All Blacks EOYT
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I'd like players who have been in form and dominating their peers.
BTW Sititi's game against Argentina was a failure. He came on when we were winning and gave away 3 penalties in 20 minutes. Akira Ioane has never played a game like that for the AB's where he's come on and been a major contributing factor to a loss.
The reality is that Sititi and the other AB loose forwards got dominated in the collisions in that Bok game too - the game where we failed to score a single try for the first time since 2018.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
Exactly. Why not at least try someone like Sotutu off the bench? Especially with the problems we've had with our bench.
Razor is claimed by his fans to get the best out of players, does he not back himself to get the best out of Sotutu?
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@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
Akira can be talked about to the sun goes down he is gone no point it will not change anything.
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
If is all just fluff they ain’t going to be there.
better move on before it does your head in.What's the point of having a forum then lol. Forums are for arguing haha, none of it's personal or anything, infact I quite enjoy seeing both sides of the arguments on here, including me currently arguing with @KiwiInLondon haha.
Of course but the same two players being mention every time gets boring.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
Maybe the coaches just know more than we do about the situation
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@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
Maybe the coaches just know more than we do about the situation
Maybe. And maybe they are stubborn and overly conservative.
The issue is 'their way' isn't working when it comes to the loose forwards.
Sititi aside the loosies have been disappointing especially as the tight 5 have been a bright spot.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
Maybe the coaches just know more than we do about the situation
Maybe. And maybe they are stubborn and overly conservative.
The issue is 'their way' isn't working when it comes to the loose forwards.
Sititi aside the loosies have been disappointing especially as the tight 5 have been a bright spot.
The thing is we just do not know the full story.
So it is all speculative. -
There's no justification for leaving Akira and Sotutu out, and it really surprises me that people are bending over backwards trying to justify it given 1) it weakens the ABs and 2) our biggest weakness is in the loosies, costing us games this year.
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@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
Maybe the coaches just know more than we do about the situation
Maybe. And maybe they are stubborn and overly conservative.
The issue is 'their way' isn't working when it comes to the loose forwards.
Sititi aside the loosies have been disappointing especially as the tight 5 have been a bright spot.
The thing is we just do not know the full story.
So it is all speculative.Sure.
But that's the case with any coaching selection issue to anyone not on the inside.
What isn't speculative is the performance of the loosies..
Questions will remain whilst that is the case.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Chris said in All Blacks EOYT:
And Sotutu is not going to be in this squad under these coaches no matter how many people say he is the greatest no.8.
The question is why
Why are the coaches so blinkered?
Why could Cotter get Akira and Sotutu firing?
I found myself watching Sotutu on the weekend throw offloads and cut out balls wondering what value he could add to a 6-2 bench - wondering how would someone like Rassie utilise his skillset
Meanwhile our bench adds fuck all for the first 5 tests of The Rugby Championship
I can’t answer that .
I don't expect you too.
I'm talking more about discussion points.
Maybe the coaches just know more than we do about the situation
Maybe. And maybe they are stubborn and overly conservative.
The issue is 'their way' isn't working when it comes to the loose forwards.
Sititi aside the loosies have been disappointing especially as the tight 5 have been a bright spot.
The thing is we just do not know the full story.
So it is all speculative.Sure.
But that's the case with any coaching selection issue to anyone not on the inside.
What isn't speculative is the performance of the loosies..
Questions will remain whilst that is the case.
Yep that is true.
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@Jet said in All Blacks EOYT:
@reprobate said in All Blacks EOYT:
Fuck's sake Razor, grow a pair.
Razor is everything I thought he wasnt going to be.
Im baffled.
New broom, same as the old broom.
I really think he is starting to look like a spoofer.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks EOYT:
There's no justification for leaving Akira and Sotutu out, and it really surprises me that people are bending over backwards trying to justify it given 1) it weakens the ABs and 2) our biggest weakness is in the loosies, costing us games this year.
There’s every justification for leaving akira out. Never really performed at AB level, heading overseas. We’ve already seen more from Sititi then we ever saw from akira.
Sotutu didn’t watch super this year so no comment on form but he also never made his mark at AB level albeit with fewer opportunities than Akira. Apparently not really lighting up NPC.
Plenty of players look good at super and dud at international so you can’t extrapolate and say he would be amazing if only he’d been given the chance. If he gets named in AB XV he better be freaking amazing.
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@frugby said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks EOYT:
Robertson mentioned that Hotham is better off playing for the AB XV than just being a squaddie, and that applies to Lakai too.
But if TJP continues to make the test 23 we know we're fucked.
Differs player to player I suppose. Probably a fair call with Hotham on the basis that Roigard probably plays the Japan test, and then probably plays the next 3 all going well. He has already spent time with the ABs, so actually playing would be good for him
If that does come to pass, is TJP on the pine? Or Cortez?
If it's Cortez, what is the point of bringing TJP?
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@Jet said in All Blacks EOYT:
So nobody after 3 losses in RC played their way out of the Allblacks, and nobody in the NPC played their way in.
Great messaging there for all concerned both within the squad and NPC.
Roigard the only new name in after playing 20 minutes of rugby and being something of an incumbent anyway.
Stale.
After a successful period Wales fell into this same trap
Took years to rectify
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Jet said in All Blacks EOYT:
So nobody after 3 losses in RC played their way out of the Allblacks, and nobody in the NPC played their way in.
Great messaging there for all concerned both within the squad and NPC.
Roigard the only new name in after playing 20 minutes of rugby and being something of an incumbent anyway.
Stale.
After a successful period Wales fell into this same trap
Tookit’s taking years to rectifyFIFY
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks EOYT:
@frugby said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks EOYT:
Robertson mentioned that Hotham is better off playing for the AB XV than just being a squaddie, and that applies to Lakai too.
But if TJP continues to make the test 23 we know we're fucked.
Differs player to player I suppose. Probably a fair call with Hotham on the basis that Roigard probably plays the Japan test, and then probably plays the next 3 all going well. He has already spent time with the ABs, so actually playing would be good for him
If that does come to pass, is TJP on the pine? Or Cortez?
If it's Cortez, what is the point of bringing TJP?
Cortez is 100% in the team. TJP there to run the drinks... I think evidence suggests Ratima is probably seen as ahead of TJP.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Jet said in All Blacks EOYT:
So nobody after 3 losses in RC played their way out of the Allblacks, and nobody in the NPC played their way in.
Great messaging there for all concerned both within the squad and NPC.
Roigard the only new name in after playing 20 minutes of rugby and being something of an incumbent anyway.
Stale.
After a successful period Wales fell into this same trap
Tookit’s taking years to rectifyFIFY
We won 2 Grand Slams after it and got the SF of the RWC
Then we repeated the cycle
Because we're dumb
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@frugby said in All Blacks EOYT:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks EOYT:
@frugby said in All Blacks EOYT:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks EOYT:
Robertson mentioned that Hotham is better off playing for the AB XV than just being a squaddie, and that applies to Lakai too.
But if TJP continues to make the test 23 we know we're fucked.
Differs player to player I suppose. Probably a fair call with Hotham on the basis that Roigard probably plays the Japan test, and then probably plays the next 3 all going well. He has already spent time with the ABs, so actually playing would be good for him
If that does come to pass, is TJP on the pine? Or Cortez?
If it's Cortez, what is the point of bringing TJP?
Cortez is 100% in the team. TJP there to run the drinks... I think evidence suggests Ratima is probably seen as ahead of TJP.
If that's the case then why the fuck wouldn't you want Hotham being in that environment soaking it all in and learning & understanding the 'playbook' in training?
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@nzzp said in All Blacks EOYT:
@frugby said in All Blacks EOYT:
Moaning for moaning sake.
Tight 5 is largely uncontroversial. Happy days. If your reserve hooker winds up on teh bench through injury and has to throw in the lineout, I wouldn't have Bell, but them's the breaks.
Our loose forwrads look slow and uninspiring. I think we're going to get beaten here by most teams.
Halfbacks - well two pick themselves. Razor suddenly decided he really really likes TJP. Wild if you want to play a fast game, but hey.
Backline - anyone exciting there? Telea and Reece havne't looked good. Better pray CC and WJ stay fit to play on the wings. I am still unconvinced by WJ at fullback - defence, kickign and positioning all get questionmarks for me.
So yeah. I think you'd say this is a year where we haven't really done much more than evolve the squad, and play senior players on teh decline into the ground. We're on course for the equal most losses in a year, so it's not moaning for moaning sake - it is recognising that this is a profoundly disappointing AB selection.
Here's the thing. If we picked Ioane and he failed, I can be almost certain the other half of the population would be saying why have we gone back to that old has been.
If we picked Sotutu and he failed, the claim would be why isn't Sititi in the ABs (presumably would be ripping up the NPC, in the same way people are crying out for Lakai).
It is human nature to think that the best solutions are the ones not already employed, but people don't want to admit that Sotutu could actually be worse. I'd argue that a loose trio of Sititi, Papalii and Savea, with Finau coming in to smash people for the last 20 could be worth looking at, but to say the ABs loose forwards are failing I think is a shade unfair - they're still battling for balance.
Sititi (despite what the odd person claims) has made himself undroppable. Despite the new hipster opinion, you'd also be hard pushed to say Ardie Savea shouldn't be starting either. People also wanting to see Finau and Papalii, but lets not forget Cane was very good in South Africa, and Finau was shite.
Outside of Savea, they have been tweaking it all year... and to be fair, I am not sure they have given those in the squad a fair crack yet to say they are worth dropping.
Should Sotutu have been there in the first instance? On pure ability, probably yes, but anyone who has been in any sporting environment knows there is more to it then just ability. Even if in the squad, at best Sotutu was on the bench at the start of the year as Ardie was viewed as a 7.
The way he carried on, on social media after not being picked to me is quite telling. Is he the guy you want holding tackle bags, or is he just going to have a sulk that he isn't playing?
We forget that the All Blacks are just like any other sporting team in the world. Experience is not just about on the field, but it is also about the intangible people bring off the field and how they fit into the group.
