RugbyRebels

Andy Ellis has announced this will be his last season of Super Rugby. He will keep playing in Japan.

Barring a massive injury crisis in June, that's probably the end of his All Black career, too.

He played 28 tests over 9 years including 11 in the starting line-up. He was perhaps unlucky to overlap careers with Kelleher, Cowan, Weepu, Smith and to a lesser extent TKB and TJ Perenara. Matthewson and Leonard also kept him on the bench once each. He wasn't even first choice at the Crusaders for extended periods.

A fine servant of NZ rugby, played at 2 World Cups winning 1 of them including 30 minutes of the 2011 final. Despite not being capped for 3 years after that final, he was seen as a safe pair of hands to rejoin the squad in time for the 2015 tournament, but didn't quite make it to the big dance.

He's thoroughly deserving of a lucrative retirement contract.

He's a victim of the priority (wrongly) being put on running ability rather than organisation and passing. That he benched behind Brendan Leonard is an insult to the craft of the halfback. Good luck to him in the future.

I think Aaron Smith has put to sleep the idea that a half back should be a 4th loose forward (a la Kelleher, Leonard etc.). To be fair, that idea had some merit when NZ didn't have any proper passing half backs anyway (recognising the chicken/egg element of player style and player development).

Lizard wrote:I think Aaron Smith has put to sleep the idea that a half back should be a 4th loose forward (a la Kelleher, Leonard etc.). To be fair, that idea had some merit when NZ didn't have any proper passing half backs anyway (recognising the chicken/egg element of player style and player development).

Definitely been a change since Smith and long may it continue.

Smith has been the best halfback in the world since his debut in 2012 no question and IMO no other halfback comes close.

Ellis has been a fine servant for the Crusaders and a good stop gap for the All Blacks. As other have said hes unlucky to have been picked after the likes of Weepu and Cowan who I think were no better. Hope he goes to the South of France somewhere to chill in the sun.

Fondest memory: Him booting the ball into the crowd in 2011 final after McCaw must have said 'boot that fucker out' with hand gestures and all. And his 2 snap drop goals from the base of rucks in a Crusaders tour of SA some years back. They were sneaky.

I'll always remember the high-five that never was

I think that was Jimmy Cowan.

Never gets old.

Just look at his wee face. Classic.

It appears Cory Jane may be joining him in the departure lounge, as he's apparently ready to sign with Ricoh in Japan. It's an understandable call, to be honest. He's 30+ and would have probably been on the bench had Milner-Skudder not gotten injured, got unlucky and missed a spot with the ABs last year, and has a special needs kid. The Top League only runs for about 3~4 months a year, so he'd be getting silly amounts of money and a huge increase in the amount of time he can spend with his wife and kids. If there ever was a case where it's fair enough, it's with him.

cashead wrote:It appears Cory Jane may be joining him in the departure lounge, as he's apparently ready to sign with Ricoh in Japan. It's an understandable call, to be honest. He's 30+ and would have probably been on the bench had Milner-Skudder not gotten injured, got unlucky and missed a spot with the ABs last year, and has a special needs kid. The Top League only runs for about 3~4 months a year, so he'd be getting silly amounts of money and a huge increase in the amount of time he can spend with his wife and kids. If there ever was a case where it's fair enough, it's with him.

Fair play to him. Read his book and it was hilarious. Wish him luck. Handy All Black.