All Blacks 2025
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@KiwiMurph Well, on Hoskins...
Fast forward to the Northern Tour squad, and the prognosis was slightly more promising for Sotutu. While he again missed selection in the top squad, his inclusion in the All Blacks XV offered Sotutu a crucial opportunity to perform on the international stage once again and prove himself ready.
Then, a slew of All Blacks loose forward injuries were revealed, meaning the team would require extra cover, opening the door for Sotutu to step back into the All Blacks environment.
However, news broke on Wednesday that Sotutu would miss his first crack at a black jersey in 48 months thanks to a knee injury, news that Scott Robertson expanded on for media in Auckland.
“We were going to bring Hoskins in, but he’s injured,” the coach revealed, discussing plans for a select few members of the All Blacks XV team to join the All Blacks in Tokyo, training for the Japan Test.
I said above, I would've picked him last year and he was very unlucky - but the door's evidently not closed to him, despite more prognostications of doom. This year he was not as compelling - and if you watch the last 10 minutes of his season, you'll see a couple of reasons why he didn't make it.
On Frizell - I know this is a bitter pill for you guys to swallow, but he was obviously higher up the pecking order than Akira when he left. Has there been much commentary, for example, on Teleá leaving?
I'd guess they'd rather he didn't but we can cope without him.
And I suspect that's where my view on Akira and yours - and others - diverges.
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I'd be really interested to see:
One of AS & WS with one of EB/DP/LJ and HS.
HS is probably the only 8 in the country with genuine size and lineout ability (Flanders maybe the next?). Because we keep picking small 8s, and last year was shit with 3 small loosies, we've now decided we need a big 6. But Parker/Vaai/Finau simply aren't as high quality a loose forward as DP/EB/LJ, particularly when the workrate of the others selected isn't their major strength.@Chris-B And if you watch the knock-out game before the one you mention, it was largely Hoskins who won it - against a whole lot of Chiefs forwards who have been selected - you can cherry-pick that in either direction.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
On Frizell - I know this is a bitter pill for you guys to swallow, but he was obviously higher up the pecking order when he left.
That is actually my whole point.
Just be honest about it.
Saying "well they didnt pick Akira because he signed overseas" is disingenuous as they've clearly shown
a) they have no problem going public about contracting frustrations
b) Akira signing overseas occurred after Ryan and Razor were aware of the Frizell contracting frustrations so had ample time to engage with Akira
c) they've also had no problem going public about enticing players who are overseas to come back.
Razor had an unprecedented lead in time to get things in order - announced in March 2023 as AB coach when he wouldnt coach an AB game until July 2024
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@KiwiMurph But, doesn't all that pre-suppose that Akira was going to be a compelling selection?
A week or so before he announced he was off, the Blues went down to Christchurch and lost to the worst Crusaders in living memory. What if they'd shit the bed in the 2024 semi-final as per 2023?
I'm honestly not trying to troll you or anything.
I just don't see the logic.
And I suspect it's because you guys are looking at what his career could have been and I'm looking at what his career was.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
That AB XV squad really does seem like a bit of a wasted opportunity not to look at another winger - they have a heap of fullback cover already - someone like Fehi Fineanganofo would be ideal
I wonder if perhaps they want to see Rona on the wing.
To be honest, I'd rather see the same back three of ENS, JRK and Tangitau rolled out for each of the three matches. All three of those guys could be All Blacks next year and while that shouldn't preclude the selection of a guy Fineanganofo, I don't think there's an absolute need to get him in the there just yet.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@KiwiMurph But, doesn't all that pre-suppose that Akira was going to be a compelling selection?
A week or so before he announced he was off, the Blues went down to Christchurch and lost to the worst Crusaders in living memory. What if they'd shit the bed in the 2024 semi-final as per 2023?
I'm honestly not trying to troll you or anything.
I just don't see the logic.
And I suspect it's because you guys are looking at what his career could have been and I'm looking at what his career was.
I'm in the Akira leaving is on Akira camp - but that was a Blues side with the foot off the gas, and nowhere near as bad a Crusaders team as you're saying (on the day, the season was abject).
Notably their three best players in Blackadder, Taylor & Williams, and their 10 in Burke all playing - and all of whom played bugger all due to injury that season. -
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Not when your argument is they were never going to pick players who were going overseas.
That's not my argument.
They were never going to pick Akira once he was going overseas, because what was he going to bring? Leadership? A deep understanding of All Black culture? Lessons on what not to do?
Robertson selected last year’s squads thinking those players would get him a good win record in his first season and for no reason other than that. He thought Cane and Perenara would do the job and Ioane wouldn’t. That they were going overseas wasn’t a factor.
So, do you also reckon the reason Mark Teleá hasn't been picked this year is because the coaches don't think he'd do as good of a job as Sevu, Rieko, Leicester, etc on the wing?
I'm pretty sure they've not picked him because it would be a waste of time giving caps to a guy who's heading overseas next year.
I think it’s now year two and Robertson is being ‘more bold’ in his selections. He wanted a good first year (didn’t really get it) but realised he couldn’t continue picking players who were leaving.
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@Tim said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Does Jacobson ever play? Is he an extra coach or something?
Arguably the most baffling selection of Robertson's reign. We seem to have played everyone, everywhere at 6/78 - except Jacobson.
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@reprobate Crikey!
We were shit all season (probably excluding this game) but have you not gleaned the Fern assessments of these guys?
Shalfoon - soft thug
Strange - weak moron
Blackadder - Busy but ineffectual
Hotham - probably not awful
Reece - old, slow and useless
Havili - worse than Reece
Aumua - worse than Havili and the worst midfielder everThat's just the Ta$man players.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Tim said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Does Jacobson ever play? Is he an extra coach or something?
Arguably the most baffling selection of Robertson's reign. We seem to have played everyone, everywhere at 6/78 - except Jacobson.
He's like the Charlie Ngatai of the forwards, except he actually gets selected and travels but doesn't play
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@frugby said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Midfielders: Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Dallas McLeod, Daniel Rona
Assume he's there for midfield leadership?
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@frugby said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Midfielders: Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Dallas McLeod, Daniel Rona
Assume he's there for midfield leadership?
Can understand having a mix of experienced players and up and comers. An inexperienced team might struggle, which isn't ideal for them
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@KiwiMurph But, doesn't all that pre-suppose that Akira was going to be a compelling selection?
A week or so before he announced he was off, the Blues went down to Christchurch and lost to the worst Crusaders in living memory. What if they'd shit the bed in the 2024 semi-final as per 2023?
I'm honestly not trying to troll you or anything.
I just don't see the logic.
And I suspect it's because you guys are looking at what his career could have been and I'm looking at what his career was.
I don't think Akira's and Hoskins' contributions in black aren't any worse than some of the guys who have been given extended runs (EB and Frizell come to mind). Coaches play favourites and always have. At the same time, both guys have been passed over by more than one AB coaching group. So perhaps both sides have elements of truth. Obviously we aren't seeing something that the coaches are. Or they are just plain wrong
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
- They were never going to pick him once he signed in Japan.
They picked Cane and Perenara.
Yes, but Cane is a 100 cap All Black captain and Perenara has been around for 10 years as an ever-present. In a team that had been badly shorn of experience. And TJ didn't announce he'd signed overseas until after the AB season had started and he'd been picked.
Akira had a chequered AB career and hadn't even made the team for RWC.
Is there not an obvious difference?
One was the first player to get a red card in an RWC final and the other one wasn't.
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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:
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
- They were never going to pick him once he signed in Japan.
They picked Cane and Perenara.
Yes, but Cane is a 100 cap All Black captain and Perenara has been around for 10 years as an ever-present. In a team that had been badly shorn of experience. And TJ didn't announce he'd signed overseas until after the AB season had started and he'd been picked.
Akira had a chequered AB career and hadn't even made the team for RWC.
Is there not an obvious difference?
One was the first player to get a red card in an RWC final and the other one wasn't.
Ouchee
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
@KiwiMurph But, doesn't all that pre-suppose that Akira was going to be a compelling selection?
A week or so before he announced he was off, the Blues went down to Christchurch and lost to the worst Crusaders in living memory. What if they'd shit the bed in the 2024 semi-final as per 2023?
I'm honestly not trying to troll you or anything.
I just don't see the logic.
And I suspect it's because you guys are looking at what his career could have been and I'm looking at what his career was.
How did Akira in particular go in that game? My memory was he had a strong game that day and that it was Choat who was playing for an unavailable Papalii who was the loose forward who got outplayed.
I guess my frustration is this:
Akira is clearly a huge talent which Razor has known about since he coached him in the NZ U20s
Razor didn't show a great deal of interest in Akira and working with him.
Vern Cotter in one season managed to get Akira firing on all cylinders including the final where Akira put in an incredible shift at 6 showing everything we are looking for at a 6 (go have a look at 2024 final to see how well Akira played).
There is a general lack of size and power in NZ loose forwards - mostly dominated by hybrid loosies who do a bit of everything.
Now we have a situation where Razor has come out and publicly stated that "test rugby is a game for big men" and we are crying out for more size and power in the forwards yet at the same time I don't believe Razor has truly turned over every stone and we are paying the price.
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@KiwiMurph I'm not going to disagree with much of that.
Except, we have no real idea about the discussions Akira and Razor might have had.
Unless they tell us, it's all in the realm of fantasy.
