All Blacks 2025
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@No-Quarter how much of our loosies' ineffectiveness is personnel, and how much is game plan? I think the guys we do have could be made to look better if we played more direct, focussed on winning the collision and recycling our ball. For short periods during games this year when we've done that we have looked good. That is why the Blues of 2024 were such a tease to me. DP, HS and Akira all showed they can play that game, but never got a shot that year to see if they could do it at the next level
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter how much of our loosies' ineffectiveness is personnel, and how much is game plan? I think the guys we do have could be made to look better if we played more direct, focussed on winning the collision and recycling our ball. For short periods during games this year when we've done that we have looked good. That is why the Blues of 2024 were such a tease to me. DP, HS and Akira all showed they can play that game, but never got a shot that year to see if they could do it at the next level
Thats not how Razor and co want to play unfortunately.
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@brodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter how much of our loosies' ineffectiveness is personnel, and how much is game plan? I think the guys we do have could be made to look better if we played more direct, focussed on winning the collision and recycling our ball. For short periods during games this year when we've done that we have looked good. That is why the Blues of 2024 were such a tease to me. DP, HS and Akira all showed they can play that game, but never got a shot that year to see if they could do it at the next level
Thats not how Razor and co want to play unfortunately.
Yet. Fozzie played helter skelter for a couple of years, then Schmidt came in and a bunch of his assistants went out. They changed their pattern and we almost won Bill. Like Fozzie, and late era Hansen before him, Razor has embraced Wayne Smith's philosophy of high paced running rugby, but they forgot that you can't be successful unless you win the battle up front
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@ACT-Crusader Cullen’s an interesting one, eh? Never quite kicked on. I mean, not even people on here have mentioned him
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With the problems the ABs are facing to find an adequate blindside LF, I wonder why they did not select Wrampling-Alec for the All Blacks XV ? He has all the attributes to become a very good Nr.6 (athletic, powerful ball carrier, good LO option). I don't know much about his capacities in defense though.
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
I can't believe the free pass some people give these coaches. Our biggest weakness right now is the loose forwards., where we get outplayed basically every game against Tier 1 sides. The coaches have inexplicably chosen to not select three of the best loose forwards in the country, whose games translate well to test footy. As a result, we continue to get beaten up in the loosies, and we continue to lose matches as a result.
And some posters just wave this away as "fringe selections that wouldn't make a difference anyway" ?? Are you guys serious? We have a small population and a shallow depth of pool to chose from, we cannot in a million years be casting aside our most talented players like this and then expect some magical game plan will make up for it. That's insane and if we continue to lose the breakdown battle then we are just going to continue to lose matches, end of story.
It's quite the achievement when you consider that loose forward has been a strength of NZ Rugby in the past few decades.
To end up with this group of forwards is embarrassing.
We are in the era of John Mitchell telling Cullen he's holding the ball wrong. We have the talent in the players, but this bunch of yes men and the dumbest head coach I've seen since, shit I can't think of one dumber, just won't pick them.
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Have the coaches been chasing Frizell?
I know Ryan said he'd have preferred he hadn't left but presumably he was explicitly asked about Frizell. Have there been many examples over the last two years where the coaches have brought Frizell up?
I'll just leave this here
So one example from during the World Cup where Frizell was still in the squad and specially brought up by journalists? And it's not even really clear what Ryan is saying...
I don't think that's unreasonable by any stretch?
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Have the coaches been chasing Frizell?
I know Ryan said he'd have preferred he hadn't left but presumably he was explicitly asked about Frizell. Have there been many examples over the last two years where the coaches have brought Frizell up?
I'll just leave this here
So one example from during the World Cup where Frizell was still in the squad and specially brought up by journalists? And it's not even really clear what Ryan is saying...
I don't think that's unreasonable by any stretch?
I was busy and that was the first one I found. I am sure someone else can find more but I'm still at work
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Have the coaches been chasing Frizell?
I know Ryan said he'd have preferred he hadn't left but presumably he was explicitly asked about Frizell. Have there been many examples over the last two years where the coaches have brought Frizell up?
I'll just leave this here
So one example from during the World Cup where Frizell was still in the squad and specially brought up by journalists? And it's not even really clear what Ryan is saying...
I don't think that's unreasonable by any stretch?
I was busy and that was the first one I found. I am sure someone else can find more but I'm still at work
Razor getting in on the act:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350277947/all-blacks-coach-scott-robertson-would-love-shannon-frizell-back-nzAlso @Mr-Fish it's pretty clear in the link @canefan promoted that regardless of who asked the question Ryan was fluffing Frizell.
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Moving past all the posts deliberately misreading my earlier post attempting to clearly explain why Blues player may be feeling a bit of the miff, can someone please convince me the current loose forward policy is more subtle than:
1 Play Ardie where he likes and flog him as much as possible.
2 Choose an 8 that is most like Ardie if Ardie plays 7 or a small scrapper if Ardie plays at 8.*
3 Find someone as big as possible at 6.
4. Wait for Shannon.*(Maybe steps 2 and 3 are in the wrong order of importance.)
I must be missing some of their longterm strategies and objectives. I just don't see the loose forward balance, teamwork, and collective impact improving at the moment. I must be missing something.
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@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2025:
Moving past all the posts deliberately misreading my earlier post attempting to clearly explain why Blues player may be feeling a bit of the miff, can someone please convince me the current loose forward policy is more subtle than:
1 Play Ardie where he likes and flog him as much as possible.
2 Choose an 8 that is most like Ardie if Ardie plays 7 or a small scrapper if Ardie plays at 8.*
3 Find someone as big as possible at 6.
4. Wait for Shannon.*(Maybe steps 2 and 3 are in the wrong order of importance.)
I must be missing some of their longterm strategies and objectives. I just don't see the loose forward balance, teamwork, and collective impact improving at the moment. I must be missing something.
I personally don’t think the loose forward trio can ever be balanced with Ardie in it. It’s like having half a forward and half a back.
The 2014 2nd Bledisloe test match was on the ABs YouTube the other day and I watched it. What stood out the most was how dynamic and hard working our loose forward trio was. McCaw, Kaino, and Read were throwing themselves into everything and they complemented each other so well. There wasn’t a weak link.
There are options at 6 and 7. 8 is still a bit of a question mark
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2025:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2025:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:
Have the coaches been chasing Frizell?
I know Ryan said he'd have preferred he hadn't left but presumably he was explicitly asked about Frizell. Have there been many examples over the last two years where the coaches have brought Frizell up?
I'll just leave this here
So one example from during the World Cup where Frizell was still in the squad and specially brought up by journalists? And it's not even really clear what Ryan is saying...
I don't think that's unreasonable by any stretch?
I was busy and that was the first one I found. I am sure someone else can find more but I'm still at work
Razor getting in on the act:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350277947/all-blacks-coach-scott-robertson-would-love-shannon-frizell-back-nzAlso @Mr-Fish it's pretty clear in the link @canefan promoted that regardless of who asked the question Ryan was fluffing Frizell.
Don't doubt that the selectors would love to have Frizell back but there's a big difference between constantly bemoaning his absence and answering in the affirmative when being asked whether they'd like to bring him back to NZ.
Frizell is brought up one hundred times as often on these forums as he is by the coaches and somehow that's transformed the narrative here more or less into 'the coaches are constantly harking on about Frizell as our saviour'.
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Depth Chart:
October 15, 2025.Players are listed purely on number of appearances; AB first, then SR.
Not my personal preferences, rather, the current coaches.
Tie breakers are; first, appearances in other positions, then substitute appearances.
ABs officially listed as unavailable, are included as ABs.
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@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
I can't believe the free pass some people give these coaches. Our biggest weakness right now is the loose forwards., where we get outplayed basically every game against Tier 1 sides. The coaches have inexplicably chosen to not select three of the best loose forwards in the country, whose games translate well to test footy. As a result, we continue to get beaten up in the loosies, and we continue to lose matches as a result.
And some posters just wave this away as "fringe selections that wouldn't make a difference anyway" ?? Are you guys serious? We have a small population and a shallow depth of pool to chose from, we cannot in a million years be casting aside our most talented players like this and then expect some magical game plan will make up for it. That's insane and if we continue to lose the breakdown battle then we are just going to continue to lose matches, end of story.
It's quite the achievement when you consider that loose forward has been a strength of NZ Rugby in the past few decades.
To end up with this group of forwards is embarrassing.
We are in the era of John Mitchell telling Cullen he's holding the ball wrong. We have the talent in the players, but this bunch of yes men and the dumbest head coach I've seen since, shit I can't think of one dumber, just won't pick them.
The gaps between tier 1 nations have clearly closed to the tightest margin ever and most of the top 6 teams can beat each other on their day.
Therefore, what worries me with the latter day Allblacks, is that players with CLEAR points of difference such as Tangitau's speed, Stevensons boot and Sotutu's ball playing skills for example cannot or will not be accommodated. Look how long it took Leroy to get a gig.
Players who are 6/10 in all facets like ALB, Rieko, TJP, Reece were/are racking up caps.
Id rather if we could try and polish some of the rough diamonds than try and "milquetoast" our way to a World Cup on good vibes with vanilla players who are nice lads around the dressing room.
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@nonpartizan said in All Blacks 2025:
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2025:
Media stirring the pot? If not, fuck Mounga for that shitty attitude.
NZ Rugby's decision means Robertson must ignore Mo'unga when he picks his squad for the All Blacks' "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'' tour of South Africa.
Mo'unga is understood to be underwhelmed at the prospect of playing in front of small crowds in the NPC while the All Blacks tour the Republic, but unless the NZ Rugby board switches its stance he will be tethered to Canterbury.That would be pretty unfair on the players who have been playing Super and NPC and have been committed to the ABs and have made the team on form.
He is back to give us a better chance at winning the RWC.
He is Robertsons man and has been chasing him since he left.
We only have a small window before the RWC so get him in at the earliest opportunity.
This is pro sport and it is meant to be a hugh performance environment. Fuck fair. Embrace excellence (not seen much of that addmittedly)
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2025:
This is pro sport and it is meant to be a hugh performance environment.
