Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

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#3505778 24-Jun-2026 11:50

Earbanean:

Given we only have 3 tests in SA, that's a pretty big hurdle for Rennie and the team. Even including the Baltimore test, that's 3 out of 4 against the Boks, which is a huge ask.

according to the AB's website we have 4 tests against SA

3 in SA and 1 in Baltimore

Earbanean

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#3505779 24-Jun-2026 12:02

OnceBitten:

Earbanean:

Given we only have 3 tests in SA, that's a pretty big hurdle for Rennie and the team. Even including the Baltimore test, that's 3 out of 4 against the Boks, which is a huge ask.

according to the AB's website we have 4 tests against SA

3 in SA and 1 in Baltimore

Yep, that's exactly what I say above. In your post you said we'd need to win 3 of the test in SA. So, that would be 3 out of 3. If you meant we'd need 3 of the tests against SA (i.e. include Baltimore), then again as I say above, that would still be 3 out of 4 which is huge.

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#3505780 24-Jun-2026 12:03

Earbanean:

My view has always being that once the decision has been made (for Foster, or Razor, or Rennie), then even if I didn't agree with it, I move on from that decision and back the coach (and the team) to the hilt going forward. Same goes for captain pick etc. We have so much great footy in front of us, surely we can draw a line under the Razor/Rennie change and move on?

Because you have mentioned the facts being important, it certainly never felt like you backed Robertson to the hilt.

I'm willing and hoping to be proven wrong about Rennie, but my reservations are based on what has happened to date.

OnceBitten

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#3505781 24-Jun-2026 12:04

networkn:

I agree that if Rennie can retain the Bled, that would be a good start. Winning 100% of the tests in SA (not all games are test matches), is probably unrealistic. Minimum of 1 would be acceptable, 2 would be excellent and 3 would be historic. I'd feel like the more realistic thing is 1 Win, 1 Loss and 1 close loss would be the least it would take to feel like Rennie wasn't the 'wrong' choice. I believe Robertson would have achieved that.

My fear is we lose the Bled (probably not likely based on AU Super Rugby Form), all 3 tests in SA (two of them 'badly') and we only just scrape past Italy in Wellington. Under that, I'd consider Rennies appointment an awful decision.

You can never count AUS out... even though their super rugby form was poor....

Sure in the last 24 yrs the AB's have got the better of the Aussies, but it only takes 1 good game by AUS (or 1 bad game by the AB's) for that to change. We will lose the Bledisloe cup at some point - that's just a fact of life.

I don't mind the AB's losing - if they get beaten by a better team on the day, but if they get beaten like they did by SA in Wellington last year in more than 1 game, then people will start asking questions about the players / coach / management...etc...

I can't see the AB's losing to Italy or a second string France... but that's not to say they won't

With Robertson, one has to wonder why his coaching / management style worked so well at the Crusaders, but not at AB level?

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#3505782 24-Jun-2026 12:07

networkn:

I agree that if Rennie can retain the Bled, that would be a good start. Winning 100% of the tests in SA (not all games are test matches), is probably unrealistic. Minimum of 1 would be acceptable, 2 would be excellent and 3 would be historic. I'd feel like the more realistic thing is 1 Win, 1 Loss and 1 close loss would be the least it would take to feel like Rennie wasn't the 'wrong' choice. I believe Robertson would have achieved that.

Yeah, how I see it too. The amazing 1996 team only won 2. Although, I'm not convinced Robertson was on track to that. FWIW, Rennie won 2 out of 2 in SA with the Wallabies - although that was a different Bok team.

Retaining the Bledisloe is a real red line. I'd say defending the Eden Park record is up there too.

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#3505784 24-Jun-2026 12:11

networkn:

Because you have mentioned the facts being important, it certainly never felt like you backed Robertson to the hilt.

I'm willing and hoping to be proven wrong about Rennie, but my reservations are based on what has happened to date.

I was honestly really excited when he took over. Show me any post I've made where I was in any way negative about him. Note, even as a Waikato and Chiefs supporter I wasn't happy with Foster getting the job. However, again once he was confirmed, I backed him and was pretty dark at the way he was undermined. I'm pretty sure I posted stuff to that effect.

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#3505787 24-Jun-2026 12:14

OnceBitten:

With Robertson, one has to wonder why his coaching / management style worked so well at the Crusaders, but not at AB level?

I think pressure and anxiety meant he wasn't coaching the same way. I also think that even though Foster was a devisive public choice, he was widely loved by the current AB's tesms and those of the past he coached. I suspect some players were far more inclined to be negative and confrontational with/toward Robertson because of his ties to Canterbury/Crusaders. Never in 30 years of Rugby have I ever heard of players allowing their opinions on current coaches to find their way to the media, and it's one of the reasons I can't get behind Ardie as captain. That isn't to say he won't be a good captain, but rather I've lost some of my respect for him (and some others) as a result. It's not about them vs Robertson, I'd 100% feel the same way if the same had happened to Foster or Rennie. It's just not the right way to handle something.

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#3505788 24-Jun-2026 12:17

Earbanean:

Retaining the Bledisloe is a real red line. I'd say defending the Eden Park record is up there too.

I think building this ABs team up to win the RWC next year should be the main focus....

if we did lose the Bledislie or the Eden park record, the country would probably go into a 4 day mourning period - followed by outrage on talkback radio with callers demanding the coach / captain / senior players and the head of the NZRFU to be sacked immediately! 😉

I doubt the team that has been selected now will be the exact team they take to SA... there wil no doubt be some tweaks

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#3505789 24-Jun-2026 12:21

Earbanean:

I was honestly really excited when he took over. Show me any post I've made where I was in any way negative about him. Note, even as a Waikato and Chiefs supporter I wasn't happy with Foster getting the job. However, again once he was confirmed, I backed him and was pretty dark at the way he was undermined. I'm pretty sure I posted stuff to that effect.

Eye Patcher Saviour was how you referred to him not that long ago, and there were other similar comments made. I'm not going to trawl back through the thread citing examples, you can agree to disagree.

I really don't want to get into this level of discussion with you, it's not going to end well. I am keen to just draw a line under the whole saga. I am going to do my best to move on

Rennie is coach, I disagree with his appointment, the process behind it, but it's done. Time will tell if it was the right choice, and since there is no counter-factual (as you correctly pointed out), we won't ever know who would have had better results.

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#3505793 24-Jun-2026 12:32

I am still interested to what peoples conclusions were of the way that week after week teams were getting one-sided victories for quite a lot of the Super Rugby Season.

EG Cru v Hurricanes at Wellington - Close match, refereeing potentially impacted result.

Cru v Hurricanes at Home - weaker Hurricanes side, but thumped

Chiefs vs Crusaders - 1 half of thumping, big gap in final scoreline.

Chiefs vs Hurricanes - thumping.

It really feels like it's sort of how the AB's have gone recently. We could manage one good half of rugby. In my view we were making progress, but it was still very lumpy.

It worries me moving forward. I do think Rennie will demand a higher workrate, more intent and will be merciless with his selections if a player demonstrates they can't or won't be part of the solution. Barnes will be his junk yard dog in that regard.

Most changes of coach will give a temporary honeymoon period.

OnceBitten

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#3505794 24-Jun-2026 12:33

networkn:

Rennie is coach, I disagree with his appointment, the process behind it, but it's done. Time will tell if it was the right choice, and since there is no counter-factual (as you correctly pointed out), we won't ever know who would have had better results.

apart from Joseph (who's form with the Highlanders was woeful) - who else was in the mix to be AB's coach??

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Earbanean

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#3505797 24-Jun-2026 12:39

networkn:

Eye Patcher Saviour was how you referred to him not that long ago, and there were other similar comments made. I'm not going to trawl back through the thread citing examples, you can agree to disagree.

That was well after he'd been removed as coach. Also, it's actually not a criticism of Razor himself, but more the eye-patcher punters' opinions about his removal.

As I say, I was genuinely positive and excited when Razor began. Since it's me saying this about myself, if you say I'm wrong, then you're basically saying I'm lying (or I have early onset dementia, which is possible).

As I say, I believe in backing them - until I have concrete reasons not to. e.g. I was super excited about Mitchell being appointed and early progress, but was very critical at the end.

Earbanean

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#3505798 24-Jun-2026 12:45

networkn:

I am still interested to what peoples conclusions were of the way that week after week teams were getting one-sided victories for quite a lot of the Super Rugby Season.

EG Cru v Hurricanes at Wellington - Close match, refereeing potentially impacted result.

Cru v Hurricanes at Home - weaker Hurricanes side, but thumped

Chiefs vs Crusaders - 1 half of thumping, big gap in final scoreline.

Chiefs vs Hurricanes - thumping.

It really feels like it's sort of how the AB's have gone recently. We could manage one good half of rugby. In my view we were making progress, but it was still very lumpy.

It worries me moving forward. I do think Rennie will demand a higher workrate, more intent and will be merciless with his selections if a player demonstrates they can't or won't be part of the solution. Barnes will be his junk yard dog in that regard.

Most changes of coach will give a temporary honeymoon period.

Yeah, there definitely seems to be similarities to the way the ABs capitulated in Wellington last year, or gave up leads and lost in 2024 I hope that is just coincidence and it's not something systemic about teams giving up. I guess if you look through all the Super results, then there are examples where teams fought to the end and/or came from behind. I don't have data in front of me, but I think the first Landers v Saders game was one example of that?

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#3505803 24-Jun-2026 13:05

OnceBitten:

apart from Joseph (who's form with the Highlanders was woeful) - who else was in the mix to be AB's coach??

No-one, that's the point. They had two ('subjectively', so I don't trigger eabeann) average options and picked one of those.

At least when they were considering firing Foster, they had fully sounded out Robertson, who on paper was the clear and obvious choice to replace him.

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#3505805 24-Jun-2026 13:18

Earbanean:

Yeah, there definitely seems to be similarities to the way the ABs capitulated in Wellington last year, or gave up leads and lost in 2024 I hope that is just coincidence and it's not something systemic about teams giving up. I guess if you look through all the Super results, then there are examples where teams fought to the end and/or came from behind. I don't have data in front of me, but I think the first Landers v Saders game was one example of that?

I'd love love love to know from the players and coaches how they described what happened in Wellington. I genuinely feel like that wasn't a coaching problem per se (though perhaps overtraining). The AB's were absolutely off their feet at 30 minutes, I've *never* seen that before.

Next to no chance Robertson sent the players out expecting that. I still wonder if it was an illness.

I also wonder if they were trying some new structure(s). The 60-0 drubbing of SA in Albany came about as a result of their coach at the time choosing that match to experiment with attacking and defensive structures, and the confusion was the cause of that.

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