@antipodean said in All Blacks XV 2024:
@Chris-B said in All Blacks XV 2024:
Razor said his closest call was between Sotutu and Sititi and much of the past week has been veiled insinuations that he'll be shown to be a lying fuck. The jury is in and it's found in favour of Razor.
On Akira, there's been a lot of hypothetical conversations posited about what was said between him and Razor. I have no idea and I occasionally suspect some posters of being Akira (or his Mum), so if they actually know something they should come out and say it.
But the selection patterns do not say that Ryan had no interest in him.
If Razor is selecting the AB XV, then he's lumped Sotutu with the likes of McAlister, Ah Kuoi, Kirifi, Lio-Willie, McLeod, Fihaki and Stevenson...
Well, as I said to Frank the other day, what does logic tell you?
Hoskins has made the NZ A team.
Is it as good as making the ABs? No it's not.
Is it better than not making the NZ A team. Yes it is.
A few minor caveats on that, but broadly, that seems logical to me.
And if the AB selectors pick you for the A team it seems to me they're showing a degree of interest in you. That's a good thing.
This is my logical framework.
What evidence do we have fatty Ryan had any interest in the form blindside flanker of Super Rugby?
Well, Ryan's first test in charge of the ABs was against South Africa at Mbombela. His starting blindside flanker was Akira Ioane. Frizell came from the bench.
The next week they swapped them round, we won, there were delegations in the night and Fozzie was saved.
For the rest of the season, Frizell, Akira and Scott Barrett batted the 6 role among them. All of them got picked for the EOYT.
Akira played in 7 tests in 2022 under Ryan's watch. Seems like incredibly strong evidence that Ryan had an interest in him.
In 2023, we had Super rugby and Akira's season ended with the Blues getting badly thrashed by a pretty makeshift Crusaders team, which probably wasn't helpful for him.
But, the important part is that there were three significant selection waypoints in 2023.
The AB team for the Rugby Championship - Frizell got picked, Akira didn't.
The NZ A team - Akira got picked - and this is the crucial point. According to my logical framework, the selectors were still showing an interest in him.
Unfortunately for Akira, Frizell played a blinder vs South Africa and slammed the door shut.
The third selection waypoint was the World Cup squad.
And that's where the selection patterns as far as Akira is concerned end.
The next important thing I heard was that Akira had signed in Japan. I don't know about you, but at that point I drew a big fat line through his AB chances.
Sure enough - at the next selection waypoint - the team for England, he didn't get picked. I was not surprised.
KiwiMurph said he wouldn't have departed if the selectors had interest in him.
I said the selection patterns do not say that Ryan had no interest in him.
Some other things we know are that Frizell has fucked off to Japan and with the departure of Whitelock and Retallick it's highly unlikely Scott Barrett would be playing 6.
That still left the likes of Blackadder, Jacobson and Finau to be overcome, but my observation is that Akira is a good enough player to have competed with them.
So all that being said, it doesn't seem very logical to me that the selectors would have told him they have no interest in him - but, that is just speculation. I have no knowledge of those conversations.
I feel I'm being gaslit.
You should try being me! 
