The Silver Fern

The thing I like about Tupaea as a sub is that he is really pretty strong on the breakdown turnover, and coming on fresh with a few tired legs in the opposition getting to the rucks just a little slower should create a few opportunities.

@Nepia said in Exodus:

@Billy-Tell said in Exodus:

Don’t think he has what it takes to be an AB winger. A bit of a one season wonder.

Doesn't assault his missus or drunkenly drive cars into garages.

This goes to the heart of the problem. A good coach would work with him to improve his abilities in these key areas.

@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2025:

@Donsteppa said in All Blacks 2025:

So the Eden Park record will stand for 31 years.

Well the record is going to fall one day.

The Boks will see it like a World Cup final.

Time for Razor and his team to become a win at all costs All Blacks side and protect the proud record.

I actually think the fear of losing is a decent part of the reason for Robertson's overly conservative selections, and Foster before him. It's holding us back.

@frugby said in All Blacks 2024:

@canefan said in All Blacks 2024:

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2024:

@frugby possibly, some of the Fozzie years were pretty dark, but the provincial bias from these coaches has meant our squad has been a lot weaker in an area that we got outplayed in all year, so that's a pretty strong black mark.

Fozzie had less provincial bias IMHO, his problem was being too close to the squad he played favourites far too much, and changes were generally forced on him through injury. Razor has provincial bias and he's also holding onto the old guard from the previous tenure. The worst of both worlds

Hard to compare. Foster wasn't involved with a Super Rugby team in the lead-up to becoming ABs coach, so there is no bias. The bias has nothing to do with the fact these players are Crusaders, and everything to do with the fact Razor/Ryan coached them.

It would be exactly the same if Cotter was to become ABs coach tomorrow, fringe Blues guys would be selected - it is natural for coaches to favour known quantities, particularly in the short-term.

Over time Razor won't have a bias, it is one of the downsides of an incumbent SR coach stepping into the role, but once even a couple of years of detachment should sort the issue out.

Foster picked Havili and Blackadder and Reece. And Ennor. And McLeod.
Fihaki is fucked up, I dislike Bell on potential rather than performance, but the bias thing is way overstated.

@MN5 said in Nomination - Best supporter (NTA Trophy):

@antipodean said in Nomination - Best supporter (NTA Trophy):

@MN5 said in Nomination - Best supporter (NTA Trophy):

@MiketheSnow said in Nomination - Best supporter (NTA Trophy):

MN5

Huh ? What the hell for ?

Your support of the NH Barbarians Invitational Scotland.

Really ? I don’t even watch the games, I whinge about all the imports and I whinge about being Scottish.

Authentic.

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2024:

@frugby possibly, some of the Fozzie years were pretty dark, but the provincial bias from these coaches has meant our squad has been a lot weaker in an area that we got outplayed in all year, so that's a pretty strong black mark.

Agree, too many Chiefs loosies for sure.

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2024:

@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.

Yeah, the balance of Kaino, McCaw and Read worked well because each had strengths that complimented each other. Kaino was the enforcer making dominant tackles, McCaw with the extremely (inhumanely in McCaw's case) high work rate being influential on defense and at ruck, and Read excellent ball in hand both close in and wider out. Of course there is overlap in their roles but the players key strengths are what was important.

This year the only way to achieve that balance was having Finau at 6, but he's very young and a complete rookie so throwing him in the deep end was stupid and didn't work. Then we've played Blackadder at 6, meaning we had two 7s and one 8, then we've played Sititi at 6, meaning we have one 7 and two 8s. As well as Sititi has played, having him at 6 upset the balance of the trio and we paid for it, especially during the RC where our loosies were outplayed basically every game.

These problems were obvious as soon as the first squad was announced. One rookie 6, a host of 7s, and two 8s with one a rookie. You replace Blackadder with Akira and Jacobson with Sotutu and we suddenly have a lot more talent and a lot more options.

I agree with everything except I think classing Savea as an 8 is overly generous. I actually think Sititi's best position might be 7 too.
And Read's lineout ability needs a mention for the balance.

@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.

Our best players as per awards this year were Lomax, Vaai and Sititi.
Vaa'i has played a few games, but only a starter this year. Lomax a starter since last year (due to injury). Sititi a debutant.
=> Robertson full of shit.

@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.

experience vs youth is the only possible thing.

@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs England Series:

I'll risk a ban and say 114/2 at lunch after being put into bat is a great result, especially as our two best players are still at the crease.

brain farts like this?

@Nepia said in All Blacks 2024:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2024:

and they should have known that after Wayne Smith.

Huh? Smith has head coach success. He was the first Cantab to win Super.

Yeah fair point. Great AB assistant coach, didn't translate to great AB head coach.

NZR did the wrong thing with appointing Foster without head coach success - and they should have known that after Wayne Smith.
They also did the wrong thing in not sacking Foster based on results.

Robertson was a strong candidate with plenty of success under his belt, and his selection for the role was reasonable - that's an improvement on point 1 above. I do hope that they have the balls to improve on point 2 if necessary.

He does deserve a chance, but fuck me the selection of Barrett B at 10 has absolutely done my head in. There was no progress vs England or France or Italy in my eyes; put McKenzie in and there is clear progress vs Ireland, and we sneak home against England.
Oh and pick Sotutu you fuckhead, or do you think Jacobson etc are going to dominate?

Scott Robertson has turned out to be a fucking tool.

Both starting props and nobody else for me.

Finally got around to watching this, and haven't read the thread yet.
B Barrett is hard to watch. Roigard's decision making and execution poor also. Scrum good. Sloppy lineouts. We make good progress whenever we pick and go... And the Scott Barrett card we've all been waiting for. Our scrum was worse, and lineout was better with S Barrett off.
Ball security and structure a mess. Still kicking the ball away. A few breaks but support play is a mess. Cards a lottery. Our passing and catching is really mediocre, dropped balls and passes to ground in just about every movement.
De groot was busy and showed he still has value, Lomax good as usual. Scrum dominant. That's about it, it was shit.

@brodean said in Blues 2025:

@reprobate said in Blues 2025:

@Duluth said in Blues 2025:

Won SR and briefly became an All Black. With the lack of genuine interest from these selectors the choice was basically made for him

If there's 50/50 selection calls the Blues have to make this year I think they should go against the guy leaving

If you make the All Blacks for the first time (and it was the first time you deserved to), and the guys ahead of you are significantly older with one of them looking well past it, but you decide to cash in and go to France immediately...
That's on Harry, not the selectors.

edited: just to say that I feel a bit sick having defended the idiots.

At the end of the day most people want to be rewarded for a job well done and get paid their worth. That's clearly not happening with players like Havili and Blackadder getting special treatment off the back of little play in a losing team.

I'm talking about Plummer only. If, when rated as the 3rd best 10 in NZ, he has the attitude that he's being undervalued so much that he has no option to leave - on the back of one decent but hardly amazing Super season - I'd be surprised and disappointed.
Guys like Sotutu, even Riccitelli on the other hand - they've been absurdly under-rated by the selectors. Oh and I guess every outside back not named Fihaki too.

@nzzp said in Blues 2025:

@reprobate said in Blues 2025:

That's on Harry, not the selectors.

Same as Akira then. You either reckon they got the nudge from the selectors or you don't.

Not really the same: Akira is 29 and has been in the frame for years, whereas Plummer is 26 and this is the first time he has been even close on Super performance. One is quitting after giving it a decent crack, one is quitting at the first sign of potentially being up to it.

@Duluth said in Blues 2025:

Won SR and briefly became an All Black. With the lack of genuine interest from these selectors the choice was basically made for him

If there's 50/50 selection calls the Blues have to make this year I think they should go against the guy leaving

If you make the All Blacks for the first time (and it was the first time you deserved to), and the guys ahead of you are significantly older with one of them looking well past it, but you decide to cash in and go to France immediately...
That's on Harry, not the selectors.

edited: just to say that I feel a bit sick having defended the idiots.

@ACT-Crusader said in Italy v All Blacks:

@dogmeat said in Italy v All Blacks:

@ACT-Crusader said in Italy v All Blacks:

@Landers92 said in Italy v All Blacks:

@frugby said in Italy v All Blacks:

I would have liked to have seen Bell, Holland etc. get a game, but other than it being nice for them and their families, I am not sure it proves anything, because of the level of opposition, and the fact the next test is 9 months after this

And playing your near full strength squad does?

ALL BLACKS: v ITALY 2004 EOYT
S. Taumoepeau
A. D. Oliver
C. J. Hayman
C. R. Jack
N. M. C. Maxwell
J. Collins
R. H. McCaw
M. M. Tuiali'i
B. T. Kelleher
D. W. Carter
J. T. Rokocoko
J. F. Umaga (C)
C. G. Smith
R. L. Gear
J. M. Muliaina

Totally different circumstances. Italy was the first game of the NH tour, the AB's hadn't played for 3 months and Ted made 9 changes for the next game against Wales.

We’ve just come off a loss so there will be some players who would be keen to avenge that loss. Razor has made 5 changes to the lineup that started last week.

No he hasn't.

Williams is injured.
Finau HIA and Cane only missed last game due to injury.
Jordie HIA.
Tele'a back in after injury.

The only actual selection he's done is swapping Tupou Vaa'i with Pat Tuipolotu, and put TJ in for Ratima on the bench for a farewell.
Slick work by coaching genius Robertson, don't know how he comes up with this stuff TBH.