Gatland gives the likes of Haskell Lions hope

But as to your point, they could still beat the Chiefs early, so yes, a couple of their games there were as embarrassing as some of the losses they got handed to them in New Zealand too lol.

Right, so that old decision basically came down to the Rebels license being newer (still in effect) that meant it was the Force that had to be cut? You can’t really extrapolate one to the other of course. Theres no hindsight ability to be able to say “well we should have taken out losses and cut the Rebels”.

I can agree on your last point/para, even though it’s largely the same argument you presented in your OP which I tried refuting. I say it’s similar really because it comes under the same ‘risk’ management as spreading your pro population. They wanted to be able to provide more opportunities to retain the likes of the Meafou’s, just as much as the wanted to tap in further to those Meafou’s in Melbourne. Bringing in the Rebels was the best way to do this, but perhaps it should’t have been done at such a sacrifice.

All considered though, it’s hard to know if one should believe the reports that the Rebels had a way out of the dilemma. They obviously had individuals involved powerful enough to make the State retaliate towards RA, but my stance had been that COVID and so, the stopped payment, had been what put them under. I don’t lay fault with RA for their demise, but I also had a bigger expectation that Melbourne was the sporting captial of Australia. It really does just seem like a AFL land however (they reckoned their 10k crowd was enough but it’s hard to believe).

Nonu was a 13 (who was sometimes used at 11 by the All Blacks) before he was a 12, so converting players isn’t always a bad idea. But sometimes it doesn’t work out e.g. R Ioane was arguably the best 11 in the world, but an average 13.

The combination of, power, skill, and explosive pace is what the All Blacks need at 12. Tavatavanawai is the closest option to Nonu available at the moment; Fainga'anuku could be that too, maybe next year though. J Barrett offers power and distribution at 13.

As an actual “prospect”, we have a player Malachi Wrampling who can’t even crack the 23 when healthy.

So it’s a bit like cards for high shots, can you trust these teams to find more reproducibly ways of getting across the line? I’m generally very anti the defense getting the leeway to put hands in the ruck, which they now get given more allowance to do than ever, but inside say that 5m line I’d be OK with any attempted drive being ruled a maul rather than a ruck. Meaning the opposite can grab and hold the ball to produce a turnover if the attacking team doesn’t have it’s ball retention locked down tight.

TLDR Something like a rule change that makes any pick and go as a continuous act of the previous phase (ruck/maul), just where the ball is now determined off the ground (so can be played at just like a maul).

Of course they will want new ideas and continuous innovation, but it needs to feel like Ireland after Schmidt: Building on the Schmidt foundations. And maybe Kiss is a great alternative in that context.

If he can play well at 12, 14 and 15 he clearly has the skills of a midfielder and of a three quarter. Those are the skills sets that a top class 13 uses.

I think he would be better the R Ioane as J Barrett passes (as well as kicking, grubber, cross field, 50-22 etc.). Leinster has made a lot more use of J Barrett’s playmaking ability. That is what the All Blacks need at 13. Someone with all the skills (that the position needs) but especially passing.

R Ioane at 13 was an experiment that was worth a shot. But it has failed.

But then I thought to myself, “well if you’re a corprate wank thats probably the only way you can save face, refusing to admit you’re wrong and hope your next employer believes you were right”. Hopefully I get just as bif a laugh out of the next venture he causes to crumble (and that it doesn’t have anything to do with sport lol).

And the next step will be … for the RFU council to vote for its own demise?

That will go well, no doubt.

And no, as I said, the individuals attempting to get the ball down lamely where last years best players. No change in cattle.

Oh, you weren’t agreeing with a blase aspect. Not cattle (unless you’re saying Crusaders were just as bad the week before. The only other change was the resting of BB, who some critized for gifting the Crusaders the game last week anyway (not me, I think holding onto the ball was the best idea), and I thought Plummer was alright against the Reds to boot, very accurate and good passing(no real threat though).