Super Rugby 2025
-
@Dan54 he played for Tonga before he played for Ta$man (first played 7s for Tonga in 2022, when he was 19, 15s after that)
-
@antipodean said in Super Rugby 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Steven-Harris said in Super Rugby 2025:
@SouthernMann Moana Pacifika now a development team for NZ rugby
This absolutely sucks in my opinion
First they lose Amua and Tavatavanawai ,now Taumoefolau and you can bet bottom dollar the wolves are circling Patrick Pelligrini because hes litterly in the top 3 10s in the country
defeats the whole purpose of having Pacific team in the comp if their best talent gets picked off every yearPelligrini should be a different case as a locked in Tongan player?
The likes of Kyren Taumoefolau is a weird one. Should have been safe as a Tongan player. Now changing his mind, making the best pathway forward being through an NZR affiliated franchise.
Kyren is a different case. He's a New Zealander who has elected to stand down from representative duty.
If Miracle Fa'ilagi gets poached then there should rightfully be an uproar.
I wish Miracle would have been poached when he was young instead of that useless piece of shit Frizell.
-
@taniwharugby said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Dan54 he played for Tonga before he played for Ta$man (first played 7s for Tonga in 2022, when he was 19, 15s after that)
Fair enough mate, so he was developed in Tonga? I genuinely thought he was born and raised in NZ. If I was wrong even more prefer he stayed at MP, I always thought he was a kiwi, and I thought I heard him say he was one. My bad mate..
Really the point I was making that NZR weren't using MP as a development team, from what I have seen. -
He is a Kiwi (.and he’s also Tonga). Born and schooled in Marlborough to a well known family there - Tonga got him on their radar in 2022/23 when he was still a teenager through his heritage when he’d barely left high school and was offered a chance to play at a World Cup as they had a number of injuries and the like.
There’s more egregious examples of poaching/nation switching than this - agree there are issues with using this team as a pathway but this seems like a case of a young Kiwi guy who probably didn’t know the true nature of his talents and probably wouldn’t have represented Tonga if he thought he was an All Blacks contender.
If his departure to the Chiefs is confirmed it probably allows another Pacific Island player to take his spot, who is committed to representing one of those sides. -
I've missed the outrage about an established All Black taking the development opportunities away from a promising young Islander.
-
@antipodean said in Super Rugby 2025:
I've missed the outrage about an established All Black taking the development opportunities away from a promising young Islander.
Interesting there's no mention of Tonga poaching kiwi school kids that live in NZ.
-
@zedsdeadbaby said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2025:
How the hell does Pelligrini even get in your mind as a AB, he's not eligible for ABs . He's a Tongan intrernational FFS. You got to make better arguments.
Out of interest Miracle couldn't even be poached as he has played for Samoa.
Kyren has played for Tonga…that’s the point? But he has birthright transfer which I don’t think Patrick or Miracle do, so they would have to stand down five years rather than 3.
The stand-down period for all players is
fivethree years, and it's only open to those who were born in another country or have parents/grandparents born in another country. You can't transfer countries through naturalisation. -
-
This post is deleted!
-
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
-
This post is deleted!
-
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury 🙄. Nick Evans.
-
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury 🙄. Nick Evans.
Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
-
@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury 🙄. Nick Evans.
Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
Ah yes Harding. I'm sure it seemed smart at the time. Oops 😬
-
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury 🙄. Nick Evans.
Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
Ah yes Harding. I'm sure it seemed smart at the time. Oops 😬
Dunedin schooled players out of the Haka Valley is a bit of a sore point. Right on the border of the two franchises. McCaw and now George Bell in red and black.
Harding was a good player, just a long way from our greatest All Black of all time.
-
This post is deleted!
