All Blacks 2023

Steve

@game_film said in All Blacks 2023:

These lads not included may have received a message shortly after taking a hammering on Friday night. Not sure what they could have done. Other than the cool hand sign emoji, perhaps?

Why partake in this old fashioned - assistant calls if you’re in, head coach calls if you’re out - nonsense? And instead have everyone find out the same time on TV - the Sunday after the super final. Then coach can call them a few days later and say ‘X,Y,Z… stay in shape, keep going’ especially with such an injury prone set of players on board in certain positions.

Yeah and its the age of professional sport.

Show me a good loser and ill show you a loser.

These lads have grown up being told their shit doesn't stink from a young age.

Imagine telling Stevenson "yeah mate you're in as injury cover". Im sure he's sitting there thinking, "im fucking better than Caleb Clarke who has dined out on one big run against Australia during covid 3 years ago and who's defence is no better than mine". "and im outscoring him at a rate of 3 to one at this stage".

"cheers Fozzie"

Steve

Id be well pissed if I was Stevenson.

Keep in mind he was initially omitted from the Allblacks XV side that played Ireland and the Barbarians last year and only got a gig late on due to injury.

He is really having to go the long way round to earn the black jersey.

There was talk of him upping sticks and going to NRL last year, lets hope Foster doesn't fully disenfranchise him before Razor gets the job.

Steve

There has always been contentious calls but they seem to be more contentious under Fozzie than any particular era I remember.

Like Stevenson can't get in, but Fozzie was part of a coaching group that routinely picked George Bridge.

DaGrubster

@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2023:

@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2023:

@Steve what what? He contacted dropped players and they didn't get back to him?

Yep . Apparently so.

And then he went and mentioned it on TV.

So people will put 2+2 together and think the likes of Akira and Hoskins have dropped their lip.

He could be depending on those boys later in the year.

Bad management.

Great fodder for us and the media to talk about but another feather in his dunce management cap in my opinion.

Why is his fault if players don't ring back?? Says there maybe a problem with players'attitude and maybe another reason they not there?

Danny, Foster is a dick for publicly saying that and saying it hurt his little feelings.

He should give players some space when they have had news like this. They have had a World Cup dream ended, lost money and may now be thinking of uprooting their family to others parts of the world due to not being selected.

It’s tough on them and if that’s their way of dealing with it, so be it. What does Fozzie want? To be thanked by them?

He should know a little bit about how they feel when Razor was going through the process?

Did he keep a dignified slilence? No, he went crying to the media about it.

He is a farking hypocrite and a fraud

Chris B.

@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:

There has always been contentious calls but they seem to be more contentious under Fozzie than any particular era I remember.

Like Stevenson can't get in, but Fozzie was part of a coaching group that routinely picked George Bridge.

You've forgotten Mitch's era already?

If you go back through the thread a few pages before the naming, I think everyone who got picked by Fozzie got picked by multiple people - except Dallas McLeod. I really don't think there's too many hard done by, or exceptionally lucky. A few coin tosses.

I didn't really think Finau or Narawa would make it this time, either - but, I can see why Narawa (an out and out wing) might have edged Stevenson (a fullback-wing - who I don't think is too hard done by, anyway - he's got a month to show he belongs - I reckon he's probably quite thrilled).

Biggest mystery to me is why Sotutu hasn't made the AB XV selection. I'm almost wondering whether he was the guy who slid out of the ABs and they forgot to modify that AB XV list. Crazier things have happened.

Bovidae

People need to watch the video to see the context of the question asked and Foster's reply. Some over the top comments on here. It's not the RWC squad.

Compare that to Henry and co in 2011 when some players not selected for the RWC squad had to face the media when returning from SA.

Steve

I feel a bit sorry for Fozzie. Im watching him on the breakdown at the moment and he is a terrible orator.

He looks completely out of his depth and ill-befitting of the role.

game_film

@Bovidae I’ve watched it. Said he was hurt that the guys never got back to him. Fair enough, you’d like to think the relationship goes both ways, but he needs to show some empathy there.

MN5

@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:

I feel a bit sorry for Fozzie. Im watching him on the breakdown at the moment and he is a terrible orator.

He looks completely out of his depth and ill-befitting of the role.

That guy presenting him with the jersey was amateurish as well. Really embarassing.

Steve

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2023:

@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:

I feel a bit sorry for Fozzie. Im watching him on the breakdown at the moment and he is a terrible orator.

He looks completely out of his depth and ill-befitting of the role.

That guy presenting him with the jersey was amateurish as well. Really embarassing.

Fozzie was shocked to be "winning " something hahahaha

Steve

The punditry on the breakdown is terrible.

Get off the fence for crying out loud.

Wilson was so bombastic as a player and a complete politician as a pundit.

Mils is as bad.

They are too close to the national set up.

It does us all a dis-service.

Steve

Id kill my own granny if Jason Ryan asked me to.

Hes deadly.

Steve

Wonder will Ireland be un-nerved if/when they face us with Joe Schmidt involved full time.

He was at arms length during last years series.

nzzp

@Steve said in All Blacks 2023:

Wilson was so bombastic as a player

stood up with other Otago players when NZR were competing with others at the beginning of the professional era. Didn't expect him to go from that to all the appearances of a corporate shill

Winger

@gt12 said in All Blacks 2023:

Proctor looks very unlucky to me.

He has at least played in the midfield this year when it matters.

I’m well sick of seeing Crusaders back-up players picked as ABs when they cant command a start in that position.

And the preferred player doesn't make it. Proctor though might be better of playing for the AB 15 than sitting watching the ABs play.

antipodean

Haven't read anyone else's comments, so apologies if I'm just repeating what has already been said, but holy fuck this is a nightmare scenario. On what basis can the selectors determine that Finlay Christie's play over the SR season merit inclusion in the All Black squad over Webber?

How do they watch Beaudy and think "here's a five-eighth to steer us around the park"?

The ongoing mystery that is Shannon Frizzel makes Blackadder Snr as visible as peak Cullen.

Laulala. Clarke. No Stevenson.

So a player that will clearly not be in the position he's been listed, takes the place of one of the form players.

And I bet that the new form players will get their chance to impress by playing an away Test in a depleted match day squad, so will be forced to look disjointed and confirm suspicions they aren't ready yet. And hence we'll take the same donkeys who've failed repeatedly to France.