NPR

Thinking back over the career of Sam Whitelock, there are three moments that leap to mind immediately. He set an absurdly high standard of play and maintained it to the end of his career. My GOAT locking the All Black scrum with Pinetree (with Retallick on the bench).

His awesome 60m try in Super Rugby,


His lineout steal vs the Springboks in the semifinal of RWC2015 (27'45" in this clip),


and his turnover at the end of the match vs Ireland in 2023 (2'45" in this clip)

He was fricken amazing throughout. Could always notch it up a gear no matter how much he aged. Phenomenal in the lineout.

An All Black I fear we might not see the likes of again, put all his best years in to NZ.

Kiwias wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:27 amMy GOAT locking the All Black scrum with Pinetree (with Retallick on the bench).

Meads was a little ahead of my time, but Whitelock and Retallick is the best locking combo I've seen in my lifetime.

Both sublime players. We were so lucky their careers largely coincided.

Decent player

Bismaak still wakes up in a screaming sweat about those two RWC2015 lineout steals. So do I in fairness.

Not sure about GOAT but he is certainly up there.
I fucking hated him whenever he played against England..............so he must be one of the best

Gumboot wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 6:06 am

Kiwias wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:27 amMy GOAT locking the All Black scrum with Pinetree (with Retallick on the bench).

Meads was a little ahead of my time, but Whitelock and Retallick is the best locking combo I've seen in my lifetime.

Both sublime players. We were so lucky their careers largely coincided.

I agree on the locking combination but an all-time AB team must include Pinetree. It is written into the laws of NZ.

Huge loss to the ABs, do we have anyone at the same level of intensity

Apparently Sam Whitelock has played in 24% of all AB Tests.

Roll that around.

Great player and person.

As a unit, Whitelock, Retallick, Kaino, McCaw and Read must be one of the all time great back fives of the scrum, even if some of them don't make the GOAT team individually.

Guy Smiley wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 1:26 am Apparently Sam Whitelock has played in 24% of all AB Tests.

Roll that around.

Lack of depth in NZ locking stocks?

Tichtheid wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 2:44 pm As a unit, Whitelock, Retallick, Kaino, McCaw and Read must be one of the all time great back fives of the scrum, even if some of them don't make the GOAT team individually.

Yes, as a unit I can't see how they could be surpassed. That is the perfect blend of everything you want in the 2nd/back row.

Although I suppose Robin Brooke, Ian Jones, Michael Jones, Josh Kronfeld & Zinzan would be another incredible 2nd/backrow.

Not sure how many tests they played together but I think they were on the 1996 AB tour to SA.

Hugo wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 6:14 pm Although I suppose Robin Brooke, Ian Jones, Michael Jones, Josh Kronfeld & Zinzan would be another incredible 2nd/backrow.

Not sure how many tests they played together but I think they were on the 1996 AB tour to SA.

The first RWC final had the following for New Zealand

N8 8 Buck Shelford
OF 7 Michael Jones
BF 6 Alan Whetton
RL 5 Gary Whetton
LL 4 Murray Pierce

Pierce is the only one I don't really remember, but it's none too shabby a line up.

Sandstorm wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 5:41 pm

Guy Smiley wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 1:26 am Apparently Sam Whitelock has played in 24% of all AB Tests.

Roll that around.

Lack of depth in NZ locking stocks?

You can have fun with stats, eh.

Without wanting to take anything away from Whitelock's magnificent achievement, let's remember that of the 637 Tests the All Blacks have played since 1903 (ie. 120 years ago), 342 of them (ie. 54%) have been played since 1996 - the year the game officially went professional (ie. 27 years ago).

Been for my money the best lock going over the last decade. Like a bigger (and slightly angrier) version of Richard Hill, just an outstanding consistency in decision making and execution

My favourite player whenever kiwi fans started talking about how other teams were bigger. Absolute giant of a bloke, alongside another giant.

Hell of a player. He had a couple of years where he was pretty mediocre towards the back half of his career and that was all, the rest of the time he was an extremely high quality machine. One of the very best international forwards of all time.

JM2K6 wrote: Fri Apr 05, 2024 9:34 pm My favourite player whenever kiwi fans started talking about how other teams were bigger. Absolute giant of a bloke, alongside another giant.

Hell of a player. He had a couple of years where he was pretty mediocre towards the back half of his career and that was all, the rest of the time he was an extremely high quality machine. One of the very best international forwards of all time.

There were a couple of years when his workload was not managed as well as it should have been as he grew older so he ended the year running on fumes. Once that was sorted, he was back to the relentless, driven, accurate monster we knew so well.

Kiwias wrote: Fri Apr 05, 2024 11:04 pm

JM2K6 wrote: Fri Apr 05, 2024 9:34 pm My favourite player whenever kiwi fans started talking about how other teams were bigger. Absolute giant of a bloke, alongside another giant.

Hell of a player. He had a couple of years where he was pretty mediocre towards the back half of his career and that was all, the rest of the time he was an extremely high quality machine. One of the very best international forwards of all time.

There were a couple of years when his workload was not managed as well as it should have been as he grew older so he ended the year running on fumes. Once that was sorted, he was back to the relentless, driven, accurate monster we knew so well.

Yeah, that makes sense. Aside from that he never seemed to age at all