Ali Williams...again...

The guy just can't help himself. Once again all mouth and rabbiting on about how the team is going.
Bring out the old cliches:

you have to ask yourself, 'why do you need to look that far ahead now? Why not look at this week and lock that in'.

"I think that's given us a boost in energy" and greasing up the new coach" " along with the fact there's some obvious differences in coaching staff."

Williams said Hansen's straight-talking approach was "really refreshing".

"Talking the truth is what people need rather than glossing about how well you're going"

Since when has anyone been telling Ali how well hes going.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/7081574/Fresh-focus-revives-ABs-says-Williams

The guy is poison, all talk and no delivery, one of the few to average out last week if that was possible.

Grrrr... sooner hes gone the better

I think what he's saying is that "Hansens Straight talking approach was really refreshing" compared to playing in a Pat Lam coached team for the last four months.

What he`s saying makes sense,the Monkey is of your back the next RWC 4 years away.What`s wrong with concentrating on the next test one match at a time.

I know why hes saying it but why does he always have to stand up and be the team spokesman when his contribution is zero.

He did it with the Blues all year...judge us on our performance, we're really focussed on correcting things blah blah..(this is round 4 of course) when we know he did zip to improve or enhance the team performance. Again on Saturday he was average as he was last year.

He's not a Senior player in the true meaning of the word and is lucky to be there in the absence of others and is along for the ride.

Like last year and with Lam all he ever does is grease up to whoever's next paying his wages without actually performing.

Having a go at Lam? When as a Senior he was one of the main contributors to a pathetic Blues year... Geeez.

The man just can't stop...

http://www.allblacks.com/news/19618/Ali-Williams-prepared-to-fight-for-AllBlacks-place

"I'm playing rugby because I'm enjoying it and want to be in this team because you want it to be better than where you found it."

Classic. Good Blues motto that one...

"I love being out there, especially in this jersey, and it's an incredible feel playing alongside people like Dan [Carter], Richie [McCaw] and Reado [Kieran Read].'" interpreted loosely as..."carry me boys..."

Ok I'll stop there...how they keep giving this turkey headlines I'll never know...

Remember Taylorman that Ali Williams has the pictures of Hanson's celebrate the world cup win which has rumour includes a bucket of vegemite, four cans of spray cheese, some gerbils and a dachshund. So is not likely Ali Williams not being in the team some time soon.

You're talking about one of our Directors of Nottingham RFC (UK) there mate

How is he still getting in a team as good as the all blacks?

btown wrote:How is he still getting in a team as good as the all blacks?

With Thorn's retirement NZ is a little light on experienced locks. Hopefully Rettalick will have proven himself after this series and Ali can be eased out over the 4N.

Yeah maybe a bit harsh but he just cant keep talking about himself in the press in ways that it only serves himself. First its Ill be anywhere as long as Im in the squad...its a team thing not and individual thing yet in the same sentence almost quotes the two names responsible for taking 'my' position.

Appreciate he was sheriff of nottingham for a while and heard he did good things but this speaking on behalf of the whole team gets me when his own form has been pitiful at best.

Yeah I know how you feel Taylorman. If Thorn had stayed then I think he would have been on the scrapheap all right. It's all well and good having him mentor the new guys coming in and ease the media workload but they're picked to play rugby and his rugby hasn't set the world alight. He should learn from Piri who at least is keeping his gob shut-if not to keep the words from slipping out to keep the pies from slipping in.

Spot on disney. Some know their place. If he was firing...he can say what he wants but he aint and hasnt for over a year. He just seems to go out of his way to make these righteous public speeches telling the world what he thinks they want to hear.

Focus on your game ali. Leave the talk to the real leaders and focus on your own game. Lord knows it needs the work. That was the trouble with the blues abs. All had their own agendas.

The Hurricanes had similar trouble (well havine a group agenda rather than individual)-ironically the main ones were shipped TO Auckland lol. I was against it to start and thought Hammett should have done more to work with Weepu and Nonu, but I want my Canes to do well and I have to give him props they have improved a lot. It's amazing how the black jersey gets players to do well but even putting that on on Sat was not enough for Williams. Also didn't see why Weepu came on. Give the kid as much exposure as you can.

Weepu is getting man managed by all blacks staff and it is a very smart move indeed. His game time was not about best on the day for all blacks but best in long term. Weepu on his best is the unfathomable enigma. But now he is an enigma wrapped in the kina.

How do you know what kina is AWOP?

Listen up children hear ye the words of the prophet EMACK 2.Tuesday was a slow day Robbie Deans"Pocock is the greatest ever" no mention of McCaw.Pocock is the best" fetcher" in World Rugby True,Mc Caw has gone far beyond that adapting his game and reinventing himself.When last they met Captain Tackles was better on one leg than Pocock on two.Now to Ali,journalist approaches him he makes the right noises."Still Glad to be part of the team","Glad to be working with Conrad,Dan,Ritchie ,Kieron"," the Shirt is bigger than the man"."the Coach tells me what he wants"OK Ali is not the Ali pre two Achilles Operations,one has been known to finish a Career.On form no Blues player should be in the squad,by that token no Hurricanes player should have made the RWC squad.What do you expect him to say"I`m Rubbish" or the "shirt belongs to me"."Coach has`nt got a clue the Media know what it`s all about.Look around you since 2003[roughly] Only Ali Wiliams,Chris Jack,Brad Thorn or Keith Robinson acquire d many caps.In NZ now Ali Williams 71 caps,Anton Boric 24,Jason Eaton 15,Sam Whitelock 26,Tom Donnelly 15 are capped Locks.Boric is injured maybe a long term starter still,Eaton is in form maybe worth a shot,Whitelock Auto matic choice,Donnelly a safe pair of hands no more.Ali of form BUT he has the knowledge to impart to the Reticks,Romanos,Hoertas of the world .Of the dirty trick old pros Like Sharpe,Vickerman,Bakkies Botha might pull on a rookie.Ali may no longer be worth a start but he is still worth a place inthe wider squad diseminating that knowledge.Like wise with Weepu,Mea lamu,Nonu,look at the the backs last Saturday.Two starters,plus 3 with less than 15 caps each,compare that with the caps in Boks three quarter line.IF it had been wet and muddy,or the match played versus OZ or the Boks do you think the result would have been the same?.Come the 4Ns there is liittle between the 3 top sides at full strength I think the AB`s will regain the 4Ns[3Ns] purely because the draw favours them with the last to games at home.Take nothing for granted Ireland will be stronger and in bad weather the result and tactics will be closer.

Sorry Alan but again you miss the point. Ali doesnt have journalists approach him. He seeks them out. Every chance he gets he pushes his and what he believes are the teams thoughts onto the media.

Did you see the idiot hijack the press conference last year and make the whole thing a farce, reporters getting treated to a couple of idiots traeting them like kids.

Regardless of his caps he hasnt had a good match in 2 years that I can recall yet at every opportunity he can't wait to be the man in the middle.

I wouldnt even mind if he was a key starter and was contributing as a senior player should. He's on the bench and its not often 71 test plus players sit on the bench for long. Usually theyre gone by the end of the season, a la, Mils etc. For me the sooner the better as it means we wont have to put up with more blah blah from a has been.

Fine Taylorman you know best,just remember what happened to the last rookie prop chucked in.Isaac Ross praised to the skies to his face,then dropped so badly he could`nt even get a game at ITM level ,think he has now gone abroad.
The young guns deserve a break,Ali on form should`nt be on the Bench either that we agree on.BUT there needs to be someone on the bench who at least has played at the top level to steady the ship if things go pear shaped.Which means Eaton or Donnelly ?or would you be happy with two or three locks starting without a cap between them?

Well, well, well...

Posted on another thread but perhaps more apt here...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/our-experts/7119858/Ali-Williams-is-well-past-his-use-by-date

and:

"The 31-year-old's frustrations boiled over in Christchurch, where he was berated by McCaw for back-chatting referee Nigel Owens and it would be a pity if it were one of the final acts of his storied career. "

How Ironic...! His mouth finally got him in the end...

I thought he was a little unpleasant on the weekend, must have been upset about something else, his scrumcap didn't fit well, it was chafing?

In this case Ali Williams have the point. He was being held to the ground on the Irish side by the Irish player and the referee penalise him for not roll away! Then the player holding him give him a little push to the head and say something to his ear and Williams react to it.

Childish it is of course to be react, but then Nigel Owens get the penalty the wrong way around in the first place.

McCaw of course too mature and professional and realisate the referee not changing the mind at all. But in actual moral position is Ali Williams correct.

It is sad thing when the player get too old and what used to be work like abbrasive edge become liability. It minds me of Robin Brooke at the end and Lawrence Dallaglio too!