NPC 2025
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@Daffy-Jaffy any idea who was in the Auckland side? I don’t think Auckland published a list
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@Duluth they chose not to release team lists this year, to stop other unions scouting players. Auckland Union want first pick.
And fair enough too. Similar to back in the 2010s when 1st XV sides in Auckland would be clogged up with guys from all around the country and take up spots in Auckland /Blues age group sides, only for them to go back to where they came from as soon as they left school.
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Have posted this in the Landers thread. But here too. Josh Tengblad to play for Auckland in the NPC. Have heard from two sources in Dunedin
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@george33 that’s a fair point , I headed out to the game on Wednesday it wasn’t the greatest night at the Varsity club it reminded me of last years game played at the Grammar Tech club when a storm rolled in when the match concluded
Northland put out a reasonably strong team that consisted of the guys who were either contracted or in with a more than even chance of making the Taniwha team
Esile Fono at loosehead ,Jordon Hutchings at hooker ,Rob Rush at 6 and Nathon Salmon on the wing are all contracted ,Matt LeToga,Bodene Davis have played just one game each for the Taniwha and Coree Te Whata Colley was just back from year lay off with broken Achilles tendon so it was no surprise Northland dominated the first half , for all intensive purposes they should have been up by 30 little alone 12 but you have got to give the Auckland defence credit
Nathan Salmon looked exceptional in the conditions as did Judah Andrew’s the fullback who is normally a winger and Guy Waerehu who is normally a midfielder who played on the wing is one strong rooster , there’s something about this bloke if he’s given an opportunity he could nail itAuckland had Tito Tuipulotu playing on the tighthead side of the scrum
Northland basically rolled almost their whole team at halftime and threw out a whole lot of their under 19 players and it showed
Northland boys did well to keep Auckland to 2 tries in the last 20
Was impressed with Ahio Keith for Auckland in the 2nd half he’s absolute machine
There was a blond headed fullback for Auckland who was sensational in the 2nd half carving of a couple 50-20s that went deep in the 22 resulting in lineout drive tries .
His running game was also exceptional
It’s a shame Auckland did’nt post a team sheet would have been good to have highlighted who played well
Collectively the Auckland pack in the 2nd half looked way better but once again it was hard to gauge given all the changes
There was a very good hard working 7 that looked a little bit like Sam Hainsworth Faa’ofo , and was very impressed with Suburbs no Zachariah Mauga ,..man this can carry a rugby ball was in the Counties Manukau Dev squad last year ..could be a bolter for Auckland this yearMust say that’s the best shape I have ever seen Northland tight head Coree Te Whata Colley in even when he was a contracted player
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@Steven-Harris I think Andrews has played a bit at FB but has been mostly on the wing for OBM this year, seems a smart player too, I'm a fan.
Warehu is a beast, him and another dev player from last year used to go to the same gym as i do, seems a massively talented kid.
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@Steven-Harris said in NPC 2025:
a blond headed fullback for Auckland who was sensational in the 2nd half
Likely was Cohen Norrie, last years NZ schools fullback -
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@Daffy-Jaffy looks like him
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
Have posted this in the Landers thread. But here too. Josh Tengblad to play for Auckland in the NPC. Have heard from two sources in Dunedin
IIRC, Tengblad went to Sacred Heart, and was in the Auckland and Blues U20 teams. Is he from Auckland?
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@SouthernMann no Amos roddick is crazy
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There will be some new faces in the Southland Stags coaching box for the 2025 NPC campaign. Co-coach Matt Saunders, who joined the Southland Rugby Union in 2022 as director of rugby, is departing to pursue a new opportunity with Foodstuffs NZ. He is going to be replaced by Toyota Verblitz forwards coach Nathan White, who has been named as a co-coach alongside James Wilson.
White will also take control of the lineout and set piece as 2024 forwards coach Kane Thompson is unable to return due to his role with Manu Samoa. Talented local coach Scott Eade will step up into the role of assistant coach and will take on the reins of defence.
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@MacDazzler Whoops yes indeed!
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Former NZ U20 halfback Riley Williams has signed with Canterbury for the 2025 NPC season..
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@Steven-Harris This irritates me so much. Three seasons in a row we bring in middling players from elsewhere (Thomas, Howling and now Arscott), while we lose young local talent. That's how we lost Sititi. I was hoping because Bates has worked a lot with younger players he would be keener to promote them.
Who will be the squad halfbacks with Funaki and Arscott? Is the young Aussie that trained with the Blues Luke Aiken playing in Auckland? Also I think thie years Blues u20 halfback Joel Russel is around Auckland. Maybe they rate them all ahead of Williams.
Also we still have not heard who Bates' assistants will be? -
@Daffy-Jaffy the new Auckland assistant coach is Pom Simona who is currently an assistant coach to New England head coach Ryan Martin in the MLR, Simona interviewed for an assistant role in Northland but was then lured back to Auckland
Simona played for Ponsonby back in the late 90s early 2000’s
100% on your other coms letting young talent go and bringing outsiders in
Pom orginally was at the Melbourne Rising and the Melbourne Rebels -
@Steven-Harris Pom was a legend and a fantastic player for Ponies. I hope his coaching is as good. I guess as forwards or defense coach. So backs/attack coach still to come?
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