Bold All Blacks Predictions for 2025 + My Rugby Awards Recap!

[@AB_Sanj]

Hi Julian... Merry Christmas and Happy new year. Hope all is well and you and your whanau are all safe and away from the fires. Take care and enjoy 2025.

[@peterfromzurich2869]

Happy New Year, everybody, personally, I am very impressed how Tupou Vaa'i has developed. He has helped solving our line-out problems, very tidy player.

[@4evaavfc]

Happy 2025, Julian.

[@FlashPelcher-km8ov]

Thanks For Your Show Julian. Happy New Year !!!

[@lauriecarter8931]

Happy New Year Julian Here's to a great year with the ABs finding their straps and striving for greatness in 2025,looking forward to more vids Cheers.

[@sorayadavids5967]

Happy New Year Julian…. Will be watching your analysis with interest as it is my ’go to’ after intense games.

[@JulianShawofficial]

and to you as well! Your support means a lot. Hoping for a big year for the channel and especially for the ABs!

[@ivana209]

Happy New Year bro... great off-season yards here, enjoyed your mahi!

[@JulianShawofficial]

Thanks so much - that means a lot! Happy New Year to you 🎉

[@JohnMurphy-k8h]

Happy New Year Julian. Springbok supporter here. Love watching your unbiased, informative channel. Keep up the good work 👏 I agree, that you guys will definitely get a Springbok scalp this year.

[@peterbritz620]

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your loved ones

[@JulianShawofficial]

And to you as well. Thanks for watching!

[@Gavsta60]

I find Will Jordan a bit of an enigma when it comes to speed....his running mechanics don't look that fast but DAMN he's rapid!!

[@JulianShawofficial]

Right?! He has that lovely, languid style where it looks like he’s just cruising - even as he accelerates past everyone else!

[@Gavsta60]

@@JulianShawofficial - Yup....he's a "glider"!! 😁Kinda reminds me a bit of Michael Johnson (ex 200 & 400m world record holder) with that very upright running style.

[@canesno1fan]

haha yeah he's so upright and only his legs move

[@lauriecarter8931]

Thanks

[@JulianShawofficial]

Thank you so much!!!! That makes my day! 🙏🏼

[@subhuman119]

This All Blacks side is going to get better and better. They have blooded a lot of younger players over the past 3 years, who are now finding their feet. The All Blacks forward pack is world class. Also the All Black scrum is scary, especially with all those younger props and hookers all coming through and dominating on the world stage. With all the speed and talent the All Blacks have out the back, along with potentially players returning from overseas. With their average squad age - this New Zealand side is going to be super scary leading into the next RWC.

[@doge_person7739]

I would have given the best all black foward to tyrel lomax. He's in great form and has really cemented himself in the number 3 jersey. Ardie is still a beast though

[@JulianShawofficial]

I can get behind that. A very fair choice. He was been rock solid on his side of the scrum all year.

[@omonyrobert9962]

I agree as well. Lomax was the most impressive Allblack.

[@JackKinross]

Enjoyed and agreed with pretty much all that, just don't think the Aussies will get one against the Lions, Andy Farrell will have that team humming I'm sure. Totally agree our front row stocks look incredible, something has really turned there in the last couple of years re our overall depth up front, you can see it in NPC and Super. And yes, Will Jordan to take things to a new level now that the 15 jersey seems to be ironed on but I really hope there's a back up given a lot of minutes, my preference would be Love. My prediction is that the ABs will take a strong leap forward without Razor actually showing all his cards - looking forward to a really interesting year's rugby.

[@JulianShawofficial]

A Lions clean sweep is very much in the realm of probability and I do think my prediction is a long shot. Time will tell! Love your comments. Happy New Year :)

[@PeterRattenbury-h1e]

A New Year wish… Razor, Schmidt and Brown as our coaches! I know it will never happen but it’s still a wish. I agree with your comment about Mo’unga, we are placing too much hope in him. Yes he’s good but he has no more X factor than McKenzie. I reckon EP could be sold out twice over such is the anticipation…

[@JulianShawofficial]

Yup, it’s the game of the year for sure!

[@canesno1fan]

Would be awesome if we could get Browny and his inside knowledge of the Bokke enticed over but can't see it. JJ was my choice for coach over Razor, so hopefully in the future we can see what he can do with some stars rather than gutsy underdogs

[@rabbitss11]

One win for Australia against the Lions would be great but I'm doubtful they'll get even that, the AB's MUST change their centre pairing and will, hopefully, go at least one better in terms of wins, let's see if you're right Julian

[@Gavsta60]

Julian I totally agree with you...Razor will come to grips with international level coaching, he's too good a coach not to and he'll definitely end 2025 with a far better record than 2024. I've also been saying for some time now that Rieko Ioane is not an international level centre and your midfield has been clunky with him in it for some time now but I don't see any world class 13's in the pipeline right now? You have a number of decent centres but none of them are out and out world class...whatever happened to Jack Goodhue? I thought he was a massive prospect...I thought along with Nani Lumape were your best midfield combo but both seem to have disappeared? You'll forgive me if I don't agree with you on your record against the Boks....LOL I'm hoping for another clean sweep this year just to cement our place at no.1 this year and more than anything I'm hoping for a trouncing of Ireland on the EOYT to put the Leprechauns back in their place!! Good luck to your boys for 2025...cannot wait for Eden Park!!!

[@jamesveltman9533]

MoUnga is definitely missed in my book. McKenzie may have x factor,and BB also,however neither are natural all round 1st 5s like Richie who has great footwork not to mention.

[@SpaceMonkeyGVTV]

Fortune favours the Bold #allblacks

[@JulianShawofficial]

So true! Happy New Year :)

[@frankvsnschalkwyk6030]

If Razor revamp backline , AB CAN HURT BOKS AND GET 100%

[@JP.Travelz]

Love the analysis this season dude - great work … but “ Awards “ ?? Kinda cringe 😂

[@icefarrow7959]

Yeah, agree with Reiko, and to be honest, he could very well be dropped from the squad worst-case scenario (for him). If some of our current Centres step up enough, the fact that Leicester already covers both Centre and Wing could count against Ioane. On a pessimistic note, I predict our win-rate won't get much better. We'll lose at Eden Park against the Boks, and Razor will be on thin ice. We still have no true attack coach, and it shows. Our plays are so predictable, and largely ineffective.

[@JulianShawofficial]

If we do finally give up our Eden Park record I am definitely grateful we got to 50. That’s a record that should stand for quite some time and possibly even last decades to a century.

[@icefarrow7959]

@@JulianShawofficial Yeah, I'd be grateful too, but also mad, because the ABs decline over the years has been entirely avoidable. NZR just seems content with complacency.

[@shanecriddle-z5h]

@@icefarrow7959 as in we would have 3 teams capable of winning a world cup if we picked our best players worldwide. our best players and coaches leave coz rugbyunion nz being stuck in their dark ages view of the game except for the monentizing part alienanting our own viewership.test rugby should be free live tv

[@NazleeHendricks-q8h]

Hold on whith fritzel on 6 savea on 7 and sititi on 8

[@markrusden3651]

I hope you are wrong about Richie Mounga ABs need him, far better than the very talented D Mac who can be a liability at times.

[@rory7590]

Happy New Year! Another good video. My prediction for the All Blacks all depends on who gets injured and when! If you look at the the 2024 season of selections, a lot of it was defined by injuries. Whether it was Cam Roigard and Will Jordan being unavailable at the start of the year (and Takei'aho for the whole of the year), or both Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipolutu being unavailable against Argentina, or the ongoing injuries to a bunch of loose forwards that eventually gave young players like Wallace Sititi and Peter Lakai their chances, the whole pattern of team selection was largely dictated by who was injured and when. So, on that basis, what price some older, established players getting injured that may catalyse changes to the AB squad in 2025? Maybe it will make a shift in the loose forward make up or in the midfield? There has been a lot of talk about changing the midfield - and surely Jordie Barrett is taking a risk of getting injured with a full season of Rugby with Leinster? If a senior player like Codie Taylor gets injured, for another example, will Aumua step up or will Taukei'aho make a comeback? Will Savea make a positional switch to open side? Will Fabien Holland step up as a long term locking option? OK, these are more questions than predictions but my point is that Robertson evidently tended to pick his teams in 2024 with a very stable hierarchy UNTIL somebody was injured. I expect this pattern to continue in 2025 but it will more than likely end up boosting performance as more long term pieces fall into place. If the All Blacks improve by just an incremental amount playing against teams like France and South Africa with home advantage, it could see their world ranking status shoot up. My prediction for the international game is that the Lions will not be as dominant against Australia as they would have supposed a year or so ago. Australia are improving but also there are signs of British teams in decline after the Autumn series too (apart from Scotland, perhaps). Selecting a composite Lions team with a balanced selection from these different teams in a short space of time might be tricky. Moreover, most Lions series usually act as a catalyst for change in the International picture and I expect 2025 to be no different.

[@JulianShawofficial]

Some brilliant comments here. I also feel the Aussies might surprise and even if the Lions claim the series it might be closer than expected. Injuries for sure lead to some of the biggest breakthroughs of 2024, such as the emergence of Wallace Sititi. You make a very convincing case that this will once again be true in 2025!

[@4evaavfc]

Thanks

[@JulianShawofficial]

Thank you so much!!!! 🙏🏼