Highlanders 2025
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
Would expect Josh Whaanga and Finn Hurley to be the first two announced? Vikena and Tangitau to follow as they were the next two done deals... maybe also the return of Umaga-Jensen.
Quite possibly. Both those players have been regularly sign poseted in articles from Irish Paul, and on the ODT Chat shows. As well as in open commentary from franchise management. They are known. Sure a nice social media post gets the warm fuzzies going. Umaga-Jensen is just an under contract player. Not sure that needs to be reiterated.
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What I read into the waiting for the NPC, is that they probably are looking at a Byron Smith to fill that 10 spot, and they have exhausted all the players they were interested in at prop and lock.
Jamie basically said that in regards to prop, so here is hoping we can find the next Pasilio Tosi!
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
What I read into the waiting for the NPC, is that they probably are looking at a Byron Smith to fill that 10 spot, and they have exhausted all the players they were interested in at prop and lock.
Jamie basically said that in regards to prop, so here is hoping we can find the next Pasilio Tosi!
When the Highlanders had the original Pasilio Tosi offered up on a gold plate to us several years ago. Same with Josh Moorby. Really had our blinkers on to Southland players for several years.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
What I read into the waiting for the NPC, is that they probably are looking at a Byron Smith to fill that 10 spot, and they have exhausted all the players they were interested in at prop and lock.
Jamie basically said that in regards to prop, so here is hoping we can find the next Pasilio Tosi!
When the Highlanders had the original Pasilio Tosi offered up on a gold plate to us several years ago. Same with Josh Moorby. Really had our blinkers on to Southland players for several years.
Moorby was a total fuck up when you consider the players chosen over him... in fairness with Tosi, I'm not sure anybody ever saw him being this good. If you go back through the Canes 2023 thread, people were saying they'd be happy to see him leave.
There is a guy who has come on out of nowhere. As a sidenote, he is two years older than Ma'u, who is a very similar body shape. He has now played 37 Super Rugby games, so whatever happens next year is a massive year for him. I still maintain with the right coaching, he could fill the gap left by Ainsley... that said you need two at least, and I think Wingham is still some way short of being ready to play Super Rugby consistently.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
What I read into the waiting for the NPC, is that they probably are looking at a Byron Smith to fill that 10 spot, and they have exhausted all the players they were interested in at prop and lock.
Jamie basically said that in regards to prop, so here is hoping we can find the next Pasilio Tosi!
When the Highlanders had the original Pasilio Tosi offered up on a gold plate to us several years ago. Same with Josh Moorby. Really had our blinkers on to Southland players for several years.
Moorby was a total fuck up when you consider the players chosen over him... in fairness with Tosi, I'm not sure anybody ever saw him being this good. If you go back through the Canes 2023 thread, people were saying they'd be happy to see him leave.
There is a guy who has come on out of nowhere. As a sidenote, he is two years older than Ma'u, who is a very similar body shape. He has now played 37 Super Rugby games, so whatever happens next year is a massive year for him. I still maintain with the right coaching, he could fill the gap left by Ainsley... that said you need two at least, and I think Wingham is still some way short of being ready to play Super Rugby consistently.
More sucessful clubs would have taken the risk on Tosi. At that time we were in the shit a bit, and and focused on more safe players. It is the same with Moorby. We picked guys like Alaimalo, Gregory, Koroi and the list goes on. He should hwve been a mainstay in our back three instead we chased out of region players.
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@Yeetyaah said in Highlanders 2025:
Spoke with Solomone Tukuafu today at the Waikato women's final. He said he absolutely loved being at the Landers and wants to get back again next year.
I don't think it matters whether they want him back, or whether he is good enough to go back. What screams is that he wants to go back. That says rhe culture is steaming in the right direction.
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@SouthernMann he said he really enjoyed the environment, the boys and management were great and he loved Dunedin.
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Geez, reading all this is giving me a lot of hype for next year already. Lots of promising young players coming down, a year of NPC and players will be more experienced for super and returning players potentially like TUJ and Frizell. Exciting times for next year already
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Five players to be confirmed publicly at 9 am. Tangitau, Vikena, viveni Lasaqa, Josh Whaanga and Will Stodart. Happy to see Vikena and Tangitau confirmed. Don't know anything about Lasaqa. The local lads were well known.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
Don't know anything about Lasaqa.
Do the Highlanders need another 7? Lasaqa was in the Hurricanes WTG, and in the Chiefs system before that. BOP player.
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Lasaqa a hilariously good signing in regards to the rumour mill. Following on from the Highlanders signing Mark Telea this year, obviously this time around it was a Fijian flanker whose name starts with V...
I could be surprised, but obviously it has been twisted from Veveni Lasaqa to Vailani Ekuasi (which is what I had heard too)
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Overall, happy with these signings, Whaanga on a three year deal says they really rate him, so good to see them showing the faith. A little confused why Hurley hasn't been announced, but you'd assume Cully's oil is correct, and on the evidence of him playing the quarter-final you'd have to think they rate him?
@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
Don't know anything about Lasaqa.
Do the Highlanders need another 7? Lasaqa was in the Hurricanes WTG, and in the Chiefs system before that. BOP player.
Definitely like three opensides, it is a specialist position.
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Love the 5 signings, all signings with an eye on the future and all come with pedigree.
Interesting to see how Lasaqa plays out, he was the Canes development team player of the year last season. Log jam of good loose forwards there so taken a chance elsewhere, an opportunity to fight for game time behind Withy in the 7 jersey.
Stodart, Whaanga, Vikena and Tangitau all come with NZ u20s experience and big potential. Exciting signings and some of the better signings in regards to potential and current age in recent memory. Looking forward to watching them come NPC time.
I wonder if we have another 1 or 2 higher profile signings or if the spots will be filled by some NPC players like Jamie Joseph was saying in his interview. Hurley obviously being one.
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@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:
Love the 5 signings, all signings with an eye on the future and all come with pedigree.
Interesting to see how Lasaqa plays out, he was the Canes development team player of the year last season. Log ham of good loose forwards there so taken a chance elsewhere.
Stodart, Whaanga, Vikena and Tangitau all come with NZ u20s experience and big potential. Exciting signings and some of the better signings in regards to potential and current age in recent memory. Looking forward to watching them come NPC time.
I wonder if we have another 1 or 2 higher profile signings or if the spots will be filled by some NPC players like Jamie Joseph was saying in his interview. Hurley obviously being one.
Great pick up getting Lasaga, he has a young Ardie look about him, very mobile, big work-rate and has plenty of power which is something the Landers seem to be lacking in their loose forward mix, having called on the more hard grafting loosies instead. If the Hurricanes didn't have Lakai, Kirifi and Savea, they would have certainly snapped up Lasaga so a great signing indeed.
All of those signings are strong, the Highlanders are definitely going to be looking dangerous next year which is great to see. Please stay ahead of the Saders.
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Soane Vikena is an interesting one. He's technically more experienced than the two guys they've already got but he's had such limited game time in the last few years. Is he a better long-term prospect than either Bell or Taylor? I'm not certain. Is he a better short-term option? The jury's out on that too. Still, not a bad signing by any means!
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I do wonder what story the three external guys have been sold by JJ. Tangitau needs to be in the 23 each week. Lasaqa should be too. Vikena as a likely bench player?
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@Mr-Fish said in Highlanders 2025:
Soane Vikena is an interesting one. He's technically more experienced than the two guys they've already got but he's had such limited game time in the last few years. Is he a better long-term prospect than either Bell or Taylor? I'm not certain. Is he a better short-term option? The jury's out on that too. Still, not a bad signing by any means!
The feeling is that he is coming down here with the aim of being the number one.
And at the end of the day, he was the #1 realistic option on the market and we have picked him up so I can't complain. The hooker market will be more interesting next year, because all three of these guys know that should they not perform, the chance of McAllister (or Bell though far less likely now that he has made the ABs) ending up at the Highlanders in 2026 is probably quite high if they don't step up.
