All Blacks 2023
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@Chris-B Agree with you about Fozzy selecting players with a gun to his head, which is why you get the sense he has been trying to avoid losing games rather than seeking to win them. But that’s once again the legacy of a poor appointment by the NZR in the first place and a patch-up solution last year that has only prolonged the agony and satisfied no-one.
As to the RC and BC wins, it’s become rapidly evident that those games earlier in the year provided a misleading picture about where the ABs were at both physically and mentally. SA were underdone going into that Mt Smart game, having split their squad - just as we were underdone going into the WC warm-ups. The wheels have clearly fallen off the Argentine chariot under Cheika, while who knows where the Wallabies are at under Fast Eddie?
I also agree with you about Beauden Barrett being well past his prime. As others have pointed out, he seems to be very wary of another head knock (understandably) and his resulting hesitancy has defused one of the remaining AB traditional strengths, which is the counter-attack from the back.
Where there had been improvements in the forwards - the new front row of last year - appear to have been more Ryan’s doing than anything. But then those players - like DeGroot and Taukei'aho - appear to have subsequently lost their mojos.
To me, it looks like poor man management and talent development. And that in turn is a reflection, in my opinion at least, of the disaster that has been the Foster regime. The fish rots from the head down, and all that. At a wider level, though, the NZR itself has been managed disastrously. That may partly reflect that it is now a servant to two masters - in the NZ public and its private equity overlords at Silver Lake.
This is not to deny the other frequently cited contributing factors to the ABs’ relative demise - such as other powerhouses in France and Ireland and elsewhere catching up, the greater financial reserves in Europe, the growing depth of talent there and the drying up of the talent pipeline in NZ, as seen by the lack of U20 titles in recent years.
But successful management in any enterprise starts with focusing on what you can control. And I still think the NZR made a monumental error in bequeathing the head coaching role to Foster four years ago because it was his turn. We stopped innovating, we ran established talent into the ground and we burned up a generation of new talent with disastrous selection policies.
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@His-Bobness I may be clutching at straws, but I'm hoping Fozzie has just thrown caution to the wind and decided that his only hope of redemption is to win the whole shooting box - hence he's geared his whole campaign towards the play-offs.
He certainly hasn't prepared like the France game was a major priority - we went into that significantly underdone, but despite the result - we showed some positive signs in the first half. Hopefully the likes of de Groot and Taukei'aho come right with gametime - though Big Samisoni appears to have gone backwards this season.
With Beauden, unfortunately, I'm pretty sure its a case of Ilea acta est. I think the logical change at 15 is DMac (shifting Jordan involves too much other juggling), but they've barely tested that.
Prerry sure they are erring in preferring experience in the case of Christie over Roigard, but there's time to rectify that.
I guess all will be revealed on QF day. If we go out like a damp squib, Fozzie's era will be pretty much marked down as a disaster. Hopefully he can battle on to a shot at redemption
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Those expecting/hoping for significant change are in for disappointment. Chris's excellent latin saying is on the money. BB will play fullback, and do 60% of the first receiver stuff. The first choice we al identified months ago will play injury-permitting. We're going out at the quarter, and we can close this shitshow out.
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@Chris-B I admire your straw clutching (and your Julius Caesar reference!). Let’s agree then that Foz really is playing the long, long game and has a hidden reserve of smarts to even outfox the wily likes of Andy Farrell, Fabian Galthie and Rassie Erasmus.
If he pulls all that off - silences doubters like me - and coaches the ABs to win the whole thing, he may justly claim Wayne Smith’s title as Uber Professor of Rugby.
But let’s (carpe diem) and beat Italy first.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2023:
Those expecting/hoping for significant change are in for disappointment. Chris's excellent latin saying is on the money. BB will play fullback, and do 60% of the first receiver stuff. The first choice we al identified months ago will play injury-permitting. We're going out at the quarter, and we can close this shitshow out.
I'm hoping for Roigard on the bench - and that they gave him the SA game gives me hope that he's in contention - otherwise, I reckon we can pretty much name the QF 23 barring injuries. I'm inclined to think Blackadder will leap over Jacobson and Papali'i to grab a bench spot, but I might be wrong there.
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2023:
If he pulls all that off - silences doubters like me - and coaches the ABs to win the whole thing, he may justly claim Wayne Smith’s title as Uber Professor of Rugby.
how?! how can people be so willing for forget all the other shit, surely if he was to win the whole thing is more of a fluke, the weird draw/seeding and probably some individual moment of brilliance scaping home...hardly anything he's actually done, his whole game plan is kind of "dont have agame plan, vibe it out on the pitch"
@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2023:
He certainly hasn't prepared like the France game was a major priority - we went into that significantly underdone,
do we really think we have the ability to go from "significantly underdone" to knockout rugby winners in three games against teams like Namibia and Uruguay
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As much as I hate wishing injury on a player, I think our only chance of getting past the QF stage is for Christie and Beauden to get injured. Injury has been the greatest selector over the last 4 years under Foster and one can only hope that it will help us again over the next few weeks.
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@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2023:
@Chris-B I admire your straw clutching (and your Julius Caesar reference!). Let’s agree then that Foz really is playing the long, long game and has a hidden reserve of smarts to even outfox the wily likes of Andy Farrell, Fabian Galthie and Rassie Erasmus.
If he pulls all that off - silences doubters like me - and coaches the ABs to win the whole thing, he may justly claim Wayne Smith’s title as Uber Professor of Rugby.
But let’s (carpe diem) and beat Italy first.
I didn't read all those Asterix books for nothing!
As earlier, I'm refusing to entertain the prospect of losing to Italy - I'm slightly concerned that if we don't make short work of them, the wily Galthie may spot an opportunity to engineer a final round result that gets rid of us. That would be a very French thing.
In the meantime, I'm going to continue with strong hopes, because at least I'll have an extra month of joy compared to those who've already sunk into despair!
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@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
As much as I hate wishing injury on a player, I think our only chance of getting past the QF stage is for Christie and Beauden to get injured. Injury has been the greatest selector over the last 4 years under Foster and one can only hope that it will help us again over the next few weeks.
With all due respect, Ginga and BB could both die in tragic cheese and/or baguette related accidents tommorrow and it probably won't change a thing. The issues run much deeper and wider than just the 15 and reserve 9.
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@Kiwiwomble I'm not
I've tried to be at least a bit pragmatic over the journey as i think there are some extenuating circumstances
2020 was just a fucked year
I don't think our players are as good as some do
Other teams have definitely got better
Super Rugby (both Aotearoa and Pacific) have been enormous handbrakes on our development (and that's before you throw in our attitude to it)But I'm pretty much done. Winning the WC would be a very pleasant surprise, and probably our best, and most unlikely, win ever. But we've been served up some pretty ordinary AB rugby over the past cycle. While some players have got better, there are no real signs of development across the squad. How many guys from 2019 are still there. And how many of them are any better? They weren't world beaters then FFS.
It's a shit show, and we are about to have a full reset akin to Ted's in 2004 when he had to rebuild a broken culture and a forward pack that couldn't compete.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Blacks 2023:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
As much as I hate wishing injury on a player, I think our only chance of getting past the QF stage is for Christie and Beauden to get injured. Injury has been the greatest selector over the last 4 years under Foster and one can only hope that it will help us again over the next few weeks.
With all due respect, Ginga and BB could both die in tragic cheese and/or baguette related accidents tommorrow and it probably won't change a thing. The issues run much deeper and wider than just the 15 and reserve 9.
At least Roigard off the bench and Jordan at fullback will give us a bit more punch on attack. Even with those changes we only have a low to moderate chance of winning our QF, and that's only if we get Ireland. We have no chance of beating the Boks.
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2023:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2023:
do we really think we have the ability to go from "significantly underdone" to knockout rugby winners in three games against teams like Namibia and Uruguay
We've had two warm up games against major contenders and we'll get another decent match vs Italy - then a run-around against Uruguay where we score lots of tries and really get our combos humming might be just what the Doctor ordered.
"The loser now will be later to win...." (well, I hope so).
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In fact, the whole verse is fabulous stuff from Bob....
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin' -
Removing BB from 15 may do two things
Get a possibly better FB in there (i say maybe because there is no evidence he's actually better at test level)
Get BB out of the fucking way and let RM run the side, which just might give some clarity to proceedings, with one guy in charge.Of course we don't know if RM can run it all himself, and we don't know if Jordan is actually a better test FB. And the change in approach of that size would be enormous for a QF.
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@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Blacks 2023:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
As much as I hate wishing injury on a player, I think our only chance of getting past the QF stage is for Christie and Beauden to get injured. Injury has been the greatest selector over the last 4 years under Foster and one can only hope that it will help us again over the next few weeks.
With all due respect, Ginga and BB could both die in tragic cheese and/or baguette related accidents tommorrow and it probably won't change a thing. The issues run much deeper and wider than just the 15 and reserve 9.
At least Roigard off the bench and Jordan at fullback will give us a bit more punch on attack. Even with those changes we only have a low to moderate chance of winning our QF, and that's only if we get Ireland. We have no chance of beating the Boks.
It would be arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic IMHO. The place we need more punch is in the forwards.
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@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks 2023:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2023:
If he pulls all that off - silences doubters like me - and coaches the ABs to win the whole thing, he may justly claim Wayne Smith’s title as Uber Professor of Rugby.
how?! how can people be so willing for forget all the other shit, surely if he was to win the whole thing is more of a fluke, the weird draw/seeding and probably some individual moment of brilliance scaping home...hardly anything he's actually done, his whole game plan is kind of "dont have agame plan, vibe it out on the pitch"
I was joking.
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It could just be my perception, but one thing I notice is that other sides seem to be able to almost endlessly and effortlessly recycle possession. The ball security and cleanout are very good. Yet when we go the pick and drive it's almost the expectation that there will be a fůck up at some critical point. Just look at the weekend. That shit used to be an AB strength.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Blacks 2023:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Blacks 2023:
@akan004 said in All Blacks 2023:
As much as I hate wishing injury on a player, I think our only chance of getting past the QF stage is for Christie and Beauden to get injured. Injury has been the greatest selector over the last 4 years under Foster and one can only hope that it will help us again over the next few weeks.
With all due respect, Ginga and BB could both die in tragic cheese and/or baguette related accidents tommorrow and it probably won't change a thing. The issues run much deeper and wider than just the 15 and reserve 9.
At least Roigard off the bench and Jordan at fullback will give us a bit more punch on attack. Even with those changes we only have a low to moderate chance of winning our QF, and that's only if we get Ireland. We have no chance of beating the Boks.
It would be arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic IMHO. The place we need more punch is in the forwards.
But, we should get that with the return of Lomax, Retallick, Frizell, Cane - and probably Blackadder.
de Groot, Taylor, Lomax
Retallick, Barrett
Frizell, Cane
SaveaSami T., Tu'ungafasi, Laulala, Whitelock, Blackadder.
