• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

All Blacks squad named

TRF Mr Fish

Your Piscine Overlord
TRF Legend
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
4,120
Country Flag
New Zealand
Forwards
Hookers: Dane Coles, Nathan Harris
Props: Props: Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Ofa Tu'ungafasi.
Locks: Dominic Bird, Tom Franklin, Brodie Retallick and Patrick Tuipulotu.
Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Akira Ioane, Jerome Kaino, Ardie Savea and Liam Squire

Backs
Halfbacks: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith.
First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Lima Sopoaga.
Midfielders: Richard Buckman, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Charlie Ngatai, Sonny Bill Williams
Outside backs: Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Julian Savea, Ben Smith.
 
Richard Buckman, now there's a very interesting choice.
A lot of people have been talking this guy up as being a smart cool,headed player in the AB style.

I barely know any of the props.
Good to see Tuipoluto in the mix for locks.
Akira Ioane is another prospect it's good to see on the list.
Nice to see Ben Smith back.
 
The calls I'm most pleased with are Charlie Ngatai and Richard Buckman. Two no-nonsense guys who always play an amazing and consistent style of rugby. Buckman is one of the most solid defenders among the midfielders stock in NZ, I'm amazed each time I see him play, it's like a fourth loose forward on the field who does the basics of a midfielder job to perfection. Can also play fullback and winger, combining him with Ben Smith will be tempting. And just like many other fans, I was left wondering why he wasn't part of the All Blacks squad.

I don't know the props enough either to have an idea on the relevance of that choice.
 
Wow, very happy with this selection, I think they've pretty much nailed it!

Very happy to see Atu Moli in there, he is a huge talent and will surely take over from Franks when he retires... I think Pauli Manu from the Blues has been a bit hard done by... he was in the ABs before a big injury in 2015 and has come back strong this year (has kept Tu'ungafasi on the Blues' bench for the most part)... I'd have liked to have seen him there ahead of JTA or Hames.
When the Saders boys come back, only 2 of these props will make the RC squad and presumably Tu'ungafasi will be one of them, so it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod. IMO it should be Laulala or Moli. It'll probably be Laulala.

It's good to see that they've rewarded the form of Bird and Franklin and given Tupolotu another shot at pressing his case, I reckon those guys all deserve to be in the frame. It's obviously pretty unlikely that any of them will make the cut for the actual squad through...

Thank God they picked DMac, hopefully they keep doing so... it seems they're pretty intent on not picking hi as a fullback, so it'll probs be a shootout between him and Mo'unga for the RC. In any case, DMac deserves to be there.

I'm surprised by the selection of Buckman... it's clear that they've now completely shunned Fekitoa, but I thought Moala might get another crack... he hasn't really done anything wrong. Still though, I think Buckman is a good selection, he definitely brings a lot of value and has earned his spot.

It's good too to see them showing faith in Ngatai and NMS, because we know how great they can be.

With Dagg coming back someone in that back 3 is gonna have to make way, and tbh I think it'll be one of the Canes boys... probs NMS, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see The Bus dropped.
 
Last edited:
Good selection, I do think Hansen just isn't telling the truth with Fekitoa though.

"There's not much point bringing him to a day and a half camp," Hansen said.

"I wouldn't say he won't get selected, but as with all people going overseas, when you get down to the crunch if there's two people with similar ability or close to it, then you're going to reward the guy that's staying."

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/spo...ve-hansen-all-but-closes-door-malakai-fekitoa


You're picking TKB who is leaving. So this comment is pure bullshit. I think it would've been better for everyone if he just said he wasn't up to the mark or up to standard in his eyes. Would've made others work hard and what ever.

You excluded him from the Lions tour and picked a bunch of inexperienced kids ahead of him. Then you're giving him stick for "leaving" after getting the message?

This is really rude from Hansen. I think he's been pretty poor this year.
 
Last edited:
Hookers - Interesting that there's no extra player included to get a bit of time with the squad. Coltman is out for the rest of the year and I suppose that with Coles, Taylor and Harris there's no real need to bring a fifth player into the environment just yet.

Props - Great to see Moli in there, he's probably a year or two away from making the squad but he's a great prospect. He's an incredible ball runner, just needs to work on his scrummaging a bit more. Captained the U20s a couple of years ago so hopefully has his head screwed on properly! JTA and Hames will likely float around the squad a bit but I can't see either getting in without injuries elsewhere. Laulala will likely grab the spot vacated by Faumuina.

Locks - Bird is the biggest surprise for me, I've heard that Hansen is not a big fan of his (mainly a personality thing, I believe). He's played very well this year though! As with the props, I can't see anyone new forcing themselves in unless there are injuries. Barrett, Romano, Whitelock and Retallick are pretty much lock ins at this point in time (though potentially Romano could be ousted).

Loose forwards - No surprises there at all. No idea what the make up of the loosies will be come TRC time, though of course there are a few players guaranteed to be there.

Halfbacks - Surprised at TKB's inclusion, but I guess that shows just how highly the coaches value him. He's one of the most committed players you will see (on and off the field). Also a bit different to the likes of Fekitoa, where he probably wouldn't be making the squad even if he was staying. Plus I wouldn't be especially surprised if the coaches saw Fekitoa's departure as him throwing his toys out of the cot. Hansen has said that McKenzie could cover halfback in a pinch.

First Fives - Good to see McKenzie in there. He'll spend most of the season playing for Waikato anyway with Beaudie and Lima starting the matches.

Centres - Glad that Ngatai is there. Hopefully he makes the final squad. Also good to see Buckman getting his dues, the coaches have said they know nothing about him on a personal level so this is a good chance to get to know him. His utility value would make him invaluable for a World Cup but I can't see him making the squad with so many good players already established (more so than him, anyway). Biggest omission here is George Moala, though he hasn't pushed on at all this year.

Outside backs - Welcome back NMS, I hope Savea doesn't make the squad.
 
...who does the basics of a midfielder job to perfection.
and heres the baracuda's key. whilst i dont rate him much of an athlete i def think he's an awesome rugby player.
more importantly he has a very low error rate .
 
and heres the baracuda's key. whilst i dont rate him much of an athlete i def think he's an awesome rugby player.
more importantly he has a very low error rate .

Some of you blokes may struggle to remember a young Conrad Smith learning the ropes from an ageing Tana Umaga at Wellington.
Richard Buckman reminds me of a young Conrad Smith.
No frills but when you examine what he is doing on the field it makes a whole lot of sense.
 
The All Blacks have depth in the right wing department (Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo, Israel Dagg, Nehe Milner-Skudder) but I was thinking that maybe Dmac could also fit in that position. He's not the fastest player but he possibly has one of the best accelerations in the squad (partly due to his low weight), elusive, safe under high balls. His small frame, pace and imagination will allow him to pierce through small gaps and open up the game with his offloads just like Nehe used to do. If he plays 14, he can stand deeper and launch counter-attacks like a fullback, which better corresponds to his rugby DNA. Yeah, I don't rate him as a first five at all.
Having Jordie/Bender at fullback and him at 14 could be a potentially lethal combination. They're all very safe options under high balls, are either deceptively elusive (Jordie somehow manages to avoid first tackles despite being slow as hell for an outside back) or outright elusive.
Naholo, in my opinion, is not the optimal choice to play on the right wing. He's fast but he's also big and powerful. His style doesn't suit the ideal kiwi 14 who's lean and tries to get behind the opposition and distribute the ball to the inside. The left winger doesn't have to look for space. His speed and power are enough for him to score tries (but obviously he needs to be a bit more than a Julian Savea, who's the archetypal lazy winger waiting for the ball to come into his hands).
When Bender and Izzy retire, my ideal outside backs configuration would be:
11 - Naholo, Ioane
14 - Dmac, NMS
15 - J. Barrett
 
The difference though is that TKB will be in the actual RC squad, whereas Fekitoa won't, so bringing Feks in for a day and a half is pretty pointless...

Fair point.

I'm just really disappointed Fekitoa is leaving and the manner in which he is, I don't think you'll find a guy who works as hard as him, big heart. Deserved to be treated better
 
I'm just really disappointed Fekitoa is leaving and the manner in which he is, I don't think you'll find a guy who works as hard as him, big heart. Deserved to be treated better
nothing worng with fekitoa heart, he showed he put everything into it. its just that he was error prone
 
It's also good to see Charlie Ngatai in the mix.
He had a sad trail of head injury/concussion woes. Nice to see him come out of the other side of that tunnel.
 
Funny press release from World Rugby about SBW's appeal.

http://www.worldrugby.org/news/268782

Pichot apparently spitting feathers that two 40min long knocksabouts have been counted as "matches". Accusations of NZ creating "matches" as means to lift a ban. Last time that loop hole is exploited methinks. Should have saved that sort of move for when it really mattered, like prior to a RWC.
 
It matters now Bruce.
Thats why they did it.
Does the loophole need to be closed?
Of course it does.
It has been left open for far too long.
Punishments for dangerous tackles should be increased if they are going to leave the loophole in place. That would make them change the law.

@ Bruce- The AB's didn't exactly cover themselves in glory by getting a drawn test series against the Lions. At least that is how it is perceived in NZ.
(The govt could be in trouble at the next election, no, I'm not joking)

Without SBW and Crotty the AB midfield is going to be populated with greenhorns. SBW made a gross error in judgement in the 2nd Lions test, however, it is a rarity. He is a double world cup winner, he is a master of taking out two tacklers and still getting a ball away to allow for an overlap or a hole in the oppositions defence.
Crotty has matured well and reminds me a little of Aaron Mauger.
We cannot afford to have our soft midfield underbelly exposed too often.
A midfield populated by greenhorns is a liability at the top level.
Ok they are very talented, exciting and young, but still inexperienced greenhorns.
It takes a chunk of time to learn how to play at centre.
I hope Buckman gets a look in at the squad level. Temperament and vision were the cornerstones of Conrad Smith's game, he had other qualities and skills he developed over time but those were his key cornerstone gifts or talents.
Buckman looks like a player who has vision and a solid temperament. Throw him a bone if the there's an injury or we are winning by a gazillion with 20 minutes to go.
 
Hookers - Interesting that there's no extra player included to get a bit of time with the squad. Coltman is out for the rest of the year and I suppose that with Coles, Taylor and Harris there's no real need to bring a fifth player into the environment just yet.

Props - Great to see Moli in there, he's probably a year or two away from making the squad but he's a great prospect. He's an incredible ball runner, just needs to work on his scrummaging a bit more. Captained the U20s a couple of years ago so hopefully has his head screwed on properly! JTA and Hames will likely float around the squad a bit but I can't see either getting in without injuries elsewhere. Laulala will likely grab the spot vacated by Faumuina.

Locks - Bird is the biggest surprise for me, I've heard that Hansen is not a big fan of his (mainly a personality thing, I believe). He's played very well this year though! As with the props, I can't see anyone new forcing themselves in unless there are injuries. Barrett, Romano, Whitelock and Retallick are pretty much lock ins at this point in time (though potentially Romano could be ousted).

Loose forwards - No surprises there at all. No idea what the make up of the loosies will be come TRC time, though of course there are a few players guaranteed to be there.

Halfbacks - Surprised at TKB's inclusion, but I guess that shows just how highly the coaches value him. He's one of the most committed players you will see (on and off the field). Also a bit different to the likes of Fekitoa, where he probably wouldn't be making the squad even if he was staying. Plus I wouldn't be especially surprised if the coaches saw Fekitoa's departure as him throwing his toys out of the cot. Hansen has said that McKenzie could cover halfback in a pinch.

First Fives - Good to see McKenzie in there. He'll spend most of the season playing for Waikato anyway with Beaudie and Lima starting the matches.

Centres - Glad that Ngatai is there. Hopefully he makes the final squad. Also good to see Buckman getting his dues, the coaches have said they know nothing about him on a personal level so this is a good chance to get to know him. His utility value would make him invaluable for a World Cup but I can't see him making the squad with so many good players already established (more so than him, anyway). Biggest omission here is George Moala, though he hasn't pushed on at all this year.

Outside backs - Welcome back NMS, I hope Savea doesn't make the squad.
I hope that savea will make the squad but I doubt that he will but I agree with the rest of this bu Id say that Dmac will be on the bench not Lima because he can play 15
 
I hope that savea will make the squad but I doubt that he will but I agree with the rest of this bu Id say that Dmac will be on the bench not Lima because he can play 15
That doesn't matter though because both Beaudy and Dagg cover 15...
 
Funny press release from World Rugby about SBW's appeal.

http://www.worldrugby.org/news/268782

Pichot apparently spitting feathers that two 40min long knocksabouts have been counted as "matches". Accusations of NZ creating "matches" as means to lift a ban. Last time that loop hole is exploited methinks. Should have saved that sort of move for when it really mattered, like prior to a RWC.

Well Pichot's had plenty of time since Hooper pulled this same trick a couple years back and im sure other teams have done it aswell. Its justice anyway imo as 4 games was BS anyway.
 

Latest posts

Top