Another chance to be a broken record about our idiotic media

"The 25 year old's return sees Wallace Sititi demoted to the bench"

Sititi has NOT been demoted. Repeat, NOT demoted, he has been put on the bench because he is an absolute fucking weapon for us at the back end of the game. You know, the part of the game where matches are won and lost? If he had been DEMOTED as this absurd article suggests, we wouldn't be fucking trusting him with winning us the game at the end would we!!

Jesus H Christ when will these idiots learn that modern rugby is a 23 man game?!?

TSF is essentially an island of rugby reason in a sea of idiots

@No-Quarter said in England Vs All Blacks:

Another chance to be a broken record about out idiotic media

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"The 25 year old's return sees Wallace Sititi demoted to the bench"

Sititi has NOT been demoted. Repeat, NOT demoted, he has been put on the bench because he is an absolute fucking weapon for us at the back end of the game. You know, the part of the game where matches are won and lost? If he had been DEMOTED as this absurd article suggests, we wouldn't be fucking trusting him with winning us the game at the end would we!!

Jesus H Christ when will these idiots learn that modern rugby is a 23 man game?!?

The week after a bench player got man of the match and essentially was the match winner.

Most of them wanted Mackenzie promoted to start as a result. Same reason Beauden and Ardie have been shoehorned into the starting 15, unbalancing it for years when they were the two best bench/impact players in the world.

@No-Quarter the media love a victim or scapegoat and using emotive language even if it is way off what is reality.

Given Sititi has been used in this role during the year, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him again off the bench.

I guess if it goes pear shape with Parker this journo has already written his post game article….

@Nepia said in England Vs All Blacks:

The oddest feeling about seeing this team is that even when I'm not happy with a team I'm confident we're going to win. I looked at this, which isn't much different than a lot our teams this year (when I've been confident we're going to win) and I instantly thought we're gonna lose this one. Hopefully my pessimism is hugely misplaced.

England at Twickenham is rarely easy. I think this was always likely to be the trickiest assignment on this tour, given we played the Irish on neutral territory.

Looking at the injury ward: Clarke, (the forgotten) Narawa, JBarrett, Hotham, Tuipolotu, Vaa'i, Aumua and Lomax.

Most of these guys would have played a role in this game - plus a few others like Norris and 2TVs probably a bit less likely.

@No-Quarter said in England Vs All Blacks:

Another chance to be a broken record about out idiotic media

View embedded content

"The 25 year old's return sees Wallace Sititi demoted to the bench"

Sititi has NOT been demoted. Repeat, NOT demoted, he has been put on the bench because he is an absolute fucking weapon for us at the back end of the game. You know, the part of the game where matches are won and lost? If he had been DEMOTED as this absurd article suggests, we wouldn't be fucking trusting him with winning us the game at the end would we!!

Jesus H Christ when will these idiots learn that modern rugby is a 23 man game?!?

Yup, we’ve (Ferners) realised it, the smart teams have realised it and one of the trends of 2025 is that it is creeping into mainstream/casual fan rugby thinking. Looks like Stuff journalists are missing the trend!

FFS Borthwick is deliberately putting 4 of his better players on the bench for the last 20 mins. Players who are highly probable to be better than their starting equivalents. SAF has been playing around with the optimal bench composition for years – and they have the requisite squad buy-in to do it.

@Chris-B yeah that's right everyones favorite Ta$man player TT would've been ideal for the bench this weekend had he not been injured, he would've gave Henry a right lesson

@MN5 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Landers92 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@MN5 yes, still a pinch. Just passing on the reasoning.

Yeah but they have three guys who can cover 12 in Tupea, LF and Ardie. I'd prefer Ioane there to cover centre and wing with that added dynamism that ALB lacks.

Yeah for sure, I’m not defending it, just simply stating why he’s there. It makes me wonder if Big Jim was healthy, would he be on the bench in a situation like this.

@Landers92 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@MN5 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Landers92 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@MN5 yes, still a pinch. Just passing on the reasoning.

Yeah but they have three guys who can cover 12 in Tupea, LF and Ardie. I'd prefer Ioane there to cover centre and wing with that added dynamism that ALB lacks.

Yeah for sure, I’m not defending it, just simply stating why he’s there. It makes me wonder if Big Jim was healthy, would he be on the bench in a situation like this.

No doubt about it with Jordie out.

@Chris-B if all fit I think what these coaches would go with

9- Cam
10- Beaudie
11- Clarke
12- Jordie
13- QT
14- Narawa
15- Jordan

21- Hotham 22- LF 23- DMac

@ACT-Crusader Pretty much spot on, I'd say!

Some interesting comments by McCaw. Like what he says about being ready to play and him not liking the concept of 'developing as an All Black'. Example: Holland ready to go. Parker developing.

@brodean ok, but who's ready to go in our"problem" positions? How do you know until you try a player? If they don't perform from the get go, do they get dropped?

We would have cast aside quite a few players, even in McCaw's day.

@Bones said in England Vs All Blacks:

@brodean ok, but who's ready to go in our"problem" positions? How do you know until you try a player? If they don't perform from the get go, do they get dropped?

We would have cast aside quite a few players, even in McCaw's day.

Which are the problem positions?

@Bones that Nonu guy is a prime example of a player that took time to develop, he ended up a handy player.

@taniwharugby said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Bones that Nonu guy is a prime example of a player that took time to develop, he ended up a handy player.

To be fair, both him and Kaino were cast aside!

@brodean said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Bones said in England Vs All Blacks:

@brodean ok, but who's ready to go in our"problem" positions? How do you know until you try a player? If they don't perform from the get go, do they get dropped?

We would have cast aside quite a few players, even in McCaw's day.

Which are the problem positions?

Is there someone ready to go at 6? Yes please.

@W32 said in England Vs All Blacks:

I watched the full 2019 semi final between these two teams for the first time. That was an incredible performance by England. Hoping for something similar this weekend. Cant wait

I will re-iterate several other comments - yeah, fuck you.
I was at that game, and it hurt.
I literally went out of my way to try and get beaten up by Japanese youths, and failed at even that.
Apologies for taking this personally, but... bad memories. Bad.

I would say - "Nah, seriously, good luck", but - nope.

@Nepia said in England Vs All Blacks:

The oddest feeling about seeing this team is that even when I'm not happy with a team I'm confident we're going to win. I looked at this, which isn't much different than a lot our teams this year (when I've been confident we're going to win) and I instantly thought we're gonna lose this one. Hopefully my pessimism is hugely misplaced.

Lee Germon Barrett is due a big game, hopefully this is it.

Touchstone game for me. We seem to go to shit every now and then and this game is the chance to move on from that.

Interested in how we handle the inevitable periods when we play badly and hope we cope as well as we did in the Irish and Scottish Tests