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?
@antipodean 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
Said by whom?
I wasn't the only one to say it at the time. But I'm far too lazy to go back and get you a list from a three year old thread
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean 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
Said by whom?
I wasn't the only one to say it at the time. But I'm far too lazy to go back and get you a list from a three year old thread
So yourself, apparently.
Given his performance tonight, I think you're talking out of your arse. The reality is if two players kicked reasonably straightforward penalties, we win.
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
maybe one or two bolters (eg Preston)
What a bolter that would be, reckon you're probably the only one picking him as a bolter. Worth putting some money on, Shirley.
@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
The "we would have win if Cam had played" myth is getting bloody ridiculous - based on 1 try against a tired Springbok team who were so far ahead on points they were winding down and 2 tries against rugby super-power Namibia
If Roigard played in the RWC2023 Final as poorly as he did tonight, the Boks would have put 20+ points on us.
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean 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
Said by whom?
I wasn't the only one to say it at the time. But I'm far too lazy to go back and get you a list from a three year old thread
So yourself, apparently.
Given his performance tonight, I think you're talking out of your arse. The reality is if two players kicked reasonably straightforward penalties, we win.
I do remember some fuckwit arguing that Roigard should start in the knock-out games as he had scored 2 tries against Namibia
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean 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
Said by whom?
I wasn't the only one to say it at the time. But I'm far too lazy to go back and get you a list from a three year old thread
So yourself, apparently.
Given his performance tonight, I think you're talking out of your arse. The reality is if two players kicked reasonably straightforward penalties, we win.
I do remember some fuckwit arguing that Roigard should start in the knock-out games as he had scored 2 tries against Namibia
That’s a big part of the argument for him being the best in the world - his try-scoring ratio. ‘He’s better than Dupont. Look at how many tries he scores.’ Its a bit silly.
And this thread has gone off topic again.
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks 2026:
That’s a big part of the argument for him being the best in the world—his try-scoring ratio.
Seemed to me today he was more interested in his try-scoring ratio than stuff like kicking and passing. At one point he went for a dart when we had an overlap on the left.
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:
On a positive note, absolutely loving the formation of our attack, so fun to watch
Things in general are looking very positive and much improved from the last several years. Still a lot to improve on and a few question marks but it’s great to see.
@ShaquilleOatmeal said in All Blacks 2026:
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2026:
On a positive note, absolutely loving the formation of our attack, so fun to watch
Things in general are looking very positive and much improved from the last several years. Still a lot to improve on and a few question marks but it’s great to see.
I will take this anyday.
Movement, playing positive, confident rugby, negative errors have almost disappeared. Light years more enjoyable than grinding out a win in minutes 25-40 and holding on for dear life.
A few seasons back Taylor was in dire form and it wasn't until injuries struck that Taukei'aho was finally given a run in South Africa, where he excelled. Taylor's form is nowhere near as bad now but I still think the one-two punch of Taukei'aho and Aumua is difficult to resist. We saw against Ireland how big an impact Aumua made by coming onto the field early in the match. But hard to see Rennie changing up the formula too much in South Africa, given Taylor started all three matches in July. Maybe if Taukei'aho has a stormer against the club sides and mans up in the scrum he'll be trusted to start in the Tests?
Bit surprising that Lomax was the first-choice tighthead in July, but only because he's spent so little time on the pitch this year. Newell and Tosi seem like a better combination but Lomax was by no means terrible and, as with the hooker situation, Lomax and Newell are probably the better scrummaging combo so Rennie may stick with them for the upcoming tour. De Groot is in career-best form - his carrying and support game have gone up a notch this year - and Numia didn't struggle in either of his two appearances so those two are locked in on the loosehead side of the scrum.
We're blessed with riches in the second row. As with the props, no one let themselves down in July but think Darry/Tuipulotu may be the best pairing. If we're running with a lock on the bench, however, then I think starting Lord with Tuipulotu is the better option with Darry adding impact later in the game. Holland also comes back into the frame (though not sure he should be playing the Tests at this stage). Barnes and Ryan will have their selection work cut out for them when Barrett returns from injury too.
Think Vaa'i is the best option on the blindside flank against South Africa and the other bigger packs (Ireland and England come to mind). I also like the balance he brings to the backrow. Savea will start at No 8 and then seems like Jacobson has done enough to wear 7. Not sure who out of Lakai and Segner rides the pine and hard to see where Parker fits into things. Against the bigger teams maybe he should be the bench loosie, as the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement for Vaa'i? But clearly Rennie didn't favour him in July.
Halfback situation remains troubling. Roigard is clearly the first choice and should be playing as much as possible in every match. Ratima had some ok moments in July but wasn't properly tested while Preston didn't feature at all. They'll presumably both get starts in the opening four games of the South Africa tour. Wonder if Rennie is on the phone to some of the offshore options trying to convince them to get back to NZ ASAP. Smith or Kerr-Barlow would be great additions ahead of the World Cup.
The Love-McKenzie axis worked a charm in July. Long may it continue. Love has played a fairly understated game but mixed it up with a few excellent touches - very Carter-esque. That's the type of play we need from the 10.
Similarly, the Barrett-Tupaea axis looks to be the way forward in the midfield, though Tupaea is still going to have a few defensive lapses at centre. The problem then becomes who the back-up No 12 is, because I don't love Lienert-Brown in that role. Feels like Rennie is comfortable having him there, however. Would've been quite interesting to see what would have happened if Barrett had been ruled out of the match - would ALB have gone to 12 and Tupaea remained at 13 to continue his development there? Barrett has been a bit of a revolution this year, though he probably overplayed his hand a little bit against Ireland.
Looking forward to seeing more of Fineanganofo in Africa but Jordan, Moorby and Clarke (and even Carter) all played well in July. We definitely looked worse later in the game when McKenzie moved to 10 but I think that was potentially more a product of not being able to inject him from fullback. Really hoping Hutchinson makes the trip to Africa and gets a few runs on the board because he offers a similar threat from fullback and would allow Love/McKenzie to make way when needed. Can then take a horses for courses approach with the wings.
All in all, a very positive July. A few big questions remains around the back-up halfback, blindside flanker and midfield but there appears to be some clear buy-in to Rennie and co from the players. Plenty of reason for NZ fans to feel optimistic.
Rennie has an incredible record against South Africa opposition - can't wait to see how this group goes on their tour.
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@antipodean 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
Said by whom?
I wasn't the only one to say it at the time. But I'm far too lazy to go back and get you a list from a three year old thread
I've started it for you. 
@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2026:
Any thoughts on Beauden Barrett and Simon Parker ?
I would imagine they are taken to South Africa
and also who comes in ?
I'll be surprised if they don't take everyone in this 34 unless there are injuries.
Then I'm thinking another full front row, a lock, two loosies, halfback, first five, midfielder, outside back.
Not sure who has been injured who might be fit - but any of Tamaiti Williams, Holland, Big Leicester, Narawa, Tangitau would be pretty likely if they're fit.
But, on the assumption none of them are, I'd think some of:
Norris, Bell, Ahio, Hannah, Kirifi, Lio Willie, Hotham, Kemara, Ioane, Harkin
Hard to know what Rennie is looking for in his loosies.
If Rennie wants to pick Mo'unga and Frizell, I think NZR are missing a trick by not letting him. OK, we don't pick from overseas, but do we need to be puritanical about it?
@Chris-B. said in All Blacks 2026:
If Rennie wants to pick Mo'unga and Frizell, I think NZR are missing a trick by not letting him. OK, we don't pick from overseas, but do we need to be puritanical about it?
Yes. They knew the cut off dates for returning and selection and decided not to return by those dates.
To recycle an old joke, there'll be enough suitcases on tour without the addition of Frizell.
