New Zealand Rugby Team Watch

[Dismal Pillock]

yeah Taufua just looks too small. Du Toit looks like he would run right the fuck over the top of him and laugh while he cried.​

Still, never really know till he gets a burl​

re; Luatua, YESS! Who knew that wandering around crying into the grey driving rain of the Bristol Parks Bogs & Park Rec Centre in front of 78 cheesecuttered old gits could be so bereft of World Cup glory.​

So long and thanx for the 2 or 3 memories of something or other, Squire. ​

​

after everyone else breaks down, NZ will go into RWC with​

6 Luatua
7 Blake Gibson
8 Akira

already looking forward to a blazing flames burnout 1/8-final exit, BLUES-STYLE BAYBAY​

​

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

According to stuff.co.nz there's 61 active ex-AB in various parts of the Rugby world, including 14 still or about to be playing in NZ:

OVERSEAS-BASED EX-ALL BLACKS

FRANCE (23): Joe Rokocoko (68 tests, Racing 92), Jerome Kaino (83, Toulouse), Neemia Tialata 43, Narbonne), Rudi Wulf (4, Lyon), Hosea Gear (15, Narbonne), Jamie Mackintosh (1, Pau), Colin Slade (21, Pau), Tom Taylor (3, Pau), Benson Stanley (3, Pau) Liam Messam (43, Toulon), Victor Vito (33, La Rochelle), Aaron Cruden (50, Montpellier), Julian Savea (54, Toulon), Charlie Faumuina (50, Toulouse), Tawera Kerr-Barlow (27, La Rochelle), Frank Halai (1, Pau), Dominic Bird (2, Racing 92), Malakai Fekitoa (24, Toulon), George Moala (4, Clermont), Isaia Toeava (35, Clermont), Charlie Ngatai (4, Lyon), Seta Tamanivalu (5, Bordeaux-Begles), Zac Guildford (11, Nevers). TOTAL CAPS: 584.

JAPAN (11): Andy Ellis (28 tests, Kobelco Steelers), Richard Kahui (17, Toshiba Brave Lupus), Isaac Ross (8, NTT Shining Arcs), Tamati Ellison (4, Ricoh Black Rams), Rene Ranger (4, Sunwolves), Israel Dagg (66, Canon Eagles), Augustine Pulu (2, Hino Red Dolphins), Elliot Dixon (3, Black Ricoh Rams), Dan Carter (112, Kobelco Steelers), Mose Tuiali'i (9, Yamaha), Stephen Donald (24, NEC Green Rockets). TOTAL CAPS: 277.

ENGLAND (9): John Afoa (36 tests, Bristol), Ben Franks (47, Northampton), Bryn Evans (2, Sale), Charles Piutau (16, Bristol), Francis Saiili (2, Harlequins), Steven Luatua (14, Bristol), Scott Hamilton (2, Hinckley), Lima Sopoaga (18, Wasps), Sam Tuitupou (9, Coventry). TOTAL CAPS: 146.

IRELAND (1) : Alby Mathewson (5, Munster). TOTAL CAPS: 5.

SCOTLAND (1): Lelia Masaga (1, Glasgow). TOTAL CAPS: 1.

AUSTRALIA (1) : Jeremy Thrush (11, Western Force). TOTAL CAPS: 11.

WALES (1): Regan King (1, Neath). TOTAL CAPS: 1.

FORMER ALL BLACKS (14) STILL BASED IN NEW ZEALAND (not including the current 2018 squad)

Brendon Leonard (13 tests, Taranaki), Tanerau Latimer (6, Bay of Plenty), Wyatt Crockett (71, Tasman), Mike Delany (1, Bay of Plenty), Jarrod Hoeata (3, Taranaki), Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen (1, Wellington/Hurricanes), James Parsons (2, North Harbour), Matt Duffie (2 non-test games), North Harbour/Blues), Brad Weber (1, Hawke's Bay/Chiefs), Kane Hames (9, Chiefs), Atu Moli (1 non-test game, Chiefs), Akira Ioane (1 non-test game, Auckland/Blues), Hika Elliot (4, Tamatea club, Hawke's Bay), Ma'a Nonu (103, Blues). TOTAL CAPS: 214.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...1-exall-blacks-still-playing-around-the-world

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Joe Moody has re-signed for four years:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12148454

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Bender reportedly looking at seven months in France post-RWC before heading to Japan; NM-S, Crotty & sundry others potentially also France- and/or Japan-bound:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...rskudder-close-to-signing-with-toulon--report

Whitelock & Retallick likely to be given sabbaticals but non-playing & not at the same time (rock/ paper/ scissors for dibs?)

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12149492

 

[dbcooper]

Mitre 10 Cup: Akira Ioane 'sticking it' to All Blacks selectors after snub - Grant Fox

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

KRead gives the strongest indication yet that he'll head o/s after RWC:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...an-read-set-to-step-down-after-2019-world-cup

Also has implications for the timing, nature & duration of SWhitelock's sabbatical assuming he's still the preferred successor to Read & re-commits post-RWC.

 

[zer0]

Whitelock should've been captain after McCaw. He has that 'f*ck you we're gonna win no matter what style is required' attitude. As for post-2019, I assume Cane will stand in while Whitelock is on sabbatical.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Interesting fact: in the last three seasons AB have used all their subs in every match, the only Tier 1 side to have done so:

https://infogram.com/test-rugby-unused-subs-since-2016-1h7g6k70v5je4oy

From a Marc Hinton article that reads like he's part of AB PR dep't rather than a journo:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...ise-their-bench-to-press-home-their-advantage

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

This being Armistice Day the NZHerald have run a piece on the 13 AB killed in WW1:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12158107

Still staggering to think we lost 18,000 men from a population of not much more than 1.5 million.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Sam Cane has another six weeks in a neck brace & no firm date for a return to rugby other than maybe the last four or five Rounds of Super Rugby:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12163045

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Joe Schmidt appears to have ruled himself out of being the next AB coach, announcing that he he has "decided to finish coaching", and "will prioritise family commitments after the RWC in 2019".

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12166597

Foster must now be odds-on to succeed Shag.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Some former Irish player I don't think I ever heard of before, citing Goldie & Marshall as his sources, reckons Foster is a shoo-in & Shag will become Director of Rugby:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167080

 

[Dan54]

Some former Irish player I don't think I ever heard of before, citing Goldie & Marshall as his sources, reckons Foster is a shoo-in & Shag will become Director of Rugby:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167080

Alan Quinlan is quite good at revealing the odd secret about other teams, only trouble is the only ones I read were not actually correct.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Midi Olympique reporting that Racing 92 are offering KRead €1.2Mn per season post-RWC:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...y-offered-2-million-per-season-by-french-club

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ I've been pondering how Read will be regarded once he's no longer an AB:

As an AB 8 I think he'll be in most people's top-5. I'd rate him behind Zinny but ahead of Mex, Buck, Sir BJ & So'oialo.

As an AB captain I think even if he were to hoist the Cup next year he'll never be as venerated as GOAT, Fitzy*, Buck, Whineray or Mourie.

* for the life of me I can't picture Read assembling the troops in the dead-ball area while a conversion is being taken & saying "let's not make cu**s of ourselves....": not sure what came next 'cos for some reason they lost the feed from that particular mic

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Shag has allegedly been offered a two-year extension:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12169144

Could mean they're not convinced about Foster and/ or don't want to be going into the coaching market at the same time as (at least) Straya & Wales.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Read
As an AB captain I think even if he were to hoist the Cup next year he'll never be as venerated as GOAT, Fitzy*, Buck, Whineray or Mourie.

http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/list_of_captains.html?id=8;type=team​

​

interesting how few there have really been, 10 plus outings​

​

semantics to separate, a rough ranking:​

​

1 Mccaw 97 and 11. (is this right? I thought McMurder won 100+ as AB captain?)​

2 D.Kirk 9 and 2. jesus, thats not even a single whole AB season these days. sounds bizarre to rank him alltime #2 but he did do the business for RWC#1​

3 Buck 13 and 0​

4 Fitzy 39 and 11 SA96 was historic but ffs 11 losses?​

5 Reuben Thorne 20 and 3. naturally, suitcase quietly sleepwalks his way to a brilliant fucking record​

6 Tana 18 and 3​

7 Read 37 and 5​

8 Mourie 14 and 4. venerated, yes, as W.O said, but 14 and 4?​

9 Dalton 15 and 2. great record but pretty much whitewashed from history c/o the epic exploits of D.Kirk. Plus Dalton's mega-tardry in buttfucking the Blues franchise for half of recorded fucking history is a pitch-black mark, srsly fuck this guy​

10 G.Whetton 12 and 3.​

11 Anton Oliver 8 and 2​

12 Todd Slackbladder 7 and 3​

13 Taine Randell 12 and 9. LOLL​

​

old timers some anorak can insert into rankings;​

​

Whineray 22 and 5​

Lochore 15 and 3​

 

[zer0]

Shag has allegedly been offered a two-year extension:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12169144

Could mean they're not convinced about Foster and/ or don't want to be going into the coaching market at the same time as (at least) Straya & Wales.

I agree that it doesn't bode well for Foster, but I'm not so sure about this. Assuming they'd be competing for whichever NZ coaches, NZR would be in the prime position by the simple virtue of being NZR. I don't know about Wales, but RA wouldn't be able to afford the huge amounts of money it'd likely require to pull Rennie or Cotter, for example, away from a vacant AB HC position. If gunning for a NZ coach at the same time as NZR, RA's best bet in such a situation would be to get one of the overlooked candidates, as they did with Deans. And that's assuming any would even want to go to Australia, after seeing what happened with Deans.

If this situation does eventuate, my best hope is that two years will be long enough to satisfy Schmidt's desire for more family time, and he'll take over 2022.

EDIT: And Wayne Pivac will be taking over Wales after the RWC, so there would be even less competition.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Tew denies that Shag's been offered an extension, or that a DOR role is being created to keep him around:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...g-decision-there-is-no-director-of-rugby-role

 

[Dan54]

Tew denies that Shag's been offered an extension, or that a DOR role is being created to keep him around:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/a...g-decision-there-is-no-director-of-rugby-role

Well what a surprise another supposed Quinlan leak that's not correct, how did that happen?? Why oh why do people take notice of these supposed leaks that get thrown up now and then is beyond me!!