Exodus 2017
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aren't all top players being chased by top French clubs?
You would think he is in the top echelon of NZ rugby players so could pretty much get what he wanted written into his contract to stay.
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Well if there's one thing we learnt last year it's that BBBR and S Whitelock are our two most important players.
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French clubs can waste all the time and energy they want on chasing a player like Whitelock.
The media can waste all the ink or internet space they want on writing about it (and collect coin for the click bait).I don't believe for a second that Whitelock is even considering a move overseas now and don't even think he needs all this to be in a good negotiation position. As @taniwharugby says, he can practically get what he wants (except that top $$ that NZR doesn't have). He'll collect the €€ after the RWC2019.
Next one?
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Leinster apparently looking at James Lowe.
TBH, I'm not sure how much longer we can hold onto that guy if he doesn't progress further than Super Rugby level. He's a very good player, who must be close to selection, but tends to make the odd high profile error which would make Shag (and more importantly me) uneasy. He would cut it up in Europe IMO.
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@MajorRage said in Exodus 2017:
They just signed Scott Fardy too. That is a great signing for them, he will go well in Europe, aska Rocky Elsom style.
Loss for Wallabies in my opinion, good player, adds a bit of steel.
They've signed him as lock though, which is weird.
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@Billy-Tell One thing they're not short of is backrow.
Fardy was huge for the Wallabies in 2015, but hasn't hit that form since. The EofY tour he seemed to be Chicka's second choice too.
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@Crash said in Exodus 2017:
They can keep their filthy thieving hands to themselves and away from Lowe...
But lowe's dream has always been to play international rugby for Ireland...
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Stuff's saying Lowe's gone:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/90126907/james-lowe-to-join-leinsterFFS
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Media release from Leinster about signing James Lowe:
http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/leinster-sign-maori-all-blacks-james-lowe/
Chiefs media release:
http://www.chiefs.co.nz/news/news/latest-news/397-james-lowe-to-join-leinsterAfter only 4 Super Rugby seasons:
But for this stage of my life and with an eye to the future, I have to set myself and my future family up so they can have every opportunity in life to succeed” said Lowe.
"this stage of my life"? Seriously! So now 24-year-olds are already giving up on their All Blacks aspirations for their future family? Sorry, but then the AB's jersey didn't mean too much to him, or he genuinely thinks he's not going to be good enough. What a difference with guys like Crotty, Todd, Parsons etc
I am not ruling out returning to NZ rugby.
Yeah right.
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I don't see the loss.
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In reality if he knows that the ABs aren't that interested in a player with his skillset then financially he is better to move on rather than hold out hope for a raft of injuries that force the ABs to give him a go.
He will know the feedback or interest he is receiving and currently he has at least 6 guys ahead of him in the queue with plenty more jostling him to cut in.
It's a bit like Bundee Aki. If you recognise early that you are not the type the selectors are after then get on with your career elsewhere.
It would be nice if the lure of the black jersey extended as far as this category of player but the reality is that it never will. -
@Chris-B. said in Exodus 2017:
... I have no problem with people putting the boot in. Fuck French, English, Welsh, and Japanese rugby.
They've completely fucked over the Jaapies, largely fucked over the Aussies, and we're on the hitlist.
Fuck 'em!!!
To be fair it's the Jaapies that have fucked themselves over really.
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@Stargazer said in Exodus 2017:
Media release from Leinster about signing James Lowe:
http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/leinster-sign-maori-all-blacks-james-lowe/
Chiefs media release:
http://www.chiefs.co.nz/news/news/latest-news/397-james-lowe-to-join-leinsterAfter only 4 Super Rugby seasons:
But for this stage of my life and with an eye to the future, I have to set myself and my future family up so they can have every opportunity in life to succeed” said Lowe.
"this stage of my life"? Seriously! So now 24-year-olds are already giving up on their All Blacks aspirations for their future family? Sorry, but then the AB's jersey didn't mean too much to him, or he genuinely thinks he's not going to be good enough. What a difference with guys like Crotty, Todd, Parsons etc
I am not ruling out returning to NZ rugby.
Yeah right.
I see he's been nominated to fill the NIQ slot that will be left by Zane Kirchner when he departs at end of season.
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@Pot-Hale said in Exodus 2017:
I see he's been nominated to fill the NIQ slot that will be left by Zane Kirchner when he departs at end of season.
Well at least for Leinster it's an improvement.
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@antipodean said in Exodus 2017:
@Pot-Hale said in Exodus 2017:
I see he's been nominated to fill the NIQ slot that will be left by Zane Kirchner when he departs at end of season.
Well at least for Leinster it's an improvement.
I haven't seen Lowe play much so can't really tell. Is he an out and out winger or plays FB as well? He's nominated as one of the two wingers allowed in the foreign positions quota.
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@Pot-Hale said in Exodus 2017:
@antipodean said in Exodus 2017:
@Pot-Hale said in Exodus 2017:
I see he's been nominated to fill the NIQ slot that will be left by Zane Kirchner when he departs at end of season.
Well at least for Leinster it's an improvement.
I haven't seen Lowe play much so can't really tell. Is he an out and out winger or plays FB as well? He's nominated as one of the two wingers allowed in the foreign positions quota.
He's a good opportunist winger, can certainly put himself into good positions to score. Is a good proponent of quick handling back and forth within the tramlines to set someone away and has a very good left foot clearance.
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@Billy-Tell said in Exodus 2017:
@Crash said in Exodus 2017:
They can keep their filthy thieving hands to themselves and away from Lowe...
But lowe's dream has always been to play international rugby for Ireland...
At 29?.....🙂
Edit: Make that 30. He's 25 in July.
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@antipodean said in Exodus 2017:
@Billy-Tell One thing they're not short of is backrow.
Fardy was huge for the Wallabies in 2015, but hasn't hit that form since. The EofY tour he seemed to be Chicka's second choice too.
Leinster are not short of backrows currently. Nucifora has been trying to get a couple of them to move north to Ulster or out west to Connacht. It's not good that Heaslip, O'Brien, Ruddock, VdF, Conan, Murphy, Leavy, Ryan, Deegan and a couple more in the academy are all stocked in the one club.
However, Leinster never quite seem to develop enforcers for the second row - Ross Molony might be a possibility in future. Mike McCarthy is nearing the exit door. And I suspect Hayden Triggs at 35 might hang up his boots at season end although he's been very good this season. His departure will free up an NIQ slot. In addition, Coetzee in Ulster has the foreign backrow position, so Fardy gets designated as a lock and they get 18-20 games out of him for 2-3 seasons.
