@FakatavaFuture said in Canterbury 2022:

@Chris sounds like it's time to bring Alex Nankivell back to chch

Would be great if it could happen.

@duluth said in Waikato v Canterbury (Premiership SF):

I agree. Some goodish players and some potential. But the squad is nothing special.. I think a few people haven’t noticed the change in quality (particularly the Sky commentators)

the quality of rugby analysis and insight in the commentating teams is woeful.

@cgrant said in Canterbury v Hawke's Bay:

On the positive side, we must reckon the Magpies are a very well coached team. Kudos for Ozich and his assistants. They have done a great job with underrated players such as Parsons, Toala, Enari and Kaifa, just to name a few.

They are definitely no underrated by HB supporters at least. We know a thing or two about how to rate players properly given the torment of some of those thrust upon us in the past.

@act-crusader I agree though Canterbury got away with continually holding on to players after cleaning them out at the ruck so wasn’t all Wellington’s way.

We were discussing this leaving the stadium and joked that NZR would issue an apology during the week.

@gt12 Yeah, probably the pick of their backs.

@kiwimurph said in Auckland v Canterbury:

That must explain why Ardie is the AB number 8 - his renowned towering height.

1.88 according Mr Google (cough, cough bullshit). 2cm below adequate.

I had two moments of pure happiness this year - yelling at my tv until we lost the shield and yelling at my tv until we stayed up

@Snowy said in Otago v Canterbury:

@Kiwiwomble said in Otago v Canterbury:

@ACT-Crusader are you Justin marshall?

His comments are usually better than Justin. Low bar, I know.

Damned with faint praise

@mariner4life said in BOP v Canterbury:

@Hooroo said in BOP v Canterbury:

I'm a bit late, are we still dining out on this result??

we?

NZ Rugby as a whole.

That was a peach of a last 20 mins from us. I was supposed to be at the game but decided to go down a couple of weeks earlier instead. Mates still went though and are still celebrating.

Another thing. Chay Fihaki looked really good last night, which is great. But it annoys the living fuck out of me that Canterbury retain Fihaki, an Auckland kid out of Sacred Heart, and allow local lad Sam Gilbert to go to Otago. Both were in NZ U20 last year, and sure, Gilbert is a 15-cum-10 who can cover wing as he did last year for Canterbury, while Fihaki is a wing-cum-centre, but they're near enough postionally that it looks like Canterbury (and the Crusaders) made a choice and the local kid lost.

@African-Monkey said in Canterbury v Wellington:

@Chris Really? Looks can be deceiving I guess, he doesn't look that big at all and I have seen him play club rugby up close so that does surprise me weight wise.

Yeah he is quite a big unit

@stargazer I must be well over triple figures for the Wellington game by now. I am seriously considering buying another HB jersey to ensure I have enough left to last the entire club season down here as I'm sure some sort of sabotage/theft will occur to my sole jersey left given it is worn most Saturdays!

On another note, presumably the collared Ranfurly Shield edition jersey now gets mothballed until perhaps we get a challenge. Helluva shame as it's the best jersey since around 1993.

@mariner4life Sky has been showing archive NPC playoff games. I have recorded last nights Waikato-Canterbury SF from 1998, as I remember it well. I won't bother with the final. 🙂

For those in NZ, there is another replay shortly.

@Machpants said in North Harbour v Canterbury:

@Yeetyaah said in North Harbour v Canterbury:

Are the harbour players wearing their club socks?

Looks like it. Good money saving idea!

It was club round. They do it for a round every year and but thought most the provincial teams did something similar?

Ok. Cullen and playing at the Showgrounds Oval tips it in favour of the poo for me.

@Nepia said in Ultimate NPC: - Canterbury:

@shark said in Ultimate NPC: - Canterbury:

How did Deans become the final choice at fullback?

Home provinces get selection preference over your poaches, Rangi is playing for Tasman.

Isn’t it ironic?

I thought the most interesting selection in this game was Grace at 8. I wonder if that's a decree from above (Razor and/or the All Black selectors)? There's definitely an opportunity there for the Crusaders as we have better cover on the blindside in Blackadder and Sanders (Roots also) and really fuck all behind Douglas at 8. Given the MOTM award went to a debutant on the blindside, maybe he'll stay there for the season.

@Stargazer Might have to loan some players from Tasman.

Anybody else get that feeling we were going to capitulate against them again haha

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@Siam said in Otago vs Canterbury (RS):

18 year

Pffft. Fcking newbies.

A little premature with the previous comment as Counties did somehow manage to score but they only snuck in a couple of minutes before the end. Final score was Canterbury 38 - 05 Counties

@shark said in Canterbury vs Manawatu:

@Tim said in Canterbury vs Manawatu:

Is Josh McKay the new Michael Collins?

More like a faster Damien McKenzie without the positional smarts.

How fast is he, he must be a bullet? DMac is quick.

Post match interview with Joe Maddock:

Very late but here are my post match interviews from both the Miter 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup games:

Back on track. Although still far from a settled combination. Who's next up?

@shark said in Wellington vs Canterbury:

@ACT-Crusader said in Wellington vs Canterbury:

There were patches in this game that we probably looked the best we’ve been this season. But credit to Welly for applying scoreboard pressure.

Our tight forwards struggling with the pace and our loosies aren’t really impacting at the collisions.

Backs are ho-hum. We don’t have any real imagination out there with someone to create with little space. We are relying on good ball to make impact. We’ve at least had game breakers in previous seasons.

All bang on. In the loose forwards it all looks good on paper when you can pick Whitelock, Douglas, Prinsep, Harmon and Christie but in reality there are issues. Harmon has guts in droves but he's small, his back up is yet to show anything at this level, Prinsep is no more than a workmanlike journeyman, Douglas isn't having the same impact he's had for the Crusaders and Whitelock is also struggling to assert himself. What we really need in that trio is someone like an Ethan Blackadder to throw himself into the collision and blow over rucks. Is Cullen Grace worth a crack on the blindside?

I think the second row is fine with Dunshea back. We're not getting much around the field from our props though which is odd given we can select from a bunch of Super rugby players there too.

Enari has been good aside from a propensity to put up ineffective box kicks, and we have Drummond to come back in and share duties as well.

Cameron looks like a guy who pulled out one really good season as a relatively unknown quantity, and his midget stature is really starting to hurt him. He's reluctant to challenge the line, probably because he gets tossed around too easily, and it's a pop gun punt he's packing so we struggle to exert field position pressure or clear well.

Midfield I've covered. Ennor at 13, Bateman 12 should give us more punch and having Bateman ourside him can only help the dwarf running the cutter. Poihipi offers grunt off the bench.

There's pace out wide in McKay, Gilbert and Punivai but the latter needs to back himself more in half gaps, and the former needs to run it up harder from the back. Really lacking depth here though. If only we'd hung onto Alaimalo and/or Will Jordan.

yep agree with all of that pretty much how we look in 2019

Big Leicester, David Havili and Will Jordan are an exceptional back three.

@DrivingMaul thanks for all the post match interviews over the 1st round of the Mitre 10 Cup ..very professionally done..✅👍

@chchfanatic Gradually turning into some hard facts.

alt text

Papali'i yes, but the jury is out on Plummer. He wouldn't be the first Auckland first-five to look good in his first year and then fall away badly.

I had a re-watch yesterday. Pari Pari Parkinson was the best player on the field. Great first half at the lineout and with ball in hand, excellent second half in defense. This guy is more powerful than his lean frame might let it think. Good games from Aumua, Havili, Strange and Makalio as well. Jordan was a bit disappointing but the game did not go his way.
Canterbury had less individual brilliance (with the notable exceptions of Drummond and Bridge) but their collective play in the second half was just awsome.