r/allblacks

The rule currently is if there is a head clash the defender is given a card. It's one of the dumbest rules in Rugby Union at the moment. I was watching a game on tv recently where the ball carrier basically led with his head and head butted the defender. TMO gets involved and would you know it, the defender is sent to the bin.

In the NRL a head clash is ruled as accidental as the idea that someone is purposely trying to get concussed by head butting someone is ludicrous. In Union though stupidity reins and now ANY head contact no matter how stupid results in 10 in the bin. Whacking someone in the head would also hurt so I can't imagine any player is trying to do it.

Maybe that's a good tactic, get the ball and run up to the oppositions best player and head butt him. Bam, he's in the bin.

NZ is the last nation that actively avoids letting refs know they've been fouled.

Its is seen here to be ungentlemanly.

Saffas are experts at it, a scream or someone flies out the bottom of ruck writhing in pain so the TMO has to have a look.

2023 world cup final was a classic, Mohunga (said it on multiple podcasts) got KOed with an illegal late shoulder to the head by Eben (it's easy to find), got back up after 20 seconds, staggered and went back into the line, has no memory of the entire first half.

If he stayed down RED CARD.

Will this current crop coach to play to the TMO as the other lot certainly will !?

I'm looking at buying tickets for the Wallabies game at Eden Park. I'm looking at buying some premium restricted tickets because the premium ones are all gone. Does anyone know how 'restricted' the view actually is?

For 68 years, the All Blacks came to South Africa chasing something they simply couldn’t achieve: a Test series win. This video tells the incredible story of those tours, the politics surrounding them, and the 1996 team that finally broke the curse.

I’m not making this post to hate on Reiko - I’m as happy as anyone that he appears more lively than he has been - but I can’t help but feel as though everyone is jumping on the hype train / getting overly excited?

I’m seeing shouts that he’s back to his old self, he’s a reinvented player, he should be back in the test 23, claims that he should be starting etc. etc.

I don’t understand it? I don’t think he’s been that amazing. He looked threatening against the Stormers off a few touches, as you’d expect your winger to be, but so did Carter on the other wing and Fehi, Moorby and Clarke in the other matches.

Against the Bulls I don’t think he was that good necessarily? He dropped a kickoff, got smashed on another, and did nothing that impressive otherwise? He made a few simple passes and put the ball down for a try but didn’t have any touches that otherwise raised eyebrows.

Is it nostalgia? People wanting the Reiko of 2018 and salivating when they think they’ve seen a glimpse of it? Or are we so used to his lack of impact and skillset that when he makes a good run or completes a pass we think he’s Tana Umaga reincarnate?

For me putting Reiko in the test team at centre would be a disaster given the quick passing game we’re trying to play. He could do a job on the wing but current Reiko has not got the attacking attributes of a Fehi, a Carter or a Moorby.

Maybe at 23? But even then one of the aforementioned would be more useful imo.

I'm in Aussie, and invested in the NPC. I grew up with it, and for me it will forever be the true measure in the strength of rugby in New Zealand.

But over here, there's nothing being broadcast that gives any decent analysis. All I can find is The Breakdown, but of a one hour show, less than 10 mins is dedicated to NPC. They just talk endlessly about the same discussion points on the ABs, and even that's all fluff.

Are there any shows back home dedicated to the NPC? I mean match by match review and analysis?

Mo’unga was as good as people are saying. He had pace, acceleration, intelligence, and he could single-handedly defuse rush D with his gap spotting. At the 2023 World Cup, he beat 21 defenders, made 5 try assists, and completed 94% of his 129 passes, ranking number 1 for outside halves in both defenders beaten and try assists.

You guys acting like he's not a fucking asset to the team are delusional.

Look I get it, I am a biased kiwi but I'm not sure why South Africa are such heavy favourites for the first test. Their team is aging and were not impressive against Argentina at all.

I know they are hard to beat at home but for some reason I am really confident with the All Blacks. I like what Dave Rennie has done with this team and the new players coming in mixing with experienced players.

I think if we can keep all our players on the park and not have any in the bin we win. We are consistently down to 14 players in test matches and we can't afford to be against South Africa at home. I think tactically if we get a warning on our try line that the next penalty is a bin its almost worth letting them get the try and resetting.

Half of their team is over the age of 32 and the average age is 31 meanwhile the average age for the All Blacks is 26.

If we do lose, it won't be by much.

As someone who hasn't followed Super Rugby very closely this season, Saula Ma'u wasn't really on my mind when I heard Ollie Norris got injured. Partially because he's a tighthead and Norris is a loosehead, but Luaki can play both sides of the scrum quite effectively, so that shouldn't matter. I'm just curious as to how this guy plays: his scrummaging ability, ball carrying, handling, tackling, etc. I assume he's pretty proficient in all of them, considering Rennie is bringing him over. He probably won't play any test matches, if even in the Lions game, but still curious about him.

It’s great that the ABs & NZ Rugby promotes the multi-cultural element at home with the Pacific Island community and this isn’t one of those shitty “all lives matter” posts, but man it would have been great if Segner had thrown a shout out in Deutsch. Those two lads have moved across the world to chase a dream and it would be great to build up the connections with those markets.
I mean our main, long term sponsor is a German company, they’d probably love it too.
Let’s build that market.