The Rugby Thread - Part Deux

Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
Well I am still on the fence if this All Black team is much better than under Razor.
It seems they just throwing the ball around and see if it sticks like the French/Freestate of old. They seemed to be either offside or coming in from the sides at every ruck. I suspect as soon as refs pick up on that and start penalising them, we going to see the same results as under Razor.
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They pushing the envelop at every breakdown, no question. Some of it gets pinged, some of it doesn't.

Their shape and structure on attack is not willy-nilly at all. They play with tempo and accuracy and are constantly in motion and trying to work the overlap.

So many times they've almost had us out wide and on a number of occasions they have. 13 tries against one of the best defenses is no mean feat..

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Saturday is their last defeat of the season....

I also wouldn't be surprised if it's a NZ v France, Nations championship final...

Screenshot 2026-09-08 145554.png
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
Well I am still on the fence if this All Black team is much better than under Razor.
It seems they just throwing the ball around and see if it sticks like the French/Freestate of old. They seemed to be either offside or coming in from the sides at every ruck. I suspect as soon as refs pick up on that and start penalising them, we going to see the same results as under Razor.
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Well if we beat them in the US then yes, scratching heads "a lot "
 
Splinter said:
This is what amazes me about the bok team selected for this upcoming game. The chaps bodies must be aching. The games have been physically brutal.

I have no idea how they manage to keep it up.
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Agreed...

Having said that, if we look at the starting packs workload over the last 6 months or so?

Ox - injured for much of the URC
Malcolm - Japanese league
Wilco - high minutes URC
Eben - injured for much of the URC
Ruan - high minutes URC
Siya - medium minutes URC and hamstring injury ruling him out of early tests
PSDT - injured for much of the Japanese season
Jasper Wiese - Japanese league, medium minutes...
 
sand_man said:
I think he understands, anything less than our best isn't winning.

Rennie's AB's are a far cry from Razors AB's...

Very worrying, albeit impressive, what he has achieved in 2 short months.

Having said that, I wonder if he'll be able to get the Blacks up for the 4th test?

I think some of them are running on fumes at this point, both physically and psychologically...

They lost some big guns over the weekend too, Ardie, Quinn and Luke.... conceding that penalty try from the scrum and that maul try, will have left some serious scars...

A Bok blow out would be a oh so, so sweet way to wrap up the tour.... 15-20 points asseblief??
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Not sure I agree tbh. All the same issues are still there wrt scrums, set pieces and defence etc. for the ABs. They perhaps have some direction, but that doesn't mean its the correct direction. Alot of over playing, too many passes etc imho, pointless play happened over the 3 tests with some brainfarts and schoolboy errors ala Razors tenure too.

The Boks have been stuck in 3rd gear all tour and still lead 2 - 1 and the less said about the total freakshow that was the 1st test performance by both the players and Rassie himself, the better.

2nd test was close'ish, but the 3rd was a convincing win despite the scoreline, thanks to Libbok over playing it resulting in a gift to the ABs in the 81st minute.
 
DarkStarMonday said:
Well if we beat them in the US then yes, scratching heads "a lot "
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3 losses in a row will be a statement of note!!

Having said that, they've been super competitive in all 3 tests. However, if they lose the 4th by 20....??

The general team ethos and culture, how they're playing, if and where they've shown improvements, would all be considered.

Rennie is safe until at least after the RWC. No time and no chance he's let go before then...

The NZ public are an unforgiving bunch when it comes to their footy...

For me, they're a different team to Razor's AB's.

Every test has been an uncomfortable grind. They've outplayed us in many areas and been found severely wanting in others.

The general consensus amongst the NZ fans and pundits is they're on an upwards trajectory and playing a lovely brand of rugby while doing it...
 
sand_man said:
They pushing the envelop at every breakdown, no question. Some of it gets pinged, some of it doesn't.

Their shape and structure on attack is not willy-nilly at all. They play with tempo and accuracy and are constantly in motion and trying to work the overlap.

So many times they've almost had us out wide and on a number of occasions they have. 13 tries against one of the best defenses is no mean feat..

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Saturday is their last defeat of the season....

I also wouldn't be surprised if it's a NZ v France, Nations championship final...

View attachment 1935891
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8 vs 13 tries. That 1st test sure was a total freakshow, half the Boks asleep at the wheel and Rassie making some utterly baffling substitution decisions.

France vs NZ? Expecting a Bok loss to France or NZ squeaking it on points difference/bonus point or something?
 
MuterOfWorlds said:
Not sure I agree tbh. All the same issues are still there wrt scrums, set pieces and defence etc.

The Boks have been stuck in 3rd gear all tour and still lead 2 - 1 and the less said about the total freakshow that was the 1st test performance by both the players and Rassie himself, the better.

2nd test was close'ish, but the 3rd was a convincing win despite the scoreline, thanks to Libbok over playing it resulting in a gift to the ABs in the 81st minute.
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Yeah, but give the Boks their flowers.

They're a well oiled machine, 8 years in the making under Rassie, almost unbeatable at home etc etc etc

Rennie has been in charge for barely 2 months.

How did Rassie do in his first season in charge? 40% win ratio? Yes, he inherited a mess from Coetzee while Rennie inherited the No.2 ranked side from Razor... but still, takes time to make an impact on a national side...

I disagree the Boks have been in 3rd gear. It's taken a proper effort to get the job done. They've been tested and pushed and passed...

And yes, I agree. At times we've been noticeably better without capitalizing, 1st test case in point... we dominated long passages of play with little to no return...

NZ set piece is still a genuine worry. Let us hope they don't fix it soon. If they do, we are in the pooh...

How was the AB set piece against Ireland, France and Italy?

Their scrumming technique seems to be lacking, but then everyone's scrumming technique is found out against the Boks. Look how it went for Ireland and their Lions front row last November... I think they've got some decent props, probably just need a decent scrum coach, need Mike Cron back, Jason Ryan I don't think passes muster TBH.

Locks? They've built great depth in this department. Darry, Lord, Holland, Vaa'ui, Patrick, decent battery of locks. Their lineout woes have been quite surprising. A short throw-in to a prop is a declaration of defeat in a lineout battle. That too can be fixed though, with time and repetition.

Anyway, I think we're going to see some cricket scores posted by this AB side in the November tests. Can't wait to see how they go against England, who beat them relatively comfortably last November.
 
The All Blacks need to change 1 of 2 things : 1. Select players playing abroad or 2. Get key players (Retallick etc.) playing in NZ to make them eligible for selection.
 
MuterOfWorlds said:
8 vs 13 tries. That 1st test sure was a total freakshow, half the Boks asleep at the wheel and Rassie making some utterly baffling substitution decisions.

France vs NZ? Expecting a Bok loss to France or NZ squeaking it on points difference/bonus point or something?
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Yeah, 1st test left a bitter taste. One where we played more than enough rugby to win, yet never come close in the end... horrible test, got to be said...

I think NZ squeak in on points difference.

Ireland and France (1st side) away, is a far tougher assignment than NZ had in July against a French 2nd team and an injury depleted Irish side...
 
Mike7 said:
Good management by Rassie. Explains why he is picking the same team while the AB's might be forced to make changes.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2097263932540948976
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1st test wasnt so much bad luck and as it baffling choices in making the substitutions in the first place that causes massive unnecessary upheavel on backline/midfield during the test.
I still cant fathom it such simple solutions yet Rassie over engineered a total disaster and not only once, but twice, during the same test.
For all his genius, the man seems to show a trending blindspot to the simple and obvious.
 
MuterOfWorlds said:
1st test wasnt so much bad luck and as it baffling choices in making the substitutions in the first place that causes massive unnecessary upheavel on backline/midfield during the test.
I still cant fathom it such simple solutions yet Rassie over engineered a total disaster and not only once, but twice, during the same test.
For all his genius, the man seems to show a trending blindspot to the simple and obvious.
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Will let him know
 
Heisenborg said:
Will let him know
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Rassie even admitted to getting it wrong in post match interviews etc.

Arendse injury, for example, baffling sending Kriel to wing and reshuffling the whole backline when have Grant Williams on the pitch at 9 with Reinarch on the bench.

Easy, clean, zero upheavel plan wouldve been Grant to wing and Reinarch on at 9. The overengineering by Rassie was mindboggling and it came back to bite him when Kolbe got injured and he yet again upheaved the backline and midfield.

That sort of disruption, on multiple occassions in a single test would wreck momentum for any squad and yet, it was not required, at all, with 2nd occassion opening the gates for ABs.

That 1st test was a total freakshow, out of character for everyone, the players as well as Rassie.

The game was in the balance, it was still close despite everything, until the Kolbe injury and Rassie upheaved everything for the 2nd time in a single test, for no reason whatsoever, he had player options for yet another far cleaner, less disruptive solution.
 
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