RugbyRebels

All Blacks squad
Hookers
Asafo Aumua (25, Hurricanes / Wellington)
Dane Coles (35, Hurricanes / Wellington, 84)
Samisoni Taukei’aho (25, Chiefs / Waikato, 17)
Codie Taylor (31, Crusaders / Canterbury, 72)


Props
George Bower (30, Crusaders / Otago, 19)
Ethan de Groot (24, Highlanders / Southland, 10)
Nepo Laulala (31, Blues / Counties Manukau, 42)
Tyrel Lomax (26, Hurricanes / Tasman, 20)
Fletcher Newell (22, Crusaders / Canterbury, 4)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (30, Blues / Northland, 48)


Locks
Scott Barrett (28, Crusaders / Taranaki, 55)
Brodie Retallick (31, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay, 98)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Captain, 29, Blues / Auckland)
Tupou Vaa’i (22, Chiefs / Taranaki, 15)
Samuel Whitelock (Captain, 33, Crusaders / Canterbury, 140)


Loose Forwards
Sam Cane (Captain, 30, Chiefs / Bay of Plenty, 85)
Shannon Frizell (28, Highlanders / Tasman, 21)
Billy Harmon (27, Highlanders / Canterbury)
Akira Ioane (27, Blues / Auckland, 19)
Dalton Papali’i (24, Blues / Counties Manukau, 18)
Ardie Savea (28, Hurricanes / Wellington, 67)
Hoskins Sotutu (24, Blues / Counties Manukau, 12)


Halfbacks
Finlay Christie (27, Blues / Tasman, 12)
Folau Fakatava (22, Highlanders / Hawke’s Bay, 2)
TJ Perenara (30, Hurricanes / Wellington. 78)
Aaron Smith (33, Highlanders / Manawatu, 111)
Brad Weber (31, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay)


First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (31, Blues / Taranaki, 109)
Damian McKenzie (27, Chiefs / Waikato)
Richie Mo’unga (28, Crusaders / Canterbury, 41)
Stephen Perofeta (25, Blues / Taranaki, 1)


Midfielders
Braydon Ennor (25, Crusaders / Canterbury, 5)
David Havili (27, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)
Rieko Ioane (25, Blues / Auckland, 56)
Anton Lienert-Brown (27, Chiefs / Waikato, 56)
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (29, Blues / Auckland, 2)


Outside backs
Jordie Barrett (25, Hurricanes / Taranaki, 45)
Caleb Clarke (23, Blues / Auckland, 11)
Leicester Fainga’anuku (22, Crusaders / Tasman, 2)
Will Jordan (24, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)
Sevu Reece (25, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)
Mark Telea (25, Blues / North Habour, 0)


All Blacks XV squad
Props
Finlay Brewis (22, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Oli Jager (27, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Pouri Rakete-Stones (27, Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay)
Aidan Ross (26, Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
Angus Ta’avao (32, Chiefs / Auckland)
Tamaiti Williams (22, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Tevita Mafileo (24, Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty)

Hookers
Asafo Aumua (25, Hurricanes / Wellington)
George Bell (20, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Brodie McAlister (25, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Tyrone Thompson (22, Chiefs / Hawke's Bay)

Locks
Josh Dickson (27, Highlanders / Otago)
Zach Gallagher (21, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Captain, 29, Blues / Auckland)


Loose Forwards
Dominic Gardiner (21, Crusaders / Canterbury)
Billy Harmon (27, Highlanders / Canterbury)
Luke Jacobson (25, Chiefs / Waikato)
Christian Lio-Willie (24, Crusaders / Otago)
Marino Mikaele-Tu'u (24, Highlanders, Hawkes Bay)


Halfbacks
TJ Perenara (30, Hurricanes / Wellington)[/u]
Brad Weber (31, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay)[/u]
Cortez Ratima (21, Chiefs / Waikato)
Cam Roigard (21, Hurricanes / Counties Manukau)

First five-eighths
Bryn Gatland (27, Chiefs / North Harbour)
Damian McKenzie (27, Chiefs / Waikato)
Josh Ioane (27, Chiefs / Otago)

Midfielders
Levi Aumua (28, Moana Pasifika / Tasman)
Bryce Heem (33, Blues / Auckland)
Alex Nankivell (26, Chiefs / Tasman)
Bailyn Sullivan (24, Hurricanes / Waikato)

Outside backs
AJ Lam (24, Blues / Auckland)
Ruben Love (21, Hurricanes / Wellington)
Shaun Stevenson (25, Chiefs / North Harbour)
Mark Telea (25, Blues / North Harbour)

Anyone controversial missing from the AB's squad? I'm surprised to see Bryce Heem is still going and is apparently in the top 9 centres in New Zealand, but my knowledge isn't good enough to pick out anything more detailed.

Puja

I suppose Taylor and Coles making it is a bit of a surprise. Taylor is currently desperately low in form, while Coles is aging like a fine wine - on the shelf, not really doing much most of the time. Kurt Eklund being overlooked would otherwise cause consternation, but guy's 30 already.

At prop, Ofa and Nepo Laulala would be the eyebrow raising pair, since their stock has fallen considerably since the start of the year. The selectors probably should have pulled the trigger on Oli Jager, but he'll be nearby.

Brayden Ennor is the other one, as he's got plenty of critics, but he may not even make the tour due to an injury cloud, so there's that.


Re: Bryce Heem, the guy was an out-of-nowhere injury call-up for the Blues last year, and he's proven to be indispensable as a winger/centre for the Blues. He's enjoying a massive late-career renaissance as the seasoned veteran of a young backline.

Folau Fakatava's got a fucked ACL, so that's his tour probably done.

The Barrett Boys are staying behind due to bereavement, after their nan passed away. They will join the squad at a later date. Both Sam Whitelock and Will Jordan have inner ear issues and will get those sorted first.

Asafo Aumua, Brad Weber, Damian McKenzie and Patrick Tuipulotu have been added to the All Blacks squad as cover - Aumua isn't replacing anyone, but will be part of the squad to cover for Dane Coles, who is managing a mild calf issue.

Team vs Japan:

New Zealand: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 George Bower

Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 David Havili, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Due to injury and All Blacks call-ups, the All Blacks XV squad has been bolstered with six new names

1-test All Black Josh Ioane joins the squad, alongside a long-overdue representative call-up for Chiefs and North Harbour standout Shaun Stevenson, as well as Cortez Ratima, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Tevita Mafileo and Tyrone Thompson, whom are all pegged for big futures down the line.

My boys Oli Jager and Bryn Gatland are both tragically ruled out due to injury, along with Angus Ta'avao and George Bell.

I'll be watching the girlz...

The women's edition of the RWC is on Spark Sport down here, and Spark Sport sucks a fuck, so I guess that narrows down my options.

Do a Norm Berryman and hitch to Whangarei.

lol Retallick’s tour probably just ended.

That was really poor from New Zealand.

Japan were good but New Zealand just seem to spend a lot of their matches going through the motions and hoping someone does something cool.

It won't fix everything but, for me, Papali'i needs to start. He adds some bite and aggression.

A very disjointed and rusty performance by basically the guys needing some game time and the guys that will be competing to be Ginge Henderson or Marc Ellis in next year's RWC squad. It was pretty clear they walked into an ambush by a team that is capable of tipping over any other Tier 1 side on their day (just ask the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, French and South Africans, and they'll probably testify to that), but some serious laziness and poor attitude - case in point Himeno's try, where the ABs defenders read the impending Japanese play poorly, and failed to anticipate an obvious pick-and-go. You could see Lienert-Brown run off, leaving a giant gap for Himeno.

Frizell continues his schizophrenic test career, where he'll turn up big time one week, and disappear into the ether the next - pretty much sums up Foster's lads; virtually unplayable for the opposition one week, and then they don't bother turning up the very next outing and vice versa. I guess the silver lining is that they probably won't be anywhere this shit going forward.

Sam Cane and Dane Coles are headed home - Coles' calf niggle will keep him out of the tests, and Sam Cane has a fractured cheek bone.

Sam Whitelock appointed captain after Sam Cane's withdrawal. Title still applies, everything's coming up cashead!

Any news on when Will Jordan will join them. Wonder what this ear infection is that got him and Whitelock.

Big few weeks all round. I reckon we'll have a good idea by the end of the month whether this has just been a really bad year or whether the All Blacks are no more than a dark horse for the WC next year.

Inner ear issue, so who knows. It's possible he may miss the tour entirely at this rate.

1. Ethan de Groot (10)
2. Codie Taylor (73)
3. Tyrel Lomax (21)
4. Samuel Whitelock (140 - captain)
5. Scott Barrett (55)
6. Shannon Frizell (22)
7. Dalton Papali'i (19)
8. Ardie Savea (67)
9. Aaron Smith (112)
10. Richie Mo'unga (42)
11. Caleb Clarke (12)
12. Jordie Barrett (45)
13. Rieko Ioane (56)
14. Sevu Reece (22)
15. Beauden Barrett (109)

Reserves:
16. Samisoni Taukei'aho (18)
17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi (49)
18. Fletcher Newell (4)
19. Tupou Vaa'i (16)
20. Akira Ioane (19)
21. Brad Weber (17)
22. David Havili (22)
23. Anton Lienert-Brown (57)

Honestly, other than Taylor starting, it's pretty close to the best team that can be put together.

If it follows the established pattern from the Rugby Champs onwards, expect to see this squad fuck the Welsh up.

On the other hand, Foster's Imposters also have an established pattern of making the wrong kind of history, so we can also expect them to be the first All Blacks squad to lose to Wales in about 7 decades.

I like the look of this team. The three Barretts starting is kinda cool, and all deserving of their positions for me. Having ALB, Weber, Ioane, Havili, Taukei'aho on the bench adds real impact. But yeah, recent results are underwhelming. Feck it, ABs by 20.

Paddling for the baby micks so far

Mckenzie a joy to watch at this level

Cheap shot there from 7

Stevenson lording it

DMac looking good. RTS getting a bit of a shot at a never die with the ball mantra also encouraging. The contrast between Ireland A loosies and their first team annoying bastard counterparts is a big point of difference though.

Shaun Stevenson probably should have been called up as a like-for-like replacement for Will Jordan, although Telea is just as deserving too.