All Blacks 2021
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@stargazer yeah certainly no need to rush Love, he's still far too young. Let him play Under 20s if they end up scheduling games against Australia, or if not let him focus on an NPC campaign with Wellington.
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
11 Blues
What planet are we living on.... I see room for one or two tokens
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@tim I think four Blues loose forwards is a little bit of a stretch. Can't see Robinson getting in especially with the way Blackadder has played. I woud have Grace ahead of Robinson aswell.
I also think they will pick PUJ with his ability to play 12/13. Rayasi to miss out there and Fainga'anuku to be picked as a winger.
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@stargazer said in All Blacks 2021:
I think it's good to first establish how many players are likely to be picked in each position.
Because the first squad to be picked is for the July Internationals, it's probably best to look at the first squad named in 2018 as an example (no RWC, no Covid).2018 squad:
33 players (and 1 "apprentice")
17 forwards, 16 backs
2 hookers
5 props (2 LH, 2 TH, 1 covering both)
3 locks
7 loosies (1 openside, 1 openside/8, 1 lock/loosie, the rest 6/8 or 8/6)
3 halfbacks
3 first five-eights
5 midfielders
5 outside backsConsidering the financial constraints, it's hard to see them picking a bigger squad.
Quote below says 35 players for the championship and July tests
Foster said the plan was to pick 35 for July, then disassemble and re-select a second squad the same size for the championship and extra Bledisloe.I'd think we'd select an extra hooker and a lock with the extra 2 spots. Perhaps a loose forward swapped out for a prop
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Karl T
Hodgman
De Grott (Maybe Ross)Taylor
Aumua
Eklund (Coles not doing enough this season to justify his place)Laulala
Ofa T
Williams (Lomax and Angus T miss out)Whitelock (c)
Retallick
Tuipulotu
S Barrett
Vaa'i (PPP to the Maoris)Grace
A Ioane
Blackadder
Papali'i
A Savea
Sotutu (Jacobson just misses out)Smith
Weber
Drummond (might gamble on Roe or only pick 2 half backs)B.Barrett
Mounga
DMacHavili
ALB
Nankiwell
R. Ioane (Peter Umaga-Jensen misses out)Leicester Fainga'anuku
Jona Nareki
W. Jordan
Reece
J. BarrettCrusaders 12
Blues 11
Chiefs 6
Hurricanes 3
Highlanders 3 -
@kiwimurph said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwiwomble Nareki is the form left wing in the country and should be picked.
He has a huge left boot and has underrated power to go with his footwork - what I liked today was his cleanup work - he looked good when things were going the Rebels way.
Leicester will be in the mix too but there could be room for both.
Yeah, I'd be intrigued to see Nareki get a chance, if he could translate his super form to internationals it'd definitely be something different, I just feel it probably wouldn't quite get there (or like in super rugby he take quite a while to not have absolute clangers every game). Really liking Faingaanuku too, his early season form was irresistible and I was leaning towards him over Roane, but he's just quietened a tad (since being shifted for the overblown Ennor) and now I'm learning towards Roane his pace over the previous two wins hands down.
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@bones I think Julian savea form has been very good recently! Would not rule him out as the power winger. Finding form at the right time I think and has that experience.
I am a big nareki fan and would love him to get picked
Fainganuku I think lacks the X factor! Ok he has the power but lacks pace and just looks a bit disinterested at times -
@family-man Good call. Great to see Da Bus back in form. Hopefully he can continue that in the next few weeks for the Hurricanes and then for the ABs.
I'd love to see the big man from Miramar score more tries for the ABs.
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@tim said in All Blacks 2021:
The tight five selections for the next squad seem pretty locked in now (Moody is out), except for 3rd tight head prop.
Props
Karl Tu'inukuafe
Aidan Ross
Alex Hodgman
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
?Hookers
Codie Taylor
Dane Coles
Asafo AumuaLocks
Sam Whitelock
Brodie Retallick
Patrick Tuipulotu
Scott BarrettTrain with the team:
Tamaiti Williams
Samisoni Taukei'aho
Tupou Vaa'iProbably only one thing I would change is I think I would have Vaa'i ahead of PT, think he is already ahead of PT!
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A Hogman
De Groot
A RossC Taylor
A Aumua
D ColesN Laulala
O Tuangafassi
T LomaxS Whitelock
P Tuipulotu
S Barrett
T Vaii (brodie has the same issue as tj - he needs to play for a nz team to be eligible?)A Savea
E Blackadder
D Papalii
H Sotutu
A Ioane
S FrizzellA Smith
B Webber
??R Moanga
D McKenzie
M Hunt (BB same issue as tj and brodie?)D Havili
A Lenert-Brown
R Ioane
B EnnorL Fianganuku
W Jordan
J Barrett
S Recce
J Nareki -
@mackerzzzz BB and BBBR played in Japan while under NZR contracts with agreed sabbatical clauses so they can play for the ABs straight away, if picked.
TJP's situation is a bit different. His contract with NZR came to an end. He signed then to play in Japan. Then later on he asked to have his Japanese contract terminated for personal reasons so he could come back to NZ. He is not eligible for the ABs until he plays for a NZ-based side again.
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@mofitzy_ said in All Blacks 2021:
@sparky
I would pick them but these games are perfect to blood a few new players so I would understand if they aren't.Without reading back, hasnāt Fozzie already said the there will be two squad selections? The first one may be to have a better look at some players while the next is the āfirst choiceā one?
BB and BBBR may find themselves in the first squad so they can get a gauge on size/fitness etc compared to the old data -
@crucial said in All Blacks 2021:
@mofitzy_ said in All Blacks 2021:
@sparky
I would pick them but these games are perfect to blood a few new players so I would understand if they aren't.Without reading back, hasnāt Fozzie already said the there will be two squad selections? The first one may be to have a better look at some players while the next is the āfirst choiceā one?
BB and BBBR may find themselves in the first squad so they can get a gauge on size/fitness etc compared to the old dataYup, 35 players in both squads. A squad selection for the July tests, and then again for the championship.
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I hope one thing and that's they're not going to use the first squad for some odd Brett Cameron type of selections. I only want players in it that really deserve it and would have a good chance of being selected for the second squad as well if it wasn't for some senior or injured players returning. Don't want "for old times' sake" selection like the Bus, either.
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Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.
I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.
Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.
Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.
Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!
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@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:
Nareki has been good, but for me he's like another Sevu Reece and we don't need two of them in the ABs - and Sevu has also been good this year.
I remain convinced that a significant problem in our RWC loss to England was our back division was collectively too small. Nareki is another little wing.
Caleb Clarke put his hand up and showed the value of a power wing last year. We don't have him this year, but lets pick a couple of others and see what they can do.
Both still works in progress but I'm on a bandwagon for Big Leicester and Even Bigger (Philippe's Little Boy) Salesi.
Rayasi is the closest thing we've had to Jonah, since Jonah. Let's just fucking pick him!!!
Iām totally on board with this idea, and think they need to start giving him really high quality coaching, because heās relatively new to rugby and it often shows with some of his silly decisions. Heās a weapon though , so if we invest in him now he could be ready for 2023.
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@chris-b said in All Blacks 2021:
@gt12 Exactly.
Jonah wasn't ready when we first picked him - and then he was.
The other problem is that sending him back to NPC wonāt tell us anything new, and might slow him down because he can get away with not developing additional tools, plus some of those silly decisions wonāt hurt so much, and the coaching can be very iffy (especially looking at Aucklandās current issues).
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