Rugby Championship 2025 (non-Aus matches)

[Dismal Pillock]

All Blacks so far

Worst backline ABs have put on the field in the professional era
3 halfbacks injured
Most ill discipline team in TRC
Two first fives consist of one guy 7-8 years past his prime and another guy who is known for folding in big games.
Wrong player as captain.

Razor is in a REAL pickle now. It's his precious trusted "senior" players who have got him into this mess, against the supposedly "lesser" teams. Now its up to them to bail him out vs the big boys. Would be a massive copout to biff Narawa, Carter etc in there now. They lose and its all their fault, capped and scrapped, the tenured senior players sidle back into the fray.....

 

[Blue]

So we are going to argue over who is the shittiest of the shit right now.

Both teams seem to be stuck in no-man's land for different reasons.

AB's have not deviated much from how we are used to them playing, but it seems like they lack the personnel in key positions for whatever reason, and I have never seen to many errors from them, especially under the high ball and on turnover ball where they have always been so clinical. And usually they rely on their gamebreakers like Jordan and Barret to do something spevial when it is really needed, and we are not seeing that. Then DMAc comes on and looks like he is trying too hard. Weird. Something is not right.

The Boks introduced a different way of playing last year that looked a zillion dollars when it worked. I think they were complacent and arrogant, in their own heads, and overplayed, forgetting about the basics. There are lots of reasons for this but coaches are mainly to blame.

But then it seems like Rassie decided early in the season that he will rotate a lot. Problem is, many of the younger players in rotation are injured. He has now been forced to fall back on the old core group and some of them look like it is one season too far. The injury list to the guys he would have given more exposure to is pretty bad, but we keep hearing about all this depth, yet here we are. Falling back on old players.

People in SA don't want to hear this but are waking up to the reality that the end-of-year tour is going to HAVE to be focused on rebuilding. Going into the first test on that tour with an average age of 32+ would set the Boks' chances in 2027 back significantly.

For now it is about Eden Park, but change HAS to come after that game.

 

[Blue]

AB back row balance does not look right. what to do?

Surely you have better wingers available? Why not Narawa? Ricko not convincing, I may yet eat muy words, he and Reece play well against us.

Proctor looks military medium, which needs a super bouncy track or goes for three figures. I will not be surpirsed if Ricko start at 13.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Four players previously ruled out by injury named in the Springboks NZ touring party:

Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.

Backs: Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse.

Boks skipper Kolisi to return from injury against All Blacks

The loose forward has made South Africa's touring squad after recovering from a knee injury.

www.1news.co.nz

 

[Blue]

Likely starting 23:
Willie, Cheslin, Canan
Kriel, Damien
Pollard, Williams

JLDP
du Toit, Kolisi
Nortje, Etsebeth
Ox, Marx, Louw

JH Wessels, vd Merwe, Thomas the Tank, Snyman, v Staden, Kwagga, Reinach, SashaFM

 

[KiwiM]

Razor is in a REAL pickle now. It's his precious trusted "senior" players who have got him into this mess, against the supposedly "lesser" teams. Now its up to them to bail him out vs the big boys. Would be a massive copout to biff Narawa, Carter etc in there now. They lose and its all their fault, capped and scrapped, the tenured senior players sidle back into the fray.....

There's a short term solution staring him right in the face for Eden Park

11 Clarke 14 Jordan 15 Jordie.

That's the best high ball back 3 the ABs can put out there and isn't throwing a rookie into the fire.

Jordie spent time at 15 in Ireland over the past 12 months.

 

[KiwiM]

Finally - some people are starting to call out the shambles that is the AB backs.

'Half-hearted': Israel Dagg criticises All Black winger's performance

The back three had it's struggles against Argentina in Buenos Aires, especially under the high ball, after the home side put continuous pressure on Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece and Will Jordan throughout the game.

www.rugbypass.com

Former All Black winger Israel Dagg has criticised Rieko Ioane’s performance against Argentina, especially his effort on the kick chase and in the air.

“You look at our chases at the moment, and Rieko, this isn’t a plot on him as a person, but he just can’t get up and chase and put pressure on the ball, like you look at him and he’s getting up and he’s kind of just half hearted into the into the jump,” Dagg said on Sport Nation’s Breakfast with Scotty & Izzy.

“He’s not winning it, he’s not brave, he’s not courageous, and he’s not getting up and trying to put a knee in the bloke, like, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
When Scotty Stevenson asks Dagg whether it’s Ioane’s pace that’s the issue, or a lack of effort, the 66-Test former All Black is convinced he still has the pace at Test level.

“No, it’s not the pace, you just have to want to get up and yeah, it’s gonna hurt, you’re gonna be putting your body in a position that it’s not accustomed to and potentially you can go very, very, very wrong,” Dagg said on Sport Nation.
“You’re going to go to hurt your bum, and you’re going to hurt your back, and you’re going to fall in some awkward places, but for the better of the team, you’ve just got to have to do it.

“And right now, we aren’t going up with any confidence, we’re not going up with any physicality, and we’re just getting beaten on the punch, on the high pool, and it’s so important right now in the game of rugby, the kick Chase is a genuine contest now, because escorters are gone.

“It’s a 50-50 play, and right now it’s a 70-30 play, because opposition would have seen that and it’s gonna continue to come throughout the rest of the year and if we do not fix that, it’s gonna be a difficult season.”
“Argentina, they kicked really well, they weren’t kicking it too long, and I think that’s the problem at the moment. from our own kicks, we are kicking it too long and there’s not enough height on it.

“So you’re not giving our chasers a genuine option to get up and disrupt, I’ve got to be completely honest, there’s only one bloke there at the back at the moment they can catch high ball, and you’re relying heavily on a Will Jordan to get up and and do what’s asked of him.”

 

[Blue]

There's a short term solution staring him right in the face for Eden Park

11 Clarke 14 Jordan 15 Jordie.

That's the best high ball back 3 the ABs can put out there and isn't throwing a rookie into the fire.

Jordie spent time at 15 in Ireland over the past 12 months.

who at 12 then? Lienert Brown or Tupaiah (sp)

 

[Linerunner2023]

who at 12 then? Lienert Brown or Tupaiah (sp)

Timoci would be the best option at 12

 

[KiwiM]

who at 12 then? Lienert Brown or Tupaiah (sp)

Tupaea.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

There's a short term solution staring him right in the face for Eden Park

11 Clarke 14 Jordan 15 Jordie.

That's the best high ball back 3 the ABs can put out there and isn't throwing a rookie into the fire.

Jordie spent time at 15 in Ireland over the past 12 months.

Is Clarke match-fit tho?

 

[Dan54]

Is Clarke match-fit tho?

I haven't heard WOB, and would they start him after bugger all rugby?
I admit 3 days after they cocked up a bit on weekend, I don't really think there will be big changes, a couple I think, and like Kiwi's suggestion, but would mean a fairly radical change of style?

 

[Dan54]

Just heard Clarke has been released to play NPC this weekend, so sounds like they getting some game time in his legs!

 

[KiwiM]

Is Clarke match-fit tho?

Auckland put out a graphic last week that he was 1-2 weeks away so expected him to play this weekend and I can see he has been released by the ABs for Auckland.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

ps I think it must be a contractual obligation at Stuff to have a story on Ruby Tui every single day. Doesnt matter what she's done.

"Ruby Tui has a good game"
"Ruby Tui has opinion on matter"
"Ruby Tui this"
"Ruby Tui that"