2025 Bledisloe Cup Series

[Dismal Pillock]

Game 1:

Sat 27 Sep
Eden Park, Auckland



Game 2

Sat 04 Oct
Optus Stadium, Perth Australia




Official NZ Team Series GIF:

Official Australia Team Series GIF:

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[waiopehu oldboy]

Hotham having scans to determine whether he's sprained or broken his ankle/ lower leg (not the same one he injured earlier) plus he'll now be under concussion protocols so might get stood down for 12 days. On the brighter side both Roigard & Ratima are said to be on track to being available.

 

[rugbyAU]

No news on O'Connor yesterday, he is set to fly out today

 

[zer0]

9. Roigard
12. Fainga'anuku

19. Tuipulotu (if available)
20. Papali'i

Make it so.

 

[drewprint]

I don’t think you guys should rush Roigard back TBH. These kinds of injuries benefit from extra caution - give him another few weeks off (pretty please?)

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

No news on O'Connor yesterday, he is set to fly out today

Hopefully can get him to stay. I understand long term vision but save that for the end of year tour by giving edmed Donaldson and lynagh time in the hot seat.
people want to win the bled and sense a chance to genuinely do it.
Nothing bigger for the game than winning it back before World Cup.
Beyond that does cause me concern we don’t have a fly half answer.
Lynagh not really looking it. I’ll grant edmed did get better but that was a shocker in the first 25.
Donaldson - maybe with time as he does have some great attributes.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I feel like there won't be too many changes up front: Taylor for McAlister for sure & maybe the props get shuffled again? Possibly a bigger finishing loosie. ScoBar won't be dropped, nor will Vaa’i or Holland.

Carter deserves another start & WJ needs to go back to 15 (& DMac 23) so who's the 14? Or do you switch Carter to 14 & bring in Clarke? Please not Rieko, tho, nor at 13.

Proctor's D just doesn't seem up to it yet but not too many options kicking around other than *puts on helmet* AL-B unless they're gonna draft someone straight from NPC.

Barretts both stay by default unless, again, someone gets pulled in from NPC. Leicester F looked decent v Cantabs but he's got defensive issues of his own, not sure you'd want him going up against JAS & Ikitau (who I'm assuming will be available again?).

Frustrating that mid-way through Razor's second season in charge we've still got so many of the same issues as mid-way through season one, albeit he's introduced a handful of long-term prospects so at least some progress is being made.

 

[Dan54]

@waiopehu oldboy ,I agree mate, there won't be many changes. I go along with the best players are already in squad, and pissed off as I was Sat night and Sunday, start of new woring week (for those not retired) and I back to being calm again. And so don't see any problems except for some of Combover's assistant coaches .
I pissed when I hear Combover and then Jase Ryan say the balls up were on us/me. Don't make those staements, just sort your shit out!

 

[zer0]

I feel like there won't be too many changes up front: Taylor for McAlister for sure & maybe the props get shuffled again? Possibly a bigger finishing loosie. ScoBar won't be dropped, nor will Vaa’i or Holland.

Tosi for Lomax. Papali'i for Kirifi. Barrett is fortunate that Tuipulotu is (probably) unavailable otherwise I'd have cut his deadbeat ass too. "Leadership". lol. lmao, even.

Carter deserves another start & WJ needs to go back to 15 (& DMac 23) so who's the 14? Or do you switch Carter to 14 & bring in Clarke? Please not Rieko, tho, nor at 13.

Clarke without a doubt. He was pulled from the Auckland match XV into the ABs camp on Sunday, which seems a bit of a give away.

Proctor's D just doesn't seem up to it yet but not too many options kicking around other than *puts on helmet* AL-B unless they're gonna draft someone straight from NPC.

Barretts both stay by default unless, again, someone gets pulled in from NPC. Leicester F looked decent v Cantabs but he's got defensive issues of his own, not sure you'd want him going up against JAS & Ikitau (who I'm assuming will be available again?).

AJ-I'll-manhandle-you-into-a-maul-turnover-Lam it is then.

Basically, what I'm saying is, any and all selections and tactics must be approved by Stern Vern. We don't want some wishy washy Cantab coach and a bunch of mental midget Chiefs ruining the Eden Park vibes.

 

[Ignoto]

What's up with the AB's scrum? The size of the lumps in the front row is absolutely scary yet they had skates on them against the Boks pack that the Wallabies held their own on.

Hopefully the Wallabies saw the AB's struggled at set piece and we can get some disruption there because we sure as hell won't be able to replicate the Boks kicking game.

 

[The Red Baron]

I don’t think you guys should rush Roigard back TBH. These kinds of injuries benefit from extra caution - give him another few weeks off (pretty please?)

Yeah I think the ABs should save him for the spring tour, besides, there's nothing wrong with Christie...

Might also be worth giving Reiko another run outside of Proctor in the Bled too, just to be sure it doesn't work.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Hotham's injury confirmed as a fracture just above the ankle. No time frame for a return yet but EOYT at the earliest one assumes.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

ScoBar won't be dropped

Barretts both stay by default

thats what keeps getting said over the last 7 years and look where its got us.

SuperCoach inherited Fozzie's failure 70%ers.... and lazily kept them all and turned them into 66%ers. FFFs

albeit he's introduced a handful of long-term prospects

Not sure there. Parker is still Liam Squire in training wheels. Wallace Sititi seems to have the right mindset but does he have the right physicality. Seems like a junior boys Rob Veletini so far