The Silver Fern

I've been doing it tough lately, relating to my wife's mental health which has deteriorated badly, I was thinking about posting in here in more detail to see if it helps, maybe I will at some point. The end result is I am currently a single dad of three boys aged 3, 5 and 11. During the day I am mostly OK, work and looking after them keeps me busy, but once they are in bed in the evenings it can all suddenly hit home and I get really sad about everything. Just writing this is making me tear up a bit, I feel like I am faking it a bit for the sake of the boys, but all of these emotions are just bubbling under the surface. Life can be really hard at times.

Right, so after match report. Awesome night out with the family.

We rocked up about 4pm so we could park closish to the ground. Let the boys (9, 4 & 1) play at a playground for a while and then headed into Kingsland to get some dinner.

My wife stood out in a sea of black again. The 1 and 4 years olds were decked in black, and the 9 year old half black half gold in a show of solidarity for her. Got plenty of attention from passerbys on the way to the ground.

When we arrived the Black Ferns had about 30mins left, and the main excitement there was whether they'd crack 100. Was cool seeing them live, they have some fantastic skills and we'll look to get along to a few RWC games. I think Woodman scored like 7 tries lol.

Then the game, freaking awesome. We started slow, and failed to capitalise on a 1 man advantage early on. Wallabies were extremely lucky not to see red there, I'd say if Dalton got injured they would have.

Then after a slightly disjointed start which is probably to be expected with so many changes, the ABs really started getting into their work. We really just ground them down, leading to a lot of penalties our way through pressure and our backline started to show what they can do on the back of that.

I haven't watched the game on TV, and I did have a 1 year old distracting me a bit, but players that stood out live were:

Jordie - just a dominant presence out there in everything he did. Defense, ball in hand, kicking, passing, he was just phenomenal. I remember getting on @Rancid-Schnitzel's bandwagon a few years ago, and thought a midfield combo of Jordie & Rieko is the future. Well the future came to pass, and it was a thing of beauty. Give those guys every game together now until the RWC please.

BBBR - he was back to his best IMO, a number of strong carries, big hits on defense and doing all the dirty work he is known for. Just threw himself around like a fucking maniac and had the Wallabies back peddling for most of the game. Hugely impressive performance from the big man.

Lomax - as with BBBR he was a dominant force out there. After some real concerns with the depth of our front rowers recently we have unearthed some serious talent there now. Great to see.

Rieko - he is so fucking fast, he's an absolute weapon at 13. Don't agree with the calls to put him back on the wing, 13 is perfect for him, gets his hands on the ball plenty and still has space to use his pace on the outside. For one incredible break he made down the touchline where he cut back in instead of finding Jordan outside him, I knew his haters would lose their shit over that, but it was pretty clear Koroibeti had Jordan covered. I thought that showed Rieko's maturity as a player - too often we try to push miracle balls after a break and turn possesion over. I believe we ended up scoring on the back of the territory we made from his break there.

The rest of the forwards - all excellent, nobody had a poor game really. The loosies went well, Dalton and Akira in particular were very strong in the tight, and Ardie always a threat with ball in hand. Sam led the team superbly, De Groot was good though I think he was gassed at times so fitness still an issue. Taylor was good around the park but the lineouts are still a problem.

The rest of the backs - as above, all excellent. Mo'unga is still a bit rocks and diamonds, but I think the more starts he gets the more he'll iron that out. Beauden was superb from the back, injecting himself at the right time. Clarke was near faultless, nullifying lots of high balls (he got applause for a number of his takes under pressure, they weren't easy), defended well and strong with ball in hand. One of the biggest cheers of the night was when he bowled over that Aussie on our own 22. Will "Christian Cullen" Jordan scored a try Cully would have been proud of, and Smith was very solid though I agree he needs to run more

Now I'll rewatch the game and change my mind on 90% of what I said above.

But all in all a great night out and another fantastic performance from the ABs at Fortress Eden. We really missed a trick not playing the decider against Ireland there, we would have won the series 2-1 if we did.

Awesome to have the Bledisloe and RC wrapped up, and really looking forward to the EOYT with our new and improved backline.

As we have some more overseas posters and readers at the moment, it's important for them to know just how lowly Foster is rated in NZ. During his time in charge of the Chiefs there was a running joke about him getting the AB head coach role, as it would be such an outrageous choice given how poor he is. Another coach that was mentioned in this running joke was Mark Hammett who made an absolute mess of the Hurricanes during his time there.

Then he got given an assistant coach role for the ABs, a baffling promotion given his record to date. That running joke actually continued even after this - "imagine if he got promoted to head coach!".

Then after we got bundled out of the 2019 RWC, NZR not only decided to go for continuity by selecting a new head coach from within the existing coaching group, they chose the guy that was so bad as a head coach he was a running joke to a lot of NZ rugby fans.

Everyone at the time was stunned, and the way the ABs are playing now is absolutely no surprise. We knew we were in for a rough few years, but that doesn't make it any easier to take.

The only defense of Foster has been "maybe he's improved since his disastrous stint with the Chiefs". But there was no evidence to suggest he had, because he hadn't been a head coach since then! If he had improved then he should have taken a SR team again and demonstrated that. Giving him the reins for the ABs was probably the worst decision I've ever seen a professional sporting organisation make, and the ABs aren't just any organisation, they are historically the most successful sports team on the planet.

The damage this is doing to the AB brand in the professional era can't really be overstated. We are still blessed with incredibly talented players, but without a top class coach we are becoming easy beats to the other Tier 1 teams who play with actual structure.

It's depressing times for us AB fans.

LOL Mo'unga "the composure from both teams was awesome". Nether team had anything that remotely resembled composure

I mean that loss would fucking hurt for the Wallabies and their diehard fans, I can see why the salty tears are flowing. This is the worst AB team they've played in 20 years, they had just effected an amazing comeback (a FAMOUS comeback) and had what was likely the winning penalty to seal the deal. That was going to set up the chance of history at Eden Park - taking down the Fortress and taking the Bledisloe home with them, the stuff of wet dreams for their fans and players alike. And then Foley fucks around, the ref hands the ABs the ball on their line, and of course we fucking score to break their hearts for the 20th year running. If I was a Wallabies fan I would have thrown my fucking TV out the window after that shit.

My wife had an abnormal result on a smear test. Got the dreaded call from the doctor instead of a text.

A closer look shows she has a lesion on her cervix that has 'high grade cell changes', which are pre-cancerous. She will need part of her cervix removed to get rid of it, and then regular tests to confirm they are all gone.

While the whole thing has been stressful, we are both incredibly grateful that it was picked up before it developed further. Cancer really is a fucking bitch.

If any ladies read this (including the hot Polish chicks), get your smears, they are genuine life savers.

Awesome afternoon of rugby (day rugby is so much more enjoyable!!), and so good to finally get along to a test again.

With a 7 year old, 2 year old and a wife 30 weeks pregnant we were not keen on the idea of public transport so we drove to the ground at around 1PM so we could park close(ish). By 1.30 all parks within cooee were gone so we were glad we got there nice and early. Had a picnic, let the boys play for a bit, then made a leisurely stroll down the road to the game.

Wife was decked out in her Wallabies gear, standing out in a sea of black, bless her. A tough afternoon for her lads thankfully, and the 7 year old let her know ALL about it haha.

Atmosphere was great, especially when the ABs clicked into gear after 15 or so minutes. That was an improved performance as you would expect, albeit in far better conditions which helped some of our players thrive.

Best moments of the afternoon was when they brought up Eroni Clarke on the big screen a couple of times. The second time was right after Clarke's epic run that set up Ardie's try and he got such a massive cheer he had to acknowledge the crowd. He looked proud as punch.

Some random thoughts on the game, bearing in mind I haven't seen it on TV:

• I thought 20 points flattered us; but for some more clinical finishing from Aus it could have been a damn sight closer.
• Aus picked up where they left off last week and dominated the first 15. It was only individual brilliance from Beauden and then Clarke that kicked us into gear. It does feel like we are still too reliant on that to get into a game, better defensive sides won't allow that to happen so easily.
• On Clarke, fark me what a performance from the 21 year old. He looks made for test footy. It's highly likely Bridge would have got the nod again if not injured, and without Clarke the ABs would have once again lacked the firepower needed to break open the test. The selections are going to be an ongoing concern with Foster at the helm.
• RM is electric in broken play, which is why I like him on the bench coming on against tired legs. In a tight test he doesn't lead the team around the park, and as we found out last week if the conditions are difficult he can be found wanting big time. That said, Beauden is not exactly well suited to the role either, but he has a damn sight more experience trying. Fact of the matter is we don't have a 10 that can really take control of a game when the opposition defense has come to play like we did with DC.
• Beauden was simply superb in the first half, which helped take some pressure off RM who grew into the game and had some fantastic touches to set us away.
• Frizzel is a very solid player but he doesn't seem to possess the power Akira does. I really hope they give Akira a good crack as he has the potential (only that right now) to be our next Kaino.
• Coles made a real difference and is back to his best (which is better than Taylor's ceiling). Great to see after his serious injury concerns a year or so back.
• ALB is a fantastic all round player and solidifies our midfield big time. He needs to be 12 with JG 13. I can only assume they have JG closer in to help defend the channel as RM is a bit of a liability there.

Overall a really enjoyable game in the sun with both teams willing to play attacking footy. Still a lot of question marks over this AB side, and I can see some very squeaky bum times ahead in Sydney and Brissie, but nice to keep the Eden Park fortress in tact with a comfortable win in the end.

The fact that they’ve picked a team that so many on the Fern wanted makes me nervous. As a collective we have a strong proven record of not having a fucking clue what we are talking about.

Jesus the criticism of the DG is a bit over the top, that got us a 19 point lead with 10 minutes to go. That is 100% NOT the reason we lost, it has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I missed the game as my wife decided to go into labor - as a Wallabies supporter I guess from her perspective childbirth is less painful than watching them play the ABs so fair enough.

Have caught the highlights - geez we scored some great tries eh? Squire's was a thing of beauty, the angle he ran and the perfectly timed ball from BBBR. Orgasmic. Also loved how Moody lined up a couple of backs on their goalline and just smashed the fuck through them.

Great to see us put Beauden into some space as well, he's a very different player to Carter but fuck we can tear teams apart if we use him like we did last night.

For all the talk of the ABs legacy, the nature of the game today is that the RWC trumps all. You even get bonus ranking points during it.

Make no mistake, Ireland crashing out of the quarters has seriously undermined the legacy of that team, rightly or wrongly. They will only be remembered for crashing out in the quarters, not what they did leading up to it. Just like our 07 ABs.

So, it seems to me that our coaches have been targeting three specific games for a long time now. SA smacking us in a warm up game, as much as that sucked, will mean jack diddly squat if we win the whole thing. All of the talk will be about how great the ABs are at RWCs.

Yes we have a proud history where we have gone all out to win every single game we play. But in the professional era, with teams like France and Ireland really stepping up, it's just not possible to blow all and sundry away every time anymore. Hence the focus on winning the games that really matter.

We've joked about dry powder before, but in this instance that's exactly what we had. We figured out how to combat the Irish style of play, but gave them no indication at all beforehand that we had. We kept our cards close to our chest, and unveiled a new defensive system that they had no answers for in the end.

@Chris-B has been alluding to this for a while, and I think he's right, all of our planning for the last 2 years have centered around these three games.

And despite all that, we've still won every trophy on offer this year.

We just bought our first house in Auckland, and got it well under CV as it needs some light renovations which we are more than happy to do. I'm not as old and grumpy as most of you but I am feeling extremely contented to finally put renting behind us. Scraping together enough $$ and then finding something big enough for our family (3 boys) in a reasonable suburb seemed like an impossible task for a long time there.

@reprobate yeah it feels like at this stage Robertson's thinking is his game plan hasn't been successful yet, but it will absolutely work once he gets his maestro Mo'unga back, so he'll use stop-gaps in the meantime until that happens. Going back to Beauden at 10 is just so backwards, and he won't be around for the next RWC like McKenzie will. To add to that, McKenzie has actually been one of our better players this year.

I was a big fan of Razor, one of my most up-voted comments on this forum is ripping into Foster and praising Razor as the bloke that should have been chosen. But ever since the first squad selection I've just become completely disillusioned with him. Right now I don't think he has what it takes to be a successful test coach, and I think in hindsight he would have benefited hugely from spending some time up North working with other players outside of Super and the Canterbury region before taking on the role. I don't think it's coincidence that the two most successful AB coaches in our history by far - Henry and Hanson - had stacks of international experience already before taking over.

Bridge played well on debut against Japan in 2018 in a BaaBaas style match that was incredibly open (Japan scored a bunch of tries as well). Since then the AB coaches just seemed to fall in love with him, despite never stepping up against any of the top teams. I have memories of him being put in space and doing less than nothing with it, when in a tight test it's crucial that your outsides can make the most of any chances to score. Just really frustrating to watch.

The "hate" for Bridge isn't against him as a person, it's frustration that he continues to be selected above players that offer FAR more on the wing than him. It's difficult to score tries when your wing brings zero attacking threat, exactly the same reason people despised having Jordie on the wing as well. Not particularly quick, no step to speak of, just really offers nothing in that position at the top level.

It was a shame Rieko was affected by injury when the 2019 WC came around, and we didn't have many other options there as the AB selectors just forged ahead with Bridge against all logic and reason. It was one of many black marks against their selections and tactics leading into and during that WC.

And then we had Clarke in absolutely irresistible form after the RWC, but Bridge continued to get selected ahead of him until injury forced the ABs to pick him, and we immediately saw the benefits of having a winger that offers threat with ball in hand out there again. It's just braindead selections and tactics from the AB coaches - most of our ire should be directed at them rather than players like Bridge or Jordie who they keep chucking on the wing when it's clear they don't belong there.

Well, it must have been an incredibly tough week for the players. All things considered that's a really good effort, never looked like losing. Proud of that effort.

All of the concerns about selections and game plan really came to a head in this match. Argentina just watched the RWC semi and replicated what England did in the hope we hadn't learnt anything from that, which was evident in the way we've played this year.

We had no answers and once again just relied on individual brilliance to try and get us out of a hole. That doesn't work against an organised defense these days, you have to actually do some hard work to create a bit of space for the likes of Clarke and Beauden.

I still can't get my head around Foster getting the top job when we have blokes like Rennie and Robertson in the mix. You just cannot tell me Robertson wouldn't get more out of this group of players than Foster. Honestly the mind boggles.

Anyway some further random thoughts:

• the loose trio mix is just so obviously wrong it hurts. Akira, Cane, Sotutu. End of story. Idiot selections.
• as above we actually need to pick players that can match up physically in the early exchanges. And then implement a game plan around that; we are simply not going to win the game in the first 40, we should be setting the foundation with good aggressive forward play to generate space for our backs later in the game. This is just rugby 101 surely.
• Cane is a bloke you would follow into the trenches, but his decision making has left a lot to be desired so far. The quick tap Weber took was a stupid play, but he was getting no direction from the captain. I still think he's the right man for the job but he has a bit to learn.
• Mo'unga again struggled and made errors when under pressure. It's a recurring theme with him unfortunately. A rock star on the front foot or in broken play, but against a well organised and aggressive defense he becomes a possum in the headlights.

There's not actually much more to be said about this game that hasn't been said in the previous weeks. The All Blacks had gone stale under Hansen and we decided to go for continuity with Foster. It's going to be a rough couple of years to say the least.