Crusaders 2020
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@chchfanatic I hope it's Joe Marler, someone that will stir up your culture and send you spiraling out of the conference race.
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@Canes4life Not a Saracens player. Kruis would be a good guess.
Koch plays for Sarries too, and is a TH.
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@Cyclops really. I’m all for having the best team.
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@chchfanatic sure. But I want the best Crusaders team and the best ABs team. If we parachute in an English tighthead then we block the development of an NZ option, and meaning we're down to 4 starting slots for the ABs to pick from.
I'd be less worried if it's a lock or a midfielder since those positions are less specialised so there are more starting roles. But I still prefer to have either NZ eligible players or guys with strong links to NZ (e.g. Grew up here but have chosen to represent a tier 2 country).
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@Cyclops Agree. I can live with NZ SR franchises signing uncapped foreign players if the only available players in NZ for a specific position are Mitre 10 Cup players of insufficient development potential (the step down is too big), but otherwise it's a "no" from me. I'd be okay with rare exceptions for capped PI or other tier 2/3 players.
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@Cyclops said in Crusaders 2020:
@chchfanatic sure. But I want the best Crusaders team and the best ABs team. If we parachute in an English tighthead then we block the development of an NZ option, and meaning we're down to 4 starting slots for the ABs to pick from.
Yeah - a few seasons ago it was pretty notable the number of tightheads playing Super rugby that were either ineligible for NZ or questionable.
Can't remember all of them but doubtless included some of Halanukunuku, Geldenhuys, Alaalatoa, Jager, Tamiefuna.
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@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2020:
@Cyclops really. I’m all for having the best team.
And some wonder why many on this board give Canterbury and Crusaders fans a hard time.
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@Chris-B said in Crusaders 2020:
@Cyclops said in Crusaders 2020:
@chchfanatic sure. But I want the best Crusaders team and the best ABs team. If we parachute in an English tighthead then we block the development of an NZ option, and meaning we're down to 4 starting slots for the ABs to pick from.
Yeah - a few seasons ago it was pretty notable the number of tightheads playing Super rugby that were either ineligible for NZ or questionable.
Can't remember all of them but doubtless included some of Halanukunuku, Geldenhuys, Alaalatoa, Jager, Tamiefuna.
Michael Alaalatoa was NZ eligible until July/August this year, Jager still is. Geldenhuys might be, too.
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@gt12 so the hurricanes wouldn’t take peter Steph dt or Siya kolisi. Or the blues wouldn’t like Farrell as their 10. This guy would be amazing in super rugby.
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@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2020:
@Cyclops really. I’m all for having the best team.
I agree, so long as we're deficient in the position and the domestic cupboard is bare, or relatively bare.
People also need to realise having a foreign international come in could help the development of others in the squad. There is a common complaint that our exodus strengthens NH rugby, and there's no reason why it can't happen here. The same applies to coaching: O'Gara 'fixed' Mo'unga's goalkicking during his time here. Would we rather have that or the likes of a Joe Maddock prematurely promoted?
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@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2020:
@gt12 so the hurricanes wouldn’t take peter Steph dt or Siya kolisi. Or the blues wouldn’t like Farrell as their 10. This guy would be amazing in super rugby.
They may be, but they shouldn’t, as there are only five starting spots per AB position, and we shouldn’t be chasing away NZ players by signing internationals from other countries.
I already dislike us having signed Japanese players at the Chiefs. At the end of the day, our domestic teams must support and strengthen the All Blacks.
Getting Farrell in Super rugby, great! Have him play for the Tahs, so that potential ABs can learn how to deal with him, and we can develop more players who can do so.
I find it strange that this needs pointing out.
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@Stargazer Though at the time, people like Jager and Geldenhuys probably hadn't yet completed their residential requirements (and are always flight risks even when they're dual qualified).
I can't recall all the details of who the players were - but I can remember writing about it at the time - and it was a significant proportion of the available tighthead slots.
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@gt12 said in Crusaders 2020:
@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2020:
@Cyclops really. I’m all for having the best team.
And some wonder why many on this board give Canterbury and Crusaders fans a hard time.
Since when do "those" ferners need a reason to give Canterbury and Crusaders fans a hard time?
