after trailing at half time, 'naki take out the win 30-19 if not a bit of controversy with Manawatu's Gibbons appearing to score on the post pad in extra time but the ref didnt bother going upstairs, obviously a crucial BP missed, hopefully it wont come back to bite them.

@Crucial I was happy Waikato got a BP out of this match because they were outmuscled in the 1st half and made too many mistakes on attack. The Waikato lineout really struggled with 2 undersized locks who probably only met eachother before the game.

Sevu Reece impresses with every match so I hope Rennie is looking closely.

More injuries will mean Canterbury will win in a canter on Wed night.

@cgrant said in Northland v Wellington:

@Stargazer said in Northland v Wellington:

@cgrant said in Northland v Wellington:

Is Walker-Leawere injured ?

He played with the U19s in Taupo and scored the winning try for 3rd place at the National U19 Tournament!

I am surprised he is still so young as he is very big and powerful. He does punch well above his age !

I guess that's why he was in the NZU20 team and will be able to play for them again next year: http://www.allblacks.com/Player/U20/2538

Ok sorry hooker dude. Meant the prop dude what didn't pass 🙂

@RaGe_X said in All Pinks vs Boks - Christchurch:

@Damo said in All Pinks vs Boks - Christchurch:

@broughie said in All Pinks vs Boks - Christchurch:

@mariner4life you mean those not picked because of quotas or injury?

I think the quota thing is overdone.

On another forum the question was asked who was picked on race and should not be there and there was only one player identified (reserve hooker Bongi), and even he had been dropped for the game against the AB's. Arguably he wasn't a quota player but a project player they were hoping to get some experience

There really aren't many (if any) players who are disadvantaged due to the quota system.

Does anyone else know of any player in the Boks who is there on race and not on merit?

De Allende has had a terrible season with the Lions Center outplaying him all season. Oupa Mohoje is another quota player.

More importantly however is the fact that implementing quotas means that you will not attract top coaching talent. This is why our Bok attacking coach is this guy:

Mzwandile Stick - Wikipedia Mzwandile Stick - Wikipedia CV:

2013 Eastern Province U21(assistant)
2014–2015 Eastern Province Kings (Vodacom Cup head coach) -Vodacom cup is one tier below Currie Cup
2014–2015 Eastern Province U19 (head coach)
2016 Kings (assistant)
2016–present South Africa (assistant)

The problem with selecting quota's (other than the obvious of keeping out more talented players) is that they then clog up the development of up and coming talent ie: Malcolm Marx cannot get a go off the bench because of Bongi keeping up the numbers.

The point I was making earlier in this thread is that the All Blacks are the best team on this planet, and these policies are not helping us compete.

I agree completely. The quotas are killing SA rugby, not just at the top level. Without a doubt it would be ABs/SA 1 and 2 in the world with the talent available in SA. Must be tough work supporting them at the moment.

@hydro11 said in Auckland vs Counties:

@Crucial said in Auckland vs Counties:

I've only seen the highlights but you lot make it sound like Auckland were absolute tripe when according to the scoreboard they must have either done something right or CM were almost absolute tripe too.

Anyway two moments of brilliance (and I'm sure more moments of fail) from Augie to get that deserved win. First time at EP since 1977! Got to love watching a guy willing to try things with the skills to back it up. That try to Fifita was a great chance taken yet the commentary made it sound all like a mistake.

Well done Steelers. Impressed with Suasua's coaching this year.

Auckland have a fair chunk of the best young players in the country. I think they had 3 current All Blacks, Reiko has also been in the environment and many people think Akira won't be far behind. Counties have Pulu who will probably never be at that level. Unless I'm underrating Counties horribly, Auckland should have wiped the floor with them on paper.

I'm not so sure about that. I was very underwhelmed by the AK team sheet and picked CM to win based on form (losses at the death to Naki and Welly that could easily have been wins).
I think you underestimate the Super Rugby experience in the CM team. They are lucky to have a good number of quality players at Super/NPC level that don't get hauled away to AB camps. Taufua and Tupou are no slouches, the Fijian lock is quality, both Pulus are stand outs at this level in the same way that some Super rugby standouts don't translate to Tests. Francis came of age at the Blues and is a quality player at this level as well.
Test type players are not always show outs at this level just as the other way around. Games are scappier and there are more errors that take away momentum.

You kind of feel bad for the oppo this season , how can they stop the ABs. I reckon that our hooker , second row and back row showed more skills than the Bok midfield, and perhaps their whole back line combined.

I have to take my hat of to Hansen for picking Savea and Dagg, I was not that happy with either selection originally but no doubt the AB environment has gotten Savea back to form , and the couple of games Dagg got at full back lifted his confidence to hold his place on the wing and allow Ben Smith to showcase his skills in his best position which is full- back. The result is the opposition don't know what to do, kick to our back three, which often includes Barrett or take the chance against our dominant lineout.

Really happy to see TJ finally providing impact off the bench, was purely mental thing in my opinion, just needed to calm down when he came on the field. Also think we missed Cane's physicality. By far best 7 in NZ, not that Artie is bad but does not get close to that physicality.

There's a bit of a conveyor belt from Manawatu to Canterbury.

Is it a Fielding Ag to Lincoln thing?

4 Whitelocks, C Taylor, Funnell, Thompson.

Can't say enough about Akira, the guy is a phenom. At the moment, he's leading the comp in carries, linebreaks, defenders beaten and metres gained. He's also one tackle off from being in the top 10 tacklers in the comp. I feel like he needs a break with how much work he's gotten through so far this season, but at the same time, we're toast without him.

The person who said Tyrone Elkington-McDonald was like Simon Hickey wasn't lying. He is pretty average....which probably means he'll be our 10 next year, as well as our captain.😒

@Higgins If he doesn't clear the player when jumping and goes cart wheeling over the top he's going to get seriously injured. the crowd then start baying for a red card and the commentators start to say its a dangerous tackle. Either way if its legal or illegal I just think its dump play.

@Chris-B. Thanks mate. He's not all that big - 189 and 103. Looking forward to seeing how he goes.

@African-Monkey said in North Harbour v Manawatu:

Great win for Harbour. They're looking good for a semi final spot.

19 points has been the 4th spot in most years

@taniwharugby

This got a mention during the week

http://www.thesilverfern.com/topic/993/cripple-fight-bryan-gould-has-a-go-at-the-walrus

Isn't Gibson a converted 7 as well? Goes to show we don't have many out n out 7s..

The Ryan Wheeler memorial trophy will be up for grabs too!

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="African Monkey" data-cid="611700" data-time="1472887103">
<div>
<p>That would <strike>have to</strike> be <strike>contender fo</strike>r the worst game of the year.</p>
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</blockquote>
<p>I was at the game and concur with most of the above. The first half was all stop start with practically no phase going above one or two before someone made a mistake or a penalty was awarded. I don't know how players like Brad Shields and Vaea Fifita can go from looking like real decent players to the "who the hell are these guys" that we have seen in the last two Wellington matches. They certainly are nowhere near the standard they played at during the Super Rugby season. Whether it is because they are still a little fatigued from that or whether they played well above themselves or whether  the game plan employed by Coach Va'a is wrong for their strengths I don't know but they are streets away from where they were just a month back. At least Fifita still won all his lineouts with contemptuous ease, pity Wellington didn't call every lineout for him though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The new tall kid Walker-Leawere is hard to get a handle on as I thought he was supposedly the next big thing but all I have really seen from him is sort of a lumbering carthorse type player when he has the ball in hand. Probably being a bit unfair on him but he just looks a bit ponderous to me at this stage. Even Peter Umaga-Jenssen was quiet tonight and he is a kid I have seen play really well at club level but was not able to show up tonight. In fact you could say that about the entire Wellington side if being brutally honest, doing nothing of note but certainly plenty of forgettable things. That they did not manage to score a try pretty much sums up everything. There was someone in the midfield who stone cold dropped perfectly catchable passes twice when under no pressure at all, maybe Sean Treeby by a process of elimination but whoever was responsible it was something a paid professional player should not be doing. The scrum immediately started going Harbours way once Alex Fidow was wheeled on with about ten minutes to go, no more needs to be said there. Don't get me started on Sam Lousi!!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the other side Harbour weren't exactly looking likely to run away with the match, despite Wellington doing their best to encourage them to win so they too must have their supporters tearing their hair out (if they have any left after these last few seaons!). All in all it was one of the dreariest, disjointed, penalty infested, error ridden games of rugby played at an unbelievably slow pace I have had to endure. One wonders how many of the paltry attendence of three thousand and a few will be back for another serving of that slop.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite everything written above there is still a team worse than the two on display tonight believe it or not. I shudder what to think Auckland will do to my mob come Wednesday night so shite are the Bay's displays so far.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="611653" data-time="1472870896">
<div>
<p>Just tuned in to the game and heard the commentators say that James Lowe is not playing because he had broken something and needed an operation? Did I hear that right? Anyone who knows more? I thought he had only just returned from injury? Not much luck that lad.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Broken thumb according to commentators</p>

<p>Rieko reminds me a lot of Israel Falou and could be even better imo. Such an exciting prospect.</p>

<p>To be honest, I thought it was going to get very ugly at 39-15 - in fact even when we were ahead at half-time we were barely holding on, Counties seem to have so many powerful (and not slow) ball runners. Not sure if Counties turned off the gas in the final 20 but suddenly we had ball going forwards and looked like we would score every time. Worst drop of the weekend has to be the guy who dropped the final Counties kick-off cold when we had 2 minutes to conjure up a miraculous win.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Steelers - bags of potential there but they won't beat the top teams being so careless and disorganised.</p>
<p>Steamers - plenty of spirit which is good to see but we've lost a few to injury and there are lots of kids out there. Will have to beat Northland, Harbour, Southland.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Bovidae" data-cid="610182" data-time="1472370510">
<div>
<p>Tom Coventry was the coach who was instrumental in signing Retallick and luring him north.  But your point remains.  :)</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Remind me to smack Tom Coventry in the face when i meet him.  :)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Actually, I'd better king hit him from behind and run like hell - but, my point remains.</p>