Blues 2020

[Daffy Jaffy]

@Steven-Harris Thanks for your report. On your preseason game comment, I remember a super rugby preseason game many years ago won by 60 points by one team but the other team won the in season game. So I agree results mean nothing now its about bedding in the team systems and combinations.

[Tim]

MacDonald confirmed Rieko Ioane and Patrick Tuipulotu, two other interested bystanders, would be available to play the Chiefs. Prop Karl Tu'inukuafe got through the first half well..

[African Monkey]

@Steven-Harris Thanks for all that much appreciated, but trust me, big Pat is a teddy bear haha. He's a bit like how you describe Sam Nock to us. He may be big and scary looking, but very quiet and humble personality wise. Suprised he's seen as captaincy material but, hey, it may help his game.

[Tim]

You can watch Lamborn's try here:

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Good to see Akira acting as a link player.

[Tim]

@Nogusta @African-Monkey @Steven-Harris @Dice @Daffy-Jaffy

Any thoughts on young hooker Soane Vikena from Ponsonby? He's pretty young (19?) to be coming off the bench, even if it's a preseason game.

[Nogusta]

@Tim don't think he'll play at all this season. Training with the Blues on an ITC (along with Taufa Funaki & Zarn Sullivan) and will be part of the NZ20s programme. May play some Blues A games though?

[Stargazer]

@mikey07 said in Blues 2020:

@African-Monkey Ta is he the same size or smaller? Only asking because I’ve never heard of him before

@African-Monkey said in Blues 2020:

@mikey07 A fair bit smaller.

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2020:

@mikey07 Ben is 194cm, 105kgs and 28 y/o.
AJ is 188cm, 100kgs and 21 y/o.

From Ben Lam's instagram:

[KiwiMurph]

@Dice with Tuipulotu captain I can't see him coming off the bench.

[Daffy Jaffy]

[Daffy Jaffy]

[Tim]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/119131935/blues-star-rieko-ioane-sheds-the-kilos-for-his-shot-at-rugby-redemption-in-2020

He looked leaner post-training in hot Auckland conditions on Thursday and confirmed he had shed around 3kg from his 2019 weight.

"I'm the lightest I've been in a while," he said, confirming he'd gone from 105-106kg down to 102-103. "I thought this time round I'd try something a bit different and see how I feel a bit lighter. The fitness is up there, the speed is up there. I feel really good.

[Crucial]

Akira was knicking the food off his plate.

[Daffy Jaffy]

Just watching The Crowd Goes Wild piece about Riko.s 50th game and I think I saw Jordan Trainor in training gear chatting with Joe Marchant.

[Canes4life]

@Crucial maybe Akira needs to move franchise and get away from his comfort zone so to speak.

[gt12]

@Canes4life said in Blues 2020:

@Crucial maybe Akira needs to move franchise and get away from his comfort zone so to speak.

Just 90 minutes down the highway and we can move Sam Cane back to 7.

Good idea.

[Yeetyaah]

@gt12 Wouldn't complain, what's his contract length/status?

Edit: Some article says its until 2021? That meaning until the end of 2021 or the end of 2020, only asking coz it says until 2021 so could mean anything.

[Canes4life]

@gt12 any NZ team would be a better option right now.

[KiwiMurph]

@Canes4life said in Blues 2020:

@gt12 any NZ team would be a better option right now.

Perhaps wait and see how he goes this year before saying this.

[Stargazer]

@Yeetyaah Akira's contract expires at the end of the 2021 season.

[Duluth]

@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2020:

Perhaps wait and see how he goes this year before saying this.

I think every Blues fan complained about the over playing of Akira (every game.. every minute..) and the under playing of Sotutu and even Papali'i

From MacDonalds comments it sounds like he realises that was an huge error last year.