Cantebury vs Auckland
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@chester-draws No doubt Robertson is a very good coach and losing him would have an impact. But a lot of that would have been felt last year.
Losing half your team including most of the best players (and especially Mo'unga who was waaay better than anyone else's first five last year) is also going to have quite an impact!
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@chester-draws The team that I think is suffering the most this year from losing its coach is Taranaki.
Cooper's done better at the Chiefs than I expected and Taranaki is doing a lot worse than I expected.
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@chris-b that’s a fair balance, on paper the Canterbury team is nowhere near the sides of even last year,they have always had Matt Todd or Richie Mo’unga and Rob Thompson around their squad..
On saying that well done to Auckland yesterday,there seemed to be
purpose to what they were trying to achieve..Just heard through a contact that Jack Whetton is negotiating with both the Highlanders and the Hurricanes
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@steven-harris Yeah - I'm not really reflecting on this game at all.
Auckland is now the team to beat, IMO. They're a big physical team and they're looking well drilled. Definitely beatable, but they've put probably their two closest rivals away pretty comfortably.
Judging by some of the rumours of recent years, suggesting various players couldn't really be arsed with Mitre10 Cup, I'd say having Sir Ted and his mana in the mix is pretty huge. You'd have to be a moron not to listen to what he has to say - and he wouldn't stand for any shenanigans.
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@steven-harris I'd bank on the Canes getting him. They have a starting lock spot open with Fatialofa gone and Fifita likely to move to 6.
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@dice Geoff Cridge is my pick to take over Fatialofa. Yes he has been injured for a while, however he has been rehabing with the Canes so I'm picking the Locks for the Canes next year are Lousi, Walker-Leawere, Cridge and Mitchell with Fifita covering.
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@canes4life Is Cridge still contracted to the Canes?
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@nepia I don't think he is under contract but I read somewhere that he had been in Wellington for a while rehabbing with Canes staff. Whether that connects him with a contract is another matter altogether.
I know Lousi, Walker-Leawere and Mitchell all have contracts so if Cridge doesn't end up being apart of the equation then we may very well see someone like Whetton involved. If that is true though he definitely isn't the 2.05m, 140kg lock that Plumtree said he would go after.
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@canes4life jog my memory..who is Mitchell..?
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@nepia said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@canes4life Is Cridge still contracted to the Canes?
Yes, Cridge was under contract to the Canes for 2018.
He's basically needing a good 2018 Mitre Cup to get a renewal for 2019.
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@number-10 said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@nepia said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@canes4life Is Cridge still contracted to the Canes?
Yes, Cridge was under contract to the Canes for 2018.
He's basically needing a good 2018 Mitre Cup to get a renewal for 2019.
Although, they could just keep him on contract knowing what he can do when not injured ...
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@steven-harris said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@canes4life jog my memory..who is Mitchell..?
Liam Mitchell (Manawatu lock/loosie), already signed by the Canes.
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@stargazer didnt he play loosie when they played up here on Friday, if it is him, he is a big unit
edit; just looked, he did play 6 against us.
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@taniwharugby got smashed a few times being too upright ,but looks a good athlete
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@taniwharugby yeah, I don't know what Manawatu are doing there. Mitchell is playing 6 at 2.00ms tall and Crosswell at 4cm shorter, is starting at lock.
I know Mitchell is fairly light, so will need bulking up in the Super offseason.
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@nepia said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@number-10 said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@nepia said in Cantebury vs Auckland:
@canes4life Is Cridge still contracted to the Canes?
Yes, Cridge was under contract to the Canes for 2018.
He's basically needing a good 2018 Mitre Cup to get a renewal for 2019.
Although, they could just keep him on contract knowing what he can do when not injured ...
He is always injured so nobody knows what he can do when not injured. Anyway James Blackwell is from Wellington, need I say any more on who is likely to be the most likely to be awarded a contract?
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@canes4life Cane fans should be happy if they get Whetton this late in the year. He's the 2nd best lock in the Mitre 10 Cup this year, just behind Romano.
