Opinion
International Rugby
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Hamish Bidwell
@HamishBidwell
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.
234 Articles
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
04 Jul 2024, 20:30
Opinion
Scott Barrett was the safe, obvious choice as All Blacks captain
We’re so short of locks that there ought not be any questions about his place in the side, as there always was with Sam Cane. Ba…
Hamish Bidwell
30 Jun 2024, 17:46
Opinion
France snubbing New Zealand tour shows the difference in priorities
But that doesn’t diminish the fact that putting All Black interests over and above every other facet of rugby has not served New…
Hamish Bidwell
12 Jun 2024, 17:52
