Gregor Paul

1 week ago | rugbypass.com | Gregor Paul

Is the All Blacks captaincy right for Scott Barrett? Copied to clipboard 0 1:17pm, 17 April 2025 It would be unfair, and probably untrue, to say Scott Robertson made a mistake in choosing Scott Barrett to be his All Blacks captain in 2024. But it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest the coach should take some time during these next few weeks of Super Rugby to consider making a change in 2025.

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Gregor Paul

But so too are there reports that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are preparing a joint bid – and it’s almost impossible to see a scenario where this one doesn’t win. Rugby won’t be able to resist a bid from these Middle Eastern nations. The money they inevitably offer will be astronomical and because of that, any and all problems associated with the bid will be overlooked.

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Gregor Paul

But these are not decisions the Super Rugby clubs have the power to make. That power belongs to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and it says that it likes these ideas in theory, but in practice, it won’t agree to them because it doesn’t believe Australian clubs have either the high-performance expertise or depth of investment to ensure New Zealand’s best talent would be well enough looked after if they crossed the Tasman.

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Gregor Paul

The nadir was the Crusaders match against Moana Pasifika two weeks ago, in which Barrett looked powerless and lost, while Ardie Savea – the man many felt should have been All Blacks captain – was an inspirational, unstoppable force. It highlighted the fact Barrett is in a prolonged slump. He never quite reached the same heights in 2024, and he’s started 2025 as if he has something on his mind – some kind of mental distraction weighing him down and holding him back. And maybe he does.

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Gregor Paul

In the two World Cup cycles from 2012-2019, the All Blacks played 44 tests in New Zealand, but it is now likely (some scheduling is not yet finalised) that there will be just 33 home tests played between 2020-2027. The arrival of Covid-19 and its effect on the border settings only accounts for a small part of the reduction, as the rescheduling forced by the pandemic only led to five tests that were supposed to be played in New Zealand either being cancelled or moved to Australia.