All Blacks 2024
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
TBH I agree with you and Christie is limited at Test level. Just think they'll be nervous about picking one of two Test rookies against England and will go with Christie.
I could understand the logic if it was TJ in Christie's form and vice versa. I just don't think Christie's experience shines out, nor has he proved a worthy performer.
It'll be disappointing if that's the path they take.
It's only England...
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Robertson clearly has the hots for Havili though so I think we'll see him in the squad to cover 10 & 12. Going forward, I'm keeping an eye on Quinn Tupaea - he seems to be getting back to some good form.
The way JK was talking on Breakdown, Havili's ability to play 10, 12 ,13 and 15 would be attractive to Razor.
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@Landers92 said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Tim said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Can't see the point of selecting a player who won't play Super Rugby in 2024 or 2025. You are effectively selecting a player from overseas. May as well get Mo'unga and Retallick in that case.
I'd select Cane. He's a 95 test AB and AB captain who was playing excellent rugby at the World Cup.
Get a young loosie (I.e. Lakai or whoever) around the squad for the year to soak up knowledge from Cane then transition in 2025.
Presuming the coaching staff are conservative for the England series:
I think the additions to the front rowers club may be solely Numia for Laulala and Aumua for Coles. Locks will be Barrett, Tuipulotu and two others (hopefully McWhannell). Cane, Sotutu, Papali'i, Finau, Savea, Ioane as backrowers (Lakai to come in after England are dispatched). Halves are TJP, Christie and Funaki. First fives are DMac and Beaudy with Havili in the team covering positions in midfield too. Midfielders are Jordie, Rieko, Havili and Proctor. Back three will be Reece, Clarke, Love, Tele'a and ..?
Sorry but did you just saw Hopefully McWhannell?! Plenty better talent than him around. Akira will be very lucky to be selected by Razor in my opinion, it’s 2 of him, Finau and Sotutu and I think it’s the latter 2. Funaki is an argument but I think they will go with Fakatava or Ratima. Should see Narawa selected in the back 3 with Reece, Clark, Love, Telea, with possibly Stevenson solely on merit. No will Jordan gives someone a real shot here for that 15 jersey assuming Beaudy isn’t playing there.
Either way, I think it will be a team with very few surprises as Razor will want to just get a feel for a few players and go with the players he is familiar with for now due to a squad being selected so soon. Looking forward to the series.
I'd be stunned if Vaa'i isnt in squad. We need a genuine international middle of the lineout option. Darry is tall enough, but didn't get used much there against Canes. Was hoping to see him vs Delany. Lord out. Strange for me is only Super level. Hannah too green and light. McWhannell is more a front of the lineout build.
Who am I missing?
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
If we only select 6 loosies, who are then? Papali'i, Jacobsen, Sotutu, Blackadder, Finau and Savea? With Lakai selected as a so-called training member?
That looks pretty close to me.
Assuming Cane isn't available for Pom tests, I'd assume Jacobson OR Blackadder.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Landers92 yeah he's eligible I'm pretty sure. Who do we select then if Finau and Blackadder aren't available? Razor isn't going to select Ioane, he's crumbled under pressure so many times and is far too inconsistent. Razor may go with Grace but the ABs won't dominate physically with him there. Who else is there? I mean if we're still picking Cane then why wouldn't Shields be in the mix? He's one of the form blindsides in Super this year.
I thought Akira had the better of Shields on Saturday even after TJP butted him.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@Duluth Case in point being when he got the ball with space out wide in the first half against the Canes. In 2016 he probably goes the length of the field and scores. Today, definitely not haha.
He was better in the wider channels up until about 2022. He doesn't have the same athleticism to play wider anymore, so he has no choice but to play a tighter game that involves more contact.
It helps that he's playing under a coach domestically that can get the best out of him playing closer to the ruck.
I think he may have bulked up for SV.
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@gt12 said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
It was his first game in 2 months and people expected him to be playing the house down after watching Savea play for 2 months straight
and this is where our current season structure just sucks. Once super rugby finishes, these guys don't get to play high level rugby unless they are in the test team.
There could be an interesting idea there to build an NZ specific model to allow that focused on what NZR really cares about - the AB brand.
It would require cooperation from Oz and SA though, so I don't like the chances, however, if SANZAAR allowed two teams from the Pacific Nations Cup to come up to the Rugby Championship (likely Fiji and Japan who could play off with the other nations to allow movement between the competitions), we could add the ABXV or Maori AB team to that competition (likely alongside Australia A). If OZ didn't or couldn't participate, we could have two teams in the competition.
We could then have at least one of our second teams competing against Samoa, Tonga, USA, and Canada. Whether the level of that competition is stronger or weaker than NPC is a separate question, but it would allow for collaboration across the two squads and have guys in the next tier playing if and when injuries strike.
Feel free to bag this, I'm not wedded to it, just putting it up for discussion.
Or a second tier championship with islands, AB XV and Oz XV, and maybe Japan?
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@chchfanatic said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@pakman I bet you anything in the world he won’t be unless dmac is injured.
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There was a lot of good will towards Scott Robertson's appointment, but to me he's blown it with his constant yearning after former All Blacks who have gone overseas. First it was Sam Whitelock, then Richie Mo'unga, not Shannon Frizell. No one forced those players to sign overseas and turn their backs on the All Blacks.
The All Blacks coach should be focussing on coaching the players he has available up to World-Cup winning standard. There's a lot of talent coming through our Super Franchise at the moment. I'd prefer to see those players given the chance rather than those who cashed in and choose to terminate their All Blacks careers.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Brad Shields? How has his name even entered this thread 😂
Because Hurricanes
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I dont really see it as Robertson chasing them, more speculation in the media given some discussions and ill advised quotes earlier from Razor.
Whitelock, turned out to be a red herring and media beat up.
He hasn’t even named a squad yet so he is hardly in the position of needing to send an sos to save his job….just yet!
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It was a bit more than media hype. Whether he does come back is another matter, but Lendrum's words were:
“We would love Richie home as soon as we can. There are contracts. We respect those. He’s employed by Toshiba currently but we’ll be involved in conversations to see what’s possible.”
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I read that as:
We would like him home
We respect Toshibas contract even though we are talking about it to the press
We hope to be involved but have no meetings planned to talk about it but hope to.Mo’unga has been there 6 months and has not missed an AB test yet. He is on a 3 year deal.
Unless he and his family hates it there, it seems to be a non starter and poor timing to be mouthing off about it and will only serve to antagonise Mounga and his employer.
If I was in charge of player contracts at Toshiba, I would be asking Mounga what is going on? Are you not happy and want to leave? Why are you talking to NZR?
If NZR were in serious discussion with either party they would keep it very quiet so it doesn’t jeopardise a potential Deal. The fact they are talking like this makes me think they are very much on the outside looking in and have no talks
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
It was a bit more than media hype. Whether he does come back is another matter, but Lendrum's words were:
“We would love Richie home as soon as we can. There are contracts. We respect those. He’s employed by Toshiba currently but we’ll be involved in conversations to see what’s possible.”
Razor wants his first five back who he won 7 straight titles with who never lost a Super Rugby playoff game for him.
Shock horror.
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Razor can’t afford him. Shock horror😀
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Savea to 7. It makes sense.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Razor wants his first five back who he won 7 straight titles with who never lost a Super Rugby playoff game for him.
56 tests. 70% win record.
Solid, grew, but a long way from a high quality Test 10
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024 - looking forward:
Razor wants his first five back who he won 7 straight titles with who never lost a Super Rugby playoff game for him.
56 tests. 70% win record.
Solid, grew, but a long way from a high quality Test 10
Sure - but we aren't exactly flush with 10 options.
The cupboard behind DMac domestically (and Beaudie returning) is bare.
I don't see why this is all so surprising.
He either cuts his deal short and comes back and there's a 56 test AB as an option or he doesn't.
