Saracens vs South Africa makes perfect sense in 2021

What is true - rugby is a professional sport now and it means results drives money and way around - so no results means no money means no future… just legends… means long term strategy is needed from NZR and alike - but talking about expectation shall be left to journalists and politics. There are more question on the whole NZ Rugby Profiesional system which is about the same from the time of the first NZ test 🙃(1905) and the reality - migrations, globalisation, loyalty and national feelings are different now… Fujians are better off in France and possibly in England / Schotland - and to have Lions Jersey as legendary as the black one…. so world has changed slightly

I don’t think NZ will take the no.1 spot, but this is the year to do it with both Bok games at home and with the boks playing France and Ireland this year in November. They could lose all 4 of those games quite easily - the top 4 teams should win their home games!

Much like I said about the boks last year, having the old foe at home puts the ABs in the pound seat to win the RC. They should win all their home games, because despite this article’s title - the ABs never lost their Aura. Nobody thinks they can just beat the ABs. Even a sh1t ABs team by your countrymen’s standards is a great team by every one else’s.

But the above does put pressure on them and Razor. The NZ public is ruthless and I think the pressure might do them in if they’re not careful.

Good luck to our NZ mates. This is going to be a cracker of a season whichever way it pans out.

Let’s all just agree on one thing SH till we die. On that note. I hope the Aussies pump the Lions.

Cheers.

The players you could select don’t have to be the best, they simply needed to make a small improve on the likes of play that was selected for that WC

I’m pointing out that throughout almost all of professional rugby history NZ’s best players have remained in NZ to play for the ABs

No, your not. You’re only using players that made the ABs to define “the best”. There might be players like Jimmy Gopperth that could have been far better options for 3rd or 4th 10s etc. Hell, than Stephen Donald.

Also you’re counter arguments not really valid anymore. 5 year residency is likely to leave those players stranded, but certainly any of those players could easily have been picked at the age of 26 or 27, before their country theyre residing in could.

Anyways enjoyed reading your flurry of posts last couple days, signing off.

Equally though you can look at the possibility things go the other way. Dmac doesn’t have a pack the can go forward so is continually shutdown and taking the ball into contact himself. Jordie continues to look uncertain and slow on the link, getting nailed by the ever present rush defences. Scott looses his locking spot and looks all at sea again on the blindside. Rieko continues to fumble on the crash and not feed his outsides wasting opportunities. Jordan is unable to add his new playmaking skills to the international arena as teams keep changing and he looks unnatural trying to link up with players and avoiding using all the elusive running skills he’s showed in the past. Ardie is off colour again, spent after a huge Super Rugby season and off paces as much as he was when returning from Japan and the long break before the test season started.

You are literally going to have some of those scenarios playing out and your world beaters could easily turn into the players I mentioned above that fuffed about too long underperforming at the end of their All Black careers.

At the WC Final the team had played 18 since the turn around and lost twice.

It’s simply not all about those players.

The other end of the argument for instance is that with a rule like SK is suggesting they could have secured the Bundee Aki’s, JGPs, James Lowes, C Cunningham-South’s, Warner Dearns for themselves. You’re taking JD Kiwi’s very very narrow view to overseas selection.

You don’t understand consequences. These results are the consequences of small decisions, bit by bit, and your decisions would probably have the worst consequences of all.

And so just like the ABs having the best retention of players ever for Hansens era, and then Fosters, it means they stuck with players too long. First Savea, then Smith, Read, and Beauden, then the likes of the f/r, sabatical choices for Retallick, Beauden, Ardie all backfired. Sam was their too long, Taylor will probably or already has been there too long now. Ardie will become a problem. Mounga might become a problem.

It helps increase revenue but unless you are zoned into high performance and bringing the right people through when they need to be brought through, it has obviously hurt performance.

The reality is that the very best players remain in NZ throughout their prime to play for the ABs. It is fringe and inconsistent players who tend to go overseas, and those that see their path blocked by better players and are unlikely to be get selected for the ABs, and can qualify for another team. Fergus Burke, James Lowe, Gareth Anscombe, JGBP - none of them in the ABs frame at all. Aki couldn’t even get a start for the Chiefs when Ngatai moved there.

You are conflating the issue of excellent players on the fringe of ABs selection going abroad, making NZ rugby much weaker overall, with the availability of overseas based NZ players for the ABs. Players leave for money, or for the chance to play test rugby for another country. Would Anscombe have turned down playing in the 6N and going on Lions tours for the outside chance that he could be Barrett’s back up at best?

The time may come that they need to change the eligibility criteria, but as it is the rules work perfectly to keep players in NZ.

But yes, teams go though cycles and NZ had a rough cycle with Foz. Are starting over with Razor and, as I’ve mentioned, still have A lot of work to do to get to their best.