All Blacks 2024
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@MiketheSnow SA have added Marx (injured in World Cup) to their squad since WC. He would have been there but for injury. As well as Am.
Their front row mix has barely changed. Their second row has been hit, but they still have Etzebeth. They still have their first choice backrow. They have their backup SH (Reinach). They still have their WC flyhalf, their first choice centre partnership and their top 2 wings. That’s a pretty settled spine upon which to introduce the likes of Williams, SFM and Fassi.
So your stats are a little misleading 😉
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@Frank said in All Blacks 2024:
Almost all the senior Boks are still with the squad, which is key for stability and handing over the reins.
Quite different from the ABs.
Not sure I buy the experienced Snr player argument. Apart from Smith, the exact same backline played in the RWC Final as on Saturday. Dmac, Jordie, Reiko, Telea, Jordan and BB,
In the forwards, 5 of the RWC Final team played - SB, Ardie, Taylor, Lomax & Cane. The "new" and inexperienced players - Williams, Sititi and Vaa'i - were all standout
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024:
@Frank said in All Blacks 2024:
Almost all the senior Boks are still with the squad, which is key for stability and handing over the reins.
Quite different from the ABs.
Not sure I buy the experienced Snr player argument. Apart from Smith, the exact same backline played in the RWC Final as on Saturday. Dmac, Jordie, Reiko, Telea, Jordan and BB,
In the forwards, 5 of the RWC Final team played - SB, Ardie, Taylor, Lomax & Cane. The "new" and inexperienced players - Williams, Sititi and Vaa'i - were all standout
Mo'unga played too.
DMAC came on in 75th minute.
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@Jet said in All Blacks 2024:
DMAC came on in 75th minute.
Yes, but he played in the RWC Final and has been an AB longer than Mo'unga (8 years), has 50+ caps and is clearly experienced.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024:
@Jet said in All Blacks 2024:
DMAC came on in 75th minute.
Yes, but he played in the RWC Final and has been an AB longer than Mo'unga (8 years), has 50+ caps and is clearly experienced.
Ah ok I get you. Apologies for clumsily wading in mid discussion.
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@Victor-Meldrew “apart from Smith”…you could just have stopped there. Maybe people now appreciate how much Smith brought to the AB backline. He sits alongside McCaw and Carter as one of the modern greats.
He was more than just a bullet pass. He was the link between forwards and backs, the brains of the operation and had tonnes of game sense. He bossed things and his standards were sky high. He was also cool as a cucumber. TJP is an experienced player, but compared to Smith he is half the player for bringing calm and precision alone.
Smith’s loss alone has been seismic for NZ in how they want to play. Ratima has a fast pass and pace, but he has nowhere near the decision making ability. Roigard has pace and power, but he too won’t make decisions and corral the forwards like Smith did.
Smith and Carter were an all time great combo. Smith allowed Beauden time and space to use his athletic abilities. Smith gave Mo’unga time and space to play in.
Everyone knew NZ were losing a great playerwhen he moved on. Now, they realise he was more than that to the way NZ play.
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@Jet said in All Blacks 2024:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024:
@Jet said in All Blacks 2024:
DMAC came on in 75th minute.
Yes, but he played in the RWC Final and has been an AB longer than Mo'unga (8 years), has 50+ caps and is clearly experienced.
Ah ok I get you. Apologies for clumsily wading in mid discussion.
No worries. It surprised me when I checked just how little change in senior players there'd actually been compared to say. 2015
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks 2024:
@stodders said in All Blacks 2024:
@MiketheSnow so were NZ. What’s your point?
Both teams are missing players who would be pushing for selection in their respective 23s. Those that played were (for the most part) the best available.
Boks sneaked home twice. Experience counts.
Answering an opinion the Boks were settled.
IMHO they are in flux too.
Not really, they are the most settled they have ever been.
Rassie since 2018 and virtually all of their RWC squad still available and lots of 2x RwC winners in most match day 23 squads they pick.
They are bringing through new players but they have a core experience that have played together for a long time.
First Test in Ellis Park
NZ had 13 players in the match day 23 who were in the match day 23 for the RWC 23 Final
SA had 13 players in the match day 23 who were in the match day 23 for the RWC 23 Final
Second Test in Cape Town
NZ had 13 players in the match day 23 who were in the match day 23 for the RWC 23 Final
SA had 14 players in the match day 23 who were in the match day 23 for the RWC 23 Final
So they are pretty settled then.?
They have Rassie at the helm over the last 6 years with the same on field leadership team and they have the confidence to do what they want give they have won back to back world cups.
Of course players, will come in and out of a squad due to rotation, injuries, depth building so it all looks great in the Boks camp.
They are trying to implement a new attacking style with Tony brown as coach which has some teething problems but overall they have looked good at times.
NZ do have a decent amount of players from last year but have lost 3-4 all time greets of the game not just ABs. We do have enough of our squad from last year to perform better than we are though.
Of course we have had a new broom through the coaching team (with about 30 new people in coaching support staff, mgmt etc).
But my reply wasn’t about the AB’s
We are a work in progress, with some obvious flaws in our game. I do believe we have underperformed so far under Razor but there are some positives as well.
Losing to SA in SA by 4 and 6 points is hardly a disaster and most people would have accepted that would be a likely outcome.
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024:
They have Rassie at the helm over the last 6 years with the same on field leadership team and they have the confidence to do what they want give they have won back to back world cups.
This was the argument for Foster - a continuity candidate.
I am not saying I agree with it, but I could understand the initial appointment.
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It's actually quite startling the progress our forward pack has made over the past year.
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024:
Our defense on the line is not good. We keep conceding soft tries - just a few phases at the line and someone bursts over and scores. It's how we ship so many points - conceding low risk scores is infuriating. Who is defence coach?
Agree mate, I have said before, we seem to get disconnected often when under pressure.
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024:
Our defense on the line is not good. We keep conceding soft tries - just a few phases at the line and someone bursts over and scores. It's how we ship so many points - conceding low risk scores is infuriating. Who is defence coach?
Can't blame this one on Scott McLeod anymore
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2024:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024:
Our defense on the line is not good. We keep conceding soft tries - just a few phases at the line and someone bursts over and scores. It's how we ship so many points - conceding low risk scores is infuriating. Who is defence coach?
Agree mate, I have said before, we seem to get disconnected often when under pressure.
Was just watching the Kolisi try at 48 min in Bokke 2 again, and I want to throw things.
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2024:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2024:
Our defense on the line is not good. We keep conceding soft tries - just a few phases at the line and someone bursts over and scores. It's how we ship so many points - conceding low risk scores is infuriating. Who is defence coach?
Can't blame this one on Scott McLeod anymore
too many Scott's? It's Scott Hansen apparently
https://www.allblacks.com/news/all-blacks-unveil-2024-management-group
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024:
Losing to SA in SA by 4 and 6 points is hardly a disaster. and most people would have accepted that.
It may be a minority view, but I really don't find losing 31-27 when you were 27-14 up with 12 minutes to go in any way acceptable.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024:
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2024:
Losing to SA in SA by 4 and 6 points is hardly a disaster. and most people would have accepted that.
It may be a minority view, but I really don't find losing 31-27 when you were 27-14 up with 12 minutes to go in any way acceptable.
It's not, but balancing that is thta being up 27-14 with 12 minutes to go was way above expectations.
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@Jet said in All Blacks 2024:
If we had a back row of Finau, Sotutu and Papalii and Stevenson at 15 and Proctor at 13 I’d forgive a couple of losses as we are blooding new combos etc.
I think this is part of the problem though - people in general wouldn't accept us getting towelled by 15-20 points, heck we are seeing a meltdown after losing two close tests.
Fact is, we are in between generations because for about a 4-6 year period, the production line was not as good as it has been, shown by the U20 Results.
Our best front rowers (outside of Taylor) are all 26 and under. Our five best locks (outside of Barrett) are all 24 and under. These guys will be peaking at the next World Cup.
Loose forwards remain a mish mash, because we are forced to stick with older guys, as the likes of Finau simply have not stepped up. If I was Razor and company, I would persist with Sititi, Cane/Papalii and Savea for the next couple of tests. Peter Lakai to me eventually comes in at 7, then it is a question of whether Savea is at 8 or is an impact sub. Plenty of blindsides coming through, so Sititi will eventually move to 8. This will sort itself.
Then the backs.
Halfback stocks look good, it will just take time for Ratima & Roigard to build up experience. First five is a massive issue, highlighted by the fact we are begging Mo'unga to come back. We haven't seen an 'All Black level' first five come through since Mo'unga. Hopefully one of Jacomb, Millar (or someone else) can really step up. I'd be tempted to pick one on the EOYT, purely because we need to start looking at someone. Plummer is not the answer, he is an injury stop gap.
Midfielders isn't a problem. Barrett and Ioane are doing a perfectly fine job. ALB and Procter certainly worth a try if you want to move Ioane back to the wing, but it is the least of our worries.
Outside backs will be fine too. Clarke has nailed down the left wing, and I think Jordan remains the option on the right wing. The two fullbacks is certainly necessary with the aerial strategies that will be employed - or at the very least a winger who is excellent under the high ball. Reece and Tele'a are on the way out I think, so who comes next? Narawa and Tavatavanawai would be the two I'd look at. Love to get a go at fullback too. These are regardless all inexperienced guys, and we couldn't chuck them all in at once.
In Foster's first year we lost to Argentina for the first time, and were a missed kick on full-time away from losing a home Bledisloe test - this is hardly comparable.
