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@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
The rumours are getting more unbelivable every day.
Ardie will back in black in 2026 I have no doubt.He has free reign in the ABs to do what he likes.
Hitting rucks, mauls, tackling etc is for other chumps. As long as he's free to run the ball he'll have lots of good content for his socials in 26......
@george33 said in All Blacks 2026:
@MacDazzler Sam Casey also confirmed that it's very unlikely that Ardie Savea would play again under current AB coaches.
Care to elaborate further on this ? something definitely rotten in camp if this is the case.
Ardie is one of the best players in the world, well, according to TikTok and Instagram anyway.....
@Godder said in Ashes 2025/6:
Young men away on overseas work trip drank a lot. More news at 11...
Ironically, England largely lost the 1st test to Bazball, being Head's individual brilliance. Win that, scrape through the 5th test, and maybe it's a whole different conversation.
I'm not sure of the best way forward in all areas because it's not obvious to me that England have a stack of replacement players, captain or coaches ready to just step in and be as good. However, Rob Key sounds like a plonker and England could definitely sharpen up the fielding so maybe start there as an obvious "learning" and make Key the scapegoat.
I'm not sure how much the drinking was the issue, after all Beefy Botham put a hell of a lot away when he was winning the Ashes for England back in the day, although to be fair it was harder for him to keep the weight down and fight off the niggly injuries later in his career.....
I think the issue was England played only one way, and when the pressure was on that one way turned to shit.
@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:
It was pointed out Carse had one of the best strike rates on ashes series, 36 balls per wicket. He just went for a few runs. He seemed to bowl better in his later spells too which seemed to highlight he’s not really suited as an opening bowler. Does better when the ball is softer and older
Only other English bower who looked the goods was Tongue
Jofra to me is over rated. His record isn’t even that good. He improved before he broke down (again) but the series was already lost by thenFind it funny 9% who voted that combined team didn’t pick Head…
Duckett did have an excellent strike rate
Plus the name Travis Head is very silly and he looks like an 80s throwback. That's all I can think of.
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
Stokes - times his bowling entry - most heavy lifting is done by others.
well, that's their job. Stokes still bowled almost 20% of all their overs, as the 4th seamer, and that's without being fit enough to bowl in the final innings of the tour.
In this last test took the first two wickets of the Aus first innings.
First test ripped the entire middle order out to take 5
Bowled his fair share the rest of the time.
15 wickets at 25, the vast majority of those numbers 1-7.Weird take to get in to him about his bowling efforts on this tour. Batting? absolutely, but he busted his ass with the ball.
Stokes looked to have pretty much given up bowling a couple of years back but has definitely picked things up of late.
His numbers in both disciplines don't stack up to the truly great all rounders, ( probably better than Flintoff, not a patch on Beefy, particularly early Beefy ) but he is a big moment player. Bowled well this tour, a real let down with the bat ( although his top order sure didn't help in this department )
Most definitely worth his place in a combined team over Green.
@No-Quarter said in Ashes 2025/6:
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.It also shows the difference between the sides was coaching / gameplan rather than individual performances. McCullum has to wear this Ashes loss, it was his attack at all costs gameplan that cost them the first three matches.
Oh, and dropped catches. So many easy catches shelled that would have completed changed the course of every test.
When you're as bits and pieces at test level as Will Jacks is you need to be a shit hot fielder. That dropped catch was one of the biggest clangers I've ever seen.
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.
Skull is having none of this nonsense……
But seriously, you make a good point. Root and Stokes get in ( on bowling, not batting ), Brook deserves a shout and even Crawley despite a pair first test had his moments. Archer, Tongue and Carse all had fine spells too.
@KiwiMurph said in Ashes 2025/6:
Being punched and then fined 70k ?
That's a tough night out. Perhaps the bouncer didn't know who he was ?
Ricky Ponting came out of his issues ok though, maybe Brook will do the same......
Oz innings all over. England will need 183 just to get them to bat again which given the extremely hit or miss nature of their batting, Stokes being injured and the fact they look like they want to get on the first plane to Heathrow might be bloody tough for them.
Webster with some nice batting against tired bowlers this morning.
@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 England look so tired.
A month and a half on the piss in the Aussie summer will do that to a bloke
@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:
The England bowlers look utterly exhausted as the Aussie lead nears 100.
4-1 is going to be a fair reflection in the gulf in quality between these two teams.
Yeah a lead of near 100 is already looking tough. England could very easily be three or four down before they've even drawn level.
@sparky said in Where are they now?:
Stephen "the Walrus" Jones has retired after 42 years as Sunday Times Rugby Correspondent.
His final piece (behind a paywall) is every bit as self-laudatory as you could imagine.
I tried to read that and gave up.....when he's not trying to wind people up he's actually very boring.
Happy retirement Walrus.
@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:
It’s the Australia effect, how often do teams head over to Oz (us included) thinking they have a chance only to get pumped.
Only really India and South Africa play there well
It’s like when certain teams come over to play the All Blacks and lose before they even get onto the field ( I mean when we were good and had a decent coach….)
We've got no chance now that Doug Bracewell has retired.
Neser going ok in support of Head, I always love it when a nightwatchmen get runs.
