All Blacks 2025
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Also, was Ardie getting bulldozed over the top of by Taukeiaho close to the line cause for concern or am I reading too much into it?
Test rugby is defence focused lets not forget people, and there will be plenty of traffic coming his way close to the line if he's gonna be that weak close to the ruck. He ain't gonna be hovering out wide chipping and chasing either at a test 7 like he does for Moana.
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@Duluth said in All Blacks 2025:
Clarke has been in good form this season apart from his last match. Being a bit rusty in his first match after a 5 week injury doesn’t push him down the pecking order
Correct. Some people seem to think that mass changes will be made and we're picking a SuperRugby form XV as opposed to the actual test team.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Also, was Ardie getting bulldozed over the top of by Taukeiaho close to the line cause for concern or am I reading too much into it?
Ardie got low. Taukei'aho got even lower and was going forward and had players behind pushing him on. I'm not sure even prime Jerome Kaino was going to do much about that one.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2025:
Also, was Ardie getting bulldozed over the top of by Taukeiaho close to the line cause for concern or am I reading too much into it?
Ardie got low. Taukei'aho got even lower and was going forward and had players behind pushing him on. I'm not sure even prime Jerome Kaino was going to do much about that one.
Yeah, he got low and thrown off. It wasn't a great attempt.
Like yeah, he'll be starting somewhere, but these are more important aspects to focus on for the next level instead of him getting favourable penalties from refs and asI said earlier, chipping and chasing on the wing like a primeJeff Wilson.
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@Mr-Fish Thinking towards the next World Cup, I think Ruben Love is going to be (if fit) the back-up 10 behind DMac and I'd like to see him given some game time there this year for the ABs. But yeah, he's an option on the wing or fullback too. He's an awesome player to have on your bench.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@Frank said in All Blacks 2025:
Narawa over Reece.
Based on what? I hate picking players from the Crusaders as much as anyone but Reece is the better player at the minute.
Based on him being tried and hardly succeeding at the next evel. Right wing is a position where some new blood would be good to look at.
You also have Scott Barrett in your starting line up. Like, I do too, but you've dropped every other underperforming AB due to their Super form, why does Scott Barrett get picked then based on that logic?
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@African-Monkey Yes and no.
Test Rugby, especially in the Northern Hemisphere winter, there is basically no room. As you suggest, it's about how cope when when they have no time to think or adjust.
That said, the next two RWCs are going to be in Australia in October and November 2027 and the southern States of the USA in September and October 2032. The grounds are going to be harder and the playing conditions are going to be similar to the RWCs of 1995 and 2003. Having players who are good with the ball in hand is going to be useful.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish Thinking towards the next World Cup, I think Ruben Love is going to be (if fit) the back-up 10 behind DMac and I'd like to see him given some game time there this year for the ABs. But yeah, he's an option on the wing or fullback too. He's an awesome player to have on your bench.
I suppose the question is whether it would be better Love starting on the wing and shifting into 10 for the final 10 minutes of a couple of the French Tests (if the result is locked in) then starting in the last match, or just coming off the bench each time.
There aren't really any gimme games this year to give new guys many minutes.
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@African-Monkey The Crusaders are second in the table. Scott Barrett is their work horse and playing a vital role for his team who are doing a lot better than last year. For ABs (with more quality around him) he doesn't need to hit every ruck so you see more aspects of his game.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@African-Monkey The Crusaders are second in the table. Scott Barrett is their work horse and playing a vital role for his team who are doing a lot better than last year. For ABs (with more quality around him) he doesn't need to hit every ruck so you see more aspects of his game.
No one seems to get through Rieko's channel defensively either but that seems to count for nothing (and yes, I realise his attack is stunted at centre).
Seems like certain players get preferential treatment over others on here.
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@gt12 It's was interesting hearing Grant Fox on the Good, the Bad and the Rugby this week (link below) talking about his time All Blacks selector working under Steve Hansen's leadership.
Every year they'd be an established All Black or two who would be playing below expectation in Super Rugby and Shag would use his network as a ex-cop to find out what was going on off the field around the player (there was always something).
Hansen would visit the player and ask "Is there something we (the All Blacks coaches) can help with?"
I suspect Reiko Ioane and Caleb Clarke have already had the "Is there something we can help with" conversation this year.
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Another name to throw into the mix, though I don't really see him getting selected this year, is Daniel Rona.
He's been excellent for the Chiefs for the past few years, covering centre and wing. Very reliable and occasionally does some flashy stuff. As I say, can't see him getting picked with Ioane, Lienert-Brown, Proctor and Ennor all capped All Black centres, and Barrett, Havili and Tupaea all capped options at 12, but I think he'd make a good fist of it if a bunch of injuries struck, like when ALB first received a call-up.
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@Mr-Fish Rona? I dont think so not next year or the year after
Good player but for me does’nt say international 13 -
@Steven-Harris Maybe not - it's always good having some longer-term MABs too because that side is looking weaker and weaker every year...
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