All Blacks XV 2022

@cgrant I hope Flanders is in the equation, too, although the Canes' selection policy and his injury late in the season haven't done him any favours. I guess it may depend on whether Grace will be in the ABs EOYT squad, as he should be. Otherwise, he may have to wait a year.

Bailyn Sullivan should not be listed under "AN other". I'd pick him over PUJ.

And whether we like it or not, Ennor is a near certainty for this team, unless he's in the ABs to stay. As a midfielder or a wing, or a utitlity back.

@cgrant too many players. There will be unselected players in the AB squad who will be able to get an AB XV game.

My mix would be something like below if the ABs take their standard size squad.

5x props
3x hookers
3x locks
4x loose forwards
2x halfbacks
2x 1st 5s
3x midfielders
3x outside backs

@ACT-Crusader Yep, that makes a lot of sense.

It will be hard to move players from the ABs to the AB XV as there will be clashes with the AB tests against Scotland and England.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

It will be hard to move players from the ABs to the AB XV as there will be clashes with the AB tests against Scotland and England.

On game day you have your selected 23 plus a few others should there be injuries in the warmups. But not every one of the 12 or 13 would be on standby once the 23 is selected. The fact they are on the same weekend shouldn’t matter.

@ACT-Crusader If the AB XV are taking these games seriously, which I am sure they will be, they would want all the players that are going to play each game to be training together that week. That means the ABs not having those players for the full week.

@Bovidae Isn't one match in Scotland while the other one that weekend is at Tottenham Hotspurs stadium in North London? So group should be split up geographically anyway. Or do I have my fixture calendar wrong?

Maybe they are trying to hook up a new support base in a football hot-spot with a mix of rugby and breakdancing?

@ARHS said in All Blacks XV:

@Bovidae Isn't one match in Scotland while the other one that weekend is at Tottenham Hotspurs stadium in North London? So group should be split up geographically anyway. Or do I have my fixture calendar wrong?

Correct. The ABs play Scotland on the same day as the Baabaas game. The AB XV still has 2 additional fixtures to add, one likely to be between Canada and the Barbarians.

v Canada, Saturday 29 October, venue TBC
v Barbarians, Sunday 13 November, Tottenham Stadium, London

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

I'd like to know how much communication there has been (in both directions) between NZR and Robertson. I wouldn't be surprised if Robertson decided to accept the Baabaas offer without NZR knowing, which then ruled him out of the AB XV coaching position.

Or just maybe there more money in coaching BaaBaas, from everything I have ever read it pretty lucrative to play etc for them, as most money just goes back to team etc, and basically it's s few training runs, and a fair bit of team building? Sometimes it really works , didn't the BaaBaas just beat Poms 52 -21 a few weeks back?

@cgrant said in All Blacks XV:

Possible squad :

Eklund, Aumua, Thompson (McAllister, Vikena eventual bolters)

Norris, Williams, Jager, Newell, Ainsley

Gallagher, Sangster, IWL, PPP (if fit)

MMT, Robinson, Harmon, Suafoa, Grace + an openside (Gibson, Christie ?)

Weber, Ratima, TJP

Ioane + AN other (Morgan, Love, Gatland, Burke, Gilbert ?)

TUJ, PUJ, Nankivell + AN other (Sullivan, Proctor, Evans, Savea ?)

Telea, Stevenson, Lam, Sullivan, Moorby (DMac ?)

Doesn't look bad, and probably not too far off, I am not absolutely convinced about Moorby (I a Canes man), and if DMac not in ABs, he would be in there ahead of him. Also think PGS will be in loosies!

@cgrant Lomax, Ennor and Dickson.

Quinten Strange.

Timoci Tavatavanawai still possible, I think.

Mitch Hunt as likely as some you've listed.

George Bridge? Or he might be with the BaaBaas.

@Nevorian I guess it depends on whether he stays in NZ or signs with an overseas' club. If he signs with a NZ franchise, he may be in the All Blacks XV; if he signs overseas, he may be in the Baabaas.

I'm reading this side will play a South African XV.

edit - covered above.

@Tim said in All Blacks XV:

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Sounds like Robinson did another great communication job reassuring the disappointed saffa Super teams that the reason why we cut down our SR comp was only due to covid and that when things normalised we would be keen to resume hostilities...

@Chris-B said in All Blacks XV:

@cgrant Lomax, Ennor and Dickson.

Quinten Strange.

Timoci Tavatavanawai still possible, I think.

Mitch Hunt as likely as some you've listed.

If eligible Fabian Holland instead of Quinten Strange

@Tim

A New Zealand under-19s side will also tour South Africa for three or four games in October

That explains why provinces are naming U19 teams and why I've seen U19 matches being scheduled. I was hoping for a return of the Jock Hobbs Tournament, but maybe this is the reason.

@Stargazer Someone mentioned on here that there would be a NZ U19 team this year to provide the NZ Schools players and other school leavers some international games after they missed out on playing Aust last year.

@Tim said in All Blacks XV:

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That write up if true is best thing I have read for quite sometime, have they remembered finally who our true rivals/friends are in this game??

@FakatavaAllBlack I think you've fallen into @Chris-B Ta$man trap.

But to reply to your suggestion:
Fabian Holland is not eligible yet for the ABs (until October 2025), but not sure how the rules apply to a non-capturing team. He has only 5 NPC and 2 SR games under his belt and also didn't stand out for the NZU20s. It seems to me that he needs to be given time to develop further, play more first class rugby and see where things are at after the 2023 RWC (when he still can't be selected for the ABs, but maybe ABs XV).

I'm not convinced Q Strange is ABs material, but that's more because he has his development constantly interrupted by injuries. He needs to play a full season, before we really can see where he's at. At this stage, that's higher in the pecking order than Holland though.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

@Stargazer Someone mentioned on here that there would be a NZ U19 team this year to provide the NZ Schools players and other school leavers some international games after they missed out on playing Aust last year.

Now you mention it, I very vaguely remember that.

@Stargazer duly noted

@Stargazer said in All Blacks XV:

but not sure how the rules apply to a non-capturing team.

you'd think if non-capturing, if he is good enough, it wont matter as he is just being selected for a touring side similar to the Divisional sides picked from Heartland teams, where you'd assume they would have had several that have gone to play for one of the PI teams before, prior to any NZ eligibility?

Main diff being AB XV is, or should be more a development team.

Strange could very well prove me wrong push his case in the abs XV & then go onto play for the All Blacks like the Kevin O'Neill's of yesteryear did

@Stargazer said in All Blacks XV:

I'm not convinced Q Strange is ABs material, but that's more because he has his development constantly interrupted by injuries. He needs to play a full season, before we really can see where he's at. At this stage, that's higher in the pecking order than Holland though.

If you'd said that last (or maybe 2 years ago, poor memory again) I would have been right with you, but I've begrudgingly (he's one of those punchable face guys for me) come around to seeing that he's a pretty handy player in his limited appearances over the past year or so. He looks to have bulked up a bit too (cue irrelevant comments about my size...).

What about Pouri Rakete-Stones ? He is not a bad scrummager and he is certainly one of the most dynamic props in NZ.
I'd like to see Suafoa in there too. He was the best maori forward (along with Dickson) against Ireland. Surprisingly, he was dropped for the second game.

@cgrant said in All Blacks XV:

What about Pouri Rakete-Stones ? He is not a bad scrummager and he is certainly one of the most dynamic props in NZ.
I'd like to see Suafoa in there too. He was the best maori forward (along with Dickson) against Ireland. Surprisingly, he was dropped for the second game.

Not dropped. It was made clear that the whole squad would play. Part of the team culture thing.....

@Stargazer Strange already got picked for the ABs. He'd have played for them if he hadn't got injured.

He's a solid bet.

Possible bolters : Roigard / Hotham as halfbacks. This tour was organized in order to prepare the future, right?

Is this team where we see DMac and Perofeta at 10/15 swap-arounds?

@Crucial said in All Blacks XV:

Is this team where we see DMac and Perofeta at 10/15 swap-arounds?

I wouldn't be surprised if DMac's with the ABs by then mate.

I'd like to see Hohepa selected. His combo with Roigard is excellent, probably the best in this year's NPC.

@cgrant said in All Blacks XV:

I'd like to see Hohepa selected. His combo with Roigard is excellent, probably the best in this year's NPC.

Considering the lack of solid 10s going around at the moment he wouldn't be a bad option. They will probably search for the 'next big thing' though.
Perofeta should be given a go for experience sake rather than be carrying bags in the ABs.
Roigard has to be a squaddie here if the selectors have any brains.
He adds that old 9/10 role back into the mix like a not fat Piri Weepu.

Rather Bryn Gatland and Lincoln McClutchie than Hohepa.

It depends on what the coaches see as the purpose of the AB XV. Is it the next best players, a means of identifying and developing players to make that step up, or a combination of both? Hohepa is the same age as Gatland (27). I would expect Ioane to be one of the 1st 5s selected.

@Stargazer said in All Blacks XV:

Rather Bryn Gatland and Lincoln McClutchie than Hohepa.

Gatland is sooooo average.

I would hope that this side is a mixture of strength to win alongside an eye to the future. Players that look to have reached their ceiling are down the list for me but it will have to be a balance I guess.
We need to have an eye on 2027 IMO and tht means areas like lock, halfback, 10....

@Crucial It was a response to the suggesiton of Hohepa, who IMO is very far removed from being a top 10 in NZ. Gatland is better than Hohepa.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

It depends on what the coaches see as the purpose of the AB XV. Is it the next best players, a means of identifying and developing players to make that step up, or a combination of both? Hohepa is the same age as Gatland (27). I would expect Ioane to be one of the 1st 5s selected.

Plummer's having a good season behind a pack that isn't functioning that well. He's been around forever but is still only 24

@Stargazer said in All Blacks XV:

Rather Bryn Gatland and Lincoln McClutchie than Hohepa.

-Does McClutchie have potential at the higher level? Asking as I haven't seen him play.