All Blacks 2025
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The referees for the tour games:
Wales v New Zealand - Hollie Davidson (SRU)
I hope the Welsh don't try any funny business again if the Scottish referee can't keep up with play after a fast breakaway...
They have form. Bob Deans scored.
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@sparky said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Bovidae said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The referees for the tour games:
Wales v New Zealand - Hollie Davidson (SRU)
I hope the Welsh don't try any funny business again if the Scottish referee can't keep up with play after a fast breakaway...
They have form. Bob Deans scored.
Haha!
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
I don't actually understand why Paps would be in the XV. He's a known quantity. If they don't think he's AB level for the EOYT the only thing useful for the XV I imagine would be leadership for others. But that would be unfair on him.
Dunno.
Maybe he might want to turn up, play like a man possessed , and force himself into the equation for next year?
By moving to Christchurch?
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@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@restofit said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Papali'i & Darry should be there over Finau & Lord... but we don't pick Blues with this coaching setup.
Monstered the Chiefs in the 1/4s missing 2 abs and took Crusaders to 86 mins in the Semi.
Razor must think Cotter is a coaching demi-god considering their clinical performances in the playoffs 2024 & 2025 with barely any test quality players!
Well, if we picked those two guys, there would be 7 Blues in the squad and 8 Crusaders.
We won the competition and you guys lost nine games.
Its not about Blues vs Crusaders. There should be more of both. There's too many Chiefs and Canes.
There's always too many Canes and Chiefs.
But, if the Fern majority got their way, who gets dropped?
Beauden, Christie, ALB, Sevu, Kirifi and Finau.
For something like: Jacombe, Pledger, Ennor, Tangitau, Papali'i, Flanders
There's less Blues and the same number of Crusaders.
I'd prefer the frst group of players - mainly because Beaudy is a significantly better option than Jacombe at present. Pledger looks like he'll be a much better player than Christie in due course, but he's really just broken out in NPC. Ennor, meh. Tangitau, apparently not. Paps - yes for me, but Ardie will start. Flanders - haven't watched him to see if he can sit convincingly in the stand with Luke Jacobson.
My real point is - many of you Blues guys seem to see a massive conspiracy, where there's really just a few line calls gone against you.
Actually, Lord vs Darry could be added to the above set to bring you to parity, but for me that one is a coin toss, where they can't pick both - and if Vaa'i were fit they'd pick neither.
Edit: And a minute later they're both in - but, I'd rather have Patrick.
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@Chris said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Sam Darry in to AB squad, Patrick Tuipulotu out with shoulder injury needing surgery.
Big loss that. His impact as the bench lock is hard to replace.
Obviously not gonna happen, but would SB go well in that role?
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
I don't actually understand why Paps would be in the XV. He's a known quantity. If they don't think he's AB level for the EOYT the only thing useful for the XV I imagine would be leadership for others. But that would be unfair on him.
Dunno.
Maybe he might want to turn up, play like a man possessed , and force himself into the equation for next year?
The last "man possessed" got dropped mate!
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@African-Monkey said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Sam Darry in to AB squad, Patrick Tuipulotu out with shoulder injury needing surgery.
Big loss that. His impact as the bench lock is hard to replace.
Obviously not gonna happen, but would SB go well in that role?
He will be missed no real lock in that squad that can impact as well off the bench.SB is the sort of player who could come off the bench but you are right it is not going to happen.
Patricks injury will keep him out for a while he may miss the start of SR. -
Another one who could fit the mould of the bench lockis Josh Beehre. Again, he's not getting picked, but he has the ability to make a difference as a sub.
I just don't see the point in Josh Lord coming off the bench, even Darry, who has improved in physical exchanges over the last year or 2, but again, they're more starters than finishers.
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@reprobate said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
I don't actually understand why Paps would be in the XV. He's a known quantity. If they don't think he's AB level for the EOYT the only thing useful for the XV I imagine would be leadership for others. But that would be unfair on him.
Dunno.
Maybe he might want to turn up, play like a man possessed , and force himself into the equation for next year?
The last "man possessed" got dropped mate!
That one's a bit too subtle for me - who are you thinking?
But, the point is - if you don't get picked - a bit of disappointment is fine, but then surely you pick yourself up and try even harder? Or at least, you don't sit at home bewailing that you didn't get picked and thinking you're too great to play for the ABs XV or going through the motions in the NPC.
You would be vindicating the coaching decision.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nonpartizan said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@frugby said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The only place you could argue there is possibly an opening is 10, and nobody has put anything up yet to suggest they could bolt in.
No one has been given a run, except BB and DMac.
And even then DMac has only played when BB is injured. So he doesn't really think beyond BB which is nuts when you consider just how uneven his play is.
DMac got a good run at the start of last year. He'd previously had about five intermittent starts - now he's been developed into a credible option.
The very clear plan is Waiting on Rich-Mo. He was clearly our best 10 when he departed and that's surely been reinforced in his absence. Seems to still be killing it in Japan, so hopefully he'll come back still very good.
He'd have to fall away massively not to be better than the best of the youngsters.
Can't see us going into 2027 in a worse five-eighth depth position than 2011 (Carter, Slade, Cruden, Beaver) - unless Richie gets broken or is a total bust.
Blues won the title with Plummer, went worse the following year with Barrett. McKenzie has been the best 10 in Super for two years - that's where he has been developed, not by Robertson. He did get a decent run at the start of last year, but don't forget BB didn't even play super rugby that year. Then he was jettisoned - apparently because we were going to shit in the last 20 minutes, which is hardly the starting 10s fault.
This year it has been all Barrett, and we've looked better as soon as McKenzie steps in there - as we did in 2024. Beauden is past it, and will be more past it by the next WC - playing him to bide time for Mo'unga does my head in. Play the best Super 10 who still has something to offer in McKenzie, give Love meaningful time off the bench at either 15 or 10.
I was 100% Mo'unga over Barrett in the past, and no doubt would still be, assuming he is still playing reasonably. But he's not playing in relevant comps, he ditched the ABs for money, and now he wants to come back for one year for his ego - and he's no Dan Carter. He might be the best 10 when he comes back (my guess: he'll definitely be better than BB, probably not McKenzie and hard to judge e.g. Love/Jacomb as the trajectory is so different) - but, why on earth would we assume that now rather than trying to develop an alternative solution? If Mo'unga breaks his leg and Barrett has been playing every game at 10, our WC campaign is dead in the water.
I think you called the selection arguments quiblbing or tinkering around the edges or something - and it kinda is, but it's also very much not when the key playmaker selection is so wrong.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@reprobate said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
I don't actually understand why Paps would be in the XV. He's a known quantity. If they don't think he's AB level for the EOYT the only thing useful for the XV I imagine would be leadership for others. But that would be unfair on him.
Dunno.
Maybe he might want to turn up, play like a man possessed , and force himself into the equation for next year?
The last "man possessed" got dropped mate!
That one's a bit too subtle for me - who are you thinking?
But, the point is - if you don't get picked - a bit of disappointment is fine, but then surely you pick yourself up and try even harder? Or at least, you don't sit at home bewailing that you didn't get picked and thinking you're too great to play for the ABs XV or going through the motions in the NPC.
You would be vindicating the coaching decision.
Robertson used the phrase to describe Blackadder last year vs SA (agree with your point of course).
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@antipodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
I don't actually understand why Paps would be in the XV. He's a known quantity. If they don't think he's AB level for the EOYT the only thing useful for the XV I imagine would be leadership for others. But that would be unfair on him.
Dunno.
Maybe he might want to turn up, play like a man possessed , and force himself into the equation for next year?
By moving to Christchurch?
You're behind the times, man.
If you want to get picked, head to Hamilton - it's just a hop, skip and jump for Paps!
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
When he plays test rugby Patrick Tuipulotu is very effective.
The problem is for a big man he is injury prone.
And a lot of different injuries.
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