The Silver Fern

@Bovidae some head scratching decisions there.

Presently for me Fakatava is in the top three halfbacks in NZ. How Preston and Christie get ahead of him I can’t understand.

Lord is made from glass and needs game time. How he’s ahead of Darry just makes no sense to me.

I’m not opposed to Parker being in the mix. But no Papalii is just wild. He’s in my mind miles ahead of Jacobson or Kirifi.

Surprised Carter got in over JRK and frankly I’m not thrilled about it.

Mafelio is a truely baffling decision. Dyer, Ma’au and a few other props would have the inside running over him there from my perspective.

Hookers: Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Brodie McAlister
Props: Ethan de Groot, Tamaiti Williams, Ollie Norris, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi
Locks: Scott Barrett (capt), Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa’i, Fabian Holland
Loose forwards: Samipeni Finau, Ardie Savea, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Wallace Sititi, Luke Jacobson
Halfbacks: Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Noah Hotham
First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie
Midfielders: Anton Lienert-Brown, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea, Billy Proctor, Timoci Tavatavanawai
Outside backs: Caleb Clarke, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan, Ruben Love

Injury cover: Christian Lio-Willie (for Luke Jacobson), Emoni Narawa (for Anton Lienert-Brown)

Unavailable due to injury: Asafo Aumua, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Sam Darry, Peter Lakai, Stephen Perofeta.

Here we are team. Brodie Mcalastair the big bolter here.

Huge surprise to see a 28 year old hooker handed a place in the squad. Especially over Bell.

Thrilled that Razor's gone for some bold selections. No Havilli, Blackadder, Christie and Papalii are big calls but not ones I'm upset over.

On the other hand I'm stoked super rugby form has been rewarded and Big Jim and Kirifi got call ups.

Norris is a well deserved call up. And it's great to see Tupea back in Black.

Don't think Reece offers much over a few other wingers, but get why he's in the mix. Suspect we'll see him dropped for Finganuku later in the year.

@Bovidae It's wild to me how poorly handled Ayden Johnstone was. 122kg easily the most consistent scrummager perhaps behind De Groot we've had since Kane Hames and an absolute physical menace. With the right coaching easily could have been an All Black.

Daniel Lienert Brown suspended for three games with a chance to reduce to two through training programme.

Bender has said EDG & Ma’au are looking like they’re available for selection this weekend.

TUJ is signed through to 2026, Manson is too, Kneepkins confirmed to be extending but no length of contract known and Gilbert off contract.

@taniwharugby if I was Fakatava I'd be on the phone to my agent. Finding out you're seventh in line for All Blacks call up must be really frustrating. Especially after NZ rugby came out and called him a 'potential all black' when he signed on for two more years a few months back.

What a game! Excellent game management the last fifteen from Otago.

@antipodean we've spent a long time wasting and poorly developing depth.

Harry Plummer, Otere Black and Fergus Burke all went overseas right on the cusp of National Selection. Probably in part because they didn't see a realistic pathway to game time.

Brett Cameron and Stephen Perfoeta should absolutely both have more caps than they do - if nothing else just to build depth. Josh Ioane if wasn't....well Josh Ioane should have too. Zarn Sullivan is intently talented and should be being developed into a long term 10/15 and yet can't even get game time at the Blues.

Bryn Gatland Mitch Hunt. Kaleb Trask. Rivez Reihana are/ were all solid Super rugby squad members. Maybe not starting first fives but not the sort of players we want to be losing. Hunt and Gatland are already gone, and I can't see a scenario where Trak and Reihana stay long term.

Highlanders invested in Freddie Burns and Rhys Patchell. While both were solid players (more so Patchell than Burns) I strongly feel any one of the above first fives would have been a better fit for the team than looking overseas.

Then the young generation - Aidan Morgan, AJ Falefaga, Cam Millar and Taine Robinson all seem to be young players thrown to the wolves too early for one reason or another.

In fact of Harry Godfry Lucas Cashmore, Taha Kemara and Josh Jacomb only two of the four have looked consistently comfortable at super rugby level and all needed to be developed more than they were before shoved into starting roles. (Cashmore probably an outlier here as he hasn't seen that much gametime).

Looking past 2027 I fear for our future. I can' see Perofeta sticking around if he gets limited game time which seems likely. I like the look of Jacomb but feel he might need another season. I fear they'll rush him into the team at the expense of Perofeta.

So come 2028 who do we have? Damian Mckenzie and possibly Josh Jacomb. Maybe Ruben love if he get's developed as a 10. An injury to Damian Mckeznie and we have a serious problem.

Also given our season is over. Do we need a new thread for 2026 Season?

@akan004 could be they're holding spots for Tangitau and Parker?

Death, Taxes and a DLB penalty.

@Bones yup as an injury replacement got a couple of games for each Franchise from memory. He was an injury replacement / transfer to the Bulls in 2009 when they won the title and won a second title with the highlanders in 2015. The ultimate journeyman.

Outside of Vikenna felt everyone else had a phenomenal game. Huge ticker and unlucky not to get the win.

EDG had an exceptional game. Feel like when he's in a leadership role he goes up a level. Taylor had his best game in a Landers jersey. Telea was a monster and Robinson a few errors aside had a great game. I think Lowe probably earned himself a contract extension with that performance too. Lennox performed well on the wing too.

Huge shame we've lost Nareki for next week. I'd throw Caution to the wind and gave Mason another shot. Put Bell on the bench for Vikenna. Other than than that I'd probably keep things pretty similar.

Haha Sampini Finau's never met a ten he doesn't like to put a late shot on.

@upthelanders based on his performances after 2021 you would hope not.

@Jet The Stuff Article has a link to Suicide Hotline. They didn't list it for CGB which was a medical emergency death but did for Saun Wainui. So my assumption is yes, it is what we think it is.

@nostrildamus it's an odd one. Supposedly NZ Rugby really went out of their way to retain him just a few months ago, even make some serious noises that he was in the All Blacks picture...only for Razor to go...six or seven halfbacks deep and not select him. Can't get my head around it. Maybe there's something we don't know, but equally hard to not feel he's been hard done by.

@jimmyb my guess is they want a young lock for the future. Hence the rumours on here that they chased Dylan Eti and Fiti Sa. If Dunshea and Lavinini both head overseas next year that leaves thin depth behind Holland. It’s handy having Crib and Tengblad studying under those two for a season before they’re gone.