The Silver Fern

@NTA said in All Blacks 2024:

@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:

@NTA Nick, what's your opinion on the lost Wallaby talent that is Tyrel Lomax?

Good prop. Wish he was still on this side of the ditch. I think he'd go better with our locks than yours.

He went all right against Ox and the Boks pack with Vaa'i behind him, apart from a couple of scrums. And ABs had upper hand by end of H1 in Cape Town. Even better against England with Paddy T.

LSL is good scrummaging LH lock. Is Frost top dog of the local TH locks?

@Billy-Webb I saw his performance against Leinster last year. Boks are well stocked at 8 already with Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos. You think Hanekom is better than both? He must be some player.

Who replaces PSDT and Etzebeth in the next 3 years? PSDT may make 2027 WC, but he'll be 35 by then and the body may not be willing to do what the mind wants. I think these 2 are the Boks standout players in a current world XV.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks EOYT:

@Bovidae said in All Blacks EOYT:

Robertson is saying Cane and TJP have important mentoring roles to play off the field as well as contributing on it.

TJP will tutor them in the talking to the ref class. Sam Cane will provide expertise in high and dangerous rackles.

Nah, TJP is there to pass on how to lead the Haka 😉 Taylor obviously doesn't cut it at the moment.

Razor has mentioned about 15 ABs will be released this week for the quarter finals.

Two players carrying injuries atm will return. Love will play for Wellington, Newell for Canterbury.

9th of November last year... I think the whole official squad naming is basically irrelevant at this point, because teams are announcing signings ahead of time.

@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:

@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:

@KiwiMurph said in Highlanders 2025:

@Canes4life Moses Leo off to Melbourne Storm

In 2026. Get him into an environment next season with the smallest of hopes of changing his mind about leaving. He’s a huge talent.

27 year-old winger who has never played Super Rugby and is signed to the NRL... had the chance to play 15s a couple of years ago, and was supposedly all set to sign for the Highlanders but u-turned last minute. Can't remember who we got instead, might have been Jonah Lowe.

Holy shit I had no idea he was 27. I retract my statement.

Same, thought he was lucky to be 20!

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks v Japan:

@SBW1 said in All Blacks v Japan:

Next year's Superrugby will have to prioritizes getting quality 10s, hopefully by the time Richie comes back we don't need him

Let's no pretend like Mounga isn't going to walk back into the 10 jersey given Razor is in charge.....

Let's not pretend like he shouldn't.

@pakman Taʻavao has been forgotten already. Given his age and form I wouldn't select him. Renata is on the other side of 30 too so if this team is about developing players for this RWC cycle he could be marginal.

@Landers92 said in NPC Form Players:

@SouthernMann Hopefully they can rotate. I heard a whisper this was Lio-Willies last season down south .

Late to the party but I’ll find out for you.

I've just watched this game. Good to see Fineanganofo brought out his pink headgear from his school rugby days.

McGrath and Bates didn't want to use their bench.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=984038287070394&set=a.631585032315723 Kiwis Squad announcement tomorrow.

IMG_2185.jpeg

Hangover just easing, fun night watching grand final. Don’t really need to add much that hasn’t been said, just well done Penrith what a beast of a team.
I wasn’t sure they could maintain dominance last time they lost key squad members but are still delivering. They do get shaken next year with a few more outs, can they keep this up?
Think Melbourne still beats everyone else in the league with that performance, these two teams just at a different level
Anyway on to the internationals

It’s a classic contest ,

Fighter v boxer and both great , you could make a case for either one, I actually like both of them and don’t mind who wins, just going to enjoy it as a neutral.

@JK said in Golf:

Great final round by Kazuma Kobori over night in the Dunhill with a final round 65 to end up finishing 12th (-16) in a high quality field. Hillier a couple of shots back at -14 and Sam Jones -12.

Fox was going well too on PGA and started his final around pretty hot but just dropped a shot. Currently T8th at-18, 5 shots off the lead

Fox finished T11 so jumps up to 102 in the FedEx Cup Fall rankings. He needs to stay inside the Top 125 to keep his PGA Tour card for 2025.

Some decent recent for those Kiwis playing over in Scotland at the Dunhill. What a final round for Kobori. He isn't a big hitter off the tee but his ironplay/short game and putting definitely makes up for what he lacks in distance.

Hillier will need to keep churning out some decent result to make it through to the DP World Tour playoffs in the Middle East come November. He would have been disappointed to finish the way he did after doing so well in rounds one and two though.

@Chris-B said in If we win Bled 2, are you happy heading into the end of year tour?:

@Frank Be confident and say it yourself if that's what you believe! 🙂

Havili - if they take five midfielders he'll be the fifth.

Christie - probably not.

Cane - for the past month it has looked an awful lot like they think he's still the best openside in New Zealand. What have you seen the makes you think they think someone else is better?

TJ - I wouldn't b surprised.

@Frank You bewdy - 100 percent on another test! 🙂

Bro we're winning the comp

3-1 and both wins this weekend have been big too.

As usual everyone picks us for thr spoon because our entire team is new, but we look pretty good.

Another tough week though with Perth Thursday and Sydney on Sunday

@Duluth said in Auckland MOTM v BOP:

Patrick easily.

Tele’a and Clark. Tangitau unlucky

I went the same, I'm starting to get excited about Cark's future.

Patrick was huge. This fucking season though, was a very, very hard to watch.

How can you have 95% possession and territory for 30mins and score one try?

@Machpants said in WXV1:

@stodders said in WXV1:

I’ll say it now. If England fail to win the next World Cup at home, it will be the most monumental choke I have seen in sport. They aren’t winning by the odd point. They are winning by double digits in nearly all cases.

They will be happy red cards are only 20 mins now, as a red card under the old laws is the only way I can see them losing. An England win in women’s rugby is as close to a guaranteed win as I have seen.

Considering they came into that final on a record winning streak, having smashed the BF recently, the last final was the biggest RWC choke ever. It would be hard to top that

I think the mitigation is the red card. England win that without it IMO.

Now that red cards are only 20 mins, there will be no mitigation.

i'll take winning the last 3 games, hopefully the guys hanging around next year will go into preseason with their tails up a little, give the new coach something to work with

I was really happy hurley proved me wrong, think he played wit a lot more smarts than we saw in super rugby, less hitting it up like he was a foot taller and 30kg heavier, more hitting gaps and kicking for territory

also really glad to see millar shake off some of hit questionable form and string several good/solid games together, once again playing to his strengths with a little variety sprinkled in

dont know what the deal with Faleafaga is, once again not sure we've done him any favours sitting out the first half of the season then dropping him in and expecting him to fire, just seems made to come off the bench, get a little experience, provide a spark in the final 20