All Blacks 2026

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

As for his defense, he was one of our best - both one on one and certainly when scrambling. The "he's not a defensive genius, he's just fast * is the dumbest analysis I've seen on this site, and that's saying a lot.. Who fucking cares WHY he's good at it. Denigrating him is like saying of someone "he's a great defender but only because he has a really strong shoulder and always tries hard, he's really not that clever"

Fucking idiotic

As I think @duluth said (may have been @kirwan ... they both look the same to me) Ioane got the short end of the stick by being engaged to run into contact no matter what.

So all of us pointed and said "oh look at that, all he does is run into contact, how useless his he?".

Poor coaching by the previous regime.

But if we were capable of taking the blinkers off, in his most recent games, particularly against Wales, you'd see the speed was back.

Would love to see him back and properly utilised.

@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.

I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

the dumbest analysis I've seen on this site

You say that whenever you disagree with an opinion.

The dumbnestness continues to exceed expectations

You say that too

With Codie Taylor being a part of the leadership group, does that indicate he's likely to remain in the 23?

Also interesting that Jacobson is in there - shows how well regarded he is. No Ethan de Groot, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i etc.

@booboo I’m not sure if that is what happened though. Jordie essentially became the ‘hit it up’ player. Allowing Ioane to get second or third phase ball more often to create from.

I wish the coaches would’ve kept him on the wing. Not saying he was terrible at centre, and he certainly filled the role admirably at the 23RWC, but for me that wasn’t his best footy. His best was on the left wing and even the few occasions he filled in on the right. One thing was pretty evident to me too, him and Clarke defending in tandem on the left side did not work.

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:

With Codie Taylor being a part of the leadership group, does that indicate he's likely to remain in the 23?

Also interesting that Jacobson is in there - shows how well regarded he is. No Ethan de Groot, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i etc.

Not necessarily just because he’s in the leadership group. However I think as part of the planning it’s unlikely that Taylor will play in any of the lead up games to the first Boks test, so he will get his rest then. This Ireland test is the one they would’ve been targeting for the NC and will want all their experience etc.

No surprise with Jacobson either. His leadership was highly rated by the previous coaches. It’s just that he’s more fit (touchwood) now.

@Kirwan said in All Blacks 2026:

Ioane is a better centre than Proctor, and faster than both him and QT. His distribution is not as bad as is made out here, and he deserves a shot with the Rennie gameplan to play wide. Remember Robertson used him as the crash options (bizarrely)

The issue is we are building a midfield around JB. Understandable as he's such a solid reliable presence, but I'd like to see how QT goes at 12 rather than shoe-horning him in at 13.

I can't make my mind up about Reiko. He was growing steadily but def. went backwards under Robertson, so agree with you there.

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

Also Ratima getting a hard time because his clearance apparently isn't as fast as Roigard's - which seems bizarre when you note the amount of times the breakdown is being cleared by someone other than Roigard

Delegation is an underrated ability,

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo I’m not sure if that is what happened though. Jordie essentially became the ‘hit it up’ player. Allowing Ioane to get second or third phase ball more often to create from.

I wish the coaches would’ve kept him on the wing. Not saying he was terrible at centre, and he certainly filled the role admirably at the 23RWC, but for me that wasn’t his best footy. His best was on the left wing and even the few occasions he filled in on the right. One thing was pretty evident to me too, him and Clarke defending in tandem on the left side did not work.

There was a reason Ioane was dropped for George Bridge in 2019... His best days were behind him even at that point.

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

Also Ratima getting a hard time because his clearance apparently isn't as fast as Roigard's - which seems bizarre when you note the amount of times the breakdown is being cleared by someone other than Roigard

Delegation is an underrated ability,

I'd say getting to the ruck is an underrated ability.

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.

I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.

He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo I’m not sure if that is what happened though. Jordie essentially became the ‘hit it up’ player. Allowing Ioane to get second or third phase ball more often to create from.

I wish the coaches would’ve kept him on the wing. Not saying he was terrible at centre, and he certainly filled the role admirably at the 23RWC, but for me that wasn’t his best footy. His best was on the left wing and even the few occasions he filled in on the right. One thing was pretty evident to me too, him and Clarke defending in tandem on the left side did not work.

There was a reason Ioane was dropped for George Bridge in 2019... His best days were behind him even at that point.

Agree with the first sentence: I understood he was carrying a injury.

Second sentence: i disagree.

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.

I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.

He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.

I think they're both in the same category. They're either a busted flush or were used appallingly by previous coaches.

Get them both into the environment and let Rennie make a decision on whether they're good enough for his style.

He should have a definitive answer by the end of SA. I say "he" as regardless of how they go I doubt many on here will change their minds.

Rieko will get some sort of opportunity in South Africa given all the tour games but the odds are stacked against him given he doesn't seem a natural fit for the ABs new attack given he's not exactly known for a linking game, is not the athlete he once was, struggles under the high ball and doesnt have a kicking game whatsoever.

Ioane is obviously relying on injuries, loss of form, or a change in favour from the coaches to break into the 23. At centre, he’d probably need to surpass two players to earn a bench spot at least. It’s not unimaginable, given how many wings from the initial squad are injured at the same time. Ideally, though, there won’t be any injuries and the coaches pick either Tupaea or Proctor, stick with them and the defensive issues are fixed.

I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:

With Codie Taylor being a part of the leadership group, does that indicate he's likely to remain in the 23?

Also interesting that Jacobson is in there - shows how well regarded he is. No Ethan de Groot, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i etc.

Dane Coles was part of the leadership group in his last years but was more of a squady.

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.

I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.

He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.

I think they're both in the same category. They're either a busted flush or were used appallingly by previous coaches.

Get them both into the environment and let Rennie make a decision on whether they're good enough for his style.

He should have a definitive answer by the end of SA. I say "he" as regardless of how they go I doubt many on here will change their minds.

For me they're both in the category of good options to have should multiple injuries strike (at 15 but not 10 for BB) - and that's happened at wing already.

There would be very few on here who don't want players to succeed when they're playing for the ABs - that's quite a different thing to preferring someone else get a go when discussing selection. e.g. Jacobson's selection at 7 was mostly disliked, but he played well against France.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...

Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.

I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.

He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.

I think they're both in the same category. They're either a busted flush or were used appallingly by previous coaches.

Get them both into the environment and let Rennie make a decision on whether they're good enough for his style.

He should have a definitive answer by the end of SA. I say "he" as regardless of how they go I doubt many on here will change their minds.

For me they're both in the category of good options to have should multiple injuries strike (at 15 but not 10 for BB) - and that's happened at wing already.

There would be very few on here who don't want players to succeed when they're playing for the ABs - that's quite a different thing to preferring someone else get a go when discussing selection. e.g. Jacobson's selection at 7 was mostly disliked, but he played well against France.

I'd agree with you on the category they're in, including BB at 15 instead of 10.

But there's some pretty closed minded people on here that think he's stunk up the joint and not played well for 10 years and Rieko has never been a centre.

Even if they put out a motm performance I doubt those people would accept they weren't kak.

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo I’m not sure if that is what happened though. Jordie essentially became the ‘hit it up’ player. Allowing Ioane to get second or third phase ball more often to create from.

I wish the coaches would’ve kept him on the wing. Not saying he was terrible at centre, and he certainly filled the role admirably at the 23RWC, but for me that wasn’t his best footy. His best was on the left wing and even the few occasions he filled in on the right. One thing was pretty evident to me too, him and Clarke defending in tandem on the left side did not work.

Apart from this year the Blues have consistently been top 1 or 2 in defense for most of the 20's with Ioane and Clarke there.

People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.

RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.

RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.

I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.

RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.

I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.

Well you could say the same thing about Conrad Smith in 2011 or Jaque Fourie in 2007 when a strong South African team struggled against an extremely average England side.

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.

RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.

I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.

Well you could say the same thing about Conrad Smith in 2011 or Jaque Fourie in 2007 when a strong South African team struggled against an extremely average England side.

Or you could talk about '87, '95 (but for the sickness), '99, '15, '19.
All the semis and quarters are knockout footy too, and they're not all single figures dour shitfights. Games get closer at the pointy end, so sure, defence gets more important, but so do moments of brilliant attack.
I also think there's a bias in that when attack wins the day the result tends not to be so close, and then people go 'oh it just wasn't a very competitive game' and conclude defense wins tight games - when it's the attack that's turned a close game into a win by a couple of tries.

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...

Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.

Not a fan myself (of him starting at 13, and seems slow on the wing at international level) but coaches seem to like him.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:

I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...

Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.

Not a fan myself (of him starting at 13, and seems slow on the wing at international level) but coaches seem to like him.

He definitely has an impact. I think people tend to overrate his positives vs negative impacts though.

Too slow for my mind for wing compared to the alternatives. Poor in defense and would get carved up at centre. And wouldn't get a look in as a pure loose forward.

I think we have enough cover, and impact, we don't need an average jack of all trades who isn't great at any one of them.

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.

@crazy-horse said in All Blacks 2026:

To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.

Wow thats a bold call. Myself, I think it was a good thing that Ioane decided to support his team mate with terminal cancer

@Duluth said in All Blacks 2026:

@crazy-horse said in All Blacks 2026:

To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.

Wow thats a bold call. Myself, I think it was a good thing that Ioane decided to support his team mate with terminal cancer

Oops, agree. I forgot about that!

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

That deep lying backline looked more like Rennie's ABs than either Fozzie's or Razor's

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

That deep lying backline looked more like Rennie's ABs than either Fozzie's or Razor's

What I thought was obvious was the number of times he was attacking the outside shoulder. In recent seasons he's been asked to run a short line and cut in

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

That deep lying backline looked more like Rennie's ABs than either Fozzie's or Razor's

Having Reiko looking to make the outside break instead of cutting back in to bash the ball like he was asked to by Robertson looked great in those clips as well. As did all the running with the ball in two hands

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

Not so much from Lowe.

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

Not horrible. But geez he was slow on that intercept.

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:

@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:

@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance

Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.

I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....

View embedded content

Some great passing in their from Rieko.

Not horrible. But geez he was slow on that intercept.

He showed enough pace on other plays and the important thing is the wing scored off a beautiful pass from him after the intercept. Better than what Proctor managed after his line break on Saturday.

@Duluth said in All Blacks 2026:

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

That deep lying backline looked more like Rennie's ABs than either Fozzie's or Razor's

What I thought was obvious was the number of times he was attacking the outside shoulder. In recent seasons he's been asked to run a short line and cut in

The very first try they gave him an extra yard of space on the outside and that's all he needed despite a 2on2 situation. That's exactly how I thought the ABs would use him when he shifted to 13. It's a bit concerning that both Jordie and Rieko are playing much better footy after spending time getting coaching up north...

@No-Quarter agreed. Jordi is definitely a better player for it. it looks like Ioane is too. I am happy with Ioane in the squad. I don't see him as a starter but as a 3rd choice 13 or wing cover under the new regime he could be useful. Put it this way, if we are 1 all going into the 3rd test against the Boers and we had an injury crisis at 13, I would be very happy for him to step in and play a very pressurized game at 13 against Kriel and De Allende. He isn't going to be overwhelmed by them.