A lot to learn for the Wallabies from this weekend's Six Nations action

That would be a fair point if there wasn’t such a gluttony of NZ players and coaches in demand. Ok to get them over to learn from them but look at Wales. NZ coaches for it seems the entire pro era and in Pivac they’re still looking for them. Thats not about development, thats about laziness and shortcuts, simply because the full stadiums can pay for them. I think what our coaches find is in trying to bring a NZ flavour to their game they find they dont have the talent coming through so they revert to type- Schmidt was co-coach of the Blues at Auckland, and you can never accuse them of being a closed shop. That is the main issue I have with NH rugby. The widespread- and its getting worse- locking in of our resources over local development. I refuse to believe there is significant enough development with literally hundred’s of millions being spent on overseas IP. That argument is a waste of time. All we are seeing are poor hybrids of everyones styles throughout northern hemisphere rugby. Look at Bristol. May as well call them the baabaas, and there are many more like them.

I think every rugby fan appreciates the rich heritage of the all blacks, I always find them a joy to watch. The great thing about rugby though is the different styles in different countries. I know tman has no respect for nh rugby & that's fair enough. It mightn't be always fluid, but it's tough, hard & teams often playing the conditions. What's the point of everyone being nz-lite?

Haha but I understand your point. Population size it would not even be a large city on world standards.

Yep, kiwis will never stop underestimating the French. They could lose ten straight but that next world cup knockout will always send the shivers. Thats why 2015 wasso comprehensive. They left nothing to chance. Not a shred.

ABs are about fifth in the betting last time I looked. Truth is rugby desperately needs Oz and SA back at the top of our sport because we cant have what we are seeing in the 6N representing the best rugby at the highest level. Little imagination, many journeymen athletes and the odd bit of excellence punctuating a match like the sun briefly flashing through the clouds then back to grey again. If theyre going to start dominating the higher seedings they need to get there by bringing through an exciting brand of rugby, not fill the positions by other teams defaulting through lack of resource. Oz particularly sparkled when they were at their best and SA played the Hyde role of the big monstering packs far better than England or Ireland are capable of now. The ABs are probably at their weakest for some years yet are still winning with relative ease, the odd hiccup their only blips. None of the back three are settled or firing, we dont know who our midfield is etc etc. Mediocrity has truly set in and the game needs new stars, new ideas...hopefully this years world cup will bring that out, because for two or three years its not been flash.

It is true, we are spread pretty thin. But I like it that way TWAS.

Just what I was gonna say. ????

I noticed you have bracketed Scotland/Samoa for a quarter final. Samoa will have a reasonable strong team on paper but their challenge is gelling a squad together and being a harmonious camp. There has been frustration with Samoan players in the last couple of World Cups on how they are treated by their National Governing Body as well as their Government which affects their performance. I think Japan on their home soil could beat Samoa and may even challenge Scotland for that 2nd 1/4 final spot from that group. As an All Black fan our 1st game against South Africa is the toughest group game we have ever had and I am nervous our proud pool play record could be broken in that match. South Africa have the belief they can match New Zealand again after two close encounters in 2018.

Not a lot of 270,000m2 cities though Ralph...

Munsterman. It has been my genuine privilege to live through an age where a country hardly larger than a city fought its way to the top of the world and did extraordinary feats. When I browse YouTube videos of my All Black's ... I can watch Christian Cullen carve through an entire team, more than once. I can watch Richie McCaw steal a ball whilst upside down in the air. I can watch Justin Marshal pick up Richard Bands and carry him over the touch line. I can watch Beauden Barrett steam out of nowhere and nail a try under the posts in a World Cup final. I can watch Jonah Lomu run over the top of people and change our sport forever doing so. I can watch Zinzan Brooke (a No. 8) setup a try for his brother with a cross field kick. I can watch Dane Coles (a No. 2) throw a 20 metre pass to a winger for the corner. I can watch Brodie Retallick sell the worlds biggest dummy for a try of his own. I can watch Ma'a Nonu beat two and score in the tackle of three. I can watch Jeff Wilson smoke half the Wallaby back line to score. Or chip and chase his own kick whilst smoking the Springbok winger and fullback. I can watch Tana Umaga stop mid game and put Colin Charvis into the recovery position and check his airway. I can watch Sonny Bill William give away his World Cup medal to a boy in the crowd. Beautifully timed chips, sublime draw and pass, finishes from a flick behind no look special, pop passes in heavy traffic. Poetry in motion, again and again and again. Wonderful memories, flashes of brilliance. With heritage like this I am not thin skinned, I am privileged and humbled to have lived at such a time as this. I hope we make to another final. I hope you make it too. If you beat us I hope we were worthy and by being so forced you to grow into true champions to beat us.

Yes defence's are good but the seem to need a parochial 70,000 crowd behind them to be able to use it. They wont get that in Japan and other than the Lions northern teams are usually easy to score against because if you get us at the beginning of the season we are far more mobile than in your autumn. The quarters are really where world cups begin (...and end, for some)... and key for our side is to recreate whatever Hansen did coming out of pool play to produce that French result, then change plans completely to keep the Boks at arms length, then open up against Oz. With now three world cups with this side, Hansen has a lot of experience in managing World cup years, and campaigns. Knowing what works, and what doesnt work in this tourney, is an attribute shared by very few.

Watch out for tadgh beirne this weekend though, he's a bit special

You are no NZ fan!! Usually if something is said 'mildly' criticising them it's met with outrage....where did you buy that thick skin?

Nothing you say will distract me from my campaign to proclaim the AB's under dogs. Anything rational will be met with my fingers in my ears singing "LA LA LA LA".

It was your head coach that came out with all this rubbish!! Irish fans know we're in for a hell of a quarter final no matter who we face & that we have a terrible record there

To be fair I believe it was Hansen came out with that

I'm sure they will need trys to progress in the wc, but defences are tough up here as you've seen with the way nz struggle to deal with the rush defence over the last few years. Ye had a couple of shoot outs with sa last year that could of gone both ways, don't think yer all that far ahead of them. Then ye came north, I know games that mean nothing to ye, and were lucky to beat England and v Ireland, bar a blocked kick didn't really look like scoring a try. I'm just going on recent form here, ye did whitewash France last summer but that doesn't look quite as impressive now

"win a close end of year affair in the north and presto, Ireland are it." Dead right - clear and outright favourites for the Cup I declare. AB's are under dogs and outside chance at best ..

True, nor are the NH sides. So far they've beaten the worst Oz and SA sides in decades to climb the rankings in the last three years. Confirmed by the margins put on them by NZ in the last three years, a period youve just said is worse than the 2015 and earlier side, yet the ABs have increased winning margins by an average of about ten as well. Clear evidence theyve regressed. Oz and SA were far more competitive when NZ was stronger- 2010-2015. the north won one vs NZ in that period, and two 2016-now, and no one, bar the Lions once, has even won a test since the June series started. And that ten points regression has allowed the NH sides climb the rankings, not because they've actually got better. They're still playing the drab, one up, kick or knock em over no plan B stuff they always have, except now the same stuff is making headway over lesser resourced Oz and SA sides, who haven't had a single genuine world class star come through in that period. And neither really has anyone else. Mediocrity in this game is thriving. I do expect both to be better at World cup time as there's usually more focus. the north teams will be the same, they cant extract anyone new, where Oz and SA will at least have a few returning from overseas. This 6N has hardly been high quality stuff. England and Ireland's plan of shutting the opposition down as a primary means of winning is a boring way to represent the best in this game. They say defence wins matches...don't agree with that either. The world cup knockout matches from quarters and semis last time- Minimum 37 points across the last 8 matches, the northern teams all exiting because they couldnt get tries on the board. Theyll need to this year.

Yeah but it was a three game series away from home. I would have thought winning it was a pretty good achievement. I know Ireland haven't achieved anything in NZ historically but you can't deny the recent games between them haven't been tight, win or lose. Look the wc will sort it all out, as it should, if I was betting I'd back nz, but you can't say their current team is anything as intimidating as the '15 one