Taranaki v Hawke's Bay
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<p>Alarm bells must be ringing really loud up there then. Are these results reflective of the standard of club rugby up there or are there capable players not prepared to commit to playing for the B Team? The premier age group (under 19?) results are even more worrying as that used to be a strength of the Bay back in the days before loads of the talent headed off to varsity. Since the inception of the Jock Hobbs Memorial Tournament played annually in Taupo we have not exactly sent any jewellers scurrying off the check whether there is an apostrophy in our name should they be required to engrave in on any sort of trophy such is the poor level of results returned.</p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.sporty.co.nz/hbrugby/Community-Development/Player-Development'>http://www.sporty.co.nz/hbrugby/Community-Development/Player-Development</a></p>
<p>When are we going to start seeing the fruits of this?</p> -
<p>You already are seeing the fruits of this.</p>
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<p>2015 Academy team/Under 19 team - Mason Emerson, Jonah Lowe played for Shield Snorters 2015 and 2016</p>
<p>2016 Academy team - Mason Kean, Tiaan Falcon, Marino Mikaele Tu'u - are in this year's Shield Snorters squad</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Emerson, Lowe and Kean have/will turn 20 this year, Falcon and Mikaele Tu'u have/will turn 19 this year.</p> -
<p>Oh silly me, I should have read the stated aims of the Academy a bit more closely. Had I done so I would have noticed there is no mention of preparing the players to compete successfully against other provinces Under 19 age group teams. It seems to me that they are hell bent of propelling players into the Mitre 10 Cup team as soon as possible and paying little heed to developing a competitive Under 19 team, unless of course that is somehow captured in the catch all term "ProZone" (<span style="font-size:14px;">Players that complete Year 12 in the Academy are then invited into the 'ProZone' which transitions players from school rugby to ITM Cup Rugby). Somewhere along the line more attention needs to be paid to fielding a competitive team at this Under 19 level given the importance attached to it (it - the Jock Hobbs Memorial Tournament - is televised live as well as being attended by scouts from places near and far).</span></p>
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<p>Of last year's 25-man Under 19 team at the Nationals - only two are in the 2016 Shield Snorters squad: Mason Kean and Mason Emerson. Jonah Lowe played for the Under 19 team last year but not in the Nationals, so that is three of 26 in last year's Under 19 squad in this year's Shield Snorters squad. I don't consider 3/26 (11%) to be a strategy of "propelling players into the Mitre 10 Cup team as soon as possible".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If the player talent level isn't/can't be the cause for the results of the last two years - the cause must rest entirely with some or all of the Union, the Board and the Academy. Then, precisely how have the Union, or Board, or Academy not been placing enough importance on the Under 19 team? </p> -
<p>They could well be propelling them into Mitre 10 Cup level as soon as possible, one of their stated aims, but being hamstrung by a paucity of raw material to start with. Quite simply judging by the last couple of years results at the Jock Hobbs Memorial most of the players are not yet ready to be playing NPC, maybe they never will be. I don't suppose a list of players attached to the HBRFU Academy will be available for perusal on any public forum so might have to direct any enquiry to the Union through the club captain of my Club seeking an answer to that.</p>
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<p>deleted</p>
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