All Blacks 2024.. locked
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2024:
Midfield - an area of strength.
Pen in the Jordie Barrett and Reiko Ioane partnership for the next few years.
If you don’t mind I’ve just edited this post to get rid of superfluous and blatantly untrue crap. Hope you don’t mind.
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First Five - NZ Rugby looks thin here.
DMac is the obvious pick to start. Both Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga are off to Japan for a bit and could be back by 2027 to be RWC squad members, but younger options are needed.
I’d like to see more of David Havili at First Five to see if he is a Test option. Stephen Perofeta looked great at Ten for the All Blacks XV, but needs more time playing there at Super Level.
Beyond that, the cupboard looks rather bare.
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Half Back - Time for a bit of a rethink.
We’re losing our greatest ever Half Back. Thanks Nuggie. Brad Webber’s off too, a good guy who should have been there in France for the RWC.
Finlay Christie, we’ve seen what you can offer. Thanks, but no thanks.
So what have we got instead?
Cam Roigard, obviously. I honestly think he could develop into one of the World’s best half backs in the next few years.
Fakatava - worth another look if he can stay fit and sharp.
Drummond - Just the Seven Super Titles with the Crusaders. You don’t play 100+ games for the Crusaders if there is not something about you. Enough said, a winner. He should have received a lot more All Blacks caps than he already has.
Ratima - Lots of potential. If he works hard he could be a quality Test player.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2024:
Midfield - an area of strength.
Pen in the Jordie Barrett and Reiko Ioane partnership for the next few years.
Behind them we’ve got ALB, Billy Proctor, David Havili, Quinn Tupaea, Dallas McLeod and Braydon Ennor.
Riley Higgins will put pressure on all of them if he gets plenty of game time.
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@Canes4life Maybe, let’s judge him again when we’ve seen him more at Super Rugby level.
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Locks - Scott Barrett for sure.
And then?
I’m really not sure. Josh Lord, Patrick Tuipolutu and Tupou Vaii are the incumbents, but each needs to kick on a bit if they are to keep being selected.
Beyond that, maybe Sam Darry? Selby-Ricket? Ah Kuoi? Strange? Dunshea? Gallagher? PPP? Walker- Laewere? Josh Dickson?
Lots of guy who are okay, but not really who’d want facing the Spingboks, England, France or Ireland. Heaps of work to be done.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2024:
Midfield - an area of strength.
Pen in the Jordie Barrett and Reiko Ioane partnership for the next few years.
Behind them we’ve got ALB, Billy Proctor, David Havili, Quinn Tupaea, Dallas McLeod and Braydon Ennor.
Riley Higgins will put pressure on all of them if he gets plenty of game time.
Given they’re all either unproven or not up to it that shouldn’t be hard
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Props - We’re in a really good place here.
Ethan De Groot, Tyrell Lomax, Tamati Williams and Fletcher Newell are all young enough to go again in the next RWC cycle and if they can mostly stay fit develop into the best combo around by 2027.
Ofa T will be around for a bit and covers both sides, but I suspect French and British clubs will be calling when his contract next runs out.
Beyond that, Numia and Ainsley are quality players and should get Test game time.
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Hooker - Cheers Colesy and thanks for the memories.
Sami T and Codie Taylor are the obvious top 2 for at least next few years. Taylor will be 36 in 2027 so he might not make it that far.
We’ll need to give game time to some young guns at 2. Brodie Mcallister, George Bell and Tyrone Thompson each look to me worth developing.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2024:
@booboo said in All Blacks 2024:
Yep, both the Cantabs.
And keeping an eye out through Super Rugby.
If we discover a proper 6/lock, something interesting to see might be Kirifi on the bench.
Kirifi not on my potential AB list. And that's nothing to do with his Dad (Jack) being my first senior coach... who kept dropping me ... admittedly deservedly...
Just to my mind sits in the "adequate Super Rugby player" level
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2024:
Drummond - Just the Seven Super Titles with the Crusaders. You don’t play 100+ games for the Crusaders if there is not something about you. Enough said, a winner. He should have received a lot more All Blacks caps than he already has.
Peak virtue signalling.
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2024:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2024:
Billy Proctor
Not sold on this guy yet
Fucking hell, what more can he do? He's shat all over Ennor, Goodhue ALB in the last year or so.
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@booboo I’m a fan. He played well in the back end of the last Super season and on the AB’s tour of Japan. I hope he gets a shot in 2024 at Test level, but ultimately he may be behind Quinn Tupaea.
If he was English, he’d be one of their starters.
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Back Row -
Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell are off to Japan for a bit. Neither has clearly called time on their ABs career. They might have a role to play at international level again, but I don’t think either will be in the All Blacks team in 2027.
Beyond that, there is lots and lots to pick from: Ardie Savea, Dalton Papalii, Samipeni Finau, Ethan Blackadder, Cullen Grace, Billy Harmon, Kaylum Bolshier, Peter Lakai, Devan Flanders, MM-T, Dominic Gardiner, Christian Lio-Willie, Anton Segner and maybe Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu if they get going again.
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Leadership:
It’s going to be very interesting to see who Razor picks as his Captain.
I’d go with Ardie who will only grow from his 2023 RWC experiences, is World Player of the Year and is outstanding with the off-field stuff.
Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor are all proven leaders too. Jordie Barrett was an on-field leader in the 2023 RWC and deserves to be part of the leadership group going forward.
