2025 All Blacks v France series

[DMX]

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Bovidae said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

The pressure will be on Robertson and the ABs to win 3-0.

Hopefully people/press see the series as a real opportunity for Robertson to put his stamp on things and chance his arm a bit. Ideal scenario is getting 2-0 up and having the confidence to give people like Proctor & Love plenty of game time.

I would really be hoping that Proctor is in pole position and starts all three tests.

[Victor Meldrew]

@DMX said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Bovidae said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

The pressure will be on Robertson and the ABs to win 3-0.

Hopefully people/press see the series as a real opportunity for Robertson to put his stamp on things and chance his arm a bit. Ideal scenario is getting 2-0 up and having the confidence to give people like Proctor & Love plenty of game time.

I would really be hoping that Proctor is in pole position and starts all three tests.

Don't think he will. Probably be Roigard/BB/JB/RI/WJ with Caleb Clarke & Reece on the wings to start Frog 1. Maybe Ratima/DMac will start. Conservative for first Test

Hopefully see Proctor& QT given plenty of game time and start in Frog 3

[Jet]

@ACT-Crusader said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@voodoo said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@KiwiMurph said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Last time Lions did a tour in 2021 France sent a weakened squad to Australia and nearly won the series with 3 tests that all went down to the wire.

That was an absolute ripper of a series

Will never forget it. Just 4 days after the second test at AAMI Park, Melbourne went into lockdown #5, having been off the leash for just a month.

And the first test was moved from Sydney.

Least we had some rugby to help us through that disgraceful time.

Dan Andrews is a fluffybunny.

[Darren]

@brodean

If those stats are correct, thats a pretty massive tight 5

All their locks are above 2.00m

[nostrildamus]

@brodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Overall there seems to be some height and weight in the locks/backrow.

The backs don't seem particularly big.

There are not too many very young players. There are a lot of players in their mid twenties which should be hitting their peak.

Actually I thought the flankers look on paper tall but light and apart from locks and some props that looks like a very light team. Probably very fast though

[DMX]

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@DMX said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Bovidae said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

The pressure will be on Robertson and the ABs to win 3-0.

Hopefully people/press see the series as a real opportunity for Robertson to put his stamp on things and chance his arm a bit. Ideal scenario is getting 2-0 up and having the confidence to give people like Proctor & Love plenty of game time.

I would really be hoping that Proctor is in pole position and starts all three tests.

Don't think he will. Probably be Roigard/BB/JB/RI/WJ with Caleb Clarke & Reece on the wings to start Frog 1. Maybe Ratima/DMac will start. Conservative for first Test

Hopefully see Proctor& QT given plenty of game time and start in Frog 3

You may be right but it would be disappointing to me. I think this is the perfect time to give him an extended run.

[gt12]

@Darren said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@brodean

If those stats are correct, thats a pretty massive tight 5

All their locks are above 2.00m

They're not, at least two of them are quite a bit shorter than that.

[MN5]

@nostrildamus said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@brodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Overall there seems to be some height and weight in the locks/backrow.

The backs don't seem particularly big.

There are not too many very young players. There are a lot of players in their mid twenties which should be hitting their peak.

Actually I thought the flankers look on paper tall but light and apart from locks and some props that looks like a very light team. Probably very fast though

Irrelevant. The game is played on a field, not on paper.

[Chris B.]

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@DMX said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Victor-Meldrew said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@Bovidae said in 2025 All Blacks Squad v France:

The pressure will be on Robertson and the ABs to win 3-0.

Hopefully people/press see the series as a real opportunity for Robertson to put his stamp on things and chance his arm a bit. Ideal scenario is getting 2-0 up and having the confidence to give people like Proctor & Love plenty of game time.

I would really be hoping that Proctor is in pole position and starts all three tests.

Don't think he will. Probably be Roigard/BB/JB/RI/WJ with Caleb Clarke & Reece on the wings to start Frog 1.

That's most likely, but it wouldn't be too surprising if Proctor played centre and they pushed Rieko to the wing. I think that's the only way they can cover every position effectively against injury - assuming ALB isn't fit.

QT can probably cover midfield otherwise, but if Rieko (at centre) got injured in the first 10 minutes, you're asking plenty of him to play most of a test at centre.

Similarly, with Billy Proctor covering 2nd five. I recall last year vs Oz they didn't want to do that.

[Number 10]

[zedsdeadbaby]

Well this makes the loose forward mix for the first test very interesting.

It would be perhaps unlikely Jacobson will play too.

So are we looking at Finau, Kirifi, Savea with Lio-Willie off the bench?

[Bovidae]

CLW is a similar player to Sititi so it could be that he debuts at no.8. That is assuming they want to play Savea at 7.

[SouthernMann]

@zedsdeadbaby said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Well this makes the loose forward mix for the first test very interesting.

It would be perhaps unlikely Jacobson will play too.

So are we looking at Finau, Kirifi, Savea with Lio-Willie off the bench?

Or does Vaii start at six..

[Kiwiwomble]

id be happy i they wanted to be brave and give CLW a run, we're talking about a light French team

[zedsdeadbaby]

@SouthernMann said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

@zedsdeadbaby said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Well this makes the loose forward mix for the first test very interesting.

It would be perhaps unlikely Jacobson will play too.

So are we looking at Finau, Kirifi, Savea with Lio-Willie off the bench?

Or does Vaii start at six..

That could happen…Holland debut off the bench at ‘home’

[brodean]

Good to see Razor has no hard feelings about the Papali'i headbutt.

[canefan]

@brodean said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Good to Razor had no hard feelings about the Papali'i headbutt.

After Wallace being ruled out, he should probably be in the squad proper. That's a lot of green players in the back row, and I'm not sure Luke will be ready to go judging by the look of him in the final

[chchfanatic]

@brodean pretty sure that didn’t happen.

[AmberArmy]

Papali’i coming in ahead of Blackadder is another blight on the current selectors…

[Callcentre Spunk]

@AmberArmy said in 2025 All Blacks v France series:

Papali’i coming in ahead of Blackadder is another blight on the current selectors…