All Blacks 2025
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@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
It doesn't really matter which franchise a player plays for, and just because a team goes well it doesn't mean that all those players are the best, or vice versa. But, sometimes, it's just hard to fathom decisions. I'm not a Blues fan, but if any player should have been a lock for the ABs in 2024 it was Sotutu, he was outstanding, on BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, and quite frankly he should have been there ahead of Sititi (the player from my franchise).
While I agree with the general nature of your post it didn't have to be an either or choice with Sotutu and Sititi. Both could have been in the squad.
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@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
It doesn't really matter which franchise a player plays for, and just because a team goes well it doesn't mean that all those players are the best, or vice versa. But, sometimes, it's just hard to fathom decisions. I'm not a Blues fan, but if any player should have been a lock for the ABs in 2024 it was Sotutu, he was outstanding, on BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, and quite frankly he should have been there ahead of Sititi (the player from my franchise).
While I agree with the general nature of your post it didn't have to be an either or choice with Sotutu and Sititi. Both could have been in the squad.
I don't have a problem with that.
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@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
It doesn't really matter which franchise a player plays for, and just because a team goes well it doesn't mean that all those players are the best, or vice versa. But, sometimes, it's just hard to fathom decisions. I'm not a Blues fan, but if any player should have been a lock for the ABs in 2024 it was Sotutu, he was outstanding, on BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, and quite frankly he should have been there ahead of Sititi (the player from my franchise).
While I agree with the general nature of your post it didn't have to be an either or choice with Sotutu and Sititi. Both could have been in the squad.
I love Kirifi, and I'm happy for him that he got capped. But fuck me, Sotutu should be there at least, regardless of who covers what position. The sad thing is, at this point if he was offered a squad spot on tour, I'm not sure Hoskins would accept it, such is the perceived lack of trust with the current coaching lineup
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The non-selection of Sotutu still really irritates me. He could not have done anything more last year, and it still wasn't enough. This is a guy who has genuine size and power, his team won the comp and he was their most influential player, he's still relatively young, has amazing ball skills for a forward. That sort of potential should not be ignored. It's the coaches job to hone it and use it.
In a lot of other cases the 'nobody is bashing the door down' argument holds, but he fucking well did and they didn't pick him! -
Even if Sotutu was picked, he wasn't going to play. Savea plays 80 mins at 8 (well, last year) week in week out. So at best he was getting 10 minutes at blindside every couple of tests.
And when he didn't immediately set the world on fire the usual dipshits would have said "i told you so"
The biggest missed opportunity in years.
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20 June 2023: https://archive.sen.com.au/news/2023/06/20/weve-got-a-good-balance-jason-ryan-satisfied-with-all-blacks-selection/index.html
“We’ve got a good balance of youth and experience, but not only that, we believe we’ve got some players… that have a point of difference that they can add to our game” Jason Ryan14 October 2025: We still don't have a clue who the best balanced loose trio is for the ABs and we'll flood the AB XVs with loosies because we are that desperate to find them.
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While I'm in semi rant mode (procrastinating from doing work), while I think it's time to move on from ALB I think some of the commentary about his tenure in the ABs on here has been fucking stupid. The fact some posters are trying to rewrite his career and make out he was always at this level is bonkers. For most of his AB career ALB was a sold AB, not a superstar but a decent glue player, and more often than not didn't let us down in black.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus 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:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
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.
Our best performing 10 is gone. Our 6 (arguably best 6 in the comp) is gone. Our 8 (player of the year) looks like he is going. Our 7, another ex-AB, won't get picked. They talk about getting big men but Peter Dinklage has more hope of being picked as an AB loose forward.
Who does get picked? Christie and BB. Two players I can't remember any Blues supporter on here demanding to get picked. 3, if you add Stephen ('even Ethan Blackadders's tougher than me') Perofeta. Ok, he played ok when picked but I think even ardent Blues fans were surprised.
Darry was a good one but picked out of necessity.
Your 6 was gone before Razor ever named his first squad. He took the yen. And neither he nor his brother - who aren't social media shrinking violets - have ever suggested Razor had any role in this decision. Once he signed in Japan, it would have been moronic to pick him for the All Blacks. If you want to be upset with an AB coach about Akira - blame Hansen.
Plummer - well, there's a theory that we need a solid journeyman at 10. I don't subcribe to it. But, they picked Beauden and Perofeta ahead of him - I'm overwhelmed by the bias!
Now Hoskins was unlucky. But, they were only ever going to pick two number 8s and Ardie was a mortal lock. They went for Sititi and he won World Breakout Player of the year, so it wasn't really a terrible pick. And they were going to call Hoskins up for the EOYT, but he was broken. He was less compelling this year and now he's broken again.
Paps - no more unlucky than Blackadder, who outplayed all comers in the Super play-offs. There's no Crusaders in the loosies either and despite the prognostications of doom, I see Dalton in the AB XV.
I believe we've discussed AJ Lam and Ricky Riccitelli previously. RR is a hard no from me.
My feeling was Akira knew he was not going to get picked. Could be completely wrong. He said money was part (and could well be the major part) of his decision but he didn't clearly say what the remaining reasons were.
@Chris-B 100% knows that Akira wasn't ever going to get a shot in the new Razor regime due to Tubby Ryan.
I actually know no such thing. I just see these statements as conspiracy theories.
Here's a simple question for you.
True or False. Akira was never picked in an All Black squad that Ryan had a hand in selecting?
Who is arguing against that? He picked him, then discarded him for his favourite Ta$man import who managed to produce one tackle in a RWC final.
He picked him for the remaining TRC tests. Picked him again for the EOYT.
Then the Blues absolutely shat the bed in a Super Rugby semi - Shannon got the nod ahead of Akira and nailed his coffin shut vs Argentina and South Africa.
Which somehow translates to Ryan must hate him. It's conspiracy theorism.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Even if Sotutu was picked, he wasn't going to play. Savea plays 80 mins at 8 (well, last year) week in week out. So at best he was getting 10 minutes at blindside every couple of tests.
And when he didn't immediately set the world on fire the usual dipshits would have said "i told you so"
The biggest missed opportunity in years.
Should have been picked, even if not played. It's their job to grab the guys with the most potential to dominate test rugby. Get him in and work with him.
A year later and what exactly have we achieved with our loosies? They've ditched DP and EB - neither of whom played badly - and LJ has barely played. Why not use one of those spots for a Sotutu? Now this year we've clearly decided we need one big guy, but the player we've dropped to bring in size is the worker (and was the largest of the 3), so we're still getting dominated.Drop BB and fix the loosies and we are a decent team again. Feels a long long way off though.
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@canefan said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The naysayers can continue to point to the fact that he didn't set the world on fire in black. Was he as bad as the guys we have now? We have roughly a 50% win record this season
Aren't we 7/9 Eddie?
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Nepia said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@nostrildamus 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:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
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.
Our best performing 10 is gone. Our 6 (arguably best 6 in the comp) is gone. Our 8 (player of the year) looks like he is going. Our 7, another ex-AB, won't get picked. They talk about getting big men but Peter Dinklage has more hope of being picked as an AB loose forward.
Who does get picked? Christie and BB. Two players I can't remember any Blues supporter on here demanding to get picked. 3, if you add Stephen ('even Ethan Blackadders's tougher than me') Perofeta. Ok, he played ok when picked but I think even ardent Blues fans were surprised.
Darry was a good one but picked out of necessity.
Your 6 was gone before Razor ever named his first squad. He took the yen. And neither he nor his brother - who aren't social media shrinking violets - have ever suggested Razor had any role in this decision. Once he signed in Japan, it would have been moronic to pick him for the All Blacks. If you want to be upset with an AB coach about Akira - blame Hansen.
Plummer - well, there's a theory that we need a solid journeyman at 10. I don't subcribe to it. But, they picked Beauden and Perofeta ahead of him - I'm overwhelmed by the bias!
Now Hoskins was unlucky. But, they were only ever going to pick two number 8s and Ardie was a mortal lock. They went for Sititi and he won World Breakout Player of the year, so it wasn't really a terrible pick. And they were going to call Hoskins up for the EOYT, but he was broken. He was less compelling this year and now he's broken again.
Paps - no more unlucky than Blackadder, who outplayed all comers in the Super play-offs. There's no Crusaders in the loosies either and despite the prognostications of doom, I see Dalton in the AB XV.
I believe we've discussed AJ Lam and Ricky Riccitelli previously. RR is a hard no from me.
My feeling was Akira knew he was not going to get picked. Could be completely wrong. He said money was part (and could well be the major part) of his decision but he didn't clearly say what the remaining reasons were.
@Chris-B 100% knows that Akira wasn't ever going to get a shot in the new Razor regime due to Tubby Ryan.
I actually know no such thing. I just see these statements as conspiracy theories.
Here's a simple question for you.
True or False. Akira was never picked in an All Black squad that Ryan had a hand in selecting?
Who is arguing against that? He picked him, then discarded him for his favourite Ta$man import who managed to produce one tackle in a RWC final.
He picked him for the remaining TRC tests. Picked him again for the EOYT.
Then the Blues absolutely shat the bed in a Super Rugby semi - Shannon got the nod ahead of Akira and nailed his coffin shut vs Argentina and South Africa.
Which somehow translates to Ryan must hate him. It's conspiracy theorism.
Why would Ryan care about a player's performance in a team loss? Shortly after the RWC loss where Frizell was the biggest non event ever Ryan was talking about him coming back to the ABs from Japan.
Ryan preferred other players, you 're attempting to add hate and conspiracy to this, I only said he wasn't going to get a shot under Tubby in 2024 and that he favoured Frizell. .
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@Nepia Yeah - he preferred Frizell.
But, where was Shannon in 2024? He'd taken the yen and was unavailable for selection.
The blindside position was pretty open for someone to take and it still seems to be.
There's a raft of posts saying the coaches are actively discriminating against Blues players, so I'm perfectly accurate in labeling it a conspiracy theory.
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@canefan said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The naysayers can continue to point to the fact that he didn't set the world on fire in black. Was he as bad as the guys we have now? We have roughly a 50% win record this season
Rugby Championship Win Rate ( Foster and Robertson era's only loose forwards )
100% 4/4 Sotutu
91.7% 11/12 Papali'i
81.8% 9/11 Ioane
80% 8/10 Jacobson
71% 5/7 Frizell
71% 5/7 Cane
68% 17/25 Savea
66% 2/3 Finau
66% 2/3 Kirifi
62.5% 5/8 Blackadder
60% 3/5 Parker
55% 5/9 Sititi
50% 1/2 Vaa'i -
@reprobate said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
It's their job to grab the guys with the most potential to dominate test rugby. Get him in and work with him.
I had 17 seasons as a member watching shit be served up at Eden Park. Saw all sorts coming through and playing.
The two biggest disappoints for me were Akira and Hoskins.
Akira was absolutely dynamite early. He got wrecked by Tana, basically carrying the team on his back. His upside was enormous - all the negativity around him astonished me as they just didn't see (or care) about his early workrate. Bluntly, a dysfunctional org and a shit coach overplayed him and he did not take his physical gifts to the next level. And even then that level was high - he dominated multiple test matches, but then (like most of the team) struggled against SA. And for those who say he left early - go look at his leaving interview again. The body language screamed someone who was making a financial decision as the pathway in NZ had stopped. Akira looked like he didn't want to leave, but with no future who can blame him.
Hoskins was another with enormous upside potential. You can 'both sides of the ball' all you want, but you can't coach instinct and vision. He was absolutely hitting his straps in 2023, defensively strong and brings offensive carrying and distribution to a loose trio that we are sorely missing.
If either of those boys get the nurture and the development from the ABs that you see for other players, they go on to be studs at Test level. Henry or early Hansen probably gets them there - they brought on players like Coles who had uncoachable attributes. But instead we just get criticism of parts of people's game, not looking at potential, and ultimately players heading offshore with 'I told you so' ringing in their ears.
It's fucked.
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@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The naysayers can continue to point to the fact that he didn't set the world on fire in black. Was he as bad as the guys we have now? We have roughly a 50% win record this season
Rugby Championship Win Rate ( Foster and Robertson era's only loose forwards )
100% 4/4 Sotutu
91.7% 11/12 Papali'i
81.8% 9/11 Ioane
80% 8/10 Jacobson
71% 5/7 Frizell
71% 5/7 Cane
66% 2/3 Finau
66% 2/3 Kirifi
62.5% 5/8 Blackadder
60% 3/5 Parker
55% 5/9 Sititi
50% 1/2 Vaa'iI thought Luke Jacobson was a top performer against any Aussie opposition. How does that stack?
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@ARHS said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@brodean said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
The naysayers can continue to point to the fact that he didn't set the world on fire in black. Was he as bad as the guys we have now? We have roughly a 50% win record this season
Rugby Championship Win Rate ( Foster and Robertson era's only loose forwards )
100% 4/4 Sotutu
91.7% 11/12 Papali'i
81.8% 9/11 Ioane
80% 8/10 Jacobson
71% 5/7 Frizell
71% 5/7 Cane
66% 2/3 Finau
66% 2/3 Kirifi
62.5% 5/8 Blackadder
60% 3/5 Parker
55% 5/9 Sititi
50% 1/2 Vaa'iI thought Luke Jacobson was a top performer against any Aussie opposition. How does that stack?
Personally I rate Jacobson as the best Chiefs loose forward this decade.
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I do think it is very 2025 that in general everyone is so negative about everything.
The bigger criticisms of the current coaches, should be the coaching.
The selections in the matchday 23 are more or less what most would say is our best team.
There have been some good things to come out of this year, and I look forward to seeing how the likes of TK Howden and Josh Beehre handle the step up to the NZ XV squad.
Honestly; who seriously gives a fuck about Havili playing for the NZ XV. Your effectively debating who the 10th best midfielder in the country is.
