I think the point is Dan54, frankly the team is in a different spot than it was under Hansen.
Given how they went against Boks, Ireland and France last year, plus Super form so far this year - there's a real case to be made that there should be a real cleanout in the ABs and new blood should be brought in.
I don't expect it to happen yet mind you but there's an awful lot of ABs from last year that based on both their test form and Super form in the last 12 months look either past it, or just not up to it.
I expect Fozzie to roll with basically the same squad through to the RWC 2023 but that doesn't mean that those calling for change are wrong.
There are quite a lot of impediments to AB improvements.
1) is the innate 4-year WC cycle. With the WC next year, Foz is very unlikely to get the sack. So we're stuck with him, even though 2020 was bad, and 2021 saw us lose to the truly top teams. Our record is upheld by playing the Aussies multiple times, and also a lot of commercial matches.
2) there is an argument for everything. AB coaches tend to be more defensive, not without logic because of people have different views on how the ABs should play and who should be playing. But if we fuck up, we can always go with "we're building combinations"; "remember 2009? We got pumped by the Boks but won the WC in 2011"; or worse, "we've been disrupted by Covid (even though every other country also has)". No matter what, there is always an ostensibly reasonable argument
3) Inertia on the biggest names. Codie Taylor is complete smuck these days. Complete smuck. Laulala is a lazy fucker who isn't even that hard. Whitelock looks like he has clocked too many KMs in the engine - and for some reason he never runs onto the ball, he's always taking it standing still; Retallick looks worse than his rookie year. Moody is always moody. half the backs still can't tackle, but are you going to drop Smith or Mouanga or Jordan? The big names have more leeway.
4) "if you're so great why aren't you the AB coach?" For some reason, a good number of kiwis are often quite defensive of the ABs. After years of winning everything, it has become unfathomable that we might not win many things.
It's a tough job to be an AB coach. You're always expected to win. That's just not possible.
But at least show us you have made improvements. You have thought it through, you have a plan, you have developed and diversified.
No. Since 2017, we still try to out-pass a rush defense even though it does not work.
We're still shite at generating forward momentum in the tight.
We still do not rush on defense, ceding ground for line integrity, and then losing more ground because we're weak in contact.
We have no real imagination on attack. the flyhalf doesn't loop, there are no decoys. We just try to get it to the wing.
We still have the 2 forward side-by-side pod system, where, invariably the rush swallows, pushing us behind the gainline.
We rightfully dumped Owen Franks because he can't carry. But the props still can't carry. Has anyone seen Furlong, Genge, Baille or Kitschoff?
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