Hawke's Bay Tui
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Full time: Tui 15 - 72 Canterbury
What a relief! No hundred put on them. Actually, the Tui had some good moments in this game, but just couldn't finish them. If they learn how to tackle, things will improve a lot. Oh, and big Ashley Palu bulldozed her way over the try line for the third try!
Next week, they'll finally have a chance of winning a game (probably their only one of the season). They'll play Ta$man in Motueka.
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@Stargazer I was really impressed at the Tui's halfback. She's probably short of a yard of pace (is she a bit older than the others?) but jeez she can pick an option. Very quick to spot empty space and put the ball there, and good at changing the attack when they looked to be running themselves our of space.
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@JC You're right to be impressed. The Shield Snorters halfback is Emma Jensen. She's a legend!
Everyone talks about Jason Rutledge, but Jensen is also 42 years old and has achieved quite a lot in rugby. She's in her 18th season of provincial rugby and has played 123 provincial games thus far. She has said that this is her last season, so she could end up having played 125 games! She's by far the most capped player in women’s provincial rugby.
She's from Shield Snorters and attended Central Shield Snorters College. She made her Shield Snorters debut while still at school.
Jensen has also represented Shield Snorters in hockey (both in her her fifth form year).She had to chose between rugby and hockey when she moved to Hamilton to study at Waikato Uni, and - obviously - chose rugby.
She represented Waikato from 2002-04 and Auckland from 2005 to 2015, and then returned to Shield Snorters.She made her Black Ferns debut in 2002 and went on to win three Rugby World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010)!
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@Number-10 I was wondering about that as well. I remember that in last week's game against Canterbury, she was replaced during the second half, but had to come back on because the player she replaced got injured. With Kathleen Brown, she's one of my favourite players in the Tui squad. Surprised she never received a BF call-up, although there's a lot of competition in the loose forwards.
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Full time: Ta$man Mako 5 - 62 Tui
Second half tries to Harmony Kautai, Cortez Te Pou, Niamh Jefferson, Amber McKenzie, Michaela Baker, Shaylee Tipiwai and Krysten Cottrell.
Stand-outs for me were prop Mareikura in the first half, Krysten Cottrell, both midfielders Jaimee Robin and Amelia Pasikala, and great impact from the bench from Niamh Jefferson.
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@Stargazer said in Shield Snorters Tui:
@Number-10 I was wondering about that as well. I remember that in last week's game against Canterbury, she was replaced during the second half, but had to come back on because the player she replaced got injured. With Kathleen Brown, she's one of my favourite players in the Tui squad. Surprised she never received a BF call-up, although there's a lot of competition in the loose forwards.
@Stargazer With that scoreline I think that probably answers why Niamh Jefferson, Emma Jensen and Cortez Te Pou all started from the bench.
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@Number-10 Te Pou started from the bench because she had a minor ankle niggle, which got worse after she was tackled not long after scoring her try. She had to leave the field and I saw a post on her instagram in which she was sitting in a wheelchair at the airport, with her ankle in bandages. Jensen and Jefferson have played a lot minutes; both had great impact from the bench today.
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I thought Emma Jensen had hung up the boots, but she's in the squad. That's awesome, because even thoug her age (she's 43 years old) may slow her down a bit, her experience is invaluable. Another former BF, Gemma Woods, is back, too. Also great to see that Kath Brown is still there.Quite a few new names, too, including several under 18 players. Not sure how old she is, but apparently Leilani Hakiwai is a promising talent. Newbie Imij Hawkins is a cousin of Bailyn and Zarn Sullivan.
The Tui have lost several players, including former BF hooker, Forne Burkin. Also missing is last year's reserve hooker Amber McKenzie, so that's quite a loss in the front row. Not sure who the new hookers are. Also gone are winger Kaitlyn Bates and very talented outside back Cortez Te Pou, who's now playing club rugby in Hamilton. I'll have to check where the others have gone. Hannah Brough, who was pregnant during last year's FPC hasn't returned from Counties where she was working as team physio, last year.
I wonder whether some of these players have left the Tui because last season was so abysmal - due to that terrible North-South format. It's hard to get selected for the Black Ferns if your team loses big all the time, even though it's a team sport and you can still play well individually. But I guess it can also be very difficult to get selected if you're playing for a Championship team and never get to compete against the better teams, so it may just be due to other reasons (employment, relationship, studies).
Biggest problem was tackling, last season. I really hope we get to see a lot of improvement in that area.