New Zealand Rugby Team Watch

[Dismal Pillock]

I see Razor and his anti-Blues cantab cronies have got their "Operation Fuck The All-Conquering Auckland Blues And Fuck Their Stupid Terrifying Killdozer, 53% Is Good Enough For Us" plan coming along nicely.

Out of the XXIII:

Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Patrick Tuipulotu
Dalton Papali’i
Akira Ioane
Hoskins Sotutu
Harry Plummer
Stephen Perofeta
Mark Tele’a

 

[Bullrush]

I see Razor and his anti-Blues cantab cronies have got their "Operation Fuck The All-Conquering Auckland Blues And Fuck Their Stupid Terrifying Killdozer, 53% Is Good Enough For Us" plan coming along nicely.

Out of the XXIII:

Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Patrick Tuipulotu
Dalton Papali’i
Akira Ioane
Hoskins Sotutu
Harry Plummer
Stephen Perofeta
Mark Tele’a

Ofa - a guy who I like - but I get it. I can live with his non-selection.
Tuipulotu - not even on the bench but I guess the guy who is taking that spot is also a Blues player. ScoBar to 6 with Tuipulotu and Vaa'i at 2nd row with Darry on the bench?
Papali'i - over Cane? Yes. I think Jacobsen gets the nod cos he can cover all 3? Maybe? But is that necessary when Savea can play 7 and 8 plus Sititi can play 6 and 8. I still think Papali'i would make a good 6.
Ioane - hasn't shown up in his chances against teams like SA. Would probably bully Australia but will he do the hard yards against SA, Eng, Ire etc? Is also not gonna be around so I get it.
Sotutu - I had the same complaint with Hoskins as I did with Ioane but after his Super Rugby season, he deserves another shot.
Plummer - Yes. Not every fkn back has to be the second coming of Carlos Spencer. A guy who has a calm head, makes good decisions and is fundamentally sound is often what the great backlines need.
Perofeta - Yes. Let's get him minutes please.
Tele'a - Yes. With Caleb Clarke, best wing pairing in Super Rugby. Why do we need to keep splitting them up?

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Moses Leo who was rapidly becoming a fixture in the AB7's has signed with Melbourne Storm but will see out his NZR contract & switch during the off-season

 

[Linerunner2023]

I don’t think the team is going forward with razor at all
As it’s been mentioned they need retalick, frizell, mounga and smith back
Sitili looks like a gem in the making
Again another fast start to fall away in the 2nd half
Caleb Clarke has sown up the left wing
2 disallowed tries, 3 McKenzie stuffed or forward pass and held up - abs should have won that one by 40

 

[Dismal Pillock]

The 2024 EOYT is shaping up to be an epochal shitshow.

100 years of grind and toil to build the precious "brandwank" platform, and the country is about to be rendered a laughing stock. Even Japan will be smelling the blood in the water against these mental midgets.

I don’t think the team is going forward with razor at all

Razor would appear to have zero clues after the first 25 minutes. Those Cantab teams are looking more and more like Whitelock and Co were the ones in charge ffs

 

[drewprint]

Yeah but he can breakdance though so that’s pretty cool!

 

[Bullrush]

I don’t think the team is going forward with razor at all
As it’s been mentioned they need retalick, frizell, mounga and smith back
Sitili looks like a gem in the making
Again another fast start to fall away in the 2nd half
Caleb Clarke has sown up the left wing
2 disallowed tries, 3 McKenzie stuffed or forward pass and held up - abs should have won that one by 40

Why would we halt the necessary improvement and development of guys like Ratima and Vaa'i to bring back Smith and Rettalick? The worst thing DMac did on Saturday was the stupid back flick offload instead of just giving a simple pass. I would drop him based on that more than anything else. The backrow looks pretty good in it's development with Savea and Sititi - IMO, it's time to drop Cane and get to work with either Blackadder or maybe even S Barrett at 6.

Savea should be 7 and captain, Tuipulotu in the 2nd row with Vaa'i and Darry on the bench.

Looking forward to seeing Plummer get a run at 10 after DMac's show boat antics on Saturday with that pass.

 

[KiwiM]

Chay Fihaki called up as cover for the ABs

He had a decent season but jeez players from other franchises must be getting annoyed at Crusader after Crusader getting called up.

 

[Derpus]

Chay Fihaki called up as cover for the ABs

He had a decent season but jeez players from other franchises must be getting annoyed at Crusader after Crusader getting called up.

Where Blues lol

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Chay Fihaki called up as cover for the ABs

He had a decent season but jeez players from other franchises must be getting annoyed at Crusader after Crusader getting called up.

I'm not even going to tally up the list of players he's leapfrogged over to get that call.

Nanai Seturo.

Zarn Sullivan ffs.

Spike Razor with some truth serum and I half think he'd say "oh yeah nah Chay's a good kid to have around, plus his number was still in my phone from my Crusader days....."

 

[Wilson]

I for one would like to congratulate Fihaki on his rapid rise to the ABs. I look forward to seeing him start on the wing in place of Caleb Clarke on Saturday.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

I for one would like to congratulate Fihaki on his rapid rise to the ABs. I look forward to seeing him start on the wing in place of Caleb Clarke on Saturday.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Scott Robertson names his first All Black test side of 2025.

--July 2025--

After last years disastrous Northern tour where the All Blacks lost all 5 of their matches including first-ever test match losses to Japan and Italy, the underfire coach has named a new look side for the first test of the season

1 Tamaiti Williams
2 Codie Taylor
3 Fletcher Newell
4 Quinten Strange "He did a fine job for me back in my days coaching the Crusaders"
5 Scott Barrett
6 Ethan Blackadder
7 Tom Christie "He's a good honest bloke. I used to coach him for the Crusaders you know"
8 Ardie Savea. "Ardie for now I suppose but Cullen Grace will soon come into the starting side."
9 Noah Hotham
10 David Havili "I've always liked David's utility value, I'm sure he will do a fine job at 1st 5"
11 Macca Springer "He's an exciting talent isnt he!"
12 Dallas Mcleod. "Dallas has All Black experience you know. His experience will prove invaluable when playing for the All Blacks"
13 Levi Aumua. "He's a real handful isnt he."
14 Sevu Reece
15 Chay Fihaki. "I had his number in my phone from my Crusader days and now here he is! Funny how life works isnt it"

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Used to be I would grimace and wince through morbid Auckland Blues seasons, laden as they were with exasperating losses (all the while they were trotting out Mealamu and Kaino and Charlie Faumiani and Tony Woodcock and god knows how many other top flight AB's who were chalking up the losses in Blue like they were collectable pokemon cards or some shit) and then once that horror show was done, yay, now I get to relax and sit back and cheer on a winning team, you know, the New Zealand Rugby Football All Blacks.

.....but the last 4 years thats flipped completely.

The Blues campaign is the glorious season of contentment then, once thats done, the dread sets in like the Sunday evening before a job you hate, yep, time to fret and whinge through yet another shitshow of an All Blacks season, replete with its provincially-suspect selection chicanery and tenured "senior" players self-serving preservation agendas.

 

[zer0]

Feel like shit. Just want the killdozer back.

Chay Fihaki called up as cover for the ABs

He had a decent season but jeez players from other franchises must be getting annoyed at Crusader after Crusader getting called up.

With Fihaki's addition, by my count there's now 11 Crusaders, 9 Chiefs, 8 Hurricanes, 8 Blues, and 1 Highlander. Which is, quite frankly, complete bullshit.

I accepted that there would be teething issues embedding new systems and all that but I honestly wasn't expecting this sort of brain dead selection nonsense. The one that really grates is the Olympic gold medal mental gymnastics about how 29 is too old for a high performing front-rower but no issue for a decrepit loose forward, a middling utility back, or when selecting the fullback you want to force into 10 to build your entire attack around.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

even that fairweather cantab Loosehead Len is in the Herald today baying for Harry Plummer

 

[zer0]

Problem is that Robertson is trying to play the same game he does/did with Mo'unga and Plummer will not fit that razzmatazz style.

If there's a change it will probably just be Beauden to 10. Even worse, Robertson may insist that he play there for the Blues.

 

[KiwiM]

Another Crusader for Razor's merry band
https://www.msn.com/en-au/channel/s...1&cvid=b9d83d596916470e9d38093e4462ed43&ei=15

Leicester Fainga’anuku set for All Blacks’ return​

According to a report by the respected French publication Midi Olympique, Fainga’anuku will return to New Zealand at the end of the 2024/25 season.
This would likely make him eligible for the All Blacks again ahead of the 2025 November internationals unless New Zealand Rugby make an exception for him.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Another Crusader for Razor's merry band

"Ruben Love and Billy Proctor? Yeah nah sorry, didnt watch Super Rugby, form down at that level counts for nothing, this is test rugby you know, plus I don't know how to speak to foreign players not from Canterbury, let me get Dave Havili and Richie and Leicester on the line, maybe Georgie Bridge too, and Dallas Mcleod, look, they're all great guys, none of this North Island Auckland Blues saatchi and saatchi wanker bullshit"

 

[Dismal Pillock]

NZRFU stage Scott Robertson intervention.

--Nov 2025--

In an extraordinary general meeting the NZRFU voted to stage an intervention and remove Scott Robertson from his post as All Blacks coach effective immediately.

"It's his own fault, he went completely overboard trying to shoehorn all his old Cantab pals in while ignoring all the rising talent in NZ especially anyone with even the vaguest connection to the hated all-conquering Auckland Blues so despised by himself and his Cantab assistant coach buddies" said one unnamed ex-assistant coach.

"After bringing back his friends Richie Mounga, Big Les, Georgie Bridge and recalling Davie Havili the final straw was when he dropped Oddjob Aumua and named Corey Flynn as reserve hooker. When he came out with 'Corey's a good bloke, his throwing is still solid, he's a good man in the Cantab community, I trust him' we decided to intervene on the grounds of clinical medical rugby insanity."

Dalton Papali’i, Billy Proctor, Ruben Love, Zarn Sullivan, Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu were all unavailable for comment.