Maori Tour

Stargazer

Maori All Blacks

Hooker
Ash Dixon, Captain (Hawke's Bay)
Liam Polwart (BOP)

Prop
Chris Eves ( N Harbour)
Tyrel Lomax (Tasman)
Marcel Renata (Auckland)
Ross Wright (Northland)

Lock
Tom Franklin (BOP)
Jackson Hemopo (Manawatu)
Jarrad Hoeata (N Harbour)
Keepa Mewett (BOP)

Loose Forwards
Sam Henwood (Counties Manukau)
Akira Ioane (Auckland)
Jordan Manihera (Waikato)
Dan Pryor (Northland)

Halfbacks
Jonathan Ruru (Otago)
Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Taranaki)
Brad Weber (Hawke's Bay)

First-five Eighths
Jackson Garden-Bachop (Wellington)
Ihaia West (Hawke's Bay)

Midfield
Tim Bateman (Canterbury)
Charlie Ngatai (Taranaki)
Rob Thompson (Canterbury)
Sean Wainui (Taranaki)
Teihorangi Walden (Otago)

Outside back
Ambrose Curtis (Manawatu)

Edited to add the player's usual positions

Nepia

@stargazer Where'd you find the list? I've been looking for it everywhere.

Lots of midfielders and not many outside backs.

westcoastie

@stargazer Who do the Maori play this year?

Bovidae

I expect to see Lomax get stuffed in the scrum as Renata was last year.

@Nepia Use Wainui as a winger as his defence is terrible.

Tim

What's the Maori tight give going to be? That has been their big weakness the past two seasons.

Eves
Dixon
Lomax
Hoeata
Hemopo
Franklin
Pryor
Ioane

Stargazer

@nepia said in EOYT 2017:

@stargazer Where'd you find the list? I've been looking for it everywhere.

Lots of midfielders and not many outside backs.

I couldn't find a list, so I wrote them all down.
Only one real outside back and a lot of midfielders, who'll have to play out of position. Odd. There are plenty of good, Maori outside backs in NZ who would have been good enough for this team.

Nepia

@stargazer Apparently there is one outside back still to be named, and another tight forward might be added.

Tim

@nepia No fullbacks in the squad?

Bovidae

@tim

Hemopo and Franklin at lock. There are enough decent loose forwards without having to play Franklin there.

Nepia

@tim said in EOYT 2017:

@nepia No fullbacks in the squad?

Maybe Ngatai is the fullback?

What a weird selection.

At least there's only Keepa Mewett as the random coach home province selection rather than the 2 or 3 Cooper used to include.

Stargazer

Listening again to the Maori ABs coach. The naming of the halfbacks, in particular, has been done in close consultation with the AB coaches.

Stargazer

From the AB website. So midfielders Wainui and Ngatai will play wing/fullback. Surely there must be a better, and real outside back than Wainui?

FRONT ROW
Chris Eves (Waikato / Tainui) - North Harbour
Ross Wright * (Ngati Whatua) - Northland
Marcel Renata (Ngati Whanaunga / Te Aupouri) - Auckland
Tyrell Lomax * (Ngai Tuhoe / Muaupoko) - Tasman

HOOKERS
Ash Dixon (Ngati Tahinga) - Hawke's Bay
Liam Polwart * (Ngati Maru) - Bay of Plenty

LOCKS
Tom Franklin (Ngati Maniapoto) - Bay of Plenty
Jackson Hemopo * (Tuhourangi / Ngati Wahiao) - Manawatu
Jarrad Hoeata (Ngai Tuhoe / Ngati Kahungunu) - North Harbour
Te Keepatakatakaaorangi(Keepa) Mewett * (Te Aupouri) - Bay of Plenty

LOOSE FORWARDS
Dan Pryor (Ngati Awa / Ngati Pikiao / Ngati Rangitihi) - Northland
Sam Henwood * (Ngapuhi / Te Whanau a Apanui) - Counties Manukau
Akira Ioane (Ngapuhi / Te Whanau a Apanui) - Auckland
Jordan Manihera * (Ngati Wairere / Waikato -Tainui) - Waikato

HALFBACKS
Brad Weber (Ngati Porou) - Hawke's Bay
Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Ngati Pikiao) - Taranaki
Jonathan Ruru * (Ngati Kahungunu / Rongomaiwahine) - Otago

FIRST FIVE-EIGHTHS
Ihaia West (Ngati Kahungunu / Ngati Porou) - Hawke's Bay
Jackson Garden-Bachop* (Ngati Awa) - Wellington

MIDFIELDERS
Tim Bateman (Ngai Tahu) - Canterbury
Rob Thompson (Ngati Kahungunu, Nga Rauru) - Canterbury
Teihorangi Walden * (Te Atiawa) - Otago

OUTSIDE BACKS
Sean Wainui (Ngai Tuhoe / Te Aitanga a Mahaki / Nga Arikikaiputahi / Ngati Porou) - Taranaki
Charlie Ngatai (Ngati Porou / Te Whanau a Apanui / Te Whakatohea) - Taranaki
Ambrose Curtis (Ngai Te Rangi) - Manawatu

Two more players will be named later this week.

Players unavailable due to injury are: Otere Black, Namatahi Waa, Ben May, Matt Proctor, Jacob Skeen, Kara Pryor, Leighton Price, Elliot Dixon, Bryn Hall.

http://www.allblacks.com/News/31658/new-talent-new-coach-new-chapter-for-maori-all-blacks

family man

@stargazer no Declan o Donnell or Jonah Lowe I’m surprised at

Stargazer

@family-man Yes, me too, although I'm not sure whether O'Donnell is going back to the AB Sevens team.

MN5

@nepia said in EOYT 2017:

@tim said in EOYT 2017:

@nepia No fullbacks in the squad?

Maybe Ngatai is the fullback?

What a weird selection.

At least there's only Keepa Mewett as the random coach home province selection rather than the 2 or 3 Cooper used to include.

Ngatai could probably slot in anywhere from 1-15 according to fern logic.

Stargazer

@westcoastie said in EOYT 2017:

@stargazer Who do the Maori play this year?

Canada (Sat 4 Nov, 3.00pm NZT) and the French Barbarians (Sat 11 Nov, 8.45am NZT).

Nepia

@family-man said in EOYT 2017:

@stargazer no Declan o Donnell or Jonah Lowe I’m surprised at

Yeah, forgot about Jonah Lowe, he should be there as one of the million midfielders - as he can adequately cover wing.

@No-Quarter Yeah, seems strange Akira isn't getting a look in - although maybe they just want to see him get game time so happy for him to go with the Maori.

Bovidae

A quick look at last year's Maori squad shows that Emery, Guyton and Marty McKenzie have missed out amongst the backs. No Prinsep, Apisai and Kainga in the forwards.

So to answer your question @Nepia, Polwart is a hometown pick.

Nepia

@bovidae said in EOYT 2017:

A quick look at last year's Maori squad shows that Emery, Guyton and Marty McKenzie have missed out amongst the backs. No Prinsep, Apisai and Kainga in the forwards.

So to answer your question @Nepia, Polwart is a hometown pick.

Has Apisai played much for Wellington this year to warrant his inclusion? Any other hookers out there?

Man, sucks to be the new coach when it comes to selecting outside backs - Cooper could have called on D Mac, NMS, James Lowe with Proctor as a back up and MacMillan is left with Curtis (I always thought Curtis was an Islander and Stevenson was Maori but I got that the wrong way round it seems).

Zac Guildford would have been a handy addition to this team ... (on the field).

Nepia

Another thought for the Maori All Blacks - is Elliot Dixon injured? Signed overseas?

Bovidae

Season-ending surgery.

Bovidae

@nepia said in EOYT 2017:

Has Apisai played much for Wellington this year to warrant his inclusion? Any other hookers out there?

Good question. I've only watched one Wellington game all year (vs Waikato) and Apisai was on the bench. Royal was also in the Maori squad last year.

Bones

Is Kara Pryor injured?

Nepia

@bones said in EOYT 2017:

Is Kara Pryor injured?

I prefer him to his brother, but his brothers seems higher in the pecking order.

Tim

@bones Yes.

Bones

@nepia he's bloody good, surprised there's no space for him.

Bones

@tim ah righto then. Great loose forward selections.

taniwharugby

Kara Pryor played on Friday v Wellngton, not sure he is injured, but his form has been average this season, bar playing well in the opening and closing games of our season, whereas Dan has been in great form all season.

Tim

@taniwharugby He was listed as "unavailable due to injury" along with players like Bryn Hall.

Tim

Players unavailable due to injury are: Otere Black, Namatahi Waa, Ben May, Matt Proctor, Jacob Skeen, Kara Pryor, Leighton Price, Elliot Dixon, Bryn Hall.

http://www.allblacks.com/News/31658/new-talent-new-coach-new-chapter-for-maori-all-blacks

Bones

@tim he's nothing like Bryn Hall.

taniwharugby

@tim odd, he didnt look injured when he went off, just looked farked, but then I heard he had injured his shoulder in the game v Auckland so maybe he's been carrying it (and its been affecting his play) and needs to get it right for super rugby?

Tim

@taniwharugby Yeah, he's had a lot of injuries this year, so maybe he needs surgery or rest until Super Rugby?

Chiefy07

Surprised Ruru made it in ahead of Sam Nock. Stoked for Ross Wright - has been knocking on doors for a long time. He's a better hooker than Polwart too if they get short at hooker...

ACT Crusader

@bovidae said in Maori Tour:

A quick look at last year's Maori squad shows that Emery, Guyton and Marty McKenzie have missed out amongst the backs. No Prinsep, Apisai and Kainga in the forwards.

So to answer your question @Nepia, Polwart is a hometown pick.

A little surprised not to see Marty McKenzie not make it given he is a reliable goal kicker and can cover 10 and 15. He's had a decent NPC season this year too.

pakman

@stargazer Who are the wings going to be? Seems to be a very odd selection, albeit only two games.

Crucial

Very light on loosies as well. One more probably needed.

ACT Crusader

@crucial said in Maori Tour:

Very light on loosies as well. One more probably needed.

It's only two games and there might be an option to cherry pick some players off the AB squad for the French Baabaas game if there are injuries in Vancouver.

Stargazer

@pakman The official team naming lists Curtis, Wainui and Ngatai as outside backs, which is odd, because Wainui and Ngatai are midfielders. Ngatai has covered fullback a few times for Taranaki, but Wainui??? They wil name at least one more outside back, so hopefully Wainui will provide cover from the bench only.

ARHS

@stargazer

Surely they are after two more outside backs? Joe Webber and Declan O'Donnell must be strong contenders, but how does that impact on sevens contracts? Hopefully one or both make it. Else it is a toss-up between Emery, McKenzie and Lowe.

Franklin gives enough loosie and lock cover IMO. Surprising Prinsep misses out though.

The Silver Fern

Maori Tour