Super Rugby News
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@Rapido said in Super Rugby News:
@Stargazer said in Super Rugby News:
Now this might explain why TTT is leaving the Canes!
The Hurricanes have signed Finlay Christie for 2 years!
From an NZ POV I'd rather Christie stayed at the Chiefs and got game time and a starting spot, I really like the cut of his jib.
TTT, for a very heralded age grade player, has been very underwhelming.
Good trade by the Canes.
I suspect the Chiefs don't want to take a punt on him getting a Scotland call up whereas they are hedging bets on either TTT or JT coming through good.
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Just heard that the Blues signed Leni Apasai, missed what else it said, whether he was to be the other hooker with Moulds or to replace Moulds.
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“He will add important depth as well as competition to the position with All Black James Parsons and Northland captain Matt Moulds as the hookers in the Blues squad for 2018.”
Blues Rugby
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Moulds and Jmes Parsons are still with the Blues bext season
The official home of the Blues rugby team. Buy tickets and merchandise, get the latest news, view results and go behind-the-scenes with our players.
Interesting comment there though by their High Performance Manager.
“Leni is a player with proven Super Rugby ability and has developed leadership qualities which make him a valuable acquisition for the Blues,” said Blues high performance manager, Tony Hanks."
If Apisai is all you say he is it was still not enough to keep him at the Hurricanes. -
@Higgins Of course the team signing him is going to talk him up. Having said that I think it's a unique situation at the Hurricanes - they have the best hooker in the country and also a budding superstar in Aumua - that doesn't mean that Apisai is worthless.
Apisai is a middle of the road signing but that's ok - Blues could do with some solid/stable - the comments about leadership are worthwhile - Blues are lacking that more than any other NZ team. Proof will be in the pudding.
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Incidentally, SANZAR has named its Super rugby team of the year. No Crusaders make the grade.
DMac is the player of the year.
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs), Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers), Samu Kerevi (Reds), Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes), James Lowe (Chiefs), Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes), Augustine Pulu (Blues), Amanaki Mafi (Rebels), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Jaco Kriel (Lions), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Guido Petti Pagadizabal (Jaguares), Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Malcolm Marx (Lions), Jacques van Rooyen (Lions).
I'm assuming it's one of those selections where it helps to be a good player in a shit team.
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@Chris-B. said in Super Rugby News:
Incidentally, SANZAR has named its Super rugby team of the year. No Crusaders make the grade.
DMac is the player of the year.
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs), Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers), Samu Kerevi (Reds), Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes), James Lowe (Chiefs), Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes), Augustine Pulu (Blues), Amanaki Mafi (Rebels), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Jaco Kriel (Lions), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Guido Petti Pagadizabal (Jaguares), Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Malcolm Marx (Lions), Jacques van Rooyen (Lions).
Nanai screwed over by another selection team!
I'm outraged
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guess the Crusaders just weren't very good this year, they got pretty lucky for 17 games this year!
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@taniwharugby If we assume that Jamason Fa'anana-Shultz and Dalton Papali’i are in the Blues, then there are only three positions in the forwards still unfilled: LH prop, TH prop, and lock.
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@Tim Namatahi Waa has been part of the Blues set up at TH, and seems to have improved markedly (coupled with getting in good shape) Phil Kite our LH prop, got called into the Reds this season (huge achievement I know
) I believe he is eligible both sides of the Ta$man.Tom Robinson had impressed in Blues WTG at lock, but got injured in Blues pre-season and we will probably not see him again even in M10 Cup this year.
Those are probably the only options from Northland.
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@Tim said in Super Rugby News:
@taniwharugby If we assume that Jamason Fa'anana-Shultz and Dalton Papali’i are in the Blues, then there are only three positions in the forwards still unfilled: LH prop, TH prop, and lock.
Is this to replace Prattley? I sure hope so. He is not up to Super level.
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@Higgins said in Super Rugby News:
Moulds and Jmes Parsons are still with the Blues bext season
The official home of the Blues rugby team. Buy tickets and merchandise, get the latest news, view results and go behind-the-scenes with our players.
Interesting comment there though by their High Performance Manager.
“Leni is a player with proven Super Rugby ability and has developed leadership qualities which make him a valuable acquisition for the Blues,” said Blues high performance manager, Tony Hanks."
If Apisai is all you say he is it was still not enough to keep him at the Hurricanes.I assume with "leadership qualities" they mean captaining the NZU20s in 2016?
Anyway, Apisai was leapfrogged by Riccitelli last season & there's a very good chance that Aumua would have done the same very soon if Apisai had stayed. Or maybe the Canes just did no longer want him. How many hookers do teams usually sign? -
The only confirmed departures from up front are hooker Hika Elliot (US Oyonnax) and loose forward Michael Leitch (Sunwolves), while fellow loosie Tom Sanders is set to be linking up with the Crusaders.
Gone:
Hika Elliot, Tom Sanders, Michael Leitch, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Finlay Christie, Aaron Cruden, Stephen Donald, James Lowe.Staying:
2018: Liam Messam, Dominic Bird, Damian McKenzie, Charlie Ngatai, Tim Nanai-Williams, Toni Pulu, Solomon Alaimalo, Shaun Stevenson.2019: Kane Hames, Sosefo Kautai, Nathan Harris, Brodie Retallick, Michael Allardice, Taleni Seu, Mitchell Brown, Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Karpik, Jonathan Taumateine.
2020: Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli, Brad Weber, Anton Lienert-Brown.
TBC:
Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, Mitchell Graham, Liam Polwart, James Tucker, Sam Cane, Sam McNicol, Glen Fisiiahi, Johnny Fa'auli, Chase Tiatia.Arriving:
Tyler Ardron (till 2019), Luke Jacobson (till 2020), Tiaan Falcon (till 2019), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (till 2019). -
@taniwharugby Kite has played for Tonga so is ineligible for NZ or Australia internationally.
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@Tim
Why the reluctance to play or sign James Tucker? He looks very strong whenever he is sighted. I sure hope that Cane and McNicol and either Graham or Fisi'ihoi are signed promptly. Would be nice to see Melani Nanai, Sevu Reece and Aumua added to fill in the biggest gaps, along with a ball carrier like Akira Ioane. And I would like to see Stephen Donald stay on too for his experience. Hopefully not too much wishful thinking. -
Hall, who signed a one-year deal when he transferred south from the Blues for pre-season training in late 2016, recently told The Press he and his manager were canvassing their options and hoped to make a decision soon.
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@Chris-B. said in Super Rugby News:
Incidentally, SANZAR has named its Super rugby team of the year. No Crusaders make the grade.
DMac is the player of the year.
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I'm assuming it's one of those selections where it helps to be a good player in a shit team.I understand it's purely statistical. Hence why Pulu made it as halfback of the year. THose of us who have had to watch him play know his limitations- he is comfortably the 4th or 5th worst halfback in NZ, let alone internationally. However, a shit statistical analysis gets him into team of the year.
This is also why AB selectors don't delve too far into statistics. They are usually rubbish and can be utterly mislead.
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