All Blacks XV 2022

@Tim said in All Blacks XV:

@Bones No, no, no, some kid named Peter Lakai will definitely be in the team, and then starting for the ABs at the World Cup!

To be fair, naming a crusader in the positions where you hate the canes player is almost clever. But I just watched Christie get shat on by Lentjes of all players, while Harmon was killing it all over the park.

@Bones Harmon combined well with the rest of the Maori loose trio in that first game too. That was a handy combination.

A 26-man squad to be named a few days after the AB squad. Foster has said there will be little cross-over between the squads due to the location and dates of their respective games.

@Canes4life said in All Blacks XV:

If I had to pick a team based on the fact McKenzie will most likely come into the All Blacks for Perofeta, I would go for something like this as a 23. (Assuming everyone is fit by the time the squad heads away).

1. Alex Hodgman (Auckland)
2. Asafo Aumua (Wellington)
3. Angus Ta’avao (Auckland)
4. Justin Sangster (Bay of Plenty)
5. Zach Gallagher (Canterbury)
6. Luke Jacobsen (Waikato)
7. Tom Christie (Canterbury)
8. Devan Flanders (Hawkes Bay)
9. Brad Weber (Hawkes Bay)
10. Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki)
11. AJ Lam (Auckland)
12. Thomas Umaga-Jensen (Otago)
13. Peter Umaga-Jensen (Wellington)
14. Mark Telea (North Harbour)
15. Josh Moorby (Northland)
16. Kurt Eklund (Bay of Plenty)
17. Tamaiti Williams (Canterbury)
18. Tevita Mafileo (Bay of Plenty)
19. Fabian Holland (Otago)
20. Peter Lakai (Wellington)
21. Cam Roigard (Counties Manukau)
22. Aiden Morgan (Wellington)
23. Bailyn Sullivan (Waikato)

Stephenson > Moorby
I think they will bring Tamaiti Williams for this tour. He is not the finished product yet but his ceiling is very high.

Given the attrional nature of the loose, I'd also like to find room somewhere for Harmon and Lentjes.

@Jailbreak7 I don’t know if Harmon will make this side but for me he has been a standout in this years NPC.

For the AB XV I would’ve loved to have seen a loose trio with Grace, Jacobsen and PGS. Add Dickson and one of the young up and coming locks plus the front rowers that have been in the ABs previously and you have a pretty decent pack.

@Jailbreak7 said in All Blacks XV:

Given the attrional nature of the loose, I'd also like to find room somewhere for Harmon and Lentjes.

Big no for Lentjes. Lentjes is just another Gibson. Will pull out a decent game every so often but few and far between. A good super rugby filler.

Big yes for Harmon. Consistent and can pull it out in the big games, plus seemingly a great rugby brain.

If they're wanting to stay close to AB patterns they could do worse than 7 Jacobson and 8 Harmon.

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks XV:

@Jailbreak7 I don’t know if Harmon will make this side but for me he has been a standout in this years NPC.

Harmon has been a massive improver in NZ rugby. Looked a bit of a plodder early in his career and I would have laughed if anyone mentioned him for any sort of higher honour.

The Crusaders must be wondering if they kept the wrong 7.

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks XV:

For the AB XV I would’ve loved to have seen a loose trio with Grace, Jacobsen and PGS.

PGS really? He should be done, he was out of form by the time he was selected and then looked out of his depth. If we're just rolling the dice letting anyone have a shot then MMT or Flanders are your guys, for some reason they just popped into my head.

@Nepia he'll looked pretty solid for the highlanders i thought baring injuries

@Kiwiwomble said in All Blacks XV:

@Nepia he'll looked pretty solid for the highlanders i thought baring injuries

Harmon? Yep, by early career I was meaning his Cantab/Crusader days before you guys fixed him.

@Nepia we can’t keep every player (whilst we poach the odd one here or there…)

Harmon has taken his opportunity at the Landers and I think it’s good. Getting more playing time than he would’ve if we had kept him. We have Blackadder and backup with Christie. Blackadder has played blindside too because of injuries.

If only 26 players are going to be named in the squad that doesn't provide too much opportunity to select a few young players to develop. They're selecting a match-day 23 with 3 extra players. Normally those would be specialists such as another prop, hooker and halfback. That would leave you short to cover the loose forwards and outside backs. Playing 3 or 4 games would have allowed a slightly larger squad to tour, but sadly, that isn't happening.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

If only 26 players are going to be named in the squad that doesn't provide too much opportunity to select a few young players to develop. They're selecting a match-day 23 with 3 extra players. Normally those would be specialists such as another prop, hooker and halfback. That would leave you short to cover the loose forwards and outside backs. Playing 3 or 4 games would have allowed a slightly larger squad to tour, but sadly, that isn't happening.

This points to the possibility of using dirt trackers from the ABs squad though.
There are certainly players in the ABs that could do with international experience levels increasing.

@Crucial said in All Blacks XV:

This points to the possibility of using dirt trackers from the ABs squad though.

A possibility for the AB XV game against Ireland A, as the ABs play Wales the following day. It appears that the AB test against Scotland and the NZ XV-Barbarians game is to be played at the same time.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

@Crucial said in All Blacks XV:

This points to the possibility of using dirt trackers from the ABs squad though.

A possibility for the AB XV game against Ireland A, as the ABs play Wales the following day. It appears that the AB test against Scotland and the NZ XV-Barbarians game is to be played at the same time.

I still dont see that as a problem. Lets say that the AB squad is 32/33. They will nail down 23 for the match and hold a couple if there are niggles but there will be players that can leave one camp and go to the other. If you look at the RC squad there were a whole bunch that were helping at training only.
Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if both squads are together as much as possible for opposed training and only moving to venue city two days before.

Kirwin also shared a little “whisper” he’d heard regarding selection:

“(I) don’t know a lot about this young man but Levi Aumua, I’ve heard that he got the envelope under the door; ‘don’t name yourself available for Samoa or Fiji because we’ve got some sights on you’.”

@Tim one of very few from Moana Pasifika who was eligible but not selected for pacific teams this year. I did wonder why. Was unimpressed in his earlier stint in super rugby but he has improved.

Team announced on October 9th according to James Parsons.

@Daffy-Jaffy said in All Blacks XV:

Team announced on October 9th according to James Parsons.

I read that this squad would be announced a day or so after the AB squad, similar to the Māori squad naming earlier in the year. The focus will be on the AB squad on Oct 9, so it makes sense to do this on separate days.

@Bovidae maybe Parsons had the AB squad date in his head.

@Tim Good to see that the quality of RugbyPass articles hasn't improved. Who is this Kirwin fella?

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

@Tim Good to see that the quality of RugbyPass articles hasn't improved. Who is this Kirwin fella?

Have you met his brother Dulith?

So, 36 for the AB squad and 26 for the ABs XV with some crossover seems the intel. But,...
I struggle to see the need for 36 ABs, so I'm going for 34 and 28 - you can promote a couple as you see fit.

Otherwise - I reckon the ABs will be pretty predictable.

de Groot, Bower, Tu'ungafasi
Sami T., Taylor, Coles
Lomax, Laulala, Newell
Retallick, Whitelock, SBarrett, Vaaí
Frizell, AIoane, Cane, Papali'i, Savea, Sotutu
Smith, Christie, Fakatava
Mo'unga, BBarrett,
Havili, RTS, ALB, RIoane
Clarke, Fainga'anuku, Jordan, Reece, JBarrett, Perofeta

So, an additional 28 man squad, that might have to be a bit front row heavy, given there's a few outside backs sure to be available from the ABs. Injuries might preclude a couple.

Ross, Williams, Hodgman
Aumua, McAlister, Thompson
Taávao, Jager, Franks (maybe/maybe not for Owen)
Dickson, Tuipolotou, Strange,
Sowakula, Harmon, Jacobson, Mikaele-Tu'u
Weber, Perenara, Roigard
McKenzie, Gatland
Nankivell, Ennor, Aumua
Telea, Lam, Love, ZSullivan

@Chris-B is there no one at least on a parr with Perenara? And surely there's better than Love?

@Bones yeah you'd hope they'd look at someone younger over TJ, Weber is the senior player to mentor them, and Moorby over Love for me.

Not sure Ta'avao will be right, looked a nasty knock last night

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks XV:

@Bones yeah you'd hope they'd look at someone younger over TJ, Weber is the senior player to mentor them, and Moorby over Love for me.

Not sure Ta'avao will be right, looked a nasty knock last night

Yeah my thoughts on halfback too. I haven't seen a great amount of npc but what I've seen of Perenara and Love they're not exactly setting the world on fire.

@Bones TJ was very good today, but he should be at NPC.

@Bones TJ is a slightly milder version of me picking Owen Franks. I don't think we're going to be picking our 6th halfback or tighthead over TJ or Owen for RWC so keep them involved.

I like Love, man - he's a little bit extraneous (and my 28th pick), because a specialist wing might be more useful, but WTF!

Could be miles out - hard to know who the selectors have in their sights - but, it's a very important selection to see who they think is the next tier.

@Chris-B said in All Blacks XV:

TJ is a slightly milder version of me picking Owen Franks

That's why Weber is there... but he actually looks like he could step up

Stevenson should be in the AB XV, IMO.

@cgrant rumours he might be off to league...so that'll put a fork in him if he is

@cgrant said in All Blacks XV:

Stevenson should be in the AB XV, IMO.

I'd be his biggest critic over the years, but barring outside circumstances he definitely should be.

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks XV:

@cgrant rumours he might be off to league...so that'll put a fork in him if he is

Is his contract up for renewal? That’s what this smells like to me. It could just be this ‘rumor’ is his representatives saying if he’s not selected in the AB15 they are open to offers?

@gt12 Stevenson is contracted until 2023. He deserves to be selected.

@gt12 said in All Blacks XV:

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks XV:

@cgrant rumours he might be off to league...so that'll put a fork in him if he is

Is his contract up for renewal? That’s what this smells like to me. It could just be this ‘rumor’ is his representatives saying if he’s not selected in the AB15 they are open to offers?

It would seem a pretty weak attempt. It's not like he's a marquis player who would have teams banging down the door.

@Bovidae said in All Blacks XV:

@gt12 Stevenson is contracted until 2023. He deserves to be selected.

If Nogusta says Dolphins then that is generally very good sauce.
On form though he has been a stand out throughout the year and I agree

Probably also depends on what happens to Perofeta/DMac unless they play him on a wing

@bayimports The Dolphins aren't having much luck signing players at the moment.

My point is that Stevenson would need to get an early release.

Perofeta should be selected for the AB XV so he can play 2 games at 1st 5, rather than a single test for the ABs (vs Japan). Stevenson could be at fullback.

@Chris-B Articles I have read say 35 for the ABs and only 26 for the AB XV.

@Bovidae Yeah - I've seen 35 for the ABs as well (and 36).

But, I got to 34 and couldn't see anyone else I needed. Everyone else seems more valuable in the AB XV.

@Chris-B said in All Blacks XV:

So, 36 for the AB squad and 26 for the ABs XV with some crossover seems the intel. But,...
I struggle to see the need for 36 ABs, so I'm going for 34 and 28 - you can promote a couple as you see fit.

Otherwise - I reckon the ABs will be pretty predictable.

de Groot, Bower, Tu'ungafasi
Sami T., Taylor, Coles
Lomax, Laulala, Newell
Retallick, Whitelock, SBarrett, Vaaí
Frizell, AIoane, Cane, Papali'i, Savea, Sotutu
Smith, Christie, Fakatava
Mo'unga, BBarrett,
Havili, RTS, ALB, RIoane
Clarke, Fainga'anuku, Jordan, Reece, JBarrett, Perofeta

So, an additional 28 man squad, that might have to be a bit front row heavy, given there's a few outside backs sure to be available from the ABs. Injuries might preclude a couple.

Ross, Williams, Hodgman
Aumua, McAlister, Thompson
Taávao, Jager, Franks (maybe/maybe not for Owen)
Dickson, Tuipolotou, Strange,
Sowakula, Harmon, Jacobson, Mikaele-Tu'u
Weber, Perenara, Roigard
McKenzie, Gatland
Nankivell, Ennor, Aumua
Telea, Lam, Love, ZSullivan

Replace Strange with Fabian Holland and we'll be off to the Races