All Blacks 2025
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I know chchfanatic is normally right on the money but three weeks ago he said Hoskins Sotutu was never in the selection frame and now he's on the cusp despite not exactly having a glorious last few games.
Will absolutely graciously take the L if it's all proven correct in a week! Just hard to envisage.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I know chchfanatic is normally right on the money but three weeks ago he said Hoskins Sotutu was never in the selection frame and now he's on the cusp despite not exactly having a glorious last few games.
Will absolutely graciously take the L if it's all proven correct in a week! Just hard to envisage.
One bad game. The week before he was bloody MOTM.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I know chchfanatic is normally right on the money but three weeks ago he said Hoskins Sotutu was never in the selection frame and now he's on the cusp despite not exactly having a glorious last few games.
Will absolutely graciously take the L if it's all proven correct in a week! Just hard to envisage.
One bad game. The week before he was bloody MOTM.
I don't think Sotutu was anywhere near MOTM in the quarter-final to be honest but regardless, one good game doesn't jump you from never in contention to 50/50.
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@brodean alternatively, Blues fans are biased towards Hoskins because they think he doesn't get a fair crack. Evidently we just saw the game differently.
He only got one single vote for MOTM in the other two games played since chchfanatic's previous comments so I don't think it matters hugely either way.
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With the potential selection of both Kirifi and Lakai, I hope stronger consideration of a 6:2 bench is taken this season. They were close a couple of times last year but I think with where the game is at and where we have depth, what happens in the last 20 minutes it is far more critical to have fresh forwards.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I know chchfanatic is normally right on the money but three weeks ago he said Hoskins Sotutu was never in the selection frame and now he's on the cusp despite not exactly having a glorious last few games.
Will absolutely graciously take the L if it's all proven correct in a week! Just hard to envisage.
One bad game. The week before he was bloody MOTM.
I don't think Sotutu was anywhere near MOTM in the quarter-final to be honest but regardless, one good game doesn't jump you from never in contention to 50/50.
Never? He's been an AB! This year coming back from injury!
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I know chchfanatic is normally right on the money but three weeks ago he said Hoskins Sotutu was never in the selection frame and now he's on the cusp despite not exactly having a glorious last few games.
Will absolutely graciously take the L if it's all proven correct in a week! Just hard to envisage.
One bad game. The week before he was bloody MOTM.
I don't think Sotutu was anywhere near MOTM in the quarter-final to be honest but regardless, one good game doesn't jump you from never in contention to 50/50.
Sotutu's form was building the second half of the season once he came back from suspension.
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I think if they are seriously considering Hos then they see Ardie as 7 and Wallace as 6/8, wonder who they would have on bench. And maybe Wallace at 6 or sharing with Finau given Parker is injured but who is backup 7? Maybe Jacobson on bench?
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I think the bench is going to be a major consideration this year. Potentially they are ability to fashion Sotutu into a finisher? I wouldn’t have him in my squad but I think he’d offer more as a bench option than Jacobson even if the latter can play multiple positions.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
With the potential selection of both Kirifi and Lakai, I hope stronger consideration of a 6:2 bench is taken this season. They were close a couple of times last year but I think with where the game is at and where we have depth, what happens in the last 20 minutes it is far more critical to have fresh forwards.
I'm concerned about a loose forward selection stacked with relatively small bodies - Sititi, Lakai, Kirifi, Savea - that reads like an injury away from being belted against teams that like to muscle up.
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You don’t select them all for the 23, but having a quicker and specialist loosie like Kirifi on the bench along with another specialist 6 (or 8), as well as your lock, then you have forward impact plus necessary size.
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If he only got 1 single vote for MOTM in the other two games then that would indicate that your first point about Blues fans being biased towards Hoskins is wrong.
Btw I don't think he's done enough this year to be selected but to say he was no where near MOTM against the Chiefs is just plain wrong. It's one thing to say another player was better but to say he was no where near it is ridiculous.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
I can't picture a situation where a fit Blackadder misses out on selection. With three 12 options and two 13 options available even with ALB injured, I don't see why Tavatavanawai would be needed as injury cover either. Unless it was coming straight from the top, I'm not sure how someone would learn that Ioane was being considered as a wing either. Would love to know how close to the team your source is @chchfanatic.
Yeah @chchfanatic is usually pretty close to the money - but, this team is going to look quite a bit different to what I'd expect if he's right this time.
I don't see why they would need all of Jordie, Timoci and Dave - three specialist second-fives - and if they pick these three then surely there's no room for Quin Tupaea - with Rieko and Proctor.
Blackadder missing out would be a significant surprise - especially now Parker is injured - but, not beyong the realms of possibility if they wanted to pick two big sixes - Finau.... and maybe Howden?
Still deciding on Hoskins or CLW seems slightly unusual as well. They're two very different players.
Hoskins if you want a big, powerful 8 - CLW if you want a smaller more mobile one.
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re havili and blackadder....is there any chance theyve just given up? too many chances and either got injured or not stepped up?...regardless of their super form
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
Looks like he is straight out of an advertising catalogue. Not a Toyota though
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
Is there really no snow on Mt Taranaki at the moment?
Lol no, there is some on the top, well on this side ,so really the pic was taken a month or so ago when Toyota were announced as new sponsors I think. Was taking liberties mate.
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@SouthernMann said in All Blacks 2025:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2025:
Looks like Beaudy is already at the old man's farm and ready for team naming on Monday. Guessing will see him watching Coastal's game on Saturday.
Looks like he is straight out of an advertising catalogue. Not a Toyota though
Rodd & Gunn is over priced Ponsonby farmer-core crap.
Kiwi RM Williams.
