The Silver Fern

@sparky said in Sam Cane - All Blacks Captain:

Which test was Andrew Hore ABs captain for?

It was a club game.

@cantab79 said in AB Test Team v France.:

Can't believe people are seriously suggesting that Steve Hansen has not called up Akira Ioane because he is saving him for the Maori team. Is there any precedent to back up this theory? Luke Whitelock has outplayed Ioane at both Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup levels this year, and that's why he's been selected.

How does that pie taste?

Look. Tana and BOD have buried the hatchet and are sharing a laugh.

Next on Tana's list are @Kirwan and @Duluth

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@booboo said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

Apparently BOD was a pundit on the Irish coverage and didn't take the result well. If anyone has the footage and can post it I will be eternally grateful

Was on the ITV coverage.

He had the look of a man who's swallowed a wasp during during a live TV interview and that distracted him from the fact he's also having a severe bowel spasm.

Excellent.

A quarter final exit is an Irish tradition isn’t it?

Planet Rugby’s Ireland fans are still delivering gold

“We knew all of this in advance.
That’s why Joe player what he felt was his best team.

In cooler weather, better ref, neutral location both teams given the same amount of rest and our B team puts 40 points on them.

Do we really think that Japan making the quarters wasn’t just what WR wanted?

At this rate Japan might make the semis or better.

Reminds me of Korea/Japan WC in the football.”

Also a whole thread about how bent Gardner is

http://forum.planetrugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91481&sid=5594db999ca625c55956a0becc14a9dc

I don’t remember bok fans being this graceless at all and their team came back and gave ours a hell of a game in the semis.
I hope Heneke Meyer had a smile on his face last night .
The only downside for Japan is no one in their pool is going to take them lightly so they’ll be playing their top side if possible.

As a neutralish observer (I was obviously backing Japan) I didn't notice any obvious issues with the officiating. Did anyone? (Haven't read the thread.)

What are their specific whinge? Or is it just victim mentality?

Some of them have been saying Japan had an advantage because they play in the super rugby comp and are more used to the way Gardner refs .

Victim mentality, delusions of grandeur or just ungracious arseclowns? Take your pick

According to comments on the42 Ireland were beaten by some fella called Hugh Middity.
He wasn’t on the team sheets but must have been there because everyone is saying “Hi, Hugh Middity”

@allblacksfan72 said in Are there any All Blacks wildcards left ?:

How about George bridge? Has all the qualities needed for test rugby

A red and black jersey?

@Canes4life said in Bledisloe 1:

Our best player not being there next week is a huge loss. Big chance for Hoskins though.

Is something wrong with Sami?

Can someone please correct this thread title. It is doing my head in.

This thread makes for a hilarious read back. ETNZ go from chumps to champs to chimps to champs with every gybe and tack.

@taniwharugby said in Crusaders v Highlanders (2 April 2021):

@crucial oh aside form tackles, he was, as were many of the saders guns.

The biggest worry for the ABs is the way RM gets taken off his game when his team gets knocked backwards. Tonight was RWC semi-like

@Dan54 said in Exodus:

@Bovidae He's the type of player who unfortunately is a big loss, never going to be an AB , but so important to depth!

A little more than that IMO.
We are very quick to write players off in NZ if they don't look test standard after a couple of years.
Nankivell is 26 and each year he has shown improvements to his game while gaining experience. He is exactly the type of player that other countries target, qualify then turn back at us (eg Lowe, JGP etc).
Not saying he will be an international elsewhere but does roughly fit that scenario.
The concern isn't the other teams getting him, it is us missing out on possibly having a 28 year old, very experienced midfield player in the best form of his life as all the pieces of the puzzle come together for him.
Evidence in NZ over recen times though shows that those players are usually ignored in favour of some flash young potential that has to learn on the job.
Pity.

@antipodean said in All Blacks vs USA:

Playing teams like the USA should be treated like mid-weekers. No one should get a Test cap for this "demonstration effort".

Disagree. That is like the insults NZ Cricket used to get for decades.

Just because you aren't a top tier test team doesn't mean you don't deserve to play tests.
That's the point. You are testing yourselves against another team. That's how you get better and just one reason why the ABs won't be playing a 'demonstration'.
In fact those playing need to show they are worthy of the jersey they are wearing.
We have had plenty of touring players disappear from future squads after playing second tier teams.

@Stargazer said in All Blacks vs Ireland - series decider:

Taukei’aho didn't have the impact in the Ireland tests that he had last year. I can also understand them not starting Coles, who hasn't played much at all, this year. So in that light, starting Taylor makes a lot of sense. I don't think he's been as bad as people are posting here.

Auckland test he came on and did all the tackling for all the team. Something like 13 tackles in 20 minutes. Taylor made 6 in the 60 minutes before that.

Keep Nonu on. Didn’t get the Sky memo to ask leading non questions. Asking real ones and pressing the answer.

SBW is there over Laumape for a number of reasons (experience in general, experience at RWCs) but most importantly he is the better player for the gameplay and structure.
He is there to be in pod one which involves bending the line and recycling quickly out to the second playmaker.
NL is great at bending the line but his ball handling is not at SBWs level.
I probably would have had NL there over Crotty but concede that loses some squad flexibility.
NL is just unlucky not undeserving

Ennor joining the team is the most alarming bit of news.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks 2022:

Why not wait until after the final?

Foster confirmed he will announce a squad of 36 on Monday, June 13 in Auckland, ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific final.

Just in case Bridge breaks a tackle in the final.

@Bones said in Foster, Robertson etc:

Scott Robertson clearly has enemies in high places

We have to assume that this iteration of the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) don’t want Scott Robertson around.

One of the most stupid articles Bidwell has ever written and that's saying something.
"If they wanted him in the national set up he would be there by now." - Razor doesn't want to work with anyone other than his own team.
"We hounded Warren Gatland out of this country." - really?
"We made it clear to Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown and Dave Rennie that they had no future here." - Um, no. They were offered other opportunities and decided not to be dogs with two bones.

Article reads like the post of a pissy fans, ignoring facts to make a point.

@NTA said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

As for Sinkcler and Itoje not wearing their medals: I have no problem with that. They're young men who just lost the biggest game of their lives. They were hurting, but tomorrow they'll look back and appreciate what they learned.

My comparison is getting a silver at the olympics. Would be all sorts of shit thrown at someone that refused to have their silver medal put around their neck or to rip it off straight away.
See the Olympics are respected as the pinnacle. What Itoje and Sinkcler did was disrespect the very competition they were aiming to claim glory from. 'If we don't win it then it is shit' was the message they gave.
Sport means sucking up your disappointments as well as revelling in successes. It also means respecting the oppositions achievements.
Petulant cocks, both of them.

I think Tana's worth only really shone through when he became captain.
As you say he was overshadowed by some of the best players ever but was really only a hairs breadth behind them.
79 games in black across 4 positions, played well in all of them, Captained a series win against the Lions, scored 37 tries despite having Lomu, Cullen, Wilson, Rok and Howlett on the field with him.
Don't forget his defensive work either. Laid down the blueprint for every back to follow in an expectation to not only organise and tackle but to play like a flanker once the tackle was made. No coach came up with that. Tana's tenacity did.
It was that second Lions test that was the making of his real legacy though IMO. First PI captain, under the pump from all quarters. Showed everyone, including players to come that an AB jersey is something to stand up for. I don't think it is a stretch to say that his actions and behaviour as an AB captain added a lot to a greater acceptance of the PI population and contribution to NZ. Showed that they aren't just an add on part, but are proud kiwis as well.
I will never forget him leading the first ever showing of Kapa O Pango. Passion like I've never seen from an AB captain before.
He is up there easily on my list of all-time favourite ABs and (without working out a list) must easily be in a top 20 AB greats list.
One of our best.

Oh, and he coached Counties to their first ever Shield

The wing selections beggar belief.