All Blacks 2025
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
i'm coming around to the idea of starting Lakai with Ardie on the bench to cover 7 & 8 by mid-season.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2025:
Happy with him in the squad. (My starting 3 are Ardie at 7 (yes, that), Sititi at 8, Finau at 6.
i'm coming around to the idea of starting Lakai with Ardie on the bench to cover 7 & 8 by mid-season.
Ardie is only a gazillion and one times better than Lakai, why would you bench him?
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@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
He can’t be vanilla based on his name alone.
DuPlessis for fuck sake. As a first name!
Ben Smith he ain’t.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
This is exactly the question I asked and got shot down cos my comprehension is no good.
I now have no idea what flavour he is
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@Machpants said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
Huh, I always assume vanilla is used to describe bland players that don't stand out.
That's what vanilla means, yes
Right, so it would be bizarre to call a player vanilla when one of the notable things about him is that he'd bring something different to the ABs.
This is exactly the question I asked and got shot down cos my comprehension is no good.
Tour.
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Something like this for the first Test?
- Assuming they are all fit to play *
Williams, Taylor, Lomax, Vaa'i, S. Barrett (c), Finau, A. Savea, Sititi, Roigard, D Mac, C. Clarke, J.Barrett, ALB, Jordan, Love
Aumua, De Groot, Tosi, Holland, Lakai, Ratima, Perofeta, Tupaea.
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@sparky assume Pisi is Tosi?
If it weren't for TJ Perenara's injury last year, Robertson wouldn't have debuted any players until the Fiji Test. Suspect he'll go for the 'tried and true' in at least the first game against France, especially after their less than impressive performance against Italy at the end of last year.
So I think that's largely on the money, but with Jordan at fullback and either Reece or Tele'a on the wing, and either Tuupulotu or Lord on the bench in place of Holland. Could potentially see Taukei'aho over one of the other two hookers also.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
Making the 23 or making the wider squad? I don't think there's a scenario where a guy who started 10 matches last year doesn't make Robertson's first squad of 2025.
I hadn't actually realised you'd left him out of the team... Have a feeling Robertson will plump for him at 13... Might be a different scenario if there were another option absolutely smashing the door down at centre but Lienert-Brown has been good rather than great and Billy Proctor has been injured.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2025:
@cgrant said in All Blacks 2025:
Rieko Ioane won't be dropped, IMO. He'll start, not ALB.
He's shown nothing this year. Absolutely zero form at all. Unless he can fix that, I can't see him making the squad. Robertson is loyal, not blind.
It's not like he was busting down doors last year either. He'll be there. Not that he'll be needed if Higgins recovers, won't matter who the outside backs are then.
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This guy is the best no 10 in NZ
This is great news -
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2025:
This guy is the best no 10 in NZ
This is great newsSomeone tell Razor
