@Frank Oh how we laughed when the Aussies persisted with two opensides when it was obvious it wasn't working....

I am a bit of a republican but:
The Queen has been through WW2 as a poster child for the British people, she became a beautiful (?), young queen and has led the UK and commonwealth since 1959 (?), overseen unbelievable changes, never put a foot wrong in the public eye, never waived her duty, and even apologised to the friggen Irish! It wouldn't be hyperbole to say she is one of the most beloved characters in modern history.
VS
Markle........

The yanks just don't get it. I think Markle makes a perfect fit with their fucked up society problems at the moment.

Bit close to home this issue, daughter, half-Japanese, in a NZ high school after being raised mostly in Japan. Anyway, if she speaks, some people seem to think it is funny to laugh at her accent and mimic her. No problem for her, she understands she is going to meet some people she needs to avoid (being identified as Asian in NZ is an instant asshole detector...).
Anyway, the lack of self-reflection on how the Kiwi accent sounds is quite remarkable.

@gt12 I don't mind Wheeler. As far from a racist as you'll ever get I reckon but jeez, keep that joke to take the piss out of your close Japanese friend(s) in the right context. Don't say it on TV and encourage arsewipes to do the same!

TJP really is a headless chook at times. Akira looked great when he was on.

@NTA I think if we beat the Wobs well with the same old shit, it will be satisfying but it is just a matter of time before the wheels fall off again. It is the same old problems and absolutely no new innovation that has people worried. The game is changing and the national side is stuck in the same place.
Compare that to the Wobs who seem to be on an upwards path and it is irrelevant if they win or lose on Saturday. It is just a matter of time before they pull ahead of the NZ if the ABs don't innovate and change.

@nzzp Angry Akira couldn't keep his place in the Maori team for obvious reasons. I can't believe people are still bringing his name in the conversation this year.

Could've had Superman on the wing during that England game and it would have been irrelevant. The ABs were being dominated at the set piece and breakdown. They were killing any chance of attack.

The English fans booing Garces at the medal ceremony can just fuck off. He is shit for all teams he refs. He is indiscriminately shite.

Two points
As dominant a game from a second five eighth as you will ever see. Damn that man is good.
Also, Akira's problems of drifting in and out of games seems to be a thing of the past. He was everywhere tonight. Not flash but 100% for effort.

For the Blues, Sotutu and Robinson were really good. Sotutu seemed to rise to the challenge of facing the big Chiefs No. 8. Best game this year IMHO. Robinson just goes and goes at 100% and making some really dominant tackles.
The lack of awareness of space and putting the person outside of you into space by the Blues backs was just criminal. Really like Riko on the wing but as a centre, his default position is to pull the ears back and go for the line. The new fullback completely ignored a free Clarke outside of him on a number of occasions as well. For the backs, the parts are there but the machine has a few things to work on.
Clarke is soooo out of form! Even defensively he is running around like a headless chook. Is he looking to beat the man or just run into people? Why is he never in the right place?
The Chiefs are really on their way up, aren't they?. The head coach is getting a good rap now (McMillian?). There seems to be a really good crop of very young looseheads coming through the ranks at Super level (and esp. at the Chiefs). Surely Foster needs to take a punt of one or two with the 2023 World Cup in mind. If Moody goes down just prior or loses form.....

@billy-tell Him and that Chiefs fella Ross (?) both look like good prospects.

Coles my favourite AB against my team the Clan. They'll have a laugh, a beer in the sheds, and the fans will talk about things on forums that don't matter.

Havili the frontrunner for me. Combined playmaker with physicality and really sound on defense. There are no downsides as far as I can see. Can he adapt to test footy with less time and space is the only question.

There seems to be a ref conspiracy to see how high they can get the Chiefs on the ladder! Reckon Bryce has been caught in an uncompromised position in a Hamilton establishment.

The way both teams dealt with the breakdown seemed completely different. The Crusaders were happy to concede a lot and fan across in defense. The Chiefs put numbers in there and there were numerous hands competing for the ball. I wonder if the Chiefs would have been penalized more with a different ref.
Great game, with some of the ABs coming into some form.

Wow! Loved that! That young loosehead from the Clan looks good (replacement today). Anyone who can stand up to Nepo Laulala at scrum time is worthy of mention.
For the Blues, no. 14 & 15 offer very little and have all season. Ofa played well as did Clarke and Papalii.
For the Clan, the usual suspects Frizell (must be the no.1 starter for the ABs at this stage), Smith, etc play well but I reckon the biggest bow needs to be given to Tony Brown. In every game, you see his influence in attack.

Yeah, the "joke" was stupid but the reaction is idiotic! Didn't I see the Breakdown woman mimic an Italian or French accent? Mmm...

@bones Mmm, OK....., please explain Wheeler's joke and why he thought it was funny. The answer to your questions should be in your response.

@bones Eh? Hold on, I explained the point because you wrote, " I don't follow". Otherwise, I inferred something that was obvious. You want a senseless argument?