Snubbed England No.8 Zach Mercer signs for Toulon - report

Systems of play are much more important now and you must have a captain who understands what is going right or wrong on the pitch. With the Irish system being played under Farrell for the Lions most likely, this should probbaly mean an Irish captain. Unless there is a head and shoulders above, type player/captain from the other nations and I am not seeing one.

It's all about opportunity, if they had of given it to him last week they might indeed have actually won with him on the field instead of Beauden. He may not have played midweek and picked up an injury that people are saying prevented him from being the 23 on sat.

I would never suggest to not give someone that chance, but there is a time for it and don't you think Jordan deserves it first? There is also all the other factors I mentioned to consider as well. Don't forget, there is certainly a 'right' choice in every circumstance. The best teams are generally the ones that get the most decisive choices rights.

2 years in the premiership, 2 years as an assistant international coach, then 4 years taking a team through a WC cycle would have given him what he needed to be the best ABs coach. As it is he is learning on the job, and his inexperience shows even more when he surrounds himself with assistant coaches who have no top international experience either.

He is being faced with extreme adversity and pressure now, possibly for the first time in his coaching career. Maybe he will come through well and maybe he won't, but the point is the coaching selection process is so flawed that he is doing it for the first time while in arguably the top coaching job in world rugby. It's like your first job out of university being the CEO of Microsoft or Google.

There was talk of him going to England if the ABs didn't get him, that would have been perfect in my opinion. That is a super high pressure environment and NZR would have been way better off letting him learn the trade with someone else's team. I predicted when Razor was appointed that he would be axed or resign after 2 years then go on to have a lot of success in his next appointment. I hope that doesn't happen because it will mean a lot of turmoil for the ABs, but it's not unthinkable. Many of his moves so far look exactly like the early days of Foster's era when he too was flanked by coaches who were not up to the job. I would like to see some combination of Cotter, Joseph, Brown, and Felix Jones come into the set up.

They are a young developing side, with some very exciting young coaches who will continue to grow into their roles.

And even if they don't quite match the heights of last season, there is a lot for england fans to get excited about. Pollock could be a generational talent, but Craig Wright and Archie MacParland aren't far off his level. And the backline is incredible. In Mitchell-Smith-Sleightholme-Dingwall-Freeman-Hendy-Furbank they have 7 players who could legitimately start for England in 2027. And that's not including Thame, Litchfield, Seabrook, Makepeace-Cubitt, Cousins, and the aforementioned MacParland, who could all be outside contenders for a spot on the plane to Australia.

Opoku-Fordjour has to be in the squad, and for the time being I'd have him down as a loosehead. If there are injuries to any of those three, or if Opoku-Fordjour is confirmed as a tighthead, then Rodd and Obano make much more long-term sense as squad players than Marler does.

we've seen that with Opoku-Fordjour at Sale - he's more than good enough to make the 23, but was rested for significant stretches so he could focus on developing physically and preparing mentally.

presumably Sela this season will start for England u20s and for Bath in the premiership cup. Add in a couple of bench appearences in full senior matches and he won't be lacking game time.

Egos, Egos everywhere!

“In here we talk behind a World Cup, it is the most important." ie NZ team/players cpnstantly talking about winning a RWC.

Literally all of NZ howled in derision shouting 'arrogance' when the Irish Captain dared to (correctly) suggest just once that Ireland were 'contenders' before the 2023 RWC. Yet 1000s of times in media and amongst NZ players between RWCs, NZ muse about winning World Cups.

Has there ever been a more arrogant and lacking in self awareness team in any International sport?

I have no issue with NZ planning to win RWCs. But give over on the arrogant, ridiculous self righteous/hypocritical policing of other teams.

Considering that 10 of the 2023 NZ squad for the RC were born outside, do you acceot that NZ supporters attacking Ireland or Aki may be guilty of hypocrisy?

Do you accept the bad taste in attcking Aki during an article on his citizenship?

Will you also accuse me of being an embarrassment to Ireland for holding these views?

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