Blues 2023
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@Winger said in Blues 2023:
@Tim Canes didn't even try . The other 4 did. Thankfully the crusaders missed out. We need an even super rugby and crusaders grabbing lots of the best young players will ensure it never happens
The Canes have Love, Moorby and Barrett who can all play fullback, and they are all young so no real room, I guess.
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@Tim So that will be a development contract. I wish SR franchises would just publish a complete list! Only the Highlanders sometimes publish the names of development players.
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INAUGURAL MICHAEL GARNER SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT — Blues Rugby
Promising Blues U18 Development player and New Zealand Secondary Schools representative, Xavi Taele, will remain in Auckland for his tertiary education after receiving the inaugural Michael Garner Scholarship. Michael Garner was a Managing Director of PIC Insurance Brokers who tragically lost a sho
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@Nogusta Any news on Blues WTG squad members?
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@Tim I think they reassemble on Thursday so be interesting to see who turns up!
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@Tim said in Hurricanes 2023:
@Nogusta Any news on Blues WTG squad members?
Managed to find out some names.
Sorry, dunno how to shift this over to the Blues thread.Sam Hainsworth
Kade Banks
Lucas Cashmore
Heremaia Murray
Rory Woods
Essendon Tuitupou -
WTG players that Nogusta mentioned in another thread responding to a question from Tim.
"Managed to find out some names."
Sam Hainsworth
Kade Banks
Lucas Cashmore
Heremaia Murray
Rory Woods
Essendon TuitupouLooks like Lucas wants to play for his dad's team.
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2023:
WTG players that Nogusta mentioned in another thread
I’ve moved those posts to this thread now
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@Nogusta awesome thanks!
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@Nogusta Looks like McKenzie and Ekuasi, who were there last season, may have suffered from Ieremia giving them almost zero game time for Auckland in favour of Aussies and journeymen.
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@Nogusta glad Murray gets a shot.
Think @Steven-Harris mentioned Woods was likely to end up in 7s so is good he will get to train with the blues.
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I expect a lot of the WTG players will be younger than normal due to MLR attracting the players that would usually fill those positions.
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Really pleased to see Cashmore in that group - he's shown more than Mckenzie (admittedly limited opportunities) and Blues will have an open spot the following season once Beauden leaves.
Murray unlucky not to get a full contract somewhere so good to see him selected.
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Former Blues superstar and fan favourite, Carlos Spencer, is back where he made a name for himself - signing on as the nib Blues women’s Backs Coach for Super Rugby Aupiki 2023. Spencer, a member of the inaugural Blues side from 1996 played 99 times in nine seasons for the club and said he is “beyo
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Newshub showed some brief footage of the Blues bronco today. Jock McKenzie was the best of those there, so is involved.
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Looks like a few extras at pre-season
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@taniwharugby spotted Lisati Milo-Harris, Sione Ahio and I think Josh Beehre in the video.
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Jordan Lay and young Byron Smith are also training with the team.
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Allan Craig is also training with the team.
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@Daffy-Jaffy yeah AB cover...which is odd for pre-season training.
So he's doing Pat T's pre season work haha
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@taniwharugby said in Blues 2023:
@Daffy-Jaffy yeah AB cover...which is odd for pre-season training.
So he's doing Pat T's pre season work haha
Sign me up for that gig - not
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Tanielu Teleʻa has recovered from injury? Hope he can stay healthy all season.
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Anyone know when Caleb Tangitau will join the team?
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Frombluesrugbyteam
We are sad to announce the departure of one of the greats!
Big Ben Afeaki is heading off to the big apple to take on an awesome opportunity 🗽🗽
Thank you for everything you’ve done here at the Blues! We look forward to watching your journey 💙
I wonder if they will approach Census Johnson. He did very well with Auckland's scrum this season.
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@Tim Just guessing, but I assume his sevens contract was until the end of 2022, so that would mean that he'll join the Blues in January?
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in Blues 2023:
I wonder if they will approach Census Johnson. He did very well with Auckland's scrum this season.
That seems likely
Although earlier in this thread @Yeetyaah said that Afoa was going to be involved with the Blues next year
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@Duluth yeah that came from a whānau member so I'd say it's a reliable source.
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New Zealand rugby icon, Paul Tito, completes the Blues coaching staff picture today, signing on as Assistant Coach for the 2023 season. Tito comes to the Blues off the back of successful coaching stints with Georgia, who claimed victory over Wales in the recent autumn international window and for t
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Terrell Peita was training with the team today. I thought he was off to MLR. Maybe just joined in to keep fit?
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'I still can't really talk about it': Zarn Sullivan on the comeback trail
A freak injury during the NPC stymied Zarn Sullivan's prodigious development.
“That was meant to be six weeks of healing and then we would reassess from there,” he says. “So I was aiming to be back for the Taranaki game, just before the quarter-finals, but it just dragged on and on and on.
“The physios and stuff, we were just trying to smash it with rehab and we noticed that it just wasn’t waking up so I had to get nerve conduction studies and CT scans and MRIs on it. We had to do full-on scanning stuff for it.
“But now we know what’s actually wrong with it, the nerve’s not waking up. So we’ve just got to give it time and then just keep hammering the muscles that are around it that kind of support the same muscle, same nerve.”
Sullivan says the nerve is “still weak” but that he is now aiming for a return to full-contact training on either side of the new year.
“It’s still hard to know. I know it’s getting better, pain-free, and I’m getting through my workload so can hopefully get back into contact whether it’s our last week of pre-season in 2022 or the start of pre-season next year. I know it’s coming soon but yeah, still just got to take my time.”
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@Dan54 said in All Blacks 10 after BB & RM finish?:
I not sure if I should mention his name ,(haven't checked thread), but I actually was a real Zarn Sullivan fan a couple of years back, and could see him at 10. Has that door closed do you think, like his booming left foot etc, and wouldn't mind seeing him get a few runs for Blues this year.
Is that a likely proposition given Perofeta would be looking for all the game time he can get when Beaudy isn't playing?
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@antipodean said in Blues 2023:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 10 after BB & RM finish?:
I not sure if I should mention his name ,(haven't checked thread), but I actually was a real Zarn Sullivan fan a couple of years back, and could see him at 10. Has that door closed do you think, like his booming left foot etc, and wouldn't mind seeing him get a few runs for Blues this year.
Is that a likely proposition given Perofeta would be looking for all the game time he can get when Beaudy isn't playing?
First of all he needs to get on the field. 2021 NPC was ruined by covid, 2022 NPC started well but he missed the last nine games through injury.
He was fit through most of the 2022 SR season. However he had some niggles and a couple of below par performances that pushed him back in the pecking order when everyone was fitThe second issue is that he has shown great form at fullback but hasn't replicated that form when he has shifted to 10 late in games.
He has potential at 10 but he needs to stay fit and play better in those cameo's at 10 to earn a start in that position.
Ideally experimentation would happen at NPC level but the he's had 5 matches in 2 years
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@antipodean said in Blues 2023:
@Dan54 said in All Blacks 10 after BB & RM finish?:
I not sure if I should mention his name ,(haven't checked thread), but I actually was a real Zarn Sullivan fan a couple of years back, and could see him at 10. Has that door closed do you think, like his booming left foot etc, and wouldn't mind seeing him get a few runs for Blues this year.
Is that a likely proposition given Perofeta would be looking for all the game time he can get when Beaudy isn't playing?
Yep understand that and think Perofeta might just be ok too, was throwing Sullivan as a nother option. Isn't it funny thing back tp Perofeta being the next best thing and playing for Blues against Lions , where he looked like what he was a fella who was maybe a bit young.
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Nigel Ah Wong training with the team today.
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Any buzz from the Blues camp? Players that have bulked up or improved fitness etc?
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All Blacks will probably be absent for quite a few games this year? Although Tuipulotu has been training with team earlier than other ABs, so he might be available for the full season.
What would a Blues team look like without ABs, but with Tuipulotu there?
1 Hodgman
2 Eklund
3 Renata
4 Tucker/Darry/Robinson
5 Tuipulotu
6 Robinson/Suafoa/Plumtree
7 Choat/Segner
8 Suafoa/Plumtree/Segner
9 Nock
10 Plummer/Sullivan
11 Lam
12 Tele'a/Evans
13 Heem
14 Kneepkens/Tele'a
15 Sullivan/Kneepkens/McKenzie16 Vikena
17 James Lay/Fusitua
18 James or Jordan Lay/Ahio?
19 Darry/Tucker/Robinson
20 Segner etc
21 Funaki
22 McKenzie
23 Evans etcHalfback and First Five suffer a lot, as would tighthead prop. Loose forwards not too bad with three ABs out. Would like to see Funaki develop to be ahead of Nock this year. Also Vikena overtaking Eklund. Obviously staggering AB absences will be important. e.g. Barrett/Perofeta, and Tu'ungufasi/Laulala.
Two more questions:
Will Barrett play 15?
Will Tu'ungufasi play loosehead?
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Kind of hard to think of available props for the WTG with so many players in the US and Japan.
