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Who replaces the AB greats

nightmarehitter

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2017 The All blacks legends time is over

No more

Richie McCaw
Dan Carter
Ma'a Nonu
Conrad Smith
SBW (Back to NRL)
Corey Jane

Who will be holding their Jerseys and become something special ? - Here is my picks

Richie McCaw - Ardie Savea/Sam Cane
Dan Carter - Beauden Barrett/Damien McKenzie (potentially a superstar in the making)
Conrad Smith - Seta Tamanivalu/Rene Ranger
Ma Nonu - Malakai Feketoa
SBW (Back to NRL) - Peter Ahki
Corey Jane - James Lowe/Tevita Li

What are your thoughts/picks ?
 
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Before we get to 2017 I think we'll see most of those guys go.

So for example our props:
Tony Woodcock will almost certainly be gone after this year. Ben Franks is also going. Wyatt Crockett is already 32 years old, so he's probably not got much longer than 2017. Charlie Faumuina (28) will still be around for the next RWC presumably, but that doesn't fill me with confidence (although his work around the park for the Blues so far this season has been promising). So here's hoping that guys like Kane Hames, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Joe Moody step up in that time.

Hookers: Is anyones guess. Coles will remain the incumbent for at least another World Cup, but his backups are up for open this year..

No changes will be required with locks till after the 2019 RWC. Retallick, Whitelock and Tuipolotu pretty much have closed up the shop in my mind.

The first choice backup to McCaw is Sam Cane. It's his jersey to lose. Ardie Savea is a great prospect but its still too early to call.

Daniel Carter has plenty of backup. Cruden and Barrett will almost certainly be the first choice until after 2019. Damian MacKenzie is promising but I haven't seen enough for me to think he'll push out Cruden at the Chiefs for the next four years..

Centres: Well Malakai Fekitoa and to a lesser extent Ryan Crotty is really the only young centre in the picture at the moment. Tamanivalu (and also Willis Halaholo) hasn't had a season of Super Rugby yet - so he could go either way. I'm not particularly impressed with Peter Ahki at this stage. Rene Ranger is probably a bit old to be part of the long term future of NZ.

In terms of wingers, James Lowe has been impressing me. Tevita Li probably has taken a slight step back from where I thought he was last year, but he's a possibility. Visinia has also shown promise. Who knows though this far out, wingers are often at their best quite young. I'd like to see more of the Crusaders and Northland wing Jone Macilai. I think it's safe to say Savea has a mortgage on that left wing for quite a while.
 
I dunno who's slowly getting good enough to warrant selection for Samoa? hahahahaha
 
I liked the look of Nanai on the wing for the blues or a couple of the sevens players.
 
Let's try a 2019 team?

15 Piutau
14 Lowe
13 Fekitoa
12 Ngatai
11 Savea
10 Cruden
9 A. Smith
8 A. Ioane
7 Cane
6 Luatua
5 Retallick
4 Whitelock
3 Toomaga-Allen
2 Marshall
1 Moody

16 Funnell
17 Laulala
18 Tu'ungafasi
19 Luatua
20 A. Savea
21 Perenara
22 Barrett
23 Proctor

I tried to make it a bit edgy. I decided to exclude some players like Read and B. Smith who could very well still be around but probably won't be quite as good. I'm sure the team will look a bit different. I don't think our replacements will be like for like.
 
1. Joe Moody
2. Dane Coles
3. Own Franks
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Liam Messam/Steven Luatua
7. Sam Cane/Matt Todd
8. Kieran Read/Victor Vito
9. Aaron Smith
10. Aaron Cruden/Beauden Barret
11. Julian Savea
12. Ryan Crotty/SBW
13. Malakai Fekitoa
14. Charles Piutau
15. Ben Smith/Israel Dagg
 
If you throw in the u20 ABs I'm sure they'd be there abouts at rwc... It's a different culture down there, they come out of the womb and first thing they grab is a rugby ball instead of their mamas ... Hand?... Amazing depth to squads... But they will slip to Northern hem team this year... Maybe fra or Ireland for once...

- - - Updated - - -

A Cruden to be voted MVP at wc
 
The England greats!

Wishful thinking, perhaps, but the victorious England u20s coach at the last JWC was pointing out that New Zealand had a lot of rebuilding to do after the World Cup, whilst we (England) had already done a lot - now if we could only get some decent coaches.

Btw, I'm not suggesting for a moment that NZ won't be up there at the top the world game, just that you might not be alone. South Africa have also outperformed New Zealand recently in the JWC, and they already have good coaches!
 

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