Beautiful afternoon for some running rugby eh. 83 points is a fair outing.

@mikedogz The reason I ask is that Waikato beat BOP in Tauranga last year but obviously didn't get the Cup. Maybe covid meant it wasn't on the line in 2021.

Counties have already exceeded my expectations. Beating a solid Otago team and running Waikato and Hawkes Bay close. I hope they can make the Quarter Finals. Awesome that they are promoting local players and coaches. Plenty of talent comes out of the region and the odd one moves to the region. Got to work on the lineouts!!!

@ACT-Crusader I thought he was gonna be an ATG when he burst into the scene at Penrith lol, then somehow ended up at Hawke's Bay, and looked absolutely awful haha. So random thinking about it.

God damn it! Just got back from club loosing and then see this….fuck it

@crucial Not missing. Didn't think it was necessary.

@duluth said in Counties v North Harbour:

Misuse of the word “highlights”…

That game was a very tough watch.

@duluth said in Manawatu v Counties:

I see the NPC website has players match stats from opta on this page. Click on the players number

Bunnings NPC Round 1 Match Appointments and Team Lists Bunnings NPC Round 1 Match Appointments and Team Lists

The Bunnings NPC kicks off on Friday 6 August with Tasman Mako out to defend their Premiership title and a new contender looking to rise up from the Championship.

Great to see there are stats, but awful way of presenting them. There's no way you can easily compare player stats this way.

@mikedogz having Read there for most of the season will have been great for the team too.

@ACT-Crusader Taranaki lacked a bit of leadership at the end. Not sure why they tapped it when Counties still had a man in the bin.

@Canes4life I totally agree with this statement he offers flair without too much of it if that makes any sense something we need with our forwards, i mean Fidow, Numia Coles Aumua all have it and it’s definitely better then boring hopeless at everything vanilla Prinseep and Blackwell

@Bovidae Yes, good to see mitch getting game time...he's playing well too. Just good to see Luke on the field.

I thought Pickerill was a step up from the guy last week.

@ACT-Crusader said in Counties v Manawatu:

Entertaining game. Unfortunate finish for the Turbos with that attack incorrectly called in touch.

Lineouts again a lottery for both sides.

Who is the last forward to score a hat trick in the NPC?

Last forward to score a hat trick in Mitre 10 Cup was Patrick Tuipulotu for Auckland v Tasman, September 7, 2018.

@taniwharugby Gregory needs to play in the midfield I reckon. Lots of contact, build his confidence.

@Crucial said in Hawkes Bay v Counties Manukau:

@Nepia said in Hawkes Bay v Counties Manukau:

@Crucial said in Hawkes Bay v Counties Manukau:

@Billsy111 You guys also need to do some lineout drive training. The moves were so predictable that even our motley bunch knew what you were about to do and were able to nullify.
*apart from that bullshit YC/PT call

I just think we don't need to overuse it, overuse of it contributed to our loss against Southland and a few times last year.

We have some bloody good backs and top class loosies, we should base more attack around them rather than overdoing the lineout drives.

It was more the case that you only had one drive move (apart from going around our side and dragging it down to get a PT) and we studied it beforehand. Shit coaching on your side.

Yeah, as you had a whole season and one game of it to study. 😉

@Bovidae said in Counties v Tasman:

Read has some conditions from his Japanese club around playing time. He was only allowed to play 40 mins last night and won't be playing against Hawke's next round, along with missing some other away games.

Ah stink, it would have been good to have him start in the kind of form he was in last year. 😉

Although, to be serious, it would have been goof for Flanders to have had a run against him.

@Kiwiwomble said in Ultimate NPC: Round 2 Counties v Otago:

@Nepia Latta > oliver, anton was almost as bad as coltmans at lineout thows, 171 games and his nickname is "Crazy"...come on

brewer was a toss up, was goign to swap but the deadline beat me

Oliver was a 50 test AB, Latta was a decent NPC player with a cult following, it really shouldn't have been a contest ....

@KiwiPie said in Ultimate NPC: Round 1 BOP v Counties:

@Nepia said in Ultimate NPC: Round 1 BOP v Counties:

@KiwiPie said in Ultimate NPC: Round 1 BOP v Counties:

@Nepia said in Ultimate NPC: Round 1 BOP v Counties:

@Toddy said in Ultimate NPC: Round 1 BOP v Counties:

@KiwiPie you'll need to take that up with Hawkes Bay.

No need to take it up with us, he didn't play for BoP.

I didn't really think it through when I made the comment to be honest - have only just discovered this board.

He might not actually have played but I did once see him sitting the stand - and he wasn't even an All Black when we signed him so we pretty much made him the player he became!

I think his new contract didn't kick over until NPC time in 2012 - the AB website list Hawkes Bay as his province when making the ABs. 😉

But the news broke earlier which was the spur he needed.

Not to mention the best Photoshopping work of the century to date

c47edb54-9459-4017-b1bb-74ca2ea20678-image.png

We don't need photoshop. 🙂

alt text

Dude really is the missing link.

@Higgins said in Ultimate NPC: - Counties-Manukau:

@Crucial That was where my question was being aimed at. Dawson should have been a certainty ahead of Tukino and anyone else you might have fronted with.

From memory he played some 6 in his later years (probably among the last 50 of his 200 games) but certainly wasn't at his peak then and was a much better 8.
I had a check and it looks like he was squeezed into 6 for Baabaas and North Island when he was playing 8 so you may be correct about his versatility.

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

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/115991204/mitre-10-cup-relief-overriding-emotion-as-southland-end-27game-losing-run

@Dice Yup I know what you mean I've seen the same stuff too. I feel like he's a rough diamond who'll get better in time. His lineout definitely needs working on but he has the physical attributes to go far and is worth perservering with in the long run.

Oh and I'm also in the camp that doesn't move Goodhue to accommodate Ennor, but should attrition or lack of other options dictate that move - and there's no clear 12 for the Saders at the moment - then so be it.

@Higgins and look at to Owen Franks now? the game is evolving so along with core roles, props need mobility,speed,covering/sweeping like a loose fwd and the way the game is heading the "high intensity/fast pace", you need to keep up and do more then just "scrum". And remember the Lions front row are young Fidow 21, Aumua 21, Numia 20. still boys and still developing. and re them being boys getting paid a mans wages?? mate the game turned professional a long time ago. keep up with the times higgy! they are the most exciting front row in the game right now. Lions/Canes are lucky to have them and i am excited to see them grow and develop. cut them some slack

My post match interviews from the game:

Lotu Inisi looks like he has a bright future. Thoughts?

Is it just my bias or do most of SBWs 'round the corner' passes actually go forward? Comms, ref and touch judge don't seem to think so.

Awesome work Counties. Auckland have a home semi.

@dice

I'd prefer Wellington in a knock out match

This Harbour side seems to take the battle of bridge personally.. more like the 90's. They are more likely to pull out a freakish game because its Auckland

@duluth Matich is a huge loss for us, hopefully it isnt too long.

@stargazer It's all guesswork, but my reaction to seeing Crotty up close was that he's quite big and seeing David up close is that he isn't.

The first CM try shouldn't have been, both inside chasers were in front of the kicker and advanced and had a direct impact on the play. The second try I can live with, not clear and obvious live that the chaser is in front.