All Blacks 2026

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@Rugbyman said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

I think Roigard has that winning mentality

This is the key thing eh, when everyone else really just wants to lose, having someone who wants to win is a game changer.

I think what Rugbyman is getting at is the will to impose oneself on a game. Not hiding. Not passive.

Messi has done it every week when Argentina were behind. More touches, more touches , give me the fucking ball.

Roigard feels the same. Very proactive. Quick taps, sniping, taking ownership of situations.

Some people let the match happen to them, whereas Roigard displays agency in trying to turn things around. If he was on the pitch in the 2007 QF he'd have taken the drop goal himself .

@Jet Agree that is what I see in Roigaard. A leader and the ultimate competitor, just the kind of guy we need to take on the Boks. You right in 2007 the situation was crying out for McAlister or someone to take ownership of the situation and they were tentative and by the time they tried it was too late and they were out of range. Roigard takes the game by the horns.

He should also take the bull by the scruff of the neck.

@Bones why don't you add some decent analysis rather than mocking everything or trying to find fault with the words people use?

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

why don't you add some decent analysis

Not to pick holes, but I wouldn't go flinging stones if I were you.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jet Agree that is what I see in Roigaard. A leader and the ultimate competitor, just the kind of guy we need to take on the Boks. You right in 2007 the situation was crying out for McAlister or someone to take ownership of the situation and they were tentative and by the time they tried it was too late and they were out of range. Roigard takes the game by the horns.

Bugger me. You sound just like @kiwi_expat a couple of years ago fluffing Robertson as the one-man saviour of NZ Rugby

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jnr the gap between NPC level and test level is huge. even the gap between Super rugby and Test level is big. Everyone (myself included) is getting very carried away about his form in the lowly NPC competition. But agreed, if he is better in super rugby than Ratima and co then yes he should be expedited into the squad.

You do it that way and you put him into the environment with only a couple of games before the WC.

Do it earlier and he learns and develops substantially more. It's not like we're in year one of a four year cycle, our runway is getting shorter by the day.

We've picked players before who haven't had to dominate at Super level.

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jet Agree that is what I see in Roigaard. A leader and the ultimate competitor, just the kind of guy we need to take on the Boks. You right in 2007 the situation was crying out for McAlister or someone to take ownership of the situation and they were tentative and by the time they tried it was too late and they were out of range. Roigard takes the game by the horns.

Bugger me. You sound just like @kiwi_expat a couple of years ago fluffing Robertson as the one-man saviour of NZ Rugby

Well how about you add some decent analysis.

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@Jet Agree that is what I see in Roigaard. A leader and the ultimate competitor, just the kind of guy we need to take on the Boks. You right in 2007 the situation was crying out for McAlister or someone to take ownership of the situation and they were tentative and by the time they tried it was too late and they were out of range. Roigard takes the game by the horns.

Bugger me. You sound just like @kiwi_expat a couple of years ago fluffing Robertson as the one-man saviour of NZ Rugby

Well how about you add some decent analysis.

OK. In hindsight, Robertson wasn't the one-man saviour of NZ Rugby

@Victor-Meldrew Roigard will face the demigods and destroy them. Chew chew

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@MiketheSnow said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Bones said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Rattle JGP, get him off his game and they're a bit of a nothing side now.

Same could be said for Roigard

He's easily our most important player and with a strike rate like the below he's going to break plenty of records.

I think he is our most important player, but only due to the lack of similar (in style and quality) options behind him.

Yeah but that’s also purely down to how dominant of a player he is. It’s pretty obvious that Roigard has become the dominant decision maker for the ABs.

Historically it’s been the 10 making most of the big decisions, but in recent years that has shifted to the 9, we’ve seen it with JGP at Ireland and Du Pont at France. 9s are having a lot more say on the game than they used to.

That's not some sort of historical trend mate, it's Sexton retiring and France playing a different style. There have always been some 9s who play that way (Weepu, Going, Bachop to an extent) and 10s who range from very dominant game controllers to just a link in the chain.

Roigard is dominant, and does a lot of the kicking, particularly exits. I would be mildly concerned with how that would go if Roigard gets injured.

The historical consensus in rugby has always been that the No. 10 is the primary game driver - the quarterback, so to speak, while the No. 9's role has largely been to link the forwards with the first five. What we're seeing now, though, is halfbacks taking control of matches more than ever before. One of the major benefits of that shift is that it allows you to blood a young No. 10 like Love much more comfortably, as the bulk of the decision-making no longer rests solely on his shoulders like it traditionally has.

Disagree with you on that one mate, I think it still is the consensus, and all we're seeing is 2 or 3 exceptional players causing a blip on the graph. For me it is kind of just as simple as you get a better view from 10, you're better placed to see things which trigger decisions - and that hasn't changed.

I think in the NH particularly the French , they use the halfback a lot more than us to put a bit of control on the tempo of the game .

Where as we tend to traditionally just want quick ball from the HB . Get in the tens hands ASAP .But maybe that’ part is starting to change a bit with Roigard.

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

demigods

"demogorgons^

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@MiketheSnow said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Bones said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Rattle JGP, get him off his game and they're a bit of a nothing side now.

Same could be said for Roigard

He's easily our most important player and with a strike rate like the below he's going to break plenty of records.

I think he is our most important player, but only due to the lack of similar (in style and quality) options behind him.

Yeah but that’s also purely down to how dominant of a player he is. It’s pretty obvious that Roigard has become the dominant decision maker for the ABs.

Historically it’s been the 10 making most of the big decisions, but in recent years that has shifted to the 9, we’ve seen it with JGP at Ireland and Du Pont at France. 9s are having a lot more say on the game than they used to.

That's not some sort of historical trend mate, it's Sexton retiring and France playing a different style. There have always been some 9s who play that way (Weepu, Going, Bachop to an extent) and 10s who range from very dominant game controllers to just a link in the chain.

Roigard is dominant, and does a lot of the kicking, particularly exits. I would be mildly concerned with how that would go if Roigard gets injured.

The historical consensus in rugby has always been that the No. 10 is the primary game driver - the quarterback, so to speak, while the No. 9's role has largely been to link the forwards with the first five. What we're seeing now, though, is halfbacks taking control of matches more than ever before. One of the major benefits of that shift is that it allows you to blood a young No. 10 like Love much more comfortably, as the bulk of the decision-making no longer rests solely on his shoulders like it traditionally has.

Disagree with you on that one mate, I think it still is the consensus, and all we're seeing is 2 or 3 exceptional players causing a blip on the graph. For me it is kind of just as simple as you get a better view from 10, you're better placed to see things which trigger decisions - and that hasn't changed.

I think in the NH particularly the French , they use the halfback a lot more than us to put a bit of control on the tempo of the game .

Where as we tend to traditionally just want quick ball from the HB . Get in the tens hands ASAP .But maybe that’ part is starting to change a bit with Roigard.

I think this is because of rush defences , and 10s can get crowded more with them. I genuinely wonder at times how the likes of Merts, Carter etc would play against the rush defence we have these days. I do think it is changing how our insides play, and reason the box kicking form 9s is so much a thing.

@Jet said in All Blacks 2026:

@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:

@Rugbyman said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

I think Roigard has that winning mentality

This is the key thing eh, when everyone else really just wants to lose, having someone who wants to win is a game changer.

I think what Rugbyman is getting at is the will to impose oneself on a game. Not hiding. Not passive.

Messi has done it every week when Argentina were behind. More touches, more touches , give me the fucking ball.

Roigard feels the same. Very proactive. Quick taps, sniping, taking ownership of situations.

Some people let the match happen to them, whereas Roigard displays agency in trying to turn things around. If he was on the pitch in the 2007 QF he'd have taken the drop goal himself .

He's a hell of a player but expecting him to have competed with grown men at seven years old is a bit of a stretch.

I haven't seen much of Pledger at all yet, but one thing I'll say is Fozzie made the mistake of not giving Roigard nearly enough minutes in the lead up to the 23 WC despite his obvious talent, and that was costly as Roigard was exactly the kind of HB we could have used in the final after going a man down. Like others I want to see a lot more bravery from the coaches (we already are TBH), where if they see someone that is obviously a special player they get them in and give them meaningful minutes to develop them. I dont want situation like Love where he is 25 years old before he even gets a meaningful shot despite being obviously better than the incumbents.

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2026:

I haven't seen much of Pledger at all yet, but one thing I'll say is Fozzie made the mistake of not giving Roigard nearly enough minutes in the lead up to the 23 WC despite his obvious talent, and that was costly as Roigard was exactly the kind of HB we could have used in the final after going a man down. Like others I want to see a lot more bravery from the coaches (we already are TBH), where if they see someone that is obviously a special player they get them in and give them meaningful minutes to develop them. I dont want situation like Love where he is 25 years old before he even gets a meaningful shot despite being obviously better than the incumbents.

If the incumbent is streets ahead of the young challenger, it makes sense to keep the incumbent and blood the young gun. If it is a toss up, the younger player needs to be given his chance.

@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2026:

I haven't seen much of Pledger at all yet, but one thing I'll say is Fozzie made the mistake of not giving Roigard nearly enough minutes in the lead up to the 23 WC despite his obvious talent, and that was costly as Roigard was exactly the kind of HB we could have used in the final after going a man down. Like others I want to see a lot more bravery from the coaches (we already are TBH), where if they see someone that is obviously a special player they get them in and give them meaningful minutes to develop them. I dont want situation like Love where he is 25 years old before he even gets a meaningful shot despite being obviously better than the incumbents.

It's been said many times, if Cam plays the final we probably win RWC23

@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2026:

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@MiketheSnow said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Bones said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Rattle JGP, get him off his game and they're a bit of a nothing side now.

Same could be said for Roigard

He's easily our most important player and with a strike rate like the below he's going to break plenty of records.

I think he is our most important player, but only due to the lack of similar (in style and quality) options behind him.

Yeah but that’s also purely down to how dominant of a player he is. It’s pretty obvious that Roigard has become the dominant decision maker for the ABs.

Historically it’s been the 10 making most of the big decisions, but in recent years that has shifted to the 9, we’ve seen it with JGP at Ireland and Du Pont at France. 9s are having a lot more say on the game than they used to.

That's not some sort of historical trend mate, it's Sexton retiring and France playing a different style. There have always been some 9s who play that way (Weepu, Going, Bachop to an extent) and 10s who range from very dominant game controllers to just a link in the chain.

Roigard is dominant, and does a lot of the kicking, particularly exits. I would be mildly concerned with how that would go if Roigard gets injured.

The historical consensus in rugby has always been that the No. 10 is the primary game driver - the quarterback, so to speak, while the No. 9's role has largely been to link the forwards with the first five. What we're seeing now, though, is halfbacks taking control of matches more than ever before. One of the major benefits of that shift is that it allows you to blood a young No. 10 like Love much more comfortably, as the bulk of the decision-making no longer rests solely on his shoulders like it traditionally has.

Disagree with you on that one mate, I think it still is the consensus, and all we're seeing is 2 or 3 exceptional players causing a blip on the graph. For me it is kind of just as simple as you get a better view from 10, you're better placed to see things which trigger decisions - and that hasn't changed.

I think in the NH particularly the French , they use the halfback a lot more than us to put a bit of control on the tempo of the game .

Where as we tend to traditionally just want quick ball from the HB . Get in the tens hands ASAP .But maybe that’ part is starting to change a bit with Roigard.

I think this is because of rush defences , and 10s can get crowded more with them. I genuinely wonder at times how the likes of Merts, Carter etc would play against the rush defence we have these days. I do think it is changing how our insides play, and reason the box kicking form 9s is so much a thing.

That’s a good point , and roigard sniping probably makes the rush defence hesitant as well

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:

@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2026:

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@MiketheSnow said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Bones said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Rattle JGP, get him off his game and they're a bit of a nothing side now.

Same could be said for Roigard

He's easily our most important player and with a strike rate like the below he's going to break plenty of records.

I think he is our most important player, but only due to the lack of similar (in style and quality) options behind him.

Yeah but that’s also purely down to how dominant of a player he is. It’s pretty obvious that Roigard has become the dominant decision maker for the ABs.

Historically it’s been the 10 making most of the big decisions, but in recent years that has shifted to the 9, we’ve seen it with JGP at Ireland and Du Pont at France. 9s are having a lot more say on the game than they used to.

That's not some sort of historical trend mate, it's Sexton retiring and France playing a different style. There have always been some 9s who play that way (Weepu, Going, Bachop to an extent) and 10s who range from very dominant game controllers to just a link in the chain.

Roigard is dominant, and does a lot of the kicking, particularly exits. I would be mildly concerned with how that would go if Roigard gets injured.

The historical consensus in rugby has always been that the No. 10 is the primary game driver - the quarterback, so to speak, while the No. 9's role has largely been to link the forwards with the first five. What we're seeing now, though, is halfbacks taking control of matches more than ever before. One of the major benefits of that shift is that it allows you to blood a young No. 10 like Love much more comfortably, as the bulk of the decision-making no longer rests solely on his shoulders like it traditionally has.

Disagree with you on that one mate, I think it still is the consensus, and all we're seeing is 2 or 3 exceptional players causing a blip on the graph. For me it is kind of just as simple as you get a better view from 10, you're better placed to see things which trigger decisions - and that hasn't changed.

I think in the NH particularly the French , they use the halfback a lot more than us to put a bit of control on the tempo of the game .

Where as we tend to traditionally just want quick ball from the HB . Get in the tens hands ASAP .But maybe that’ part is starting to change a bit with Roigard.

I think this is because of rush defences , and 10s can get crowded more with them. I genuinely wonder at times how the likes of Merts, Carter etc would play against the rush defence we have these days. I do think it is changing how our insides play, and reason the box kicking form 9s is so much a thing.

That’s a good point , and roigard sniping probably makes the rush defence hesitant as well

He is the most important Allblack in the squad as it stands in my opinion.

@Dan54 said in All Blacks 2026:

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Canes4life said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@MiketheSnow said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Bones said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Rattle JGP, get him off his game and they're a bit of a nothing side now.

Same could be said for Roigard

He's easily our most important player and with a strike rate like the below he's going to break plenty of records.

I think he is our most important player, but only due to the lack of similar (in style and quality) options behind him.

Yeah but that’s also purely down to how dominant of a player he is. It’s pretty obvious that Roigard has become the dominant decision maker for the ABs.

Historically it’s been the 10 making most of the big decisions, but in recent years that has shifted to the 9, we’ve seen it with JGP at Ireland and Du Pont at France. 9s are having a lot more say on the game than they used to.

That's not some sort of historical trend mate, it's Sexton retiring and France playing a different style. There have always been some 9s who play that way (Weepu, Going, Bachop to an extent) and 10s who range from very dominant game controllers to just a link in the chain.

Roigard is dominant, and does a lot of the kicking, particularly exits. I would be mildly concerned with how that would go if Roigard gets injured.

The historical consensus in rugby has always been that the No. 10 is the primary game driver - the quarterback, so to speak, while the No. 9's role has largely been to link the forwards with the first five. What we're seeing now, though, is halfbacks taking control of matches more than ever before. One of the major benefits of that shift is that it allows you to blood a young No. 10 like Love much more comfortably, as the bulk of the decision-making no longer rests solely on his shoulders like it traditionally has.

Disagree with you on that one mate, I think it still is the consensus, and all we're seeing is 2 or 3 exceptional players causing a blip on the graph. For me it is kind of just as simple as you get a better view from 10, you're better placed to see things which trigger decisions - and that hasn't changed.

I think in the NH particularly the French , they use the halfback a lot more than us to put a bit of control on the tempo of the game .

Where as we tend to traditionally just want quick ball from the HB . Get in the tens hands ASAP .But maybe that’ part is starting to change a bit with Roigard.

I think this is because of rush defences , and 10s can get crowded more with them. I genuinely wonder at times how the likes of Merts, Carter etc would play against the rush defence we have these days. I do think it is changing how our insides play, and reason the box kicking form 9s is so much a thing.

Those are the two best passing and vision 10s we've had in recent memory, both with excellent accurate and varied kicking games - which is everything you need against a rush defence. They'd do just fine.