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Hamish Bidwell

Hamish has been an opinion and sports writer for over 20 years in New Zealand, featuring on RNZ, New Zealand Herald, Stuff.co.nz, and RugbyPass.

236 Articles
Opinion

Regardless of the France result Razor's All Blacks have proved something

I’ve seen enough to judge this All Blacks season a success, regardless of what happens against France. It’s a belated success,…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
14 Nov 2024, 5:08
Opinion

Please don't run around in circles Damian McKenzie

All McKenzie has to do is follow the game plan, kick his goals and the result should take care of itself, on one proviso.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
07 Nov 2024, 4:27
Opinion

Joe Marler wasn't wrong to take a pop at the All Blacks' haka

I applaud Marler, the accomplished England prop, for his latest pop at the All Blacks haka.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
29 Oct 2024, 22:45
Opinion

There’s nothing to be gained by playing Damian McKenzie against Japan

There’s nothing to be gained by playing McKenzie against Japan. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has seen all there is to see of…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
22 Oct 2024, 19:29
Opinion

Injuries, not innovation, are driving change in Scott Robertson’s All Blacks

The All Blacks, as they’re constructed now, aren’t good enough to win the next World Cup. They need new players and new ideas.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
15 Oct 2024, 21:57
Opinion

The age of dominance is all but over for New Zealand rugby

The Black Ferns seem a shadow of the team that won the last Rugby World Cup, our secondary schools’ team just got tipped over by…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
08 Oct 2024, 17:36
Opinion

You wonder if Beauden Barrett will ever own the All Blacks at a Rugby World Cup

You wonder if Beauden Barrett will ever own the All Blacks at a Rugby World Cup. They should have been his team in 2019. Probably …

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
06 Oct 2024, 17:03
Opinion

Hard to see what the All Blacks are building unlike South Africa

But, really and truly, much of the match would’ve been a sobering experience for fans on both sides of the Tasman.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
24 Sep 2024, 19:03
Opinion

The Bledisloe Cup was a better series when the Wallabies held it

In that period between 1998 and 2002, when Australia were last Bledisloe Cup holders, the games were often phenomenal

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
17 Sep 2024, 18:00
Opinion

The All Blacks' backline is to blame for Robertson's unflattering record

They weren’t manhandled at the breakdown or annihilated in the set pieces. Far from it, in fact. The All Blacks’ pack performe…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
10 Sep 2024, 0:15
Opinion

Super Rugby's sorry state takes the blame for All Blacks' losses

The All Blacks, having excelled in the touch footy that suffices for Super Rugby these days, they remain completely ill equipped t…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
03 Sep 2024, 18:50
Opinion

The All Blacks might just con the Springboks this time around

I just think a siege mentality will be sufficient to see the All Blacks rise to the sort of level we’ve seen so infrequently in …

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
27 Aug 2024, 23:36
Opinion

The All Blacks' best gameday 23 looking ahead to the next Rugby World Cup

As we plot a path towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup,  I remain unconvinced New Zealand will veer away from players.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
21 Aug 2024, 0:08
Opinion

The Pumas simply hung in there long enough to watch the All Blacks implode

You could be forgiven for thinking New Zealand sent a bunch of boys out on a man’s errand, against Argentina in Wellington.

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
12 Aug 2024, 23:02

New Zealand needs a reliable No.10 like Harry Plummer

So I’m encouraged that the All Blacks are having a look at Plummer. How much he plays - if ever - remains to be seen. 

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
07 Aug 2024, 1:15
Opinion

Scott Robertson is in rare company with latest ringing endorsement

Mains basically said new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson is exceptional, that the players are already emotionally invested in the…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
31 Jul 2024, 18:11
Opinion

Ardie Savea's Moana move solves one problem and opens another

It will be nice to see him play for Moana Pasifika next year - albeit on All Blacks-managed minutes - but then he’s back off to …

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
23 Jul 2024, 20:20
Opinion

All Blacks forgetting the play calls against England doesn't inspire confidence

I can’t say the performances of the All Blacks, nor the utterances of their attack coach Leon MacDonald, have filled me with eno…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
16 Jul 2024, 23:30
Opinion

New Zealand's expectations of the All Blacks are too high

I think the All Blacks should beat England’s rugby team by 20 points, in Auckland on Saturday night. Just as I thought they woul…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
10 Jul 2024, 16:50
Opinion

England is nice but the Springboks will be a true test of the All Blacks' mettle

It’s not until the All Blacks meet the Springboks in South Africa in September that we’ll be able to judge if this coaching gr…

Hamish Bidwell
Hamish Bidwell
04 Jul 2024, 20:30
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