All Blacks 2023
-
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
Barring injuries....
ED, ST, TL
SW, BR
SB, SC, AS
AS, RM, CC(?), JB, RI, WJ, BBWho are your backs replacements?
A bunch of Ninjas that we're not telling the Welsh RU about!
Ah, what the hell...
Actually, I don't know who the reserve halfback will be, because Fozzie did the entirely unexpected last year (for me) and picked two rookies in Christie and Fakatava - when he should have picked just one. I thought Perenara had just about played his way back into pole position, but then he got broken - Weber and Roigard probably also somewhere in the frame, but it's as murky as a murky thing.
Lienert-Brown and Telea for the other two.
If Roigard, DMac and Telea don't get significant game time at the sharp end then you can kiss goodbye to the Cup IMHO
-
@nostrildamus I think Cane, Papali'i and Blackadder are all ahead of Billy in the 7 queue - I reckon he'll need injuries to make it.
-
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
@nostrildamus I think Cane, Papali'i and Blackadder are all a
head of Billy in the 7 queue - I reckon he'll need injuries to make it.Fair enough.
-
Am not keeping up but did I hear Cullen Grace has a dislocated knee cap?
So strike one off the 6-8 possibilities...
Quite rate(d) that fulla
-
-
Haha good one josh. Couldn't agree more for the highlanders, couldn't agree less for the ABs. Would be great to see Frizzel at lock and Barrett at 6 🤮
Former All Black flanker backs potential Shannon Frizell position change
The No 6 jersey has been one of the most difficult to hold down throughout Ian Foster's tenure as All Blacks head coach.
-
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B this is why I like Harmon a lot but not sure where he fits in the 7 rankings as AB as he cleans up a lot of Clan mistakes but would he still shine in a very good attacking team? Not sure but think so/hope so.
unfortunately i think Harmon will be added to that list of international class players that never got a shot at a higher honors because they were behind world class players, if i was him id be finding a scottish grandmother
-
@Chris-B comparing to the 2015 team is a fools errand. Arguably the finest rugby team ever assembled. A bunch of guys who are either all time greats for NZ, or in some cases the world. All playing well at the same time. That's lightening strike stuff.
Even the lessor lights of the team, like the back 3 or the hookers, were great players. Ridiculous side.
-
@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:
Haha good one josh. Couldn't agree more for the highlanders, couldn't agree less for the ABs. Would be great to see Frizzel at lock and Barrett at 6 🤮
Former All Black flanker backs potential Shannon Frizell position change
The No 6 jersey has been one of the most difficult to hold down throughout Ian Foster's tenure as All Blacks head coach.
You don't get it Bones. A FORMER ALL BLACK is saying he's good at lock.
We should all bow in reverence. -
@Frank said in All Blacks 2023:
You don't get it Bones. A FORMER ALL BLACK is saying he's good at lock.
We should all bow in reverence.It's an interesting headline choice by the editor. If it was an ex player whose opinion is respected they would use his name. No one is clicking on "Kronfeld says.."
His greatest moment of punditry was when he claimed the ABs were giving away jerseys because they picked McCaw off of NPC form
-
‘The time is right’: All Blacks manager steps down after 19 years
All Blacks Manager Darren Shand has announced he will be leaving the team.
-
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B comparing to the 2015 team is a fools errand. Arguably the finest rugby team ever assembled. A bunch of guys who are either all time greats for NZ, or in some cases the world. All playing well at the same time. That's lightening strike stuff.
Even the lessor lights of the team, like the back 3 or the hookers, were great players. Ridiculous side.
Yeah - I know. And if Sam Whitelock hadn't stolen that lineout they could have been beaten in the semi. But, he did!!!
That's why I drew my main comparison with the 2011 team.
By comparison 2015 scored 14 tries in the play-offs and 2011 scored 4. France was pretty soft in the 2015 QF though.
If we happen to win the whole thing it will be interesting to select merged teams - right now, it's pretty hard not to be biased towards the guys who have already got it done.
-
That 2011 GF side still had Smith, Nonu, McCaw, Read, Kaino, Whitelock (but baby Sam), Kev and Woodcock.
Yes there are heaps of spots that 2023 vintage players would take (arguably the whole back 3, halfbacks, other lock) but those "lessor" players in 2011 had an incredible core to help them out.
Aside from the 2015 hangover players, are there any in teh 23 at the moment that you think will end up in the AB ATG conversation? Probably not. It took better teams than this to win it, but better teams than this have also lost it.
-
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
Aside from the 2015 hangover players, are there any in teh 23 at the moment that you think will end up in the AB ATG conversation? Probably not. It took better teams than this to win it, but better teams than this have also lost it.
Some way to go, because it's early days for most of them.
Samisoni and My boy Will are possibilities. Maybe even Rieko in another cycle. Who knows what we'll be saying about our props 10 years from now.
-
Sami is definitely one.
Reiko would have to go on an amazing trot to be held in the same reverence as Smith, Bunce and Robertson (just look at this thread, every 2nd poster still tries to call him a winger)
Will Jordan? Almost all great AB wingers are instant hits and then fade. Will will need to buck that trend."early days for most of them"
Just on this. The front rowers yes.
The locks are old as shit. SBarrett is nearly 30
Cane is at the end. Savea is nearly 30
Smith is already the GOAT.
Mo'unga is done with NZ rugby
JBarrett have probably one world cup cycle left in them
BBarrett is done.
I made my point about the wingers already. -
@mariner4life Without really disagreeing - Bunce was who I was thinking of in terms of Rieko. I doubt Frank had even started when he was Reiko's age - and RI has a very nice body of work on the wing, already.
Will's still scoring test tries as fast as anyone else ever has (might be second to Joe Rok now) - and next year I'm expecting he'll be our fullback.
-
-
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2023:
Ideally with Will Jordan he follows the path of Ben Smith whose test career didn't really take off until his mid 20s in 2012. Will Jordan is 25.
Ideally no he doesn't - instead let us hope he gets picked regularly and in his best position!
