@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2026:
o we, and having a coach would help, but let's not tell them that.

This is 100% better than us having to pretend there is some dry powder.

Invisible dry powder. Manufactured by the Emperor's Clothes Ltd.

It's a homoeopathic remedy, 99.9% pure water

@Tim said in Hurricanes 2026:

@Canes4life Lomax and Love it is then. 🙂

'Shakes fist'

COOKIETIME!

its like we're not even trying

Great to have Ofa, Darry & Perofeta back. Marcel Renata did a great job filling in last year so we have some good depth up front.

Picking Cam Christie to be our breakthrough player of the year and be in AB contention.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/world-rugby-appoint-ex-new-zealand-boss-mark-robinson-to-key-new-role/

Chief of Rugby at World Rugby sounds important.

@canefan said in All Blacks - New Coach Selection:

@Donsteppa said in All Blacks - New Coach Selection:

Just shitty timing. But what the fuck was he doing leaving for the Reds anyway? After winning SR with the Blues his job must have been secure?

could be as simple as better pay and get to live in queensland...and maybe leave on a resent high

Ennor eligible for Zimbabwe next year through his mother, be cool to see him run out for them tbh.

@African-Monkey Great to see Tammy Abrahams and Douglas Luiz return to Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park.

Less good to hear that SJM and Youri Tiellemans are out until March.

@Donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

@Chris said in Other Cricket:

@Donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

@Chris said in Other Cricket:

Been watching the first few overs of NZ u/19s v India.
Are these batsmen the best we have at u/19 Level there techniques are terrible.
They stay crease bound no foot movement or weight transfer towards the ball.
What are they coaching in the youth programmes in NZ.
It is embarrassing to watch.

Some general thoughts. The programmes (where they exist) seem to be fairy piecemeal. Outside of the biggest centres there seems to be a bit of a lottery about which coaches a player will encounter (or not) on their development journey.

Also seeing a few players who are (arguably) being taught how to power hit, etc, before they've been taught and absorbed some good batting basics.

From what I saw that makes sense, there was a lack of batting basics.
You need a foundation to power hit effectively .

I've been reflecting on some of Justin Langer's laments lately...

... on batting v hitting, especially after a few days at the Hawke's Bay Cricket Camps.

While these days the top level needs both batting and hitting skills, my concern is that some of the kids are being taught sweeps, reverse sweeps, power hitting, and ramp shots (all fine) at some of the pay-for-programmes. But... at a stage when for some of them - their technical answer to a proverbial in-swinging yorker is just to try and hit it less hard.

Sometimes I wonder if some coaching is aimed at them walking out in a T20 tomorrow, based on what everyone is watching on TV, but before they've got a batting base to build from.

U19's at 74/7 as I type... few of them prepared to building an innings and just throwing their hands at the ball.

I think they also are coming up against a higher level of bowling than what they're used to. The Pakistan attack, particularly Subhan, were pretty impressive. I'm not sure why they didn't pick Sanjay and Mann (who has first class half-centuries for ND) as they looked quite composed with the bat the other night. Maybe trying to give most of the squad a game.

@Bones said in Highlanders 2026:

@jimmyb said in Highlanders 2026:

If you’re going to have two captains, DeGroot and Fakatava make a lot sense than Renton and TT.

I can see the latter two playing a fair bit more minutes than EdG and FF. More likely to go 80, seems like "bigger voices" too.

TT maybe, I’m just really not sure about Renton. I’d happy see DeGroot and TT as a pairing

Good to see that Manawatū are retaining most of their top PNBHS and FAHS players but I see they've also signed NZS loose forward Sione Katoa (Liston College) to their academy . I'm surprised Auckland didn't want him.

@booboo said in Springboks:

@W32 I like a good troll of you Jaapies, but that's just gratuitous.

Indeed. Smacks of desperation. Perhaps he is looking at the recent panic in the NZRU, prospective coach after prospective coach saying they are not interested in the poisoned chalice and doing his own little panic. Those deep seated night terrors of large biltong eating men holding forth are sure to bring out the insecurity in the little man.

@booboo said in Aura watch:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360929565/man-who-brought-down-scott-robertson

Those terrible decisions resulted in something like a 20-point swing. They cost the All Blacks the Grand Slam. They cost Scott Robertson his job. They cost the All Blacks their aura. And it was all so avoidable.

Living rent free in their heads since ages ago

alt text

Comments from Cotter in the article.

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/vern-cotter-named-queensland-reds-coach-for-20272028-2026126

@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2026:

@Kiwiwomble said in Super Rugby 2026:

@gt12 said in Super Rugby 2026:

@mohikamo said in Super Rugby 2026:

@gt12

I've said it before on here; it was a big mistake to form the SR comp when the game went pro back in the 90's.
Now we have a situation where a pro player can play for four different teams, on four different tiers, in one season (National/Super/NPC/club); no other pro football code does this.
Most pro codes have just one main level, with a small all-star level added.
And some dont even do that (AFL, NFL).

We already had a competition which in parts was quite professionally run; and had a long tradition and legacy; then we created another, which now has it's own traditions and legacies.

Hard to argue with that in hindsight, but we now have an established Super competition and that's where the primary professional revenue comes from. We should have Super and reserve sides playing across the year.

I know we have a bunch of very engaged (older) fans who love the NPC; I can't see why they wouldn't equally enjoy that competition if it was focused on local amateur players who have come through the club competition.

This feels like an opportunity of separating the dollars for what different organizations do best - the pro teams for revenue and pathways to the ABs, while the local clubs and provinces focus on key metrics such as the number of local club players and competing for trophies that have traditional meaning. The Ranfurley shield, for example, should stay in this (mostly) amateur system.

i was/am one of those that really love the NPC, i have more of a connection to that that the super teams with their 90's logos, tacky names, sanitised colours/jerseys and branding......but....have come around to that the one that has to be promoted

if super rugby was made longer and as a results players generally didnt play both in the same season, and the NPC became a pure club rep comp...i feel they should do something where each franchice had to keep x number of spots open each year and stand outs were picked up on one year contracts (with an option to extend), make it an event at the end of the NPC season along with an awards night where super coaches annouced who they were taking

Do you think it was easier to have connection with super teams originally when the clubs got first choice of all players in their super BPC teams, up till it was changed in 2012/

i do yeah, it felt more like a progression, play well in club rugby and get picked in NPC....play well in NPC and get picked for super...with a little drama in the off season filling a couple of holes, players would move for a couple of seasons to play NPC, sign up with a club if even just for some training but you'd sometimes get a game or two out of them

@booboo said in Black Caps tour of India - 2026:

Is that timing? What time is it playing in NZ?

The T20I games start at 2:30 am NZT. I doubt many are watching live.

@Cyclops
Yeah, close or a Hawks blow out, probably about 50/50.
Not guna be a Pats blow out.

F'n hell, Vrabel isn't even meant to be the Pats coach.
He's meant to be coaching the Titans!
Some silly moo didn't like him, and flicked him . . . very, very silly.

I think the bloke needed to be humbled, didnt think he needed to play to his strengths. I wonder where Arman fits into matchup calculations. Paddy/Arman maybe?