All Blacks 2024
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From a grumpy old rugby fan comes this contribution:
The ADHD Blacks
Is Ritalin the best prescription for the compulsively hyperactive, ritually self-destructing 2024 All Blacks?
Clearly, a pattern is emerging. They spend days before each test in media interviews regurgitating vacuous self-help management nostrums about ‘walking toward the pressure’ and ‘embracing the opportunity’ - only to set their dials to full-throttle for 60 minutes on-field before running out of gas.
Perhaps we can put it down to generational change - a break-dancing, surf-riding, Gen-X guru of self-discovery indulging a bunch of over-pampered, over-stimulated, over-praised Gen-Z whizz-kids with a complete deficit of patience, grit or an ability to think on their designer-booted feet.
To me, this looks like attention-deficit, hyperactivity-disorder on the rugby field. It works in flashes as the adrenaline kicks in among the players, eager to impress teacher and add to the highlight reels. Then when the buttons they are pushing on their virtual X-Boxes no longer respond they cave into fits of ill-discipline. “I’m bored now.”
It’s hard to see any grown-up, hard-nosed thinking going on in the AB circles. Perhaps it’s another consequence of what happens when you sell out your culture to US private equity who are all about ‘brand value’ over substance.
Of course, there are the real, practical problems facing the squad - the vacuum left by the departure or retirement of the likes of Whitelock, Retallick, Aaron Smith and Mo’unga, the forced reliance on old warriors past their use-by dates, the absence of impact players off the bench, questions over Scott Barrett’s on-field leadership, questions about poor conditioning and late game fades.
But beyond all that is a suspicion that apart from motivational New Age nostrums about self-expression, there really is little going on below Razor’s sun-bleached locks. If there were, why is his team throwing the same tantrums in every test? It is becoming so predictable - his charges race out of the blocks like men possessed, build a handy lead and then blow it in a flurry of low-percentage miracle passes, Hail Mary high-balls to nowhere and brain-dead ill-discipline.
Are boots applied to backsides anymore, or are the grieving miscreants ‘counselled’ and denied their PlayStations for a day?
Nurse?
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@His-Bobness as you’ve pointed out - they’re building handy leads against what are the best teams in the world, which is surely a positive. So rather than having a go at Razor because you don’t like his style or what he stands for, what do you think are the reasons they’re falling away later in games? The coaching team control tactics and when the bench is introduced etc, but Razor’s not actually out there playing the game.
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So we're going for a fast game, there's room in the win/loss ratio to go for it/develop it etc and eventually it's going to stick as combos develop and fitness improves.
Not committing too many players to rucks, keeping as many players alive as possible, but against the north, we won't protect the ruck enough for this too work.
I'm wondering if MacDonald left as he wanted the backs/gameplay tighter? -
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2024:
Perhaps we can put it down to generational change - a break-dancing, surf-riding, Gen-X guru of self-discovery indulging a bunch of over-pampered, over-stimulated, over-praised Gen-Z whizz-kids with a complete deficit of patience, grit or an ability to think on their designer-booted feet
Yeah nah.
The young Gen Z players are the ones who actually deliver.
It's the elder players who are going missing.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2024:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2024:
Perhaps we can put it down to generational change - a break-dancing, surf-riding, Gen-X guru of self-discovery indulging a bunch of over-pampered, over-stimulated, over-praised Gen-Z whizz-kids with a complete deficit of patience, grit or an ability to think on their designer-booted feet
Yeah nah.
The young Gen Z players are the ones who actually deliver.
It's the elder players who are going missing.
Bloody Millenials, eh?
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I think the rot started in the early 2010s as PlayStation culture arrived in the All Blacks. Players began doing individual "special dances" after they scored, needless attention-seeking off the field. It all spoke of a generation who thought they knew best and ignored the All Blacks' traditional way. But the team at the time had old-school types among the leadership group and were good enough to get away with it.
We've ended up with four massive problems.
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An obsession with high-paced Rugby opposed to the grunt and wrestle that Test match rugby often becomes.
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A lack of awareness and knowledge about how the rest of the world play and officiate the game.
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An inability to do the basics consistently well under pressure.
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A lack of leaders who can communicate how to stay cool under fire to other players.
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@Darth-Sader Good question but hard to answer because it’s not evident to me what he is actually bringing to the coaching beyond setting the overall direction and culture. From what I’ve read, he leaves the on-field tactics to his coaching staff. I do wonder about the falling out with MacDonald and what was behind it. Whatever the truth, the buck stops with him and the fact the team is doing the same things every test is something he has to fix and take responsibility for.
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@sparky On your second point - the lack of awareness of and appreciation for how the game is developing elsewhere - I do think is particularly true for NZ, which arguably suffered more from the post-COVID isolation than anyone. The loss of South Africa from the Super competition and being shackled to playing mediocre Australian teams seems to have left AB rugby with a single focus - speed. That can work as we saw in the first half of BC1, but when it stops working they don’t seem to have an alternative and frustration/ill-discipline seems to creep in. It speaks to a lack of on-field leadership, which is one of your other apt observations, which in turn suggests to me Robertson is stuck in a sort of twilight zone between the Henry/Hansen/Foster past and whatever comes next. He’s done well with the newer generation of Sititi, Vai, Ratima and all, but he’s going to have to roll the dice more aggressively - and try something new - at some point.
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@His-Bobness I agree with a previous post on the issue of our retention of tens in New Zealand and how we aren't giving them enough game time to develop them or retaining them for that matter.
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The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking. -
@Darth-Sader said in All Blacks 2024:
@His-Bobness as you’ve pointed out - they’re building handy leads against what are the best teams in the world, which is surely a positive. So rather than having a go at Razor because you don’t like his style or what he stands for, what do you think are the reasons they’re falling away later in games? The coaching team control tactics and when the bench is introduced etc, but Razor’s not actually out there playing the game.
He picked the coaches and then the players, but it’s not his fault?
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@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
( yeah yeah, I remember the try against the Boks, what was the score in that game again ? )
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
Speaking of, Roigard will join the All Blacks this week as they prepare for the second Bled.
It's great that Ratima is playing so well because when Roigard does eventually come back he can ease back through minutes from the bench.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
Speaking of, Roigard will join the All Blacks this week as they prepare for the second Bled.
It's great that Ratima is playing so well because when Roigard does eventually come back he can ease back through minutes from the bench.
You took a minute to reply, is your internet lagging
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
Speaking of, Roigard will join the All Blacks this week as they prepare for the second Bled.
It's great that Ratima is playing so well because when Roigard does eventually come back he can ease back through minutes from the bench.
You took a minute to reply, is your internet lagging
?Yeah a bit, I've setup a notification system so whenever anyone mentions Roigard it pings.
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
( yeah yeah, I remember the try against the Boks, what was the score in that game again ? )
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
I could possibly agree if Ngatai had performed for the ABs in the same manner as Roigard. You're well off with your comparison.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2024:
@MN5 said in All Blacks 2024:
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2024:
The 2 late yellows smack of panic, trying too hard and lack of leadership.
I'm hoping guys like Sititi, Vaai and Roigard can bring ice cold nerves at the pointy end of the game.
Currently leadership is passive and people are panicking.I think we need to stop talking this guy up until he, you know, actually makes the field again in a Black jersey ?
( yeah yeah, I remember the try against the Boks, what was the score in that game again ? )
The last thing we need is another Charlie Ngatai.
I could possibly agree if Ngatai had performed for the ABs in the same manner as Roigard. You're well off with your comparison.
I don't think it is overreaching to suggest that if Cam had played in the final we might have won out in Paris. He tore it up at RWC23
