All Blacks 2026
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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.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@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
Where did I disagree with that? I am asking why Ardie Savea didn't want Ian Foster fired for producing equally dire results.
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@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:
@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
Pretty much every All Black side prior to Graham Henry.
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@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
Where did I disagree with that? I am asking why Ardie Savea didn't want Ian Foster fired for producing equally dire results.
And we answered that changes occurred. Plumtree and Moaar got canned. We are going around in circles.
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@Nepia said in All Blacks 2026:
@Jet said in All Blacks 2026:
Beauden Barrett is Harold Shipman for Allblack coaches. He gets them all in the end.
I thought (from the thread) BB was team Razor?
He was indeed, but Beaudy is now the out half hill that more than one coach has died on.
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@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
Why not Foster was he not the head coach and ultimately responsible?
Presumably because the belief was that with stronger assistant coaches (i.e. Schmidt and Ryan) that they could turn things around. They went from losing a home series vs Ireland to knocking over Rassie's Boks at Ellis Park then knocking Ireland out of the World Cup. Foster also had the advantage of 8 years in the environment/test rugby etc compared to Razor coming in fresh.
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This is obviously a resounding positive and the best move NZ rugby could have done. I am not sure however about the somewhat revisionist comments that this shit show is entirely on Robertson’s shoulders. Some of these players have been crap under 2-3 coaches and multiple assistant coaches. There is a serious issue in player leadership that pre-dates Robertson and the next coach is set up to fail unless a few key players go.
Savea, B, S, and J Barrett, Reiko, ALB, and all the other senior players with the exception of Codie Taylor shouldn’t be close to a team leadership group and most shouldn’t be in the team.
Robertson’s greatest failing behind his obvious poor player management style, was trying to polish a turd that had been there for 8-9 years. Not completely cleaning house was a mistake. Now we are stuck in an awkward middle stage where the next coach will obviously pick a v similar squad, and we are kidding ourselves if the next 23 named isn’t 80-85% the same as it was on the EOYT. It will be one more year of settling in, one more year of wasted selections.
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The true Allblack healing will begin in the post Ardie and post Beaudy world.
Old favourites of mine, but they upset the balance of the forwards and backs respectively.
It's like when PSG had Messi, Mbappe and Neymar upfront.
Highlight reel players who didn't do any work off the ball.PSG got rid of them all and then won the champions league with young up and comers and industrious midfielders like Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:
Why not Foster was he not the head coach and ultimately responsible?
Presumably because the belief was that with stronger assistant coaches (i.e. Schmidt and Ryan) that they could turn things around. They went from losing a home series vs Ireland to knocking over Rassie's Boks at Ellis Park then knocking Ireland out of the World Cup. Foster also had the advantage of 8 years in the environment/test rugby etc compared to Razor coming in fresh.
Well it was a shit belief and the first warning signs NZ rugby had a Ardie Savea problem. They are full on flashing lights now.
