Six favours the All Blacks need from Santa's little helpers

My Christmas wish is that this unrelenting barrage of negativity stops. It is time for all the regional tribalism to stop, for us to get in behind the ABs and Razor. Anybody looking might have noticed that despite the toughest competition ever we are still ranked number two. Let's meet the challenge.

I agree with Hamish, leadership is the number 1 thing to fix in the All Blacks. I believe NZR need 2 CEO’s, one for professional rugby, one for amateuer rugby.

Who are the coaches is up to the NZR Board and we want to see leadership from David Kirk.

All Blacks captain is Ardie Savea who should have been captain all year and definitely 2026.

Be in charge, give an air of actual authority. Let everyone with a stake in this great game know that you have a plan and are executing it.

Who’s plan, Robinsons? No one new is going to have a plan, at least you would hope not given they wouldn’t even know what theyre doing yet.

Hope bout that rewording that, “Let everyone with a stake in this great game know that you are listening to their plan and are thinking about how to executing it”. I want open honest and to be involved all along the way.

NZ Rugby are his primary employers, after all.

Primary as in most important? I don’t think it would be accurate to say NZR are his primarly employers, as that would normally mean they have paid him the most wages over the last few years, and I’d imagine Kobe have done that even with only a 25% share in time.

One’s the captain, another a vice-captain, with the third running the team from first five-eighth. When fit, they all play. I just wonder if, from time to time, we might risk having a look at what others could do in their place.

That’s really a Razor stocking change across the board, nothing to do with the Barretts, I wouldn’t care if there was always at least one, but if Razor successful pulls this wish out of the sock then yes, you would expect based on percentages that there would have to be Barrettless games.

All Blacks to be proud of:..

I can handle the odd loss, as long as I feel the team is playing good rugby or showing character.

This is a very personal one, less related what they can do to acheive better results, but yes, I think they stuck in both an uninteresting and crippling position between either end of ‘using a concise plan to achieve victory’, and ‘playing attacking rugby’. It’s too 50/50 at the moment, indicative of Razors overall indecision. Look at how South Africa were not afraid to throw away the idea of ‘beautiful’ rugby and just be single-minded at the end of the year. They accepted they weren’t getting it quite right and that it is no fault to acknowledge that and try something different.

Keep it in the forwards the whole game, rumble up the field, I don’t care, the Blues strat will succeed at International level as well, and it suits this team. Alternatively stretch the ball, but don’t do it in a half arsed manner where you think your trying to play smart football as well. Like I say, I don’t need it, and the team can improve without it I beleive, but I wish there was some identity in the team. and it doesn’t have to be the same old one.

Simplify. Stop trying to be the smartest in the room. That’s been taken.

Play to our strengths. Simple direct ball in hand rugby at speed.

Spine. Find it.

Hamish - as a long suffering England supporter, who had to endure our team playing dire, losing rugby for the best part of 2.5 years, you just have to be patient and eventually the rugby cycle will change.

Razor hasn’t been what people hoped for but equally he hasn’t been as terrible as people suggest but the real issue is the lack of belief that things will change.

I’m not convinced Razor has the rugby IQ to work it out for himself, so he needs new coaches that are more experienced for this level to help build towards RWC 2027 and that is the most likely catalyst to start making some of the changed you mention and get the team playing in a style that you can start to believe in once again.

Sean Fitzpatrick, Wayne Shelford and Zinzan Brooke….if you had 3 like that in the squad now you would see a very different team

You know it’s dire when the greatest rugby team in the world needs intervention from Santas little helpers.

Personally, I’d think it more appropriate to summon the Easter Bunny…at least he specialises in resurrection. 🐰

The referees were Santa’s little helpers in both Eden Park victories over South Africa and Australia this year.

A BB retirement from international rugby would be top of my list. The AB coaches can’t be trusted to not pick him so he needs to retire.