This team is playing like they’ve just met each other.
Horrible watch from the stands.
NC: All Blacks
Match thread
Italy
@Chris said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Mr-Fish said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
The quality of this game versus the Super final is night and day.
It's an entirely different game when you have a northern hemisphere ref looking to slow it down as much as he can.
And no punch up front. De Groot, Taylor and Lomax etc aren’t the types to bend a defensive line if we want to play optimistic rugby.
Lomax has been carrying very well tonight.
So has Taylor
He has but he's been penalised two or three times so I'm not giving him credit for anything else either.
@Kruse said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Bones said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
These fucking ITV commentators are atrocious
The woman so gleeful whenever Italy are on top, all of a sudden she's at a funeral when the ABs score.
The Irish-sounding bint?
I don't know which commentors I have, but the descriptions of "atrocious" and this silly cow - suggest to me it's ITV.
Definitely English
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Our front five have been okay. The issue is the back row.
Yep 100%
@Mr-Fish said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Chris said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Mr-Fish said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
The quality of this game versus the Super final is night and day.
It's an entirely different game when you have a northern hemisphere ref looking to slow it down as much as he can.
And no punch up front. De Groot, Taylor and Lomax etc aren’t the types to bend a defensive line if we want to play optimistic rugby.
Lomax has been carrying very well tonight.
So has Taylor
He has but he's been penalised two or three times so I'm not giving him credit for anything else either.
Lineout is interesting...
@Bones said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Kruse said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Bones said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
These fucking ITV commentators are atrocious
The woman so gleeful whenever Italy are on top, all of a sudden she's at a funeral when the ABs score.
The Irish-sounding bint?
I don't know which commentors I have, but the descriptions of "atrocious" and this silly cow - suggest to me it's ITV.Definitely English
Maybe I've been away too long - they all sound the same.
You can't play Sititi and Savea in the same backrow. And neither screams All Blacks quality to me.
@MacDazzler said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Who are the ITV commentators for this match?
Nick Heath and former England player Nolli Waterman.
@Mr-Fish said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@MacDazzler said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Who are the ITV commentators for this match?
Nick Heath and former England player Nolli Waterman.
They are getting big hard ons for the Italians.
Doesn't sound like I'm missing much, but I'm in Fiji and the resort doesn't have the channel. And my free live streams aren't working. Sky and VPN neither 
The fuck is with this French ref? Italian loosehead drives in right in front of him, 7 then changes bind and swims up to join the front row. Penalises Black.
@Landers92 said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Can we make sure we don’t play in Wellington for very very long time. This place is cursed
Unless you're the Hurricanes. 
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Landers92 said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Can we make sure we don’t play in Wellington for very very long time. This place is cursed
Unless you're the Hurricanes.
Which we aren’t…
It would have helped if Wallace decided to not detach - the next shove with him looking to break did for us.
@Landers92 said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Can we make sure we don’t play in Wellington for very very long time. This place is cursed
We say this every year and they still get at least one a year.
@Bones said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Jacobson has been doing a great imitation of DP last week and so far this week
Poor bugger has to do all the work in the loose not much help from the other 2.
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Canes4life said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
The quality of this game versus the Super final is night and day.
It's an entirely different game when you have a northern hemisphere ref looking to slow it down as much as he can.
And no punch up front. De Groot, Taylor and Lomax etc aren’t the types to bend a defensive line if we want to play optimistic rugby.
Grooter just carried pretty bloody well then.
He is quality link guy as well. Throws some really nice passes.
@Chris said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
@Bones said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
Jacobson has been doing a great imitation of DP last week and so far this week
Poor bugger has to do all the work in the loose not much help from the other 2.
Are you sure? Ardie has most tackles and 2nd most carries.
Sititi has second most tackles.
Jacobson has 2 tackles
@sparky said in 2026 Nations Championship: All Blacks v Italy:
You can't play Sititi and Savea in the same backrow. And neither screams All Blacks quality to me.
Certainly can't. Way too similar.