All Blacks will thrash France on Saturday

Just imagine France wins

Sad that the level of nz rugby commentators, writers and presenters have stooped to this level of arrogance. I guess it’s one way of getting eyeballs on their pages.

Gosh this article is going to age poorly.

Get ready to be “appalled”

I think some fans are still trapped in their mind that this is an ALL STAR All Black team like 10 years ago. Those days are long gone fellas.

N o Hamish they were missing 4 1st choice forewards. Lost awinger in the first 5 minutes

100% - ABs were 20-25 points a better team. Embarrassing they didn’t capitalise on their opportunities. Even with the over-zealous officiating.

Not reading this tripe, noone should.

Lots of lazy “click bait” stuff in this article.

No analysis, for example, to support the claim that the AB’s tried to play Super Rugby. What does that even mean? Super Rugby starts in summer, and ends in winter. It completely changes over the course of the season.

I agree with the author’s views that Super Rugby’s quality is diminishing - affecting preparation and mentality when preparing for a huge test match. Unless the NZRU relaxes the archaic eligibility rules, the national team will continue to suffer. Young New Zealanders need that experience of playing in foreign, gruelling and competitive leagues.

Just like the Chiefs were going to beat the Crusaders in the Super Rugby final? Thanks for jinxing that game and now you’ve gone and jinxed this game. Another dumb article. No wonder some fans of other countries dislike Kiwis - they assume stuff based on clickbait journalism like this.

Super Rugby is such bad preparation for international rugby and that’s why NZ could only come second at the last world cup and lose only one game on their Northern Hemisphere tour last year.

The goalposts are never not moving for the ABs. If they don’t win by 21 then it’s a disappointment. Meanwhile, France are heaped with praise even when they lose and as their best players are sitting at home resting 2 years after losing a home world cup and 2 years aways from a world cup in Aus.

As long as we persist in playing chiefs rugby at test level we can't be to surprised, McKenzie looks like a headless chook out there but for some he's our best player I just don't see it.

is this article more or less disrecpectful than sending a C team in New Zealand? I mean on a scale of disrespectfulness from 0 to 10? 😂

lol another words France will turn up and make it another 3 point win to the all blacks. I mean the first week was so ridiculous ‘this is a ‘c team’ and france will lose by plenty ‘the all blacks SHOULD! win this easy. you see its just the media stirring the pot and see if they get a boil over. however some nz media pundits have said the same thing. absolute hogwash. This french team is a like for like french team . they have so many more players thanN.Z its not even funny. Dupont is an overrated player but they have another 3 halfbacks as good as him and not so sho pony either. so i didn’t buy into the fake b team hype. i wont this week either.

If the ABs go out and throw it around - as is their DNA - they still get slammed. Even for winning.

Yet, if they go out play 10-man rugby they would get disowned by most fans.

How would they be expected to ‘thrash’ France if not playing to their strengths and running the ball?

Right, for points on them this week then!

You actually made some points I agree with for once Hamish.

If the All Blacks’ brainstrust can’t see how limited but effective France were and how frivolous and profligate they were by comparison, then they’re all in the wrong jobs.

All of NH rugby is like that, they are very well coached and stringent hemisphere. Their coaches go by stats and their players back them up. Leinster were probably the most well drilled to come out of that/this era…

But!

That’s what I meant about the All Blacks not being entirely stupid. I mean, surely they recognise that the style of rugby they sought to play last Saturday isn’t fit for purpose against France B/C let alone a truly formidable test line-up.

under the roof against France b/c is exactly when it is fit for purpose.

But they are a very simple side. Even if Razor had a mind to formulate some pressure for Segonds I don’t think they could have added it to the game with any real accuracy/benefit. The backline was trying all it could to do it’s thing, with the Barretts and Dmac looking very clumsy at it. Let them build. They don’t need to put pressure on everyone (the picked on the higher quality halfbacks), and as Segonds is nearly as experienced a flyhalf as Beauden, I doubt you were going to fluster him anyway (very reminiscent of Patrick Pellegrini’s style, I liked him).

Jesus, even I could see the All Blacks wanted to use the ball with width and pace, it is lethal stuff when they get it right.

7 tries they created, 3 they missed out on with small errors.

There is a tonne to be critical of, but their intent and belief isn’t on that list.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, using the ball through the hands and engaging footwork and ball skill.

Hamish likes boring missionary footy and is upset about the All Blacks playing it.

Lol.

Unfortunately for Bidwill, he assumed that his readers had a basic comprehension of English. Judging by all the comments, he is way off.

The whole tone of the article, far from an arrogant prediction, is really saying that the ABs are playing the same brainless rugby as they played in the Super Rugby series. It’s fast, it’s entertaining; and against a well organised test rugby side, it’s not good enough.

Razor has yet to offer anything more than Foster Lite in attacking from the set piece; the box kick and the pick-and-go. That’s it. We saw BB offer a gleam of hope in some attempts to chip over the top of the defence, but that just highlighted the abysmal skills of the Super Rugby players, whose kicking skills have withered and died.

That’s what he was saying.

Hahaha “Well, let me clarify that slightly. I’ll be appalled if they don’t. ”.

Either way you are right, what a cop-out

Kudos to the author for getting the attention of us commenters but that’s all this article is. AB’s should win and if they don’t that would be shocking but to “Thrash” France? Nah mate that ain’t in the wheelhouse

The days when the ABs could just turn up and “Thrash” sides, is long gone.

If France had sent a full strength squad to NZ, it would be the Kiwis getting a thrashing!!

Well you should thrash them,you're playing against their third team

While I think this French side is better than the author gives credit for (France have serious depth), he’s right that this was a horrible All Blacks performance nonetheless.

The breakdown, defensive structure, kicking game, and catching were a shambles. The number of turnovers and pushed passes was criminal.

The All Blacks need to start taking test rugby seriously — tight five exempted.

Provided the ABs avoid the unforced errors, tighten their defence and defuse the French kicking game they SHOULD win comfortably this time round . They had it in their capabilities and chances to win by 30+ at Dunedin and they know it. Complacency loses matches against even a team widely regarded as under strength.

The issue for the All Blacks win the first test was ruck speed. The ABs won plenty of primary possession but their breakdown area was messy and uncontrolled, which meant the ball being supplied was inconsistent. This in turn led to inaccuracy.

Fix the rucks; fix the overall performance.

Disagree i liked the way they played LW especially under the roof ,they just needed to do the odd bit better but all in all so much of it was good,France just held in there at times but did win a bunch of key moments, France wont be relying on being able to do that all the time ,I’m sure they will be up for it and make some adjustments to their game ABs will show some more patience and chuck some extras at ruck when they attacking

This is an entirely stupid article.

Be my guest. Write France off. I hope this article doesn’t age well.

I don’t believe the All Blacks are entirely stupid

Just a bit then?

This arrogance and disrespect by nz journalists is just astonishing!

Oh god what an idiot posting this article, hubris is not in keeping with our teams ethos, sadly it is for some fans and journos though. Real AB’s fans don’t think this way.