NZ Rugby Thread

[Ymx]

ALB

[OomStruisbaai]

Brilliant try saver by D-Mac there.

He is a rugby freak

[Ymx]

Marshall not understanding difference between inside and outside.

Cant believe he used to be a cantab

[OomStruisbaai]

That tackle on DMac look like a red

[Kiwias]

That tackle on DMac look like a red

Nah. It was not even close to being high, just a bit late

[OomStruisbaai]

That tackle on DMac look like a red

Nah. It was not even close to being high, just a bit late

My mistake, I am use to the NH lot.

[OomStruisbaai]

Jealous to see the crowd doing the wave. Bliksems

[OomStruisbaai]

Big win for the All Blacks. We can only wish, just lucky to play at least

[stunt_cunt]

Score doesn’t reflect how much better the Fiji game is played now. If the Fijians can make their way into NZ Super Rugby it will only help them improve more.

Playing NZ in NZ is a bit of an extreme threshold to be developing or progressing with their time together. Over 160mins or so they had some pretty tidy and solid looking action though. They’ll be disappointed but you can see a bloody good effort in moving in a better direction than the helter-skelter 15 man sevens of times past.

[Ymx]

So patronising this bints interview was

Congrats
What was the most pleasing
Great coaching staff made a big difference to team

[Gumboot]

Much better performance from the pack. All the reserve front rowers added value, especially de Groot who I'd be happy with deputising for Moody. And what a debut by Taukei'aho - Taylor was underwhelming again for mine. Where is his early season Saders form?

[OomStruisbaai]

Nice rugby spirit between the teams.

[Gumboot]

allblacks.com:

[Ymx]

You laughing at the question mark?

Edit: oh, his height and weight

Heavy little bastard

[Gumboot]

The 36-man squad for the Rugby Championship will be named at 11am tomorrow. This would be mine:

21 Forwards
D Coles, C Taylor, A Aumua, S Taukei’aho
J Moody, G Bower, E de Groot, O Tuungafasi, N Laulala, A Ta’avao
S Whitelock (c), B Retallick, S Barrett, T Vaa’i, PP Parkinson
A Ioane, E Blackadder, A Savea, D Papalii, L Jacobson, H Sotutu

15 Backs
A Smith, TJ Perenara, B Weber
R Mo’unga, B Barrett
D Havili, Q Tupaea, A Lienert-Brown, R Ioane, B Ennor
J Barrett, D McKenzie, S Reece, W Jordan, G Bridge

Gone from the July squad would be Karl T, Lomax, Tuipulotu and Christie (only coz they won't pick 4 halfbacks). And I'd bring in Pari Pari Parkinson to soak in the ambience.

[Ymx]

Fakatava is not back till next year is he?

[Ymx]

Think I agree about omitting PT.

[Ymx]

Was just reading this

Fakatava, the 21-year-old who many see as the obvious successor to Aaron Smith, is one such player.

Fakatava migrated to New Zealand from Tonga on a scholarship with Hastings Boys' High School in 2016. While he's now lived in NZ for almost five years, his residency period under World Rugby (WR) guidelines didn't kick off until he turned 18 - at the end of 2017.

Residency for the purposes of international eligibility is not based on any country's specific legal definitions of residency. Rather, it's defined as “the place or location in which the Player has his primary and permanent home”.

Further, "in the majority of cases involving students, the parental home is likely to continue to constitute the student’s permanent and primary home".

As such, Tonga would likely be considered Fakatava's default country of residency while he was living in Hawke's Bay and being schooled at Hastings Boys' - until he turned 18, when it would switch to New Zealand.

That means that if Fakatava is not capped by New Zealand this year, he won't be eligible for NZ in 2022 as he won't have completed the mandatory five years of residency.

It's a unique situation and one which New Zealand Rugby will likely seek clarity on as the test season approaches. There's some flexibility implied in the regulations but whether that will apply to Fakatava's case is anyone's guess.

Normally, the changing laws wouldn't pose a major problem, but Faktava's injury complicates the situation.

If a fit Fakatava weren't quite ready for the big leagues, Foster could simply call the halfback into his squad and hand him some minutes of the bench in a match where the result was already well and truly wrapped up.

Fakatava's torn ACL, however, means he won't be ready to take the field again for at least nine months - ruling him out of contention for earning a test debut this year.

It's a challenging situation and it likely won't be the only one of its kind we hear about in the coming months thanks to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the global pandemic.

[Ymx]

So, as he’s out this year, he may be forced to wait until 2023, even though that would make it 7 years in NZ.

[Enzedder]

Think I agree about omitting PT.

I think he will be in and they will go with just 3 hookers

[Gumboot]

Think I agree about omitting PT.

I think he will be in and they will go with just 3 hookers

Yep, I'm sure that's what they'll do. Really can't be bothered with PT any more though, he's had plenty of chances but just seems to flatter to deceive at Supe level every damn year.

The reason for 4 hookers is that Coles and/or Aumua are in the sick bay so often, you're effectively down to 3 before you start anyway.

[Gumboot]

And here's the actual squad:

Hookers
Asafo Aumua (24, Hurricanes / Wellington, 2)
Dane Coles (34, Hurricanes / Wellington, 76)
Codie Taylor (30, Crusaders / Canterbury, 58)

Props
Nepo Laulala (29, Blues / Counties Manukau, 31)
Tyrel Lomax (25, Hurricanes / Tasman, 8)
Joe Moody (32, Crusaders / Canterbury, 50)
Angus Ta’avao (31, Chiefs / Auckland, 16)
Karl Tu’inukuafe (28, Blues / North Harbour, 18)
Ofa Tuungafasi (29, Blues / Auckland, 39)

Locks
Scott Barrett (27, Crusaders / Taranaki, 42)
Brodie Retallick (30, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay, 83)
Patrick Tuipulotu (28, Blues / Auckland, 38)
Tupou Vaa’i (21, Chiefs / Taranaki, 4)
Samuel Whitelock (32, Crusaders / Canterbury, 125) – captain

Loose Forwards
Ethan Blackadder (26, Crusaders / Tasman, 2)
Shannon Frizell (27, Highlanders / Tasman, 14)
Akira Ioane (26, Blues / Auckland, 4)
Luke Jacobson (24, Chiefs / Waikato, 5)
Dalton Papalii (23, Blues / Counties Manukau, 5)
Ardie Savea (27, Hurricanes / Wellington, 50)
Hoskins Sotutu (23, Blues / Counties Manukau, 6)

Halfbacks
TJ Perenara (29, Hurricanes / Wellington, 69)
Aaron Smith (32, Highlanders / Manawatu, 99)
Brad Weber (30, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay, 9)

First five–eighths
Beauden Barrett (30, Blues / Taranaki, 91)
Richie Mo’unga (27, Crusaders / Canterbury, 24)

Midfielders
Braydon Ennor (23, Crusaders / Canterbury, 1)
David Havili (26, Crusaders / Tasman, 5)
Rieko Ioane (24, Blues / Auckland, 37)
Anton Lienert-Brown (26, Chiefs / Waikato, 50)
Quinn Tupaea (22, Chiefs / Waikato, 1)

Outside backs
Jordie Barrett (24, Hurricanes / Taranaki, 25)
George Bridge (26, Crusaders / Canterbury, 12)
Will Jordan (22, Crusaders / Tasman, 5)
Damian McKenzie (26, Chiefs / Waikato, 30)
Sevu Reece (23, Crusaders / Tasman, 10)

[Gumboot]

Surprised that de Groot's missed the cut. I know he was a late addition to the July squad, but thought he showed more than enough to suggest he could be a very good test loosehead.

And Perenara back in for Christie was predictable.

[Gumboot]

Bower and Taukei'aho staying with the squad as injury cover.

[Ymx]

Well, not sure about you lot, but for me this game will be a welcome change to the ugly, chaotic Lions Tour!

[Ymx]

Caption competition

[Gumboot]

Well, not sure about you lot, but for me this game will be a welcome change to the ugly, chaotic Lions Tour!

Amen, bro. Finally some proper entertaining test footy.

I had such high hopes for the Lions series, too. Even got up to watch live at 4am the last two Sundays. Just dire. More fool me.

[Certain Navigator]

Well, not sure about you lot, but for me this game will be a welcome change to the ugly, chaotic Lions Tour!

Amen, bro. Finally some proper entertaining test footy.

I had such high hopes for the Lions series, too. Even got up to watch live at 4am the last two Sundays. Just dire. More fool me.

Ditto. Like a battered spouse, I'll probably crawl back for more torture this weekend — there's a kind of morbid fascination in watching such a travesty of rugby.

[Biffer]

Is this on TV in the UK?

[handyman]

Minimum expectations for NZ and/or Foster?

[ASMO]

Is this on TV in the UK?

it will be able to be viewed here

https://www.vipbox.lc/rugby-live

[Tichtheid]

Is this on TV in the UK?

it will be able to be viewed here

https://www.vipbox.lc/rugby-live

It took me ages yesterday to find a page on Sky that stated they were going to broadcast the RC games in the UK, but now I can't see it.

[Ymx]

Is this on TV in the UK?

it will be able to be viewed here

https://www.vipbox.lc/rugby-live

It took me ages yesterday to find a page on Sky that stated they were going to broadcast the RC games in the UK, but now I can't see it.

Can’t figure it out myself!

Not seeing it on the sky plus app.

[Ymx]

https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/c ... p/fixtures

But is not listing this weeks game which is a Bledisloe, not part of the RC …

[Biffer]

https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/c ... p/fixtures

But is not listing this weeks game which is a Bledisloe, not part of the RC …

That’s only a fixture list. It doesn’t say they’re showing the games.

[OomStruisbaai]

No Aussie posters?

[Gumboot]

Several All Blacks have been released to play for their provinces this weekend: Perenara, Sotutu, Aumua, Vaa'i and Ennor.

Not too bothered about the others, but I'm a bit disappointed that Tupou Vaa'i won't be getting a test run for at least another week. The injury he was carrying must've been more serious than first thought.

[Ymx]

Didn’t recall the injury.

Assume PT is still in the squad then.

[Enzedder]

Vaa'i is very much a project player and I think we'll see him being released quite often. One for the future rather than the now I reckon.

He's good enough to play test rugby but the others are better

[Gumboot]

Vaa'i is very much a project player and I think we'll see him being released quite often. One for the future rather than the now I reckon.

He's good enough to play test rugby but the others are better

Fair enough, lock's a crowded position and he's the new boy on the block. But I've been super impressed ever since his emergence with the Chiefs last year, and when he's fit I'd play him ahead of Tuipulotu any day of the week.