All Blacks 2025
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
No Fakatava?
That says a lot.
Glad Howden is in their sights, not sure he is there yet but he has the size and tools.
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@jamsb said in All Blacks 2025:
I saw the highlanders create a post then quickly delete - TK Howden, Jack Taylor, Ethan de Groot, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins, and Timoci Tavatavanawai have been called into the All Blacks camp for this coming week
If Timoci Tavatavanawai gets picked there's no way I'll have the energy to write his whole name every time so I hope he forgives me if I ever call him T'nT..
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@nostrildamus just go with his nickname of Big Jim
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
@nostrildamus just go with his nickname of Big Jim
Sigh. Yes that is reasonable I guess. When you have JB as competition though Big Jim doesn't really seem that big..
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
No Fakatava?
Guessing that has a bit to do with Roigard being available for camp and dare I say it, Findlay Christie too.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2025:
@jamsb said in All Blacks 2025:
I saw the highlanders create a post then quickly delete - TK Howden, Jack Taylor, Ethan de Groot, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins, and Timoci Tavatavanawai have been called into the All Blacks camp for this coming week
If Timoci Tavatavanawai gets picked there's no way I'll have the energy to write his whole name every time so I hope he forgives me if I ever call him T'nT..
The last guy called TNT that I remember was Toby N Tucker from the Oliver Stone movie U Turn. The locals called him that cos when he goes off people get hurt.
( or as Sean Penns character Bobby said they weren’t very imaginative)
I hope Timoci Tavatavanawai ( which I have copied and pasted for the first and last time ) is similarly explosive
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All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.
Forgot Kirifi too -
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.I’ll believe that when I ( don’t ) see it. The. Crusaders are in the final and he hasn’t been injured all season.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones any NZ player plying their trade outside of NZ is by definition not giving any value to NZ.
I'm also on record about his form this year and I've routinely said he should be in the 23 as a super sub so I'm not sure where the "don't like the guy" shit comes from.
And for the record I've never been a fan of sabbaticals. Ex-All Blacks can make money after their representative career is over.
Quite frankly I'm forming the opinion that some long standing All Blacks are hanging around too long thanks in part to this sort of accommodation - impacting new All Blacks' development and our competitiveness.
Yeah I'm talking about NZ rugby, he definitely provides huge value there. You're focusing on the AB's. He's got a fucking massive fan base outside of GOM's shouting at clouds on an internet forum.
What tangible outcomes does that provide whilst he's in Japan?
The tangible outcome ofnot having to fork out probably hundreds of thousands more to have a player earn his keep in NZ for his whole career, as well as building an even bigger fan base. Dollars to donuts there's new AB/NZ rugby fans tuning in due to having him enter their "sphere".
What if it was Aaron Smith? Anyone would fucking bite your hand off to have been able to keep him in NZ and let him feather his nest briefly overseas.
If my aunt had balls.
Even Sam waited until after he was a centurion.
Maybe if he hadn't, he would have played out his career in NZ (and Strange would have become the superstar he was always meant to be).
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.
Forgot Kirifi tooThanks for posting, very interesting. Given Blackadder was really the incumbent 6 last year, and his replacement when injured was Sititi who is probably not a long term 6, it would be surprising if he missed out all together. Age wise you'd think there's still a few years left in him, but body wise I wonder if he's being held together by tape so the rigors of test footy may be too much. Have to feel for the bloke, he's obviously talented but injuries have really stopped him reaching his potential.
I like that they view Rieko as a wing/centre. I thought the way they used him on the wing at the end of tests last year was very clever and he looked very dangerous out there in the final 20 minutes.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:
@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.I’ll believe that when I ( don’t ) see it. The. Crusaders are in the final and he hasn’t been injured all season.
I agree.
For what it is worth though, Blackadder is off contract after this season(2025). I’m not saying it’s the reason, just something to keep in mind
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.
Forgot Kirifi too@chchfanatic great insight.
Does that mean Kirifi is in?
What about the likes of Lakai and Havili?
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@Bones any NZ player plying their trade outside of NZ is by definition not giving any value to NZ.
I'm also on record about his form this year and I've routinely said he should be in the 23 as a super sub so I'm not sure where the "don't like the guy" shit comes from.
And for the record I've never been a fan of sabbaticals. Ex-All Blacks can make money after their representative career is over.
Quite frankly I'm forming the opinion that some long standing All Blacks are hanging around too long thanks in part to this sort of accommodation - impacting new All Blacks' development and our competitiveness.
Yeah I'm talking about NZ rugby, he definitely provides huge value there. You're focusing on the AB's. He's got a fucking massive fan base outside of GOM's shouting at clouds on an internet forum.
What tangible outcomes does that provide whilst he's in Japan?
The tangible outcome ofnot having to fork out probably hundreds of thousands more to have a player earn his keep in NZ for his whole career, as well as building an even bigger fan base. Dollars to donuts there's new AB/NZ rugby fans tuning in due to having him enter their "sphere".
Got it; the organisation could've been saved from losing millions of dollars per annum by having an All Black or two play elsewhere.
And those new fans, all eight of them, who hadn't heard of the All Blacks or seen highlights before one on sabbatical played in their competition.
We should send them all OS with these sorts of returns.
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With Moorby rumoured to be coming back to the Canes, I wonder if the AB coaches have had a word. I know they were interested in him last year but he had already committed to Montpellier. If he’s coming back, they will have him in their sights but he will be in a similar boat to Lester, will likely have to prove himself again in the NPC.
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2025:
Sabbaticals are fine, just don't parachute them back in unless they are 100 test greats: aaron smith / mccaw / nonu level - don't select them until they've played locally again and dominated. That in itself will somewhat reduce how attractive it is to a player.
Savea was okay last year - but only okay - he was outplayed all season by a 21 year old rookie. And let's not forget that said rookie would have been much more likely to get his chance if Savea hadn't been selected.This is a pervasive view, but I don’t think it holds much value any more given the quality of play around the world, even in places like Japan. The club scene there is far superior to what they get from their national team. And this is even more so with wavering quality at Super and NPC levels.
At the individual level, yes Ardie had a dip in the black jersey last year after an immense 2023 test season. But looking at his output this Super season he has been a real standout and looked fitter. His level of involvement for an openside has been at a high level which for me will translate to the rest arena - given his experience and understanding of test rugby. Now this won’t work for all players, but for Ardie I have very few concerns.
So, he plays super and test in nz and is world player of the year.
then he comes back from playing in Japan and by his own high standards is really mediocre in tests.
then after that test season he's used as a warm-up and a super pre-season, he's back to tearing it up in super.
Based on that evidence, we can expect him to come back from japan and be average for a test season, then be good again the year after?
Except... he turns 32 this year, so will be getting on a bit by then - Mccaw retired at 34, and he's a player quite a bit less reliant on the physical explosiveness etc that declines with age. Kronfeld was 29. Jones 33. -
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
@nostrildamus just go with his nickname of Big Jim
Mate his Nic is Jim the Difference, DMac was Big Jim.
Just call him Jim Diff.
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2025:
All I’ve heard is that Big Jim looks to be in. Holland in. No blackadder.
Fusitua in. Proctor in. Reiko as a wing/centre.
Either Christian Lio Willie or Hoskins. Still have made the final call.
Forgot Kirifi tooIs Big Jim being selected as a midfielder or winger?
He should replace Telea at 14 I reckon...
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He has no top line pace. I think he's a 12 or impact player off the bench.
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
He has no top line pace. I think he's a 12 or impact player off the bench.
Hasn't stopped Telea or Reece getting capped.
