All Blacks 2024
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Important year for Gardiner. I was disappointed with his form last year after looking the goods towards the end of the previous year. Injury and being moved between 6 and lock may have stifled him a bit. Let's hope he gets a good run at 6 and stays injury free (the same can be said about Blackadder and Grace).
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
Options at 6 (in no particular order):
Finau
Blackadder
Grace
Ioane
Sotutu
Vaa'i
Ah Kuoi
(The last two speculation on my part.)
Others? Gallagher?Caleb Delany is another 6/lock in the picture. He'll be keen to have a big campaign with the Canes in 2024 to push for a place in the ABs. Superb in the line-out and is now sitting around 115kg.
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I would think that Flanders will get first shot at the 6 jersey, unless they decide to use him at 8 (or is he injured?).
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
Posting this here because the All Blacks 2024 thread is locked.
In the podcast (link below) Ruben Love talks about his recent trip over to Australia where he invested $$$ to train with their top sprint coach (guru) Rob Fabri, aswell as staying with one of the most talked about league players of 2023, Joseph Suaalii.
Plenty of people I've talked to about Love say he bounces different in terms of the way he carries himself, the way he trains and the commitment he has to get to the top. This move alone is an example of what he'll do to get to the top. After an injury ravaged 2023, I hope he has a big 2024 and pushes for AB selection. More at 15 than 10 though in my view.
FABRL it is then….
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@gt12 Delany will most likely start at lock. I'd say Flanders will be at 8, with Shields at 6. I'm just saying Delany needs to be in the convo because he's play more than half his career at blindside.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
@gt12 Delany will most likely start at lock. I'd say Flanders will be at 8, with Shields at 6. I'm just saying Delany needs to be in the convo because he's play more than half his career at blindside.
I think that depends on whether they want to go with Flanders at 6, Kirifi at 7, then Lakai / Iose at 8.
I'm not sure that they need Shields as a starter unless injuries strike.
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@gt12 if they don’t go with Shields (which I think they will because of his experience) I would go Howden, Kirifi and Flanders. The type of game Flander’s plays seems to be much more suited to 8 than 6, plus Howden hada great NPC in a poor Manawatu side. Then I would have Lakai on the bench who can cover all three back row positions. Iose misses out for me because he isn’t as versatile and if you have him in a loose trio partnership with Kirifi, it’s just too small in my view.
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In which case, Delany is miiiiiiiles away from a 6 jersey at the Canes, let alone the ABs.
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@gt12 it all depends on what the coaches do. If they start Sangster and Walker-Leawere as a locking duo then Delany definitely starts at 6 for the Canes.
Delany is similar to Gardiner where he switches between playing lock/6 when needed.
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The ABs team I’d like to see in 2024 is
- Pouri Rakete-Stones
- Tyrone Thompson
- Joel Hintz
- Geoff Cridge
- IWL
- MMT
- Josh Kaifa
- Devan Flanders
- Folau Fakatava
- Lincoln McClutchie (captain / coach)
- Jonah Lowe
- Chase Tiatia
- Nick Grigg
- Ollie Sapsford
- Harry Goddfrey
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@Yeahtheboys said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
The ABs team I’d like to see in 2024 is
- Pouri Rakete-Stones
- Tyrone Thompson
- Joel Hintz
- Geoff Cridge
- IWL
- MMT
- Josh Kaifa
- Devan Flanders
- Folau Fakatava
- Lincoln McClutchie (captain / coach)
- Jonah Lowe
- Chase Tiatia
- Nick Grigg
- Ollie Sapsford
- Harry Goddfrey
Would struggle against the Western Force.
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@antipodean not if you found a way to get Blackadder on the bench.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
@antipodean not if you found a way to get Blackadder on the bench.
Before or after he'd broken the bench?
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@Yeahtheboys said in All Blacks 2024 - no interminable Foster arguments:
The ABs team I’d like to see in 2024 is
- Pouri Rakete-Stones
- Tyrone Thompson
- Joel Hintz
- Geoff Cridge
- IWL
- MMT
- Josh Kaifa
- Devan Flanders
- Folau Fakatava
- Lincoln McClutchie (captain / coach)
- Jonah Lowe
- Chase Tiatia
- Nick Grigg
- Ollie Sapsford
- Harry Goddfrey
I like it. 15 debutants and no living off past glories ( making a World Cup final isn’t that big a deal, it’s not like they won it )
I’ve read up quite a bit on this McClutchie guy, he sounds like the real deal. Lots of talk on him on some pretty reputable Rugby sites.
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Some interesting and thought-provoking insights from Mr Kitshoff on the benefits of allowing overseas players in the Boks. Makes you wonder if it would benefit the AB's
Steven Kitshoff interview: South Africa encourage us to go abroad – unlike England
Exclusive: Double World Cup winner is yet to earn a win with Ulster and comes up against his Springbok captain Siya Kolisi this weekend
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@Victor-Meldrew senior ABs do get a sabbatical. Maybe expand on that to allow them to play overseas for a couple of years and still be available for AB selection, but I wouldn't want to see anything more than that.
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@Bones perhaps for known quantities; those who are near certs to start and have 50 caps or something like that...
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@antipodean yeah it doesn't set their selection in stone, but say Smith, Whitelock had been playing overseas last couple of years, they'd still be invaluable.
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@antipodean I thought you had to have a certain number of caps to get a sabbatical anyway?
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Sir Wayne Smith explains new 'crow's nest' role with All Blacks and Black Ferns
A Rugby World Cup winner with both the Black Ferns and All Blacks, Sir Wayne Smith landed a new role with New Zealand Rugby in 2023.
