All Blacks 2026
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
Why the focus exclusively on Savea?
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
What difference does team Culture make if the results are the same? It is a professional sport now now a amateur leisure time pursuit.
Because you get better results with a great team culture than you do with a toxic culture.
Can you really imagine Robertson's AB's losing a RWC by one point with 14 players?
We will never know now but Foster did not win the RWC and the final meltdown due to poor discipline was quite predictable given discipline was a massive problem over his entire term as coach.
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
I'm saying a really shit coach treats his players like shit and creates a toxic culture where players simply give up trying - which is what we've seen this year.
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
Why the focus exclusively on Savea?
because he is a better leader than he is given credit for on here. Like it or not he is the most influential player in the team.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
What difference does team Culture make if the results are the same? It is a professional sport now now a amateur leisure time pursuit.
Can you really imagine Robertson's AB's losing a RWC by one point with 14 players?
Yes. I can imagine them getting thrashed by SA at Twickenham in a lead up game, losing to France in pool play, pulling out a good enough game to beat an aging Ireland, and getting close to a team they went 1-1 with this year.
WCs aren't that good a measure, and Foster's ABs were shit. -
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
I'm saying a really shit coach treats his players like shit and creates a toxic culture where players simply give up trying - which is what we've seen this year.
Are you saying there are no example of coaches treating players like shit and keeping the culture on edge that have not produced wildly successful results?
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
Just watched the Kirk presser.. Impressed. Thoughtful, honest, respectful to all involved, measured and cut down any rumours.
Get the feeling the whole coach/NZR Board fiasco we've seen in the last few years has been identified and addressed.
The underlying issues (NZR indecision, lack of resources to retain players, increasing pressure on ABs to deliver results AND entertainment) will remain regardless of coach.
Getting good at sacking coaches may be a NZR requirement but I'm not sure it's going to help with onfield performances.
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@Tim said in All Blacks 2026:
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/podcasts/rugby-direct/rugby-direct-episode-197/
Some fairly blunt talk from Gregor Paul. A mention of "halftime meltdowns". Interesting ...
I've been very unimpressed with most of their second half performances, wonder if that is related.
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@PecoTrain said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
Just watched the Kirk presser.. Impressed. Thoughtful, honest, respectful to all involved, measured and cut down any rumours.
Get the feeling the whole coach/NZR Board fiasco we've seen in the last few years has been identified and addressed.
The underlying issues (NZR indecision, lack of resources to retain players, increasing pressure on ABs to deliver results AND entertainment) will remain regardless of coach.
Getting good at sacking coaches may be a NZR requirement but I'm not sure it's going to help with onfield performances.
Well, ending the Head Coach psychodrama we've seen over the last few years will certainly help
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
meltdown
Meltdown? You're on one fella.
What else do you call your captain getting red carded in the RWC final and playing most of the match with 14 players? Tactically brilliant strategy. The fact that high tackles and cards were a constant of Fosters term as coach means it was not an out of the blue moment of bad luck either
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While I do not go along with it being player power, there is a bit of a question of the actions of Ardie Savea. Perhaps it was nothing, perhaps it was
He seemed to threaten not playing in NZ, actively courted other clubs, and seems to present an ultimatum.
When you put this together with his showy social media personality.
I'm a touch sus, that like Razor, perhaps things have gone to his head.I would be happy to have him on thin ice for a bit.
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
meltdown
Meltdown? You're on one fella.
What else do you call your captain getting red carded in the RWC and playing most of the match with 14 players? Tactically brilliant strategy. The fact that high tackles and cards were a constant of Fosters term as coach means it was not an out of the blue moment of bad luck either
Ok
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@Frank said in All Blacks 2026:
While I do not go along with it being player power, there is a bit of a question of the actions of Ardie Savea. Perhaps it was nothing, perhaps he was
He seemed to threaten not playing in NZ, actively courted other clubs, and seems to present an ultimatum.
When you put this together with his showy social media personality.
I'm a touch sus, that like Razor, perhaps things have gone to his head.I would be happy to have him on thin ice for a bit.
Was it a threat though? I've only read the tidbits here. Was he public about it or did it just come out of the woodwork?
If it's just a senior player deciding the environment isn't for him then I'm ok with that. But yeah, if it's thinly veiled threats, he can exit.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@Frank said in All Blacks 2026:
While I do not go along with it being player power, there is a bit of a question of the actions of Ardie Savea. Perhaps it was nothing, perhaps he was
He seemed to threaten not playing in NZ, actively courted other clubs, and seems to present an ultimatum.
When you put this together with his showy social media personality.
I'm a touch sus, that like Razor, perhaps things have gone to his head.I would be happy to have him on thin ice for a bit.
Was it a threat though? I've only read the tidbits here. Was he public about it or did it just come out of the woodwork?
If it's just a senior player deciding the environment isn't for him then I'm ok with that. But yeah, if it's thinly veiled threats, he can exit.
That's the thing, Not sure.
Just hope he doesn't think he's bigger than the team. -
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
I'm saying a really shit coach treats his players like shit and creates a toxic culture where players simply give up trying - which is what we've seen this year.
Are you saying there are no example of coaches treating players like shit and keeping the culture on edge that have not produced wildly successful results?
I await your list of uber-successful AB teams with toxic cultures
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
No I am saying that Ardie should have been just as damning of Foster not saying "hes my coach and I have his back" if he was consistent and not one of the single biggest problems in the team culture himself.
??
Maybe because Ardie wasn't ignored by the Head Coach when he had problems/concerns
Are you saying the All Blacks should not be about test results but making Ardie Savea feel listened to and important?
I'm saying a really shit coach treats his players like shit and creates a toxic culture where players simply give up trying - which is what we've seen this year.
Are you saying there are no example of coaches treating players like shit and keeping the culture on edge that have not produced wildly successful results?
If Razor had produced wildly successful results he would still be in a job
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@Frank said in All Blacks 2026:
While I do not go along with it being player power, there is a bit of a question of the actions of Ardie Savea. Perhaps it was nothing, perhaps he was
He seemed to threaten not playing in NZ, actively courted other clubs, and seems to present an ultimatum.
When you put this together with his showy social media personality.
I'm a touch sus, that like Razor, perhaps things have gone to his head.I would be happy to have him on thin ice for a bit.
Was it a threat though? I've only read the tidbits here. Was he public about it or did it just come out of the woodwork?
If it's just a senior player deciding the environment isn't for him then I'm ok with that. But yeah, if it's thinly veiled threats, he can exit.
Ardie seems a heart-on-his sleeve bloke so just wonder if he expressed his frustration more openly than the others. Interested to see if/where he plays under the new coach.
