All Blacks training squad

[cashead]

Hookers
Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Nathan Harris (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)


Props
Kane Hames (Chiefs/Tasman)
Nepo Laulala (Chiefs/Counties Manukau)
Atu Moli (Chiefs/Waikato)
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues/Auckland)


Locks
Dominic Bird (Chiefs/Canterbury)
Tom Franklin (Highlanders/Otago)
Brodie Retallick (Chiefs/Hawke's Bay)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)


Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Akira Ioane (Blues/Auckland)
Jerome Kaino (Blues/Auckland)
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Liam Squire (Highlanders/Tasman)


Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs/Waikato)
TJ Perenara (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)

First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs/Waikato)
Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders/Southland)


Midfielders
Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes/Manawatu)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
Charlie Ngatai (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Sonny Bill Williams (Blues/Counties Manukau)


Back Three
Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)
Nehe Milner-Skudder (Hurricanes/Manawatu)
Waisake Naholo (Highlanders/Taranaki)
Julian Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Ben Smith (Highlanders/Otago)


Utility Back
Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
Richard Buckman (Highlanders/Hawke's Bay)

Uncapped players are in italics.
The new faces are Richard Buckman and Atu Moli, while Tom Franklin and Akira Ioane return to the wider squad.
Crusaders players were not considered due to the final this weekend.

[rowan]

Meanwhile, Beauden barrett tops a Kiwi-dominated list of the world's best players - according to Wales Online:

1. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
2. Kieran Read (New Zealand)
3. Maro Itoje (England)
4. Ben Smith (New Zealand)
5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
6. Dane Coles (New Zealand)
7. Owen Farrell (England)
8. Jonathan Davies (Wales)
9. Israel Folau (Australia)
10. Conor Murray (Ireland)
11. Billy Vunipola (England)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
13. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
14. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
15. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
16. Leone Nakarawa (Fiji)
17. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
18. Facundo Isa (Argentina)
19. Bernard Foley (Australia)
20. Sam Cane (New Zealand)
21. Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)
22. Taulupe Faletau (Wales)
23. Michael Hooper (Australia)
24. Kurtley Beale (Australia)
25. Louis Picamoles (France)
26. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
27. Wesley Fofana (France)
28. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
29. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
30. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)



http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/ar ... d=11898064

[Mikey Brown]

Wow. What a load of nonsense. AWJ? Itoje at 3? Farrell and Davies in the top 10?!?!?! Granted, trying to compare across all positions will be difficult.

[rowan]

Wow. What a load of nonsense. AWJ? Itoje at 3? Farrell and Davies in the top 10?!?!?! Granted, trying to compare across all positions will be difficult.

Eurocentric, notwithstanding the All Blacks domination at the top end, but it's from a Welsh web site after all.

[Mikey Brown]

I thought that was from your lot, I didn't read any of the text. It being Welsh makes slightly more sense. Perhaps.

[canta_brian]

Maro Itoji must have been awarded extra points for shouting like an annoying tit.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

Meanwhile, Beauden barrett tops a Kiwi-dominated list of the world's best players - according to Wales Online:

1. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
2. Kieran Read (New Zealand)
3. Maro Itoje (England)
4. Ben Smith (New Zealand)
5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
6. Dane Coles (New Zealand)
7. Owen Farrell (England)
8. Jonathan Davies (Wales)
9. Israel Folau (Australia)
10. Conor Murray (Ireland)
11. Billy Vunipola (England)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
13. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
14. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
15. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
16. Leone Nakarawa (Fiji)
17. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
18. Facundo Isa (Argentina)
19. Bernard Foley (Australia)
20. Sam Cane (New Zealand)
21. Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)
22. Taulupe Faletau (Wales)
23. Michael Hooper (Australia)
24. Kurtley Beale (Australia)
25. Louis Picamoles (France)
26. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
27. Wesley Fofana (France)
28. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
29. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
30. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)



http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/ar ... d=11898064

So based on that the World XV would be
1 ??????
2 Coles
3 Furlong
4 Itoje
5 Retallick
6 Isa
7 Cane
8 Read
9 Murray
10 B Barrett
11 B Smith
12 Farrell
13 Davies
14 Dagg
15 Folau

16 Creevy
17 ??????
18 ???????
19 Nakarawa
20 B Vunipola
21 A Smith
22 Foley
23 Hogg

[rowan]

NZRFU figures out how to cheat the system and free Silly Billy up for the Aussie test...

[cashead]

The same system administered by people who tried to retroactively change "4 weeks" to "4 games."

[zer0]

Some top class rules lawyering, but a farcical decision by the NZRU to argue in the first place, and the committee to accept it.

[cashead]

Some top class rules lawyering, but a farcical decision by the NZRU to argue in the first place, and the committee to accept it.

World Rugby were fucking stupid to being with. If they wanted 4 games, they should've said "4 games," not "4 weeks." In changing their minds and trying to change it retroactively by allowing an all-Aussie panel to declare that SBW was ineligible for the first Bledisloe test, it meant that they were expecting SBW to have to sit out 7 weeks. I don't know what sort of fucked up calendars you and World Rugby are consulting, but last I checked, 4 weeks and 7 weeks are not the same.

[J Dory]

Justice for SBW

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[morepork]

Praise Alah. I hope he puts the fear of Jebus up the arse of the Wobbly midfield. Owne Farrel isn't there so he need not be scared.