Latest news with #EthanBlackadder
Otago Daily Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
'I'm stoked': Blackadder sticking with Crusaders
Ethan Blackadder says it wasn't a hard decision to stay with the Canterbury team. Photo: RNZ Former All Black Ethan Blackadder has re-signed with the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby until 2026. The 30-year-old said it wasn't a hard decision to extend his time in New Zealand and his contract with Canterbury's red and blacks. "I'm sticking round for one more and I'm absolutely rapt. There's no other team I'd rather be playing for; I just love the Crusaders. We've got a real brotherhood here and we're all very close friends, I'm stoked." Blackadder was unlucky to miss out on the first All Blacks squad of the year, named last week. The loose forward was a workhorse in the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs for the Crusaders. After making his All Blacks debut in 2021, Blackadder played 14 tests for New Zealand but injuries have scuppered his opportunities in the black jersey. Since making his debut for the Crusaders in 2018, Blackadder has achieved many milestones, including receiving Crusaders Player of the Year, Champion Crusader of the Year in 2022 and being named as vice-captain for the 2025 season. "It's hard to sum it up, but it means so much to be a part of this team. What the team's done previously, the history behind it and the legacy that's there and the players who have worn the jersey before you - it's a rich history and to be continuing that and enjoying it along the way is really special." Blackadder's re-signing follows another successful Super Rugby Pacific campaign for the Crusaders, who beat the Chiefs in the final last month. "It was such an enjoyable campaign - it had a bit of everything. It wasn't perfect by any means, but we ended up putting ourselves in a position to win it and we managed to do so; it was a campaign I'll never forget."
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Ethan Blackadder extends Crusaders contract for another year
Ethan Blackadder Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Former All Black Ethan Blackadder has re-signed with the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby until 2026. The 30-year-old said it wasn't a hard decision to extend his time in New Zealand and his contract with the red and blacks. "I'm sticking round for one more and I'm absolutely rapt. There's no other team I'd rather be playing for; I just love the Crusaders," Blackadder said. "We've got a real brotherhood here and we're all very close friends, I'm stoked." Blackadder was unlucky to miss out on the first All Blacks squad of the year, named last week. The loose forward was a workhorse in the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs for the Crusaders. After making his All Blacks debut in 2021, Blackadder played 14 tests for New Zealand but injuries have scuppered his opportunities in the black jersey. Since making his Crusaders debut in 2018, Blackadder has achieved many milestones, including receiving Crusaders Player of the Year and Champion Crusader of the Year in 2022, and being named as vice-captain for the 2025 season. "It's hard to sum it up, but it means so much to be a part of this team. What the team's done previously, the history behind it and the legacy that's there and the players who have worn the jersey before you - it's a rich history and to be continuing that and enjoying it along the way is really special." Blackadder's re-signing follows another successful Super Rugby campaign for the Crusaders. "It was such an enjoyable campaign - it had a bit of everything. It wasn't perfect by any means, but we ended up putting ourselves in a position to win it and we managed to do so; it was a campaign I'll never forget."
NZ Herald
26-06-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Scott Robertson's All Blacks focus on power for 2025 season
Robertson didn't quite go so far as to call the omitted Ethan Blackadder an 'honest plodder', but he did cast the Crusaders loose forward in a somewhat unflattering light of being all action but without the ability to convert his work-rate into meaningful contributions. Ethan Blackadder on the charge for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport And in the same vein, David Havili was left out because it was said he doesn't offer the same ability as the other selected midfielders to smash his way forward. The 2025 All Blacks are clearly looking to build a game that is based on the raw, explosive power of ball carriers to get themselves through tackles, and for defenders to similarly hit opponents hard enough to ensure that with or without the ball, New Zealand wins the gainline battle. The thing to like about this is that it is defined. There is no ambiguity or shades of grey. Robertson is taking a position – setting his stall out and buying hard into New Zealand's abundance of power-based athletes to reshape the way the team plays. He's got a vision, and there is now a powerful sense that after a year in the job, he's going to be less inclined to play around the edges of what he inherited and imprint this team with his rugby IP. What remains uncertain is whether he came out of 2024 with an accurate take on the full complexities of test rugby. It is undoubtedly cataclysmic – an endless series of big collisions, and seemingly limitless physical carnage in congested (and even not-so congested) parts of the field. But it's all that and more, and the Super Rugby final provided a timely reminder that rugby at the highest level is strategic and set-piece orientated. It was not only the Crusaders' scrummaging that won them title number 13, but their astute tactical kicking and co-ordinated chasing. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson at the squad naming this week. Photo / Dean Purcell Weaved into the blueprint of any successful test team is a considered kicking strategy, competent game managers, clever backfield operators and ultra reliable decision-makers who know how to execute under pressure. It's layers upon layers and to have gone all in on explosive power feels like Robertson has forgotten that his constant lament last year was that the All Blacks didn't have the same calibre of game managers as some of their opposition, and that they were struggling to learn the art of using tactical nuance to close out tight contests. Robertson hasn't picked a squad devoid of tactical generals; both Beauden and Jordie Barrett come with the all-round skill-sets, experience and innate understanding of test rugby's rhythms. But for the All Blacks to have weighted their selection balance so heavily in favour of power athletes, it's hard not to wonder whether they will ultimately come to feel they left themselves under equipped to subtly manipulate opponents and indulge in a bit of strategic rather than collision warfare. It's hard to see how Robertson is going to set this team up in an 80-minute game where 23 players inevitably have a part to play, to ensure there is always enough guile, astute decision-making and depth of skill-set on the park. Specifically, it's difficult to understand the rationale for picking both Quinn Tupaea and Tawatawanawi and not Havili, which feels a little like packing two T-Shirts to go on holiday, but not taking something warm. Havili, if nothing else, feels like a point of difference and to have him in the 33 would open the prospect of using him off the bench where his kicking game, short-passing repertoire and astute reading of space would potentially change the dynamic. And why not inject his Chiefs teammate Emoni Narawa into the mix? He brings an all-court game to the No 14 jersey, and easily looks the best equipped and most like-for-like replacement for the departing Mark Tele'a. So too could George Bower have made it in to toughen the scrummaging mix without losing anything in the way of explosive power and mobility. And this is where the element of doubt sits with Robertson's overall selection – the central desire to play a high-impact game with power athletes at the core is bang on brand for the All Blacks, but why, with 33 players available, go all-in on this? Emoni Narawa shone for the Chiefs, but missed out on an All Blacks call up. Photo / Photosport This is the era of doubling down and so potentially Robertson's selections simply reflect the wider socio-political environment. Or maybe this is his analytical super power he showed with the Crusaders starting to manifest with the All Blacks. Perhaps he's picked it all a part and worked out that if bashing the defence down with Player A doesn't work, send on Player B and see if he can do it. The theorising only fills in time, however, and as always with the All Blacks, it will be results that preside as the only judge. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
All Blacks countdown: coaches explain selections, door not closed on Blackadder
All Blacks v France Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 5 July Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin Live blog updates on RNZ While it wasn't quite a nuking in terms of squad selection, the dust is settling over the announcement of the first set of All Blacks yesterday. Scott Robertson and his staff have made some big calls and were on hand at Taranaki's Coastal Rugby Club to explain their thinking. The most popular selection was that of 111kg midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai. The Highlanders skipper was on the radar early in Super Rugby Pacific, but Robertson explained that Tavatavanawai wasn't hampered by his side's disappointing last place finish. "I think it was the entirety of the season…just the ability for him to keep the consistency of his performance, and in big games, tough games, the back end the games. He started, he finished," said Robertson. "He had hard minutes. He played a lot of rugby, one the highest. And for him to keep doing it over and over really impressed us." Probably the biggest surprise was the omission of Ethan Blackadder, a decision that Robertson admitted wasn't easy. However, he admitted that due the expected attrition rate of the 13-test schedule, Blackadder will be involved. "Ethan will be in and around us at some stage. You know, I'm just pleased he's got his body right and he's been consistently on the field." Meanwhile, forwards coach Jason Ryan had special praise for the leadership qualities for Du'Plessis Kirifi, who has waited a long time to be back in an All Black squad. Kirifi was called in as injury cover by Ian Foster in 2020 but didn't make it onto the field. "We believe that Du'Plessis has really earned his spot. It's a great story of someone who stuck at it," said Ryan. "He's gone away, he's worked on himself and his game and he's been tremendous. And I think the leadership responsibilities he's had with Wellington and the Hurricanes brought the best out of him…. he was phenomenal in the All Black XV (last season), he led that side really well." MC Laura McGoldrick interviews the All Blacks coaching staff Assistant Coach Scott Hansen, Head Coach Scott Robertson, and Assistant Coach Jason Ryan. Photo:The much criticised All Black rest and rotation policy seemed to go out the window this Super Rugby Pacific season, with many cases of players being on the field for the entirety of their availability. But Scott Hansen wasn't worried about the physical state of the squad and explained that the expectation on players now is to adapt to covering positions across the park. "I think where the game is at the moment, you can have creativity around when you use your talent," he said. "We're going to look at that within the All Black environment around how can we put our best people in the best spots. So an example of that is you might be wearing 12 or 14, but there may be a role where we need to align differently on the field. So we're going to be really open to how that looks within our game. What Super (Rugby Pacific) showed us, was the talent that we have around New Zealand and their ability to move around the field, whether it be to 10 to fullback and the like." Hansen added that like Blackadder, the door is not closed on the other players that were not named. "All those players have been spoken to, there's been care around what that looks like for them in the coming weeks. A number of them will still have the opportunity to come in, prepare with us and there are still opportunities through the year."
RNZ News
23-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
All Blacks squad selection: Winners and losers
Analysis - Scott Robertson has named 33 players today but a lot of the talk in the aftermath has been about the ones that he didn't. Here's a first up analysis of the squad, who missed out and what it all means. You have to feel for Ethan Blackadder. He's certainly done nothing wrong other than get injured unfortunately far too often, but even then he put in a gigantic shift in the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs for the Crusaders. His loss is very much Samipeni Finau's gain, with the Chiefs blindside retaining his spot and the confidence of the coaching staff that is fair to say isn't widely shared in the public. Dalton Papali'i is another player who really hasn't been given a comfortable ride, but that's more to do with selection. Ironically Sam Cane leaving has probably shut the door a bit on Papali'I, as now Ardie Savea is free to move back into openside and give Robertson options around who he wants to be backing up that group. That's where Finau's size is a crucial factor in his selection, with the All Blacks clearly on the lookout for as big a body as possible. Things will get interesting when Simon Parker is fit and available for selection. The one group in the All Blacks that was probably the easiest to pick still threw up a talking point. Brodie McAlister certainly deserves a spot in the All Blacks after a move to the Chiefs paid off, but really then what was the point of investing time and effort last year into George Bell? Ollie Norris' call up is far more straightforward, it really feels like this was a coin flip between him and Josh Fusitu'a in the propping rotation. Like McAlister, this is just reward for Norris after a really strong season. No surprise at all though that Fabian Holland has made it, though. Even if he hadn't been o n the radar for the last two seasons, Sam Darry's injury meant that the All Blacks needed another big man regardless. Du'Plessis Kirifi (L) of the Hurricanes celebrates a try. Photo: Photosport You'd have to think 99 times out of 100, a player in Du'Plessis Kirifi's position would've cashed up and left years ago. After being part of the wider squad in 2020, Kirifi fell off the radar pretty fast and now holds the unique honour of being the most capped NPC player in the squad. He now slots into a very interesting loose forwards picture, where his defensive workrate will be seen as a serious addition. Billy Proctor. Photo: Patrick Hoelscher/ActionPress This will be the most contestable area on the field. Billy Proctor simply has to be given more game time this year, will it be in the 13 jersey when the team takes the field in Dunedin? Inside word is that Jordie Barrett is ready to go straight away after his stint in Ireland, which means he will likely start. Timoci Tavatavanawai can play on the wing too, which is where he may well feature first off the bench, however Sevu Reece of New Zealand evades a tackle from Len Ikitau of Australia. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ This is where the bolters were expected but there was no room for Leroy Carter, despite the former All Blacks Sevens player showing the sort of pace that would usually yield a call up. Sevu Reece and Caleb Clarke will continue, although the microscope will be on Reece after his somewhat sluggish end to 2024. The attrition rate will be high. These will certainly not be the only 33 players to pull on an All Black jersey this year, that is for sure. Hookers: Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Brodie McAlister* Props: Ethan de Groot, Tamaiti Williams, Ollie Norris*, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi Locks: Scott Barrett (c), Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'I, Fabian Holland* Loose forwards: Samipeni Finau, Ardie Savea (vc), Du'Plessis Kirifi*, Wallace Sititi, Luke Jacobson Halfbacks: Cameron Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Noah Hotham First-five eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie Midfielders: Anton Lienert-Brown, Jordie Barrett (vc), Rieko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea, Billy Proctor, Timoci Tavatavanawai* Outside backs: Caleb Clarke, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan, Ruben Love *uncapped The following players have been named as injury cover for the start of the France series: Christian Lio-Willie for Luke Jacobson, Emoni Narawa for Anton Lienert-Brown Unavailable due to injury: Asafo Aumua, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Sam Darry, Peter Lakai, Stephen Perofeta
