All Blacks 2025
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Conrad Smith in our current shape would have been fucking useless.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2025:
Conrad Smith in our current shape would have been fucking useless.
HOT TAKE
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oh yeah totally, i mean Conrad was a noted crash ball specialist who did his best work right on teh shoulder of his inside, playing flat as hell. He also had noted pace which would allow him to operate a narrow defensive channel and still get out and cover the wide players.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2025:
oh yeah totally, i mean Conrad was a noted crash ball specialist who did his best work right on teh shoulder of his inside, playing flat as hell. He also had noted pace which would allow him to operate a narrow defensive channel and still get out and cover the wide players.
.....it would be true to form to try and make one of our greats play differently to his strengths
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2025:
.....it would be true to form to try and make one of our greats play differently to his strengths
Good call. What would Henry do (yes it's a wristband)
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The next ABs No 7? How Kirifi became NZ’s top breakdown operator
The Hurricanes captain is doing everything possible to grab the All Blacks jersey.
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He's playing really well and I think he should've had more caps by now.
One concern I have is that the breakdown seems to be adjudicated different in SR at the moment. There is a lot of leeway given to people attempting turnovers. People putting their hands past the ball or leaning their body weight on players. That is not how it's getting refereed in Test rugby. If he does make it he would need to adjust quickly
It's that usual question of whether SR is preparing our players correctly for Test matches
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
The next ABs No 7? How Kirifi became NZ’s top breakdown operator
The Hurricanes captain is doing everything possible to grab the All Blacks jersey.
kirifi v Tavatavanawai
big jim for the 7 jersey
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I'd like to see Kirifi play for the ANZAC team against the BIL as he'll be available for that team (AB and Māori players won't be). That would give him an opportunity to impress.
As for the ABs, it will depend on where they play Savea, and the loose forward mix. Having a specialist 7 on the bench might be a luxury.
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@frugby said in All Blacks 2025:
Ofa out for the season (having been fairly shit), EDG struggling for the Highlanders, Numia hardly setting the world alight… loosehead prop shaping as one of the more intriguing selection dilemmas.
no issues
William,bower and who ever is Crusaders 3rd loosehead -
@frugby said in All Blacks 2025:
Ofa out for the season (having been fairly shit), EDG struggling for the Highlanders, Numia hardly setting the world alight… loosehead prop shaping as one of the more intriguing selection dilemmas.
Both of who you mentioned will be fine. It’s a long season and EDG’s last game was his best one. Numia coming off a bad leg injury, takes time for the big boys. Tamaiti Williams hasn’t been shit hot either but not concerned.
An injury forcing the coach to finally get some new blood in there, at least we know that should happen now. Numia over Bower for sure.
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Over halfway through the season now so going to have a go at what a 34-man All Blacks squad might look like...
Hookers - Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua, Samisoni Taukei'aho
Props - Ethan de Groot, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi
Locks - Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa'i, two of Josh Lord, Patrick Tuipulotu and Josh Beehre*
Loose forwards - Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Wallace Sititi, Luke Jacobson, Peter Lakai, Cam Christie*
Halfbacks - Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Noah Hotham
First fives - Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett, Xavi Taele*
Midfield - Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Quinn Tupaea
Outside backs - Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Ruben Love, Mark Tele'a, Sevu ReecePossibly another prop or loose forward instead of a midfielder/outside back. Obviously still a lot of time for players to get injured/come into form/lose form completely.
Feels a bit absurd to pick three Blues as the only debutants but think they've all been pretty good (in the case of Beehre/Christie) or shown immense promise - I can see Taele being a long-term option at 10.
Reece probably the luckiest of the bunch based on last year's form, this year's form, and the strength that NZ has in the outside backs but he's a Razor-favourite. Tangitau needs to back up next year (or in the NPC) to win a spot for my mind.
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@nonpartizan Stevenson is off to Japan at the end of the year so don't think Razor will bother investing in him now (different story if he were an established All Black).
I'm not sure Kirifi will ever be an All Black. He's playing well and is obviously excellent at the breakdown but I don't think he offers enough with ball in hand to justify how unbalanced any loose forward trio would end up being (and it's already unbalanced). A Sititi/Kirifi/Savea combo is incredibly undersized so until Razor gets his hands on a hulking 6, I can't see Kirifi getting the call up.
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@nonpartizan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@nonpartizan Stevenson is off to Japan at the end of the year so don't think Razor will bother investing in him now (different story if he were an established All Black).
I'm not sure Kirifi will ever be an All Black. He's playing well and is obviously excellent at the breakdown but I don't think he offers enough with ball in hand to justify how unbalanced any loose forward trio would end up being (and it's already unbalanced). A Sititi/Kirifi/Savea combo is incredibly undersized so until Razor gets his hands on a hulking 6, I can't see Kirifi getting the call up.
Understood on Stevenson.
For Kirifi I see the drawbacks about the balance of the team and sauad but I just don't see how coaches aren't curious enough to see him in their training sessions and in their environments doing their drills. It just seems a defeating mindset to write players off before they have been given a shot especially since it also messages non All Blacks that you might be dismissed without being ever really given a chance.
IMHO I think it's better to experiment and fail than to preemptively assume but never satisfy your curiosity.
I don't necessarily disagree but players are written off at all levels of the game for lacking the raw attributes needed to meet that level of play.
Who would you partner Kirifi with in the loose forwards?
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@Mr-Fish About right.
I think Fabian Holland, Samipeni Finau and Stephen Perofeta will be there ahead of the three Blues debutants you suggest, but the rest looks correct at the moment.
It wouldn't surprised me if there are no new All Blacks at all in the July Squad.
