All Blacks XV 2025
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@pakman said in All Blacks XV 2025:
Wow, that’s a lot to take in @mauss! I only saw highlights but the attacking structure was a notch up from first game, especially in H2. Fakatava stood out for me in highlights, which, as extensively noted elsewhere, often provide a misleading view.
I don’t think it was perfect by any means – the AB XV didn’t hold on to the ball enough, in my view – but there was some really clever stuff in there, especially from set piece (there was a nice move from an attacking scrum as well in the first half – ball back inside to trailing blindside (Flanders) – which really should’ve resulted in a try).
I just liked that they took some Schmidt-plays and implemented it into their own game. Like I said, shows a nice bit of pragmatism.
Fakatava was good. Stuck to the game plan – threw another bridge pass which resulted in a try shortly before the end – and was accurate in his execution and decision-making. He has a real shot at usurping Ratima next year, if he continues his good form in Super Rugby.
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@Mauss said in All Blacks XV 2025:
@sparky said in All Blacks XV 2025:
Really short of specialist Locks. That might not be an issue against the Barbarians or Uruguay, but it will be against England A.
Yeah, I had a similar thought as well, which I tried to work out by sifting through some of the NPC numbers.
Lineout
None of Ah Kuoi, Walker-Leawere, Beehre, Delany or Hannah are particularly dominant lineout players, either on their own feed or on opposition ball. Ah Kuoi is probably the biggest threat for opposition ball but his 0.7 steals per 80 minutes during the NPC was behind Wellington’s Akira Ieremia (0.8), North Harbour’s Tristyn Cook (0.9) and Canterbury’s Liam Jack. While the latter only had limited minutes in the NPC (233), he proved to be a big problem for opposition lineouts (1.7 steals per 80 minutes). Jack could be a real player to watch, if he’s able to continue producing these kinds of lineout numbers in the future.On own feeds, it is not surprising that tall timber provides the most reliable target. Only three players averaged over 5 lineout takes per game, and 2 out of those 3 were 2m+ (Josh Lord and Will Tucker). Mitch Dunshea of Southland is the other but his proficiency is perhaps more to be explained by Southland’s lack of genuine lineout targets than his own lineout expertise, as Southland had the worst lineout success rate in the comp, at 77%.
Lineout might prove to be an issue for the AB XV, without easy banker options like Lord or Will Tucker in the squadThis lack of lineout proficiency might also explain the inclusion of a player like Kaylum Boshier who is, alongside Devan Flanders, TK Howden and (the unincluded) Jacob Norris, one of the best and most proficient lineout loose forwards in the competition.
Carrying
In other aspects of locking play, it will be interesting to see how SR and NPC form can be translated to what is most likely to be tougher opposition. While Walker-Leawere had a real mixed season so far, both at Super Rugby and NPC level, what he does offer is carrying ability, both in terms of number of carries and post-contact metres made. With the Hurricane lock now injured, the carrying onus will most likely fall on a player like Jamie Hannah, who has shown an ability throughout the NPC to make genuine inroads (24.2 post-contact metres made per 80 minutes).
With the loss of Walker-Leawere, Jamie Hannah now presents as the main running threat, with Beehre and Delany presenting less of a carrying optionThe question remains whether Hannah will remain as effective against the bigger bodies of international opposition. It makes one wonder whether some heavier players – like Fiti Sa, Aisake Vakasiuola or Akira Ieremia – might not have been an intriguing option, considering their more considerable bulk. Perhaps Ieremia isn’t available due to his Japanese contract but the other two are promising young players who, as the stats show, can already contribute in a specific way. While they are raw in other areas, it might’ve been a good idea to see how they would’ve responded to a more international environment.
Defence
While someone like Beehre had a great second half of the SRP season, he wasn’t able to really continue that form for Auckland, making both less carries (8.1) and post-contact metres (15.5) per 80 minutes compared to Super Rugby (11.1 C/80 and 22.2 PCM/80). His defensive involvements were also higher at Super Rugby level, making nearly 15 tackles per 80 minutes for the Blues compared to only 12.8 for Auckland. He will have to show on tour that his not-so-great NPC was just a bump in his rugby road, as there are other players who are making compelling cases with their NPC form.
None of the real volume-tacklers were selected for the AB XV, with someone like Shalfoon being perhaps a tad unluckyZach Gallagher stands alone in terms of his defensive involvements per 80 minutes, further emphasizing the great season he had for Canterbury both at lock and at blindside. He’s another, like Ieremia, who was probably not considered due to his Japanese contract. Players like Antonio Shalfoon, Jack Lee and Tristyn Cook also proved to be highly involved defensively, providing a solid rate of dominant tackling as well.
Looking at the numbers, North Harbour’s Tristyn Cook is an interesting player to keep a watch on for the future. A player like Cook is a fascinating example of how being confronted with certain stats can trigger a case of cognitive dissonance. Whenever I’ve watched Cook play for Harbour this season, I mostly noticed his ill-discipline and lack of breakdown efficacy. And yet, when putting these three graphs next to each other, Tristyn Cook is someone who consistently appears in a positive manner, whether it’s as a lineout threat (0.9 steals per 80 minutes), a carry option (23.9 post-contact metres made per 80 minutes) or as a highly involved defender (over 14 tackles made per 80 minutes).
That’s not to say that his lack of discipline and his, at times, ineffective physicality aren’t an issue, especially if he wants to focus on blindside. But what it does show is that, if Cook can put on a few more pounds while retaining his mobility and involvements, he could become a very good player, whether it’s in the engine room or amongst the loose forwards.
Summary
The selection protocol of the AB XV, when looking at a specific area like lock, seems to mirror the AB selection strategy, which is to pick allrounders rather than specialists. Players like Ah Kuoi, Beehre, Delany, and Hannah are quite solid in most areas without necessarily excelling in a specific area (Walker-Leawere being perhaps the sole exception here).If the focus would’ve been on certain areas of excellence, players like Will Tucker (lineout takes), Aisake Vakasiuola (carrying and post-contact metres) and Antonio Shalfoon (dominant tackling) might’ve been selected instead. While it makes players less interchangeable, it has the benefit of clarity in role distribution, with every player knowing exactly what their main responsibilities are.
Right now, the NZR selection strategy seems to rather work around having all bases covered, instead of targeting particular strengths and weaknesses. It feels like an exercise in raising the floor of performances rather than looking to maximize the team’s ceiling. Whether that’s a particularly wise strategy, I’ll leave that aside until after the tour.
Would like to have seen Vakasiuola get some exposure, even as an apprentice.
Haig's stats point to him focussing on 6?
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@pakman said in All Blacks XV 2025:
Would like to have seen Vakasiuola get some exposure, even as an apprentice.
Haig's stats point to him focussing on 6?
I agree on Vakasiuola. He doesn’t really fit the profile of your typical AB lock, in the sense that he doesn’t have that big engine (yet), but his carrying is a point of difference. He would fit really well with what the ABs are currently trying to do with their bench. I do think he’s in the frame but probably just a year too early.
Haig, I couldn’t really tell you. He’s excellent in the lineout so could play both lock and blindside. To my eyes, he looks most comfortable in the middle of the field, just clearing bodies and playing that support role in set pods. He seems to get a bit lost in those looser roles. Now he might well improve in that area, I don’t know. He certainly has the physical tools to be a good blindside but I’m not sure whether the way a 6 typically operates in SR (especially NZ franchises) is a skillset that particularly suits him.
It probably just depends on your loose forward trio: if you pair him with a 7 and an 8 who can take up these wide roles – like Casey and Howden – then I think it could work well. But if Withy and Stodart are your 7 and 8, then I’d put him at lock and pick a more typical edge forward at blindside.
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The winners and losers of the 2025 All Blacks XV
The All Blacks XV have extended their win streak to seven with a three-from-three European tour, and as always, the fixtures have helped paint a picture of who has the goods for the next level.
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@pakman said in All Blacks XV 2025:
The winners and losers of the 2025 All Blacks XV
The All Blacks XV have extended their win streak to seven with a three-from-three European tour, and as always, the fixtures have helped paint a picture of who has the goods for the next level.
"The All Blacks XV won 39 of their 40 scrums and 28 of their 32 lineouts across the three contests. " Impressive, with so-called makeshift locks! And I thought there were more stars in the backline, shows what I know!
But have to say, 3 from 3, is this some kind of GLAM SLAM?
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Given the ABs play only 4 home tests next year, I wonder whether they could potentially organise for the ABs XV to play some games during the July International period.
I know this is when the Maori ABs have traditionally played, but I feel like this would be a great chance for the next tier to get some experience ahead of the Boks Tour
