The Silver Fern

@W32 said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

@Bones said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

@W32 said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

@Bones said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

@W32 said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

@MN5 said in ABs picking overseas players - inevitable?:

Beaver was getting quite hot under the collar there.

…….and good on him too, what a welcome change from the circle jerk Razor fluffers we’ve become so accustomed to.

I don’t like razor, but why not let him pick the players he wants? He was picked to be a winning coach and wants to pick players who play out of the country. This circle the wagons mentality from NZ rugby is shortsighted and is hurting your national team. Laughable that beaver thinks players have to sacrifice money play for the jersey. These are professional players!

I'm prepared to back Jake White over this disconnected waffle.

Sure, justify your viewpoint even if it means siding with a clown

It says something when White is more in touch with the vibe than you eh.

The vibe? Sorry, didn’t realize I was supposed to be vibing. With your provincial comps not doing well and rugby generally in decline in NZ picking players that will allow NZ to return to the top will incentivize youngsters to play and will pay off in the long term. It will also give more players exposure to rugby in places other than NZ and give them the chance to be noticed. Give razor what he wants and judge him on that.

He got the job knowing his resources. He got what he wanted. He wants to change the goal posts for short term gain.

SA have made their choice, and parochialism is influencing some people's opinions. We did this, thus our way is the best...

@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2024:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2024:

@darylmitchell said in All Blacks 2024:

@reprobate

DP is taller and heavier than Read, heavier than Kaino, Sititi is 3kg heavier than Kaino, heavier than Read, Blackadder is the same height and weight as Kaino. Lakai is 110kg the same weight as Kaino.

Savea is really the only outlier, Jacobson and Cane are same weight as McCaw, I don't think you could be further off the mark.

Papali'i is listed as 193cm which I think is pretty close to the mark and Jacobson is a similar height. De Groot is listed as 190cm.

Kaino is listed as 196cm and Read 193cm but I wouldn't be surprised if these figures were the other way round.

Savea is listed as 190cm and Rieko is listed as 189cm but Rieko is clearly taller

Akira is listed as 194cm and Suafoa is listed as 196cm

I'd say a lot of the listing figures seem like BS.

I’ve taken a photo with Ardie and we are exactly the same height. He is 1.88m not 1.90m

Were you doing handstands?

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2024:

@booboo said in All Blacks 2024:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2024:

Can anyone explain the amazing balance Robertson describes with Cane, Sititi and Savea?

I thought Kaino, Read and McCaw were balanced and this new trio is nothing like that.

Balanced? They were arguably the greatest loosforward trio to play the game. Not sure we have that cattle now ... regardless of "balance".

Unfair comparison.

A better comparison might be the aussies trying to play 2 x 7s and it being shit, even though both their 7s were better players than their other loose forward options.
The initial comparison might be unfair due to player quality, but it's still a fair point re balance. And it's even worse if you look at the whole squad and add DP, LJ, EB, CLW, PL. Basically everyone except Finau is smaller than both Kaino and Read, and none of them are McCaw.

Yes. Agree with that.

@ARHS said in All Blacks 2024:

Against Italy it felt like watching the Crusaders, grinding out an ugly win.

Isn't the way the Saders grind out wins in 'Test Match style' one of reasons we al wanted Razor?

@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2024:

Every RWC elimination - except maybe Laurie, but he had Suzy to blame.

And low expectations

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2024:

10-4 could easily have been 8-6.

But it wasn't.

Could easily have been 14-0. But it wasn't.

The latter would have had us dancing in the street, and not questioning anything. Not that 4 losses is a good thing, but that record will keep him honest and not resting on laurels.

@brodean said in All Blacks 2024:

Can anyone explain the amazing balance Robertson describes with Cane, Sititi and Savea?

I thought Kaino, Read and McCaw were balanced and this new trio is nothing like that.

Balanced? They were arguably the greatest loosforward trio to play the game. Not sure we have that cattle now ... regardless of "balance".

Unfair comparison.

@frugby said in All Blacks 2025:

It is far from ideal to be taking tests offshore, but I would suggest it is the commercial realities of wanting to keep the ABs individual players from going offshore. The figures to play in Las Vegas vs Roto Vegas I am sure are eye-watering.

I don't actually believe NZR are hate NZ Rugby fans, but between the Silverlake Deal and trying to achieve the financial realities to compete with Japan it is the lesser of two evils. If they didn't do such things, I suspect the players would head offshore in droves, the quality of Super Rugby would suffer, and the game would take severe steps backwards in this country.

You and your "logic and reasoning".

Come on@Dodge , you're a wicket short.

Spoke too soon...

Solid work @dogmeat

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2024:

I do find it amusing, highlighted by Parsons and Hall on the ARP, that some commentators mention that the record could have been better but for the close loses, and fail to acknowledge the close wins (Eng x 3, Aust) that could have went the other way. Fine margins.

I have been saying exactly that but the other way around. My glass is obviously half full.

@mariner4life said in All Blacks MOTM v Italy:

that poll is telling. We played Italy and two of the top 3 are the props and the other is our baby blindside.

@mariner4life said in All Blacks MOTM v Italy:

that poll is telling. We played Italy and two of the top 3 are the props and the other is our baby blindside.

I get your point but conversely I'd like to think that's where we should expect our best performers to be: front row and the tight-loosie.

@Bones said in NZ and World Rugby Awards 2024:

@Nevorian said in NZ and World Rugby Awards 2024:

Reckon Woodman would struggle to break into any French MEN'S team.

Not sure she's eligible

@booboo said in Black Caps vs England Series:

@Virgil said in Black Caps vs England Series:

England has announced their starting XI already

Who is the blond chick?

(I have a bad feeling this will come back and haunt me ... )

Further...

Who is

• Bethell
• Atkinson
• Carse
  and
• Bashir
  ???

@Virgil said in Black Caps vs England Series:

England has announced their starting XI already

Who is the blond chick?

@dogmeat said in Black Caps vs England Series:

Opening and keeping in test cricket is a tough gig.

Farohk Engineer did it a lot but was an average bat. Alec Stewart was a much better batsman without the gloves. McCullum hmmm

Setting Young up to fail - in both disciplines

Kumar Sangakarra?

@brodean said in All Blacks 2024:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2024:

Context matters a bit too though.
Since the 2019 world cup we've played the South Africans 8 times in anger (I'm not counting the RWC warm up exhibition game)
And while the ledger reads 3-5 the points difference is zero (or maybe 1). And we've played them once at home, 4 times in south africa and 3 neutral. That's pretty good against this so called generational SA team.

France we haven't played outside France since 2018. And I'll let you guess when the last time they beat us prior to that 2021 win.

We're very close to the equal of any side at the moment but we're just not quite getting over the line. There isn't a gulf to cross.

I would expect us to go close to 5-0 getting to play France and SA in NZ next year.

Losing because you're playing away never used to be an excuse for the ABs.

I agree.

@OomPB said in Springboks 2024:

Sad news today is that Steven Kitshoff had an rugby ending neck injury and wont be able to play rugby again.

That's terrible news.