In the wake of a less-than-stellar 2025 season, the All Blacks' tactical maneuvers under head coach Scott Robertson are catching flak from former All Black, Murray Mexted. Despite securing 10 wins out of 13 matches, New Zealand's failure to clinch the Rugby Championship and a Grand Slam has thrown their strategies, particularly their loose forward lineup, under scrutiny.
Mexted, a seasoned voice in rugby circles, didn't mince words when he criticized the current state of the All Blacks' back-row. "Loose forwards is a bloody mess," he declared in a discussion with Martin Devlin on DSPN. The shifting of Ardie Savea from number eight to openside flanker at the beginning of the year by Robertson was just the start of ongoing adjustments that Mexted believes haven't solved core issues.
"At one stage, we had such strength in the loose forwards that if you picked a world XV, two of our three players would make it. If you picked a world XV now, that is not going to happen,"
Robertson's strategy has involved a carousel of players alongside Savea, including Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi, Simon Parker, Peter Lakai, and Christian Lio-Willie, with no definitive answers emerging. Lakai, gaining traction only towards the season's end, and Sititi, whose defensive abilities are questionable, are still under scrutiny. "The jury’s out on those two players," Mexted added.
Among the experiments was positioning various players such as Vaa’i and Parker at blindside flanker to leverage their height and close-quarters prowess. Yet, Mexted advocates for a reevaluation, suggesting a lock player like Naitoa Ah Kuoi could be better utilized as a blindside flanker in Super Rugby due to his open-field skills and footballing ability, despite not fitting the mold of a typical international lock.
The ongoing shuffle and uncertainty in the All Blacks' lineup suggest that the search for the right team composition is far from over, leading to broader concerns about New Zealand's readiness for future high-stake matches under Robertson's leadership.
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In the wake of a less-than-stellar 2025 season, the All Blacks' tactical maneuvers under head coach Scott Robertson are catching flak from former All Black, Murray Mexted. Despite securing 10 wins out of 13 matches, New Zealand's failure to clinch the Rugby Championship and a Grand Slam has thrown their strategies, particularly their loose forward lineup, under scrutiny.
Mexted, a seasoned voice in rugby circles, didn't mince words when he criticized the current state of the All Blacks' back-row. "Loose forwards is a bloody mess," he declared in a discussion with Martin Devlin on DSPN. The shifting of Ardie Savea from number eight to openside flanker at the beginning of the year by Robertson was just the start of ongoing adjustments that Mexted believes haven't solved core issues.
"At one stage, we had such strength in the loose forwards that if you picked a world XV, two of our three players would make it. If you picked a world XV now, that is not going to happen,"
Robertson's strategy has involved a carousel of players alongside Savea, including Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi, Simon Parker, Peter Lakai, and Christian Lio-Willie, with no definitive answers emerging. Lakai, gaining traction only towards the season's end, and Sititi, whose defensive abilities are questionable, are still under scrutiny. "The jury’s out on those two players," Mexted added.
Among the experiments was positioning various players such as Vaa’i and Parker at blindside flanker to leverage their height and close-quarters prowess. Yet, Mexted advocates for a reevaluation, suggesting a lock player like Naitoa Ah Kuoi could be better utilized as a blindside flanker in Super Rugby due to his open-field skills and footballing ability, despite not fitting the mold of a typical international lock.
The ongoing shuffle and uncertainty in the All Blacks' lineup suggest that the search for the right team composition is far from over, leading to broader concerns about New Zealand's readiness for future high-stake matches under Robertson's leadership.