IIRC Mannix was given another go on that Arg tour.

@steven-harris not necessarily, Holland is the head coach so he takes the blame IMO. Blackwell and Prinsep were being selected before Gibbes arrived on the scene aswell so they are obviously Holland's favourites.

You've just highlighted my point of having bigger forwards around Blackwell if he's continually going to be selected. I'd love to see a loose forward trio of 6. Howden / Plumtree 7. Savea 8. Flanders for next year but I highly doubt that will happen. Hopefully with Dominic Bird at the Canes this year, we should have a bit more size in the locking department aswell.

In terms of props, I rate both Numia and Mafileo (who's been out with injury for a while now) slightly ahead of Rakete-Stones. They are all young and promising though so I will be interested to see who steps up there. Having Owen Franks in the squad will be great for all their development, especially for someone like Alex Fidow who may find himself on the outer if he doesn't improve his scrummaging next year.

@smudge said in Rough tips and other bets...:

What's $4.1 million between friends?

We started watching at $2.1m and it was like watching sport guessing how it would finish.

Wish we put in a bit at around $100k just to say "we threw a bid in" 🙂

@cgrant no relation from i believe,i found this information ,talented sportsman

https://www.mags.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Ben-Skelton.pdf

Lots of chatter over here including coaches who have previously publically disavowed any interest in the England role or (like Pat Lam) are on long-term stable deals.

Assuming an Englishmen the name making sense is Steve Borthwick, Head Coach of Leicester Tigers. Part of the England setup from 2015-2019, from memory, line-out then forwards coach.Joined Leicester, then was promoted to Head Coach.

Borthwick, with Cockerill staying on as forwards coach I could see happening.

I think this goes here, pretty cool

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126457185/covid19-unique-vaccine-plan-between-iwi-health-and-northland-rugby-teams

@donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

Interesting comments on length in T20's v Tests:

alt text

He spelt “throw” wrong

13 players from greater Auckland across the NZS and Baabaas squads. They would have to replace them to play the match against each other. In the too hard basket.

The first time they've won a "live" game against one of the big teams in years. Usually NZ has made a habit of winning the last game after already losing the series.

@mn5 said in Black Clash T20 match:

Hawkes Bay talk…..but it’s in a cricket thread. I can just picture @Nepia frantically pacing around wondering whether to comment or not.

Go the Bay!

@stargazer Only pre-season games. He hasn't made the main squad over the last 2 seasons. A 1st 5/fullback who played his club rugby for Hautapu.

@stargazer Last time he was there they lost at home to a championship side 👀

@antipodean a real who’s who in there.

As in who the hell are these people???

@dogmeat lol, he does appear to like his cardies doesnt he! ha ha

All Im saying is that is easy to get tripped up by teams you should not lose or even draw too, if we can make fewer mistakes there, we will be thereabouts too! 🙂

@act-crusader said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@canefan I don’t mind the whole jump shot thing as long as it’s compensated with other positive play. It was clear last season he had lost all confidence and giving up open layups and making dumb decisions.

Perhaps all the off court stuff caught up with him.

Once Rivers and Embiid gave up on him in the media I guess he felt too butthurt to work hard to try and prove them wrong. Rather take his ball somewhere else

@bovidae Would love to know if Fluhler played specifically, she would be massive inclusion for finals. Hoping they can get up over Canterbury after going so close last year.

@crucial that's a non-story if ever I've read one. "coach tells senior players to remain competitive to keep getting selected"

@canefan i do prefer when the drama is more boat design based

TBH I'm not really sure what they'll learn from the Tahs except what NOT to do as an organisation....

@higgins Tusitala was with the bay...
He was one of the 6 players in this article - https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-six-players-removed-from-npc-squads-after-covid-19-travel-exemption-error/JBGEOM47BFCXPQPAF3MLB6HQGI/

@bovidae Ah good stuff I've actually got that at home. Cheers.

Fixtures - Wednesday 22 September 2021

Life Members Cup (Boys) - (Hurricanes lower-tier schools)
Final
St. John's College, Hastings v Mana College - 1.00pm at Ongley Park, Palmerston North

Wellington Premiership (Girls 1st XV)
Final
St Mary's College v Wainuiamata - 6.45pm @ Porirua Park 1

Some AB legends in this 1967 test - Meads, Lochore, McCormick, Laidlaw, Tremain etc,. Gotta love the stoic jogging back to halfway after scoring tries. No celebration allowed -

@bobily2 Correct! Not sure how I typed that out.

@mn5 said in Chris Cairns on life support:

I’m sure he ( along with a host of others ) got up to some dodgy shit during his IPL days but Smith and Warner blatantly cheated in a test match for their country. Do people still hold that against them or do they realise they are a couple of outstanding cricketers ? ( one of them especially )

Smith and Warner cheated to win for their country. It was shit.

Others allegedly cheated to fix results for bookies. That is shit x shit wrapped in poo

Welp there has already been repercussions

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/126442208/security-tightened-around-white-ferns-in-england-after-notcredible-threat

Thanks all

I tend to think it will take building a groundswell of fan support to really have World Rugby take notice.

But to get that is going to require a blend of social media Influencers, regular fans, journalists and a few officials onside.

Ultimately I suspect it will remain a game of patience.

I have thought about setting up a patreon or similar and stepping up content by trying to make something out of it so I am just fulltime focused on the shields

Pipedream probably but either that or a sponsorship deal where funds pay for Shields to be made but also my time to actually officially be fulltime the spokesman

For the moment I just do it all and explain to my wife that it is isn't that much spent on software and hosting 😀

@bones said in All Blacks 2021:

@arhs booooo. I wanted to take it off them this weekend.

Home game for us this weekend, so I assume they could take it straight back off us? Would that possibly be the shortest lived 1 ranking?

There are a few 1 weeks at top during the last RWC, equal shortest then. Home or away, we're so close in points whomever wins is top, same next weekend, I think

World Rugby are morons, we got this ranking because Australia beat South Africa in Australia, which counted as a home game for SA, the same for Argentina last weekend. There is a neutral venue option for NZ/arg and NZ/SA but nope.

Edit: in fact Argentina and SA never had games at home even planned!

@mariner4life Dolphins passing on him for Tua. That's gotta sting.

@machpants It's one of his tries from the Ranfurly Shield game, yesterday. The full highlights clip is in the match thread.

The consequences of not being vaccinated. It sounds like Corey was shown the door for the same reason.

The Sky Sport Breakers have agreed to release star guard Tai Webster.
Webster, the breakout star from last season, inked a new two-year contract with the Breakers in July but since then it has become increasingly likely the team will again start the season in Australia due to the Delta outbreak. The new NBL season is scheduled to start on November 18.
Breakers owner Matt Walsh says he respects Tai Webster’s decision to remain unvaccinated. “Tai was amazing for us last year and we wish him the absolute best. I fully support each player’s freedom of choice in regards to the vaccine”. “The club will keep the door open for Tai, but unfortunately we are living in extraordinary times and without being vaccinated he will not have freedom of travel which would allow him to play for us this season.”

@mariner4life agree re midfielders. A bit like QBs winning the MVP and league halves being by far the most prominent players. It is what it is

@nogusta I'm happy about that. I think he's a hard working and accurate player. He only missed 3 tackles out of 106 for Auckland in 2020. Ball carrying more often will be his work on. Do you know anything about Dilllon Hunt's health status for next year? Also any oil on new Locks? Or Tana's replacement?

The Herald on Sunday understands Silver Lake's improved valuation for a 7.5 per cent stake was tabled after the Players' Association officially outlined its intent to not support the 12.5 per cent sale proposal three weeks ago, sparking rumours the deal was dead.

While extracting a higher valuation for a lower sale stake lessens the risks and retains more revenue, reducing the capital injection has the potential to leave the New Zealand game exposed in a fraught Covid-affected climate.

After receiving Silver Lake's improved offer, however, the Players' Association is understood to have responded with a set of conditions to ensure what they believe is a "genuine partnership".

Those conditions include the request for an independent NZ Rugby governance review that assesses the constitution, striking at the heart of the provincial union's control, and whether the existing structure is fit for purpose.

This request comes after attacks on the players by former NZ Rugby chairman Brent Impey, the breakdown of the relationship with Australia and with a view to being fully equipped to work alongside heavyweight global businessess

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-dramatic-developments-as-big-changes-made-to-new-zealand-rugbys-silver-lake-deal/M5WH2XZA7E4QIV33T5DRBZ5M7Y/

Nowadays players are identified at schoolboy level and commit to provinces/SR franchises then. That's how Reihana ended up at the Chiefs as he signed with Waikato despite playing at St Kent's and being from Northland. The Chiefs have more talent coming through than you think with 4 provinces to select from, and would have more depth than any of the other franchises except the Blues. The U20s were undefeated in the NZ competition this year. We are not going to be able to retain all of them but the likes of Vaa'i and Tupaea have come through that pathway. Below that Finau, Slater, Norris, Lord, K Boshier, Roe, Trask and ENS are some of the younger players in the current Chiefs squad.

Selecting Dylan Nel for one season in 2020 didn't make sense ahead of any loose forward from the 4 Chiefs provinces. Ataata Moeakiola was signed in 2019 which meant we eventually lost Sevu Reece.

Apparently our U18s played as well. They lost 26 - 28 to Wairarapa-Bush U18. No shame, considering they must have missed a lot of players, with Hastings Boys, Napier Boys and Lindisfarne all playing games this afternoon, as well. So must have been a third-string team.

Wairarapa Bush v Thames Valley Swampfoxes livestream:

@mikethesnow said in 2021 Wallabies:

@mn5 said in 2021 Wallabies:

@nta said in 2021 Wallabies:

Good balance to that Spring tour - Japan will offer something a bit different before we go see if our forward game is improving.

Scotland at home in Murrayfield will fuck your shit up, four Lions test backs alone, get ready for a cricket score.

😂😂😂

I take my rugby posts on the fern extremely seriously, I don’t see what’s funny here