All Blacks 2026

@ShaquilleOatmeal 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:

@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.

As for Pledger, I can't really see him overtaking Roigard as the All Blacks' first-choice halfback anytime soon.

Neither can I, but we need to get our heads around the idea that the 'best' player doesn't have to start and the reserves don't have to wait until the 60-minute mark to come on. Roigard could come on after just 20 minutes, for example, make a huge impact against a tiring opposition late in the first half and still be going flat out in injury time.

theyre also different players so "first choice" might have a * next to it, 75% of the time its clear but there might certain opposition where someone like pledger is preferred, we need need to get past the idea the first choice starts and second choice is on the bench....horses for courses

Pledger has only performed at NPC level, there is no guarantee he can translate that dominance to test level. I certainly think he has more upside than all the other backups to Roigard and would hope come the WC next year he has worked his way onto the bench. But that is a long way off and he has to have a dominant super season. I don't see him replacing Roigard anytime soon, I think Roigard has that winning mentality a bit like Justin Marshall and he is ultra competitive by all accounts.

@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.

@Rugbyman said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Pledger has only performed at NPC level, there is no guarantee he can translate that dominance to test level. I certainly think he has more upside than all the other backups to Roigard and would hope come the WC next year he has worked his way onto the bench. But that is a long way off and he has to have a dominant super season. I don't see him replacing Roigard anytime soon, I think Roigard has that winning mentality a bit like Justin Marshall and he is ultra competitive by all accounts.

Why does he have to have a dominant season? If the WC is next year and he's good enough get him in there. At present he just needs to be better than Ratima or Preston.

Personally I doubt he'd surpass Roigard,but if we get to the situation we have to even talk about it we'd be in a good position.

@Rugbyman said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Pledger has only performed at NPC level, there is no guarantee he can translate that dominance to test level. I certainly think he has more upside than all the other backups to Roigard and would hope come the WC next year he has worked his way onto the bench. But that is a long way off and he has to have a dominant super season. I don't see him replacing Roigard anytime soon, I think Roigard has that winning mentality a bit like Justin Marshall and he is ultra competitive by all accounts.

Everyone's praise of him has been prefaced by similar statements, it's all obviously a big 'if' with major steps up to come.
But... it's hard to remember a better NPC breakout season, he was a star at U20 - and his game isn't based on being a bully, it's based on quick thinking, quick feet, quick pass. He's pretty exciting.

@reprobate said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

@Rugbyman said in NC: All Blacks v Ireland:

Pledger has only performed at NPC level, there is no guarantee he can translate that dominance to test level. I certainly think he has more upside than all the other backups to Roigard and would hope come the WC next year he has worked his way onto the bench. But that is a long way off and he has to have a dominant super season. I don't see him replacing Roigard anytime soon, I think Roigard has that winning mentality a bit like Justin Marshall and he is ultra competitive by all accounts.

Everyone's praise of him has been prefaced by similar statements, it's all obviously a big 'if' with major steps up to come.
But... it's hard to remember a better NPC breakout season, he was a star at U20 - and his game isn't based on being a bully, it's based on quick thinking, quick feet, quick pass. He's pretty exciting.

Hopefully he has a Milner-Skudder-esque year in 2027 and forces his way into our top 23 for the WC.

@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.

@Rugbyman Right now, the backups aren’t trusted unless the game is well and truly over. Ratima got just six minutes against France. I’d be tempted to pick Pledger if he shows even the slightest bit of promise. At this point, he can hardly be any worse than that.

How does Pledger's pass compare to Roigard's.

@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.

@reprobate not to mention the smarts across.the team and packs they had in front of them

@reprobate 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.

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.

Yep I'd hope so, we will never know though. It's just a thing I kind of do at times, I have seen some brilliant 10s over the years, Mac Hereniwi, Earle Kirton, Barry John, Mark Ella through to the likes of todays. And I just wonder how they would cope etc, the game sems to shift so much every few years.
Same in any positions, many of us older fellas (and not so old) do tend to look at the players that were through tinted glasses, and as the game has changed even since it went pro, I wonder how players would go.

One thing I do believe is that rugby has never been so strong internationally, where as anyone but top 2 were well behind, I genuinely think it has changed .

@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.

Picking Christie ahead of Roigard in the World Cup crunch matches.
Total fuckin joke.

@Frank said in All Blacks 2026:

@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.

Picking Christie ahead of Roigard in the World Cup crunch matches.
Total fuckin joke.

Especially. considering this happened just 2 months before the RWC final against the same opponent.

Static ball from the base of a ruck, 63 meters from the try line. Beats 8 Springboks.

Yeah, Finlay Christie is our man.....

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

@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

Lots of ifs that day. Cane getting a card, Frizell opting out of tackling, RMo playing on after being knocked out, Jordan choking.

But yes, the Roigard exclusion for being too friendly with the translator sucked.

@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

@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

Lots of ifs that day. Cane getting a card, Frizell opting out of tackling, RMo playing on after being knocked out, Jordan choking.

But yes, the Roigard exclusion for being too friendly with the translator sucked.

Or did she?

So with the first half of the Nations Championship done and dusted who’s on the plane to South Africa? I assume it will be this 34 + 10 others or was it less than that?

@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2026:

So with the first half of the Nations Championship done and dusted who’s on the plane to South Africa? I assume it will be this 34 + 10 others or was it less than that?

40 man squad isn't it?

Edit: 44

I'd like to see a nice mix of experienced players who need to be reexamined (eg Ioane), some form players from SR who deserve a look (eg Harkin) and maybe one or two bolters (eg Preston)

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

maybe one or two bolters (eg Preston)

Do you mean Hutchinson?

We only need to take 40, because have you seen how huge Parker is from all his work in the weights room?

@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:

@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

Said by whom?