Bath - La Rochelle : Alldritt et Russell titulaires, Botia sur le banc

Thats you thinking like a NH rugby fan NB. NZ doesnt do "honeymoon" periods. I remember when it was far easier for coaches to blood players as we were playing 3 test series and win the first 2 and play the regies in the 3rd. Thats why you see many NZ players getting debuts v Aus in the 2nd bledisloe cup game each year. Its almost the only opportunity these days. Razor went way to conservative, Got all panicky Id say. Games like the Fijian, Italy and Japan games were crucial for the new guys but Razor failed to use those opportunities as he could have. Japan was really the only game he selected outside the incumbents.

In all honesty Fassi and Jordan are very similar sort of players so good to both see them contributing to some good rugby.

Thats always the case tho isnt it? Selection is only an opinion. Taylor is 33 and plenty of front rowers are playing great rugby at 33. Its 36 at the next WC that starts stretching the friendship and makes me think he wont be there. Bell is a very different hooker to the other 2. More a Cole than a Samisoni/Aumua

Clayton did a 'Razor' by not giving him minutes during the season and was then required to rely on him the final due to injury. An attitude that heavily influenced the result as he did make a number of unusual formation and lineout call errors.

Look I agree that there were a lot of extenuating circumstances that do provide some optimism it will be better next year. Hooker is one such example, if Taylor had not taken that years Super Rugby as a sabbatical, would he have over played him as much in the black jersey. Of course we hope not, but there is just as much evidence now that he would, than what we might previously have thought, that he'd be super keen to bring Aumua's block busting form into the international arena.

What he should do next year imo is use the whole point of this years sabbatical and rotate them all around so that Taylor can continue until 2027.

While I strongly believe every country should have a local as coach, so they are real international games not just mercenary games, I also would like to see Schmidt devote the rest of his life to looking after his son, as he said he would. Being on a million dollars a year plus for many years he should be financially loaded and doesn't need the money.

He needs to let Australia work it's rugby problems out for itself. Dave Rennie recognised this.