All Blacks 2026

@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:

I think if Tuipulotu keeps playing like he did on Saturday then you probably want him in the 23. I also think Darry played exceptionally well in his two matches. I think Lord and Holland are fighting it out for the other starting berth (assuming that Vaa'i is at 6 and that a lock is selected on the bench). Given Holland is coming back from injury, Lord has the inside running.

That's pretty much how I see it too. Tuipulotu's carrying in traffic is a useful point of difference vs the others.
I'd give Holland the edge over Lord on work rate though - I think he hits more rucks, makes more tackles and covers more ground - but that is assuming he quickly gets back to the standard he was at last year.

I don't like Vaa'i playing 6 then going into lock particularly.

Is there another coach coming into the All Blacks or has it all been named?

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2026:

@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:

and the saffers are winning world championships and the game is thriving there

For now.

Short term picking from overseas is great. But it takes time to filter through to dilute the comps and undermine the structure. NZR have done this well with Super - expanding when the talent wsan't there, taking players out to save them for the ABs. The comp has deteriorated. If you pick overseas players you diminish it further, just when it may be turning a corner.

NZR's strength is alignment through the NPC Super and ABs. Players getting flogged by clubs overseas means you just don't know what condition they get back in - and combine the travel factor as well. We are not in the same time zone as Europe (the SA are) - so it's damn hard to bring people back, get them into the environment and playing within a week. Remember the Paul brothers in league? They used to do that - come over for a one off test. Not easy.

Additionally, people are using the current Boks as the example of why this is fine, forgetting that for the majority of the time we dominated them they had the same or similar eligibility. They have a golden generation currently, and arguably transformation/quotas (that so many of their supposed fans hated) is the driving force behind that in conjunction with a really good coach (or manager or whatever the fuck Rassie is).

South Africa doesn't have the NRL on it's doorstep to fill in the domestic gap, we will have if we allow all our best players to go overseas.

@Nepia NZ Rugby still needs to sort the low hanging fruit that’s right in front of their faces
Shredding pathways is death by thousand cuts leaving the door open for the rival code to walk in and grab whatever talent is available already happening talking to HP guys around the traps

@tubbyj said in All Blacks 2026:

Wouldn't mind seeing this team get a run before year end

1. Ethan De Groot
2. Samisoni Taukei'aho
3. Fletcher Newell
4. Sam Darry (cc)
5. Fabien Holland
6. Tupou Vaai
7. Luke Jacobson
8. Peter Lakai
9. Cam Riogard
10. Reuben Love
11. Josh Moorby
12. Jordie Barrett
13. Quinn Tupeau
14. Will Jordan (cc)
15. Damien Mackenzie

Reserves
16. Xavier Numia
17. Asafo Aumua
18. Pasilio Tosi
19. Patrick Tuipoluto
20. Ardie Savea (cc)
21. Kyle Preston
22. Leicester Fainga'anuku
23. Caleb Clarke

I wouldn’t be leaving Ardie out of any important test match this year. He’s on fire at the moment.

For the bench, I wouldn’t have both Fainga’anuku and Clarke. Both cover wing. You could play Fainga’anuku and a specialist 1st 5 (Mo’unga). With Clarke they will want a midfield cover

Sounds like Mounga will tour whether he plays or not remains to be seen. What about Frizell? No one is mentioning Ioane. Could he play a similar role to what he did in preparing for Ireland?

@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2026:

Sounds like Mounga will tour whether he plays or not remains to be seen. What about Frizell? No one is mentioning Ioane. Could he play a similar role to what he did in preparing for Ireland?

Ioane will tour. At the initial squad naming Rennie gave about as strong a hint as you can give - plus being brought into the squad last week.

@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2026:

Is there another coach coming into the All Blacks or has it all been named?

Think there are quite a few part-time coaches that come in when needed to do specific skills work, even if they're not formally on the docket.

Euan Mackintosh has been working with them in July, for example.

@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2026:

Sounds like Mounga will tour whether he plays or not remains to be seen. What about Frizell? No one is mentioning Ioane. Could he play a similar role to what he did in preparing for Ireland?

Ioane was on sabbatical so shouldn't be mentioned with those two as far as availbility.

@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2026:

Sounds like Mounga will tour whether he plays or not remains to be seen. What about Frizell? No one is mentioning Ioane. Could he play a similar role to what he did in preparing for Ireland?

Do you mean Mo'unga will play an NPC game or wait for an injury, become eligible to play, go on tour but won't be part of the test team? It's likely everyone on tour will play some rugby, unless they're an injury replacement later on in the tour.

@Steven-Harris said in All Blacks 2026:

@Nepia NZ Rugby still needs to sort the low hanging fruit that’s right in front of their faces
Shredding pathways is death by thousand cuts leaving the door open for the rival code to walk in and grab whatever talent is available already happening talking to HP guys around the traps

I know your more in the know about Auckland but do you think it's more specific to there? Schoolboy rugby numbers have been increasing, like most sports after Covid, which seems to be a rising tide raises all boats - are they all switching to league at 19?

But, really, who are all these kids going to league? We hear of the odd cases like Inch and the loosie from Tasman, but most of the players we see coming up through the grades in Oz when you look closely at them have a league background.

I think I've said on here that I did some work on Maori players in Oz during the U20s Toyota Cup days when there was more money involved and the numbers going over from rugby then was really high. (Sadly most of the guys I interviewed never made it to the majors).

Although, if you mean a structured U20 for Super then I'd be fully on board for that. Although, we can't overlook that the pathway for rugby is the NPC, and we see lots of guys now who are the equivalent of league U20s and reserve grade coming up through NPC to Super.

There's also the fact we're never going to be able to keep them all. but we're losing more to NH rugby than league.

Sorry mods for the off topic.

Expecting an announcement on that. He is playing Npc. Love has a bit of an injury, not sure if it is enough to earn him a spot as injury cover.

@Chris-B. said in All Blacks 2026:

@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:

@Chris-B. said in All Blacks 2026:

Tamaiti Williams, Holland, Big Leicester, Narawa, Tangitau

@Chris-B. said in All Blacks 2026:

Norris, Bell, Ahio, Hannah, Kirifi, Lio Willie, Hotham, Kemara, Ioane, Harkin

Personally not sure about Kirifi. Just think his size is a disqualifier. Not sure who is next in line though.

Ahio has announced he's leaving, so does that disqualify him? What state is Ofa in?

Jim the difference get a look in?

Does Harkin cover 10?

Would love to see Hutchinson.

I too think Kirifi is a bit small, but I seem to recall Rennie name-checked him as unlucky.

Didn't know that about Ahio - a pity. Probably does rule him out.

They pretty clearly like people with fullback skills - Love, Jordie, Jordan, Moorby and DMac all in last night's team.

hopefully that means Hutchinson goes to SA.

@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:

I don't like Vaa'i playing 6 then going into lock particularly.

Neither do I. Have to be knackering going from 6 then back into the engine room

@restofit I wonder if he is back from his injury ?

@BerniesCorner we could have Darry on the bench and Vaai stays on at 6 and Segner comes on at 7 for Jacobson.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@BerniesCorner we could have Darry on the bench and Vaai stays on at 6 and Segner comes on at 7 for Jacobson.

We need to use Lakai.
Savea's playing well but I hope Rennie uses all the talented forwards. Team effort. Savea doesn't have to go 80 every game

@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks 2026:

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks 2026:

@BerniesCorner we could have Darry on the bench and Vaai stays on at 6 and Segner comes on at 7 for Jacobson.

We need to use Lakai.
Savea's playing well but I hope Rennie uses all the talented forwards. Team effort. Savea doesn't have to go 80 every game

Lakai can cover all three positions the best IMO so he has to be in the 23. If we go two loosies you could either have Sititi and Lakai which might prove to be a game changer late in the game on those hard grounds, or Lakai and Segner.

If our attacking shape continues to trend upward, what are we going to do with Blair when Brown comes in? He's too good to let go. Signing Brown so early may have been a mistake.

Can the two of them work together?

@Canes4life The bench mix and how it complements the starting lineup isn’t quite perfect at the moment and not just for the loose forwards. They still need to decide what combinations they want, how that fits with their bench strategy and what risks they’re prepared to take around injury coverage.

Lakai probably deserves a place in the 23 on merit and his ability to cover all three loose forward positions is valuable but that versatility doesn’t necessarily make him essential given the other loose forwards in the team. It’s probably preferable not to move Jacobson or Savea around during a match but they could, for example, still cover an injury to any starting loose forward with a specialist number eight on the bench.

If they go with a 6:2 split or decide they don’t need a specialist lock on the bench - I think they should, even with Vaa’i starting at blindside - they could potentially carry two specialist loose forwards rather than relying on a utility option. Again, Lakai could still be one of those players though.

The loose forwards remain the least settled area of the team. Ideally, they’d have a group of high-quality specialists to choose from but there isn't. At the moment, it looks like they’re sticking with the philosophy that jersey numbers don’t necessarily define a player’s role.