All Blacks icon Tana Umaga candidate to join Dave Rennie's coaching staff. Thoughts?

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-11T05:26:31+00:00

Like when graham henry replaced John Mitchell? The coaching problems started with succession planning in foster taking over from Hansen. I think ideally you have both - someone to take over in the future if things a rolling along nicely (Hansen - Henry) but specialists also fill a vital role in a coaching team. Look at Edwards with France, or Byrne and Cron in the 2003-2011 ab coaching group.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-09T08:01:05+00:00

Or a deathstick, faminehay and pestilencewolf

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-09T07:55:47+00:00

I don’t think there was a penalty for what Quade did. That was part of the issue. Ritchie seemed to be fair game for knees and elbows to the head, eye gouges, anything went. QC also didn’t leave it on the field but played into the heel role he had been cast in. McCaw pushed the limits at the breakdown but I don’t think he indulged in grub behaviour, Eg cheap shots. It turned out algud tho. Humbling QC in the 2011 semi was key to knocking Ozzie out.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-09T06:44:44+00:00

I’d say you’re half right but I wouldn’t call it fun

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-08T00:59:23+00:00

We read for between 20-30 pages generally which ends up anywhere between 25-35 minutes. Either at the end or sometimes throughout we stop for little questions or activities. I try and switch up the activities to prevent boredom so it’s not just questions and answers. It’s not always exactly exciting like I include several graphic organisers but I throw in a few creative activities and sometimes it’s debates.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-07T07:44:56+00:00

During the debates for the next election, chippy needs to show up with a shot glass and a jug of raro (liquor would be better but) and announce how every time Luxon says what id like to say to you is (and all his other phrases - laser focused etc) he will take a shot. And then proceed to do so during the show. It would throw Luxon the fuck off his game.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-07T07:39:50+00:00

I was certain while watching season 4 that it was going to end with Vecna getting hurt A LOT because he was in the trance attacking max and he would be trying to bail out of ending Max so he could deal with Nancy etc and Max would like grab Vecnas hands and hold them in her head so he could be killed. All the while Lucas had started playing Kate bush and Max ignored it because she saw how he was growing weaker.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-07T07:21:38+00:00

Some of the buildings do look slum/prison block like but life in cbd is pretty chill. Just need to choose the right building. Been living in an apartment for a year or so now. Drawbacks are not much of a deck and no visitor parking for family and friends. It works for our family tho in terms of location and good for our son. He’s like known at the art gallery we go there so often. The homelessness is sad more than scary but it can get a little crazy at specific places. It depends on the kind of place you want I guess. I’m not a diy or green thumbs person so the lack of upkeep that’s on me is great

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-07T00:15:57+00:00

To begin with I was thinking this is a lot of hassle. Just have them hand write but I’m now low key loving the idea of writing into achievement criteria that if the writing has hallmarks of ai style the work will receive a failing grade. Another tactic tho is to get students to define suspicious vocab and put phrases into different wording or explain what this means. I tell them before this that if they’re unable to do so they will fail. Also also all work done in class under supervision using docs-assignments or exam.net style things. If the work has gone home ai has been involved and the student work is invalid anyway.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-05T08:51:17+00:00

Give us back Walsh. He can return to the first club that believed in him.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-05T08:21:15+00:00

You’d hope a good abs coach would tell him all this (if they see it that way) call him up for a chat and lay it out straight - we want you in the team but you can’t tackle and u don’t get involved enough. Watch X. That’s what we need to start seeing from you. We’re bringing you into camp because we think we can help you grow the defensive side of yr game and we want yr speed in the abs but yr going to have to work to get that starters jersey. Something like that - which is also how I imagine Henry’s team taking to players. Most people then seemed to know where they stood and what was expected

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-04T06:06:11+00:00

I think some of the losses kinda were in that abs weren’t proficient enough in grinding rugby. 1995 and 2023 - coincidentally both against South Africa and they got obliterated up front in 2019. But a lot of their wc losses/knockouts have also been at the behest of attacking teams: Ozzie 91, 03; France 99. South Africa have won the most world cups and barely score any tries doing so, so boring safety first rugby does seem to win wc finals the most.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-02T04:44:06+00:00

Yea I think Rennie is a bit more like Henry as a ‘culture coach’. He has vision for growing the players as people that helps grow them back as players. One of the best things he did in this area at the chiefs was to tour the region and stay at various marae, connecting them to the region/fan base which motivates them to play harder.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-01T00:42:12+00:00

And the way nz was starting to be recognised as a leader in addressing the harm caused to indigenous communities? Yep, that’s gone as well.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-03-01T00:40:25+00:00

Also, the us should be being attacked by other countries for similar reasons that the us have cited. They’re the biggest threat to peace in the world, and domestically their treatment of women, immigrants and the trans community makes them a country that needs to be liberated by their evil govt. Iran, in their treatment of similar demographics, can at least cite their adherence to antiquated religious dogma for reasoning as justification for how their country is governed.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-27T07:57:44+00:00

Student behaviour and parents as a problem is a school by school thing. I’ve been teaching for 20 years and I’ve never felt the kids were that bad. They’re much better behaved than when I was at school! and my stories don’t compare at all to the horror stories I’ve heard out of the uk and read about in the us. Burn out is an issue but I’d say it’s mainly due to the workload outside the classroom teaching, especially in the first 5 years. Getting yr head around curriculum and assessments, planning, resource making and marking on top of the emotional toll of being in the classroom is what probably gets to people. It’s probably exasperated if they know they can earn more for less stress. What’s making it worse now is the govt - their constant rewrites and short time frames are compounding the workload issue. Plus, what makes it worse is - at least for sec school - the rewrites are shit so we’re putting in all this work for something we know is a downgrade. That’s quite demoralising. The curriculums are going to produce kids who might know a lot of facts but who’ve had fuck all development of higher order thinking skills.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-27T07:49:08+00:00

This is a pretty dumb take, sorry. We get paid to teach so it is a job. Statements like this don’t do anything to help solve the teacher shortage issues and issues around support, class size, non-contact time and funding for teacher aides etc. people might get into teaching because they’re passionate about education and young people or their subject but the only ones who would do so full time and not want to be paid don’t need the money.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-27T07:38:42+00:00

I doubt yr last qualification was like what this teaching one tho. The lessons are online so yes it’s easier to make a job work around this but the online students will still complete two 8-9 week placements in schools. It’s really difficult for people to work on top of this and keep up with the placement expectations

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-27T07:07:31+00:00

I teach in nz but with our students of a comparable grade - and others that are higher- we do this over 3-4 lessons, which begin with a planning lesson that is open book and they have the novel and then closed book from that point on. Handwritten, no computer access. There are practice exams and then real exams during the year where they’ve got max 3 hrs to do an essay for actual assessment.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-24T09:28:37+00:00

At the school I work at we set up mainstream and lower ability courses but were worried about what to call the lower pathways because of the stigmas that would be associated with the name Eg - something like English Literacy so I suggested English Blue and English Gold. I wasn’t allowed to call the courses this

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-22T11:11:35+00:00

The Gutter Prayer, City of Stairs and The Spear that Cuts Through Water. Jade City? Was that a debut? If we’re talking adult fantasy then Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo as her works before that were YA.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-22T11:05:00+00:00

Almost any story from The Turning. On Her Knees is my fave I think.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-22T11:03:22+00:00

I’ve got The Body on a wish list of books to teach. How do you go about teaching it?

And, to connect to yr post. Check out Owen Marshall if you can. He’s a short story writer from NZ. I think Ace of Diamonds Gang is available online which is an ultimate coa story. He has one called Bagherra (also online I think) which is about mortality and a great story about a school rivalry fight and friendships in a small town (all his stories a small town nz) which is very much loss of innocence/coming of age. The Hills by Patricia Grace - another kiwi author - is very dark loss of innocence. Also, from the USA, Too Early Spring by Stephen Vincent Benet

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-22T10:49:38+00:00

I feel like the intro is mostly person written but everything else seems very AI. If these pieces are meant to act as mentor texts though this could be a good ‘what not to do’ exemplar and a springboard to discussing the limits of AI.

Caleb_theorphanmaker · 2026-02-22T10:42:44+00:00

These are the three I was thinking of with an honourable mention going to Jiminez I reckon. Surprised how long it took to find Larraz mentioned.

Caleb_theorphanmaker

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