'Let's not sugarcoat it': All Blacks assistant on where the team is after losses to Boks

Is that 'tear' as in 'muscle' or as in 'tears'?

Anyway, hopefully Sacha has learnt his lesson.

Well done, love!!

That Tasman winger looks as slick as Kolbe though!

With all due respect to the lot of middling centres at the time, NZ has 5 SR sides and all have International level quality players after all, it was two young sensations at the conclusive year, in Charlie Ngatai and Anton Lienert-Brown, along with the dawn Dmac squishing the other versatile players into midfield, that got sustainable contract preference after SBW came back to claim Bundee's starting spot in the Chiefs side for WC year that told on his decision to leave. Nothing as lofty as All Black considerations.

So that is no slight on how good a player he already was, I just don't think he had much of a choice with the lack of funds spent on retaining players around then (to have 4 12's, two starters in him and SBW) rather than having those test standard 12's on the books. So of course as things panned out, we know he would have been there and there abouts, having plenty of chances with all the injuries to SBW, Crotty, ALB, Ngatai, and Laumape etc. I think a very high chance he nails it and is the Nonu of the 2017 BIL tour. Certainly if he was on the cusp at that point (the player that Chiefs would have liked most to keep etc), that next WC cycle of 2016>20' had much better retention rates, maybe by 20% on the previous cycles 100+ player exodus, and you'd have to believe he'd been able to get a full squad contract in those circumstances. There are so many close calls, possibly even the wrong perception on certain player types looking at thumpers like him, Ethan Roots, Cunningham-South, Taniela Tupou, that it just doesn't warrant trying to class him as someone who would never have been an international otherwise.

Yes and no, they main concern I had from the situation is Razor didn't really explain why they had developed differing opinions, had he? I've seen too many things happen in life to jump the gun. Fall all we know it was a locked in choice before they found the difference last year and played out this year to see if they were recoverable. I can certainly see where it would be a valid criticism to suggest he spent too much time reviewing his players tripping overseas and not enough work with his team at that time. But things like Tony Brown not even being contacted in the lead up to the naming of the squad are endemic in the union, and for much just as much blame should be laid on someone like Wayne Smith. Some like Mitch would have been aval at the same time too I'd think.

Ultimately I see MacDs time at the Blues much as I saw Ian Fosters time at the Chiefs. Heavily overshadowed by their successors but you could find something good in there if you wanted. Same here. This will play out.