North Harbour v Hawke's Bay
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There's only one Super Rugby team that nine is allowed to sign for!
And enjoy your final week as Ranfurly Shield holders 😜
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The Magpies clearly not fielding their best squad, with most of the usual bench players starting, and some players getting a rest.
Still a great 23, with the much-awaited return of Bryn Evans in the starting line-up and Sona Taumalolo via the bench. Sam McNicol is back from injury. -
Only 12 changes to the starting 15 that defeated Canterbury and Otago ...
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@Number-10 They always seem to write off one away game, each season, in which they field a significantly weaker team to give some of the top players a rest. Not sure whether you can call this a significantly weaker team with all those big names returning, but this definitely seems to be that game.
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This will still be the game for me, this week; test match or not. Can't wait to see if Bryn Evans and Sona Taumalolo still got it.
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If they want to use this crappy method of naming a team at least put the full list in the comments.
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..and here's the Harbour team in a readable format
1 Nic Mayhew, 2 Luteru Tolai, 3 Sione Mafileo, 4 Gerard Cowley Tuioti, 5 Jacob Pierce, 6 Ethan Roots (cc), 7 Dillon Hunt, 8 Murphy Taramai, 9 Bryn Hall, 10 Bryn Gatland (cc), 11 Tomas Aoake, 12 Antonio Mikaele Tu'u, 13 James Little, 14 Jared Page, 15 Shaun Stevenson
Reserves: 16 Zane Turner, 17 Teague McElroy, 18 Jimmy Roots, 19 Xavier Cowley Tuioti, 20 Tim Sail, 21 Lewis Gjaltema, 22 Jack Heighton, 23 Asaeli Tikoirotuma
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@Stargazer said in North Harbour v Hawke's Bay:
@Number-10 They always seem to write off one away game, each season, in which they field a significantly weaker team to give some of the top players a rest. Not sure whether you can call this a significantly weaker team with all those big names returning, but this definitely seems to be that game.
And we have bigger fish to fry in the next game after this one anyway.
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@Duluth The picture on FB is better.
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@Higgins pfft, it's only Northland!
Haven't had a good track record in shield challenges in recent years (talking 10+ given the lack of them we have had) more often than not, failing to fire much of a shot.
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Kayo not playing the game. Angry old man email on their way.
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For who hadn't noticed. Because there are two games being played at the same time, this game will be on Sky Sport 2 (and Fox Sports More, Ch 507 in Oz).
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@Nepia You don't get Fox Sports More on Kayo?
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@Stargazer said in North Harbour v Hawke's Bay:
@Nepia You don't get Fox Sports More on Kayo?
Funnily enough I just logged into my Kayo account to send my angry man letter and noticed it was available when it clearly wasn't when I first typed out that post.
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Crap, Harbour in after the Pies tried to run it out from the 22.
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MMT!
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This is just as bad as I expected, and that's with the wind in the Magpies' backs.
Hoping for some half time changes and, especially, it's not going to be a monster score. -
Oh, and Kurt Baker really is a liability. Just move Makene to fullback when McClutchie comes on!!!
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McNicol is another option for fullback
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Oh, and just to continue my brief rant: is it coincidence that our two sevens players (Baker and Sapsford) seem to concede more turnovers than others? Grrr.
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@Stockcar86 Yeah, but then more changes are necessary, like moving Fomai to centre and Makene to the wing. Don't want to bring on Tuitavuki early.
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FFS, what is this, ripper rugby?
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The ref's comment "live I saw contact to the head". Meaning, I can't see anything on the replay and won't admit I was wrong, so giving you a yellow card
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Hoping to salvage something from this game Maybe Baker can get a season ending injury
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I wish I didn't discover this game was being broadcast.
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Great interplay in that try
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@Stockcar86 That was really a stupid yellow. Stupid from the ref, I mean.
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Okay, I expected a loss, and feared a bad loss. Flush the dunny and move on. With so many changes to the 23, we were never going to have a good game, no matter having a few good, old names on the team sheet. I hope our usual starters and the absentees had a good rest. Now, start thinking about the game that really matters, next week. This game was written off before it started.
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I hope Ozich will seriously consider giving Baker a rest . A season-ending rest. Now that McNicol is back, please, drop Sapsford, too. He must be the most handling error prone, most turnover conceding player we've had in a long time. These guys are sevens players, who need space. They can't handle XVs. How was Baker ever a Highlander?
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@Stargazer i think Baker earned a start next week i mean it is only Northland next week.
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Page might be a good outside back.
Aoake with a classy finish
Mayhew is strong at this level. At 31 he could still be a useful pickup for a SR side
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@Duluth just got in from the Harbour game , had a quick word with Sam Ward the harbour assistant, he was telling Page can shift and has got a very good rugby brain ..really impressed with the Harbour pack..Jacob Pierce is going from strength to strength , over 2mtrs and has still got some size to pack on , will serve the Blues well in seasons to come ..
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Little seems more comfortable at centre? Especially with the new 12 carrying the ball?
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@Steven-Harris said in North Harbour v Hawke's Bay:
Jacob Pierce is going from strength to strength , over 2mtrs and has still got some size to pack on , will serve the Blues well in seasons to come ..
..and the All Blacks
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@Stargazer just got in from the game, a couple of observations, there was very little penetration or variety in the midfield , Sapsford is big and direct but need to look offload once through contact ..McNicol looked like he had been out of the game for a long time ..they reminded of Athens Turbos last night running into contact all day ..one player being there live , who just seemed uninterested the longer the match went was Kurt Baker, he’s good when things are going your way, but when it’s not, he just looks like he does not want to there ..
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@Duluth good call on the All Black , it’s not matter of if, it’s when..
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