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.
@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....
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....
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....
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....
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....
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....
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.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@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....
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.
The important thing is we don’t compare what a player did in a URC game to a test match. If you’re going to compare Rieko and Proctor at least compare them on an even playing field i.e URC vs Super.
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@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....
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.
The important thing is we don’t compare what a player did in a URC game to a test match. If you’re going to compare Rieko and Proctor at least compare them on an even playing field i.e URC vs Super.
It was Italy and we beat them 47 to 17. Leinster and some of the top French teams that play in the Champions Cup would beat Italy. The Canes, the Chiefs and probably the Crusaders would beat Italy at home.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@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....
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.
The important thing is we don’t compare what a player did in a URC game to a test match. If you’re going to compare Rieko and Proctor at least compare them on an even playing field i.e URC vs Super.
It was Italy and we beat them 47 to 17. Leinster and some of the top French teams that play in the Champions Cup would beat Italy. The Canes, the Chiefs and probably the Crusaders would beat Italy at home.
Do you also think those teams would beat England and Scotland?
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@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....
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.
The important thing is we don’t compare what a player did in a URC game to a test match. If you’re going to compare Rieko and Proctor at least compare them on an even playing field i.e URC vs Super.
It was Italy and we beat them 47 to 17. Leinster and some of the top French teams that play in the Champions Cup would beat Italy. The Canes, the Chiefs and probably the Crusaders would beat Italy at home.
Do you also think those teams would beat England and Scotland?
An extremely average Blues side beat the B&I Lions in 2017.
Our teams are very hard to beat at home when in top form and when there is a scalp so I back them.
Having said that England and Scotland are ranked 5th and 6th while Italy is ranked 10th so I expect the games to be tougher.
Japan whipped this Italian team 27 - 10 ten days ago. Italy are clearly a different prospect at home but they struggle to win away.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
An extremely average Blues side beat the B&I Lions in 2017.
So an extremely average blues team from nearly ten years ago could have beaten the ABs and is relevant nine years later?
Ok.
Sometimes the logic gets confusing.
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
An extremely average Blues side beat the B&I Lions in 2017.
So an extremely average blues team from nearly ten years ago could have beaten the ABs and is relevant nine years later?
Ok.
Sometimes the logic gets confusing.
I never claimed to be logical.
Watching those clips...
He's holding the ball in both hands a lot more and trying to put people in space...big plus
He seems to have lost a fair bit of pace. A Reiko of 2-3 years ago would have pinned his ears back and burned the opposition. Maybe that's a Leinster coaching thing though.
I don't mind Ioane in the midfield at all - just think he's behind Proctor and potentially Tupaea and Lienert-Brown. Don't think he has the pace to be on the wing though.
But also that highlights package wasn't exactly stellar given it's for a full season. A few good moments and a few very normal moments you would find for probably any midfielder in the world at almost any level.
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:
Lienert-Brown
Oh come on. 2024 vs Argentina, ALB missed several tackles and was horribly bad.
He has done nothing at test level other than give away cards for several years.
2023 World Cup was at least relevant and had Schmidt coaching.
@brodean yet Italy beat England and Scotland, Ireland (essentially Leinster) only beat them 20-13 ( a game that Italy really should have won) at home. Their last game against the Springbok was 32-14 so put up more of a fight than the ABs did at Wellington.
Thinking this Italian team isn’t good and can’t beat anyone (with the exception of the ABs and Springbok) on their day is a pretty silly statement
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
Proctor and Tupaea both failed to claim the position so far.
And so did Rieko with far more chances
He was re-selected their for years. He obviously claimed it getting a chance in 2020 and then consistently being selected their leading up until the 2023 RWC.
Sure he lost it but there was a period of years where he was the preferred 13.
The failed All Black coach Scott Robertson tried to move him back to 11 but by the end of the URC season Rieko was the preferred 13 to Ringrose at Leinster - Ireland's highly acclaimed 13.
He's looked decent enough for Leinster, but "decent" in the URC and Champions Cup isn't the benchmark for starting in the black jersey. The All Blacks should be selecting players who can change test matches, not simply get through them.
Defensively, there's no questioning his ability. His work rate, line speed and physicality are outstanding, and he's one of the best defensive centres we have. But defence alone shouldn't be enough to lock down the No. 13 jersey.
Attack is where the concerns are for me. Too often he defaults to taking contact rather than putting players around him into space. The great All Black centres, players like Conrad Smith made everyone outside them better. They drew defenders, squared up the line and consistently created opportunities. Rieko still looks like a winger playing centre rather than a genuine playmaking 13.
The other reality is that the raw pace that made him such a devastating weapon early in his career isn't quite what it used to be. He's still quick, but he's no longer blowing Test defenders away purely through speed. When that point of difference starts to fade, the other parts of your game need to become elite, and I don't think his distribution or decision-making have reached that level.
You point to his time at Leinster as proof he's rediscovered his best form, but I'd argue he's simply been solid. There's a big difference between fitting seamlessly into a quality provincial side and consistently dominating the biggest Test matches. This is where Proctor has also struggled.
For me, the All Blacks need a centre who offers more than defensive stability. They need someone who can unlock defences, create space for the outside backs and provide another layer of attacking threat. Right now, I don't think Rieko does that consistently enough.
Rieko started to make assists in second half of URC season.
@game_film said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones I think any 6N team aside from France in late June/July on tour in NZ could conceivably lose against the top 3 NZ teams at full strength. Not exactly out of the realm of possibility given their potential to be very ordinary.
Maybe Wales in the last year and Italy on a very, very bad day.
But Ireland, England and Scotland at full-strength? I don't think it's a serious proposition.
