fact he has them is a bloody good start
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
Tavatavanawai is quickly becoming this year's Lam. Let's see what other skills he can bring to the midfield before chucking him at 12 for the ABs.
Because the performance of AB 12s are so good that someone new shouldn't break in? What's the fear?
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
The series against France is going to be tough. They are crushing Italy away who the All Blacks really struggled against in their last test.
France are sending a weakened side down I think because of Top 14.
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
Tavatavanawai is quickly becoming this year's Lam. Let's see what other skills he can bring to the midfield before chucking him at 12 for the ABs.
Sure, but the thing with Tavatavanawai is his unique ability at the breakdown gives him a way more plausible route to being picked than, "he might be better than the guy who isn't playing to his full potential"
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@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:
Tavatavanawai is quickly becoming this year's Lam. Let's see what other skills he can bring to the midfield before chucking him at 12 for the ABs.
It doesn't even need to be that, Jordie is the vice captain will realistically start most Tests, but I just know Tavatavanawai or Tupaea in the year 2025 would add more impact off the bench than Davey Havili
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@Grooter said in All Blacks 2025:
more impact off the bench than Davey Havili
TBF Dave was only getting a gig when everyone was out, you're looking at replacing ALB
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@mariner4life A big critique of the ABs last year was the lack of impact off the bench...
There has been talk of a 6-2 split, but what if the ABs point of difference is just subbing on a pair of tanks in the midfield?
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2025:
@Grooter said in All Blacks 2025:
more impact off the bench than Davey Havili
TBF Dave was only getting a gig when everyone was out, you're looking at replacing ALB
IIRC DH took minutes off Proctor among others, because apparently he can play 13 and 12....
🙄
No mention of whether he can play them well...
