Highlanders 2025
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@frugby you are always going to side with the Bell boys. Henry Bell is a handy hooker. He is just the less good version of his brother. Of course he got the starts this season. Taylor is still filling out, and had played fewer than 10 senior games prior to the season starting. Jackson was a, shit, we have no one else selection. At the moment Bell isn't even the top Otago hooker. Having slipped behind Coltman. Henry Bell's biggest upside has been his running game. Apart from that he is just a small hooker who is currently struggling with his throwing. He's smaller than Ricky Riccitelli. There isn't a lot between the three hookers. Any of them can start next year. I think Jospeh will go with the beat thrower. We aren't good enough to throw ball away in attacking positions with good lineout options. On NPC form, Taylor has been the best of the three.
With Fakatava, certainly agree he moved to NZ and away from his family for footy. So do dozens of young lads from the islands each year. His priority, like many others will be to get as much as possible for his family, both here and at home. This will be a wait and see approach.
Faleafaga, as soon as you say off you go, you lose oversight. With a player who is still that young. It is a foolish decision. It is my preference we keep him for at least another couple of years. -
@ploughboy said in Highlanders 2025:
Fifita still in NZ so his mission hasn't started yet and his mission will be for two years I beleive
Disappointing if he is still waiting that he hasn't played any footy while waiting. Could have played club footy and potentially some rep stuff
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Haig's too articulate to be a tight forward..Needs a few months to practice his grunts. Oh and maybe let slip he could play for others, his agent has probably gone ballistic he's admitted his loyalty...
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@nostrildamus Scottish grandparents as well. So that’s a fourth country ( though who wants to play for Scotland)
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@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
@nostrildamus Scottish grandparents as well. So that’s a fourth country ( though who wants to play for Scotland)
Don't tell you know who on here, he's trying to change Scottish rugby into something akin to the French Foreign Legion.
NB Haig (high, noble) is also originally a Viking/Norse name. -
@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
@nostrildamus Scottish grandparents as well. So that’s a fourth country ( though who wants to play for Scotland)
They are well and truly a team on the up and would probably give us a good run for our money right now😂
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Looks like we are in agreement Haig will play international rugby. Just a question of for who. Hopefully it will be for us, and we have a dutchman and an English accent in our starting pack.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
Looks like we are in agreement Haig will play international rugby. Just a question of for who. Hopefully it will be for us, and we have a dutchman and an English accent in our starting pack.
And maybe a German.
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i acknowledge my bias right, we can get past that
he's exactly the kind of person i was hoping would be a bolter this year...loosies for the ab's havent really jelled for a while...and yet we still try and use the same 6 guys
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Imagine the poaching chat if we have those three in black. @Kiwiwomble agree, a lot of the loosies we are picking at the moment play in a very similar style to eachother too.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2025:
i acknowledge my bias right, we can get past that
he's exactly the kind of person i was hoping would be a bolter this year...loosies for the ab's havent really jelled for a while...and yet we still try and use the same 6 guys
I like the fact he is a specialist 6* and just wants to do the core roles well, plus that height would be useful in the lineout
*ok, can be a lock a well.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2025:
i acknowledge my bias right, we can get past that
he's exactly the kind of person i was hoping would be a bolter this year...loosies for the ab's havent really jelled for a while...and yet we still try and use the same 6 guys
Yes plus we have to develop new 7s.
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Any new signing rumours?
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2025:
Any new signing rumours?
Two locks and a prop are where the gaps are... sounds like the prop will come from off-shore (either in the form of a NZer or a straight-up international)
Have heard nothing about locks, other than our only two currently signed being Holland and Dunshea.
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@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
@frugby wonder where they’d be getting locks from. NZ in general is incredibly short on locks and no one in club rugby seems to be putting their hands up
Hugo Plummer has been looking good for Wellington. I hope he is back again. Another lock. Bit of a lottery.
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Can anyone do a rough idea of the Highlanders Squad next year?
Cheers -
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
Imagine the poaching chat if we have those three in black. @Kiwiwomble agree, a lot of the loosies we are picking at the moment play in a very similar style to eachother too.
Added bonus of knowing the Springboks lineout calls.
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2025:
Can anyone do a rough idea of the Highlanders Squad next year?
CheersYou’ll see it further up the thread mate. There’s been a couple updated ones.
