Crusaders v Chiefs
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This article answers the question about Alaimalo and the other wingers:
The backline also features the return of 47-cap Chief Solomon Alaimalo on the right wing, the 27-year-old having last represented the club in 2020 prior to joining the Highlanders, but playing just two games for them before taking an extended period out of the game due to mental health issues. He isn’t part of the 38-man contracted squad but with Emoni Narawa sick and Ngane Punivai copping an injury in an internal hitout, a chance has come quickly.
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@Bovidae said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
isn't the Ruakura training field notoriously uneven? heard it's been source of injuries in the past.
I haven't heard that before. The Chiefs spent a lot of money on the field and it's looked good whenever I've seen the field up close.
We'd need to know what type of injury Narawa and Punivai have. Narawa played MP in the first pre-season game but Punivai hasn't been involved in either pre-season game.
I remember reading it was originally a cricket oval built over a boggy swamp, often waterlogged and didn't drain properly, ground very soft & uneven in places (maybe it was a factor towards those massive injury tolls during the Rennie/Cooper era?) which contributed to leg injuries. think they've since done work to make the ground firmer.
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@Yeetyaah said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
Fuck me dead what a great starting Chiefs team.
Impressive side, hopefully they can do the business.
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@Canes4life well the crusaders look pretty fucking impressive to
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Chiefs by a thousand
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@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@Bovidae said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
isn't the Ruakura training field notoriously uneven? heard it's been source of injuries in the past.
I haven't heard that before. The Chiefs spent a lot of money on the field and it's looked good whenever I've seen the field up close.
We'd need to know what type of injury Narawa and Punivai have. Narawa played MP in the first pre-season game but Punivai hasn't been involved in either pre-season game.
I remember reading it was originally a cricket oval built over a boggy swamp, often waterlogged and didn't drain properly, ground very soft & uneven in places (maybe it was a factor towards those massive injury tolls during the Rennie/Cooper era?) which contributed to leg injuries. think they've since done work to make the ground firmer.
Everything in Waikato is built on a boggy swamp. The original “oval” has been there for a very long time. Probably from the days of being NZs first farm school.
Looks mint to me
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@Machpants said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@Canes4life well the crusaders look pretty fucking impressive to
That they do. Should be a cracker.
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@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
I remember reading it was originally a cricket oval built over a boggy swamp, often waterlogged and didn't drain properly, ground very soft & uneven in places
Yes, the original ground used to retain a lot of water after it rained and was soft underfoot. I played numerous games on that field myself before the Chiefs started using it.
However, the Chiefs completely resurfaced the field, it is sand-based and much firmer. As a comparison, it is much better playing surface than the no.2 field (Fred Jones Park) used at the recent Hamilton Sevens.
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@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@Bovidae said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
isn't the Ruakura training field notoriously uneven? heard it's been source of injuries in the past.
I haven't heard that before. The Chiefs spent a lot of money on the field and it's looked good whenever I've seen the field up close.
We'd need to know what type of injury Narawa and Punivai have. Narawa played MP in the first pre-season game but Punivai hasn't been involved in either pre-season game.
built over a boggy swamp
The entire Waikato
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As the former groundsman of the Chiefs Ruakura training ground ,I can assure you that after the renovation it was and still is a perfect surface.The other training ground on the campus was uneven but didn’t stop Tom Coventry using it to work his forwards relentlessly.Bust ups among the front rows very common. My brother voluntarily maintains Fred Jones and a better club ground in Hamilton would be hard to find. By the way the Chiefs won their first Super title using the old soccer field.,before the renovation.,and the Council’s Beetham Park wasn’t up to standard for the recent World Sevens.
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@trodthesod you do know that coming in with actual knowledge isn’t the done thing on the fern
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@trodthesod One day my brother was watching Tom working the forwards on the railway line field and to his horror saw a right real bust up amongst Tom’s forwards Liam Messam,and Josh Honeck getting stuck into each other.When approached later on about the incident Tom said he was happy with both players,one for flaring up and the other retaliating,all good he said.
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@trodthesod said in Crusaders v Chiefs:
@trodthesod One day my brother was watching Tom working the forwards on the railway line field and to his horror saw a right real bust up amongst Tom’s forwards Liam Messam,and Josh Honeck getting stuck into each other.When approached later on about the incident Tom said he was happy with both players,one for flaring up and the other retaliating,all good he said.
Sounds like he still encourages bust ups going by the stories in the Blues thread.
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@trodthesod I was hoping you'd comment on this subject.
