Magpies v Taranaki
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Still no Ben May either, but Michael Allardice is back. The tight five has not been imposing all year with so many injuries and inexperienced guys.
Cardiff Vaega on the wing and Jonah Lowe retaining centre is a significant comment on Vaega's output at centre this season.
Fullback has turned out to be a real problem with the preference/necessity to put Bucky in the midfield. It's meant having to convert someone out of position to play there. In the six games so far the fullback has been Falcon (3), Buckman (2) and now West for the second time.
In club rugby this year there was no standout fullback. Shannon Chase played there for Havelock North but not selected in the Magpies. Liam Edwards had two outstanding seasons for South Canterbury (on loan from Otago) in the Heartland Championship 2012 and 2013. He was both the top points scorer and top try scorer in the 2013 Heartland Championship. Never quite stood out for Napier OB Marist since coming here but is playing the rest of this year's Heartland Championship for South Canterbury on loan.
Come on down Danny Toala for 2018, fullback is all yours. No doubt he will play for Hastings RS next year upon leaving Hastings BHS end of this year.
Sad that Falcon has been dropped. He must be questioning a lot of things. Always been a first-five, and was played at second-five last year and then put back to fullback for the start this year.
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I hope Tim Farrell gets more minutes this week. I'm interested in what he can bring to the team, young as he is. He looked stronger than Jason Long last week against Counties.
@Number-10 I agree about Cardiff Vaega. I really wonder for how many season he, his brother and Dunn have been signed for. I can't remember where I read it, but apparently Mark Ozich knew him from when he was still teaching up north and was very positive about him. So we may have to blame him for signing these three players? Can't say too much about Dunn, because he's hardly had game time, but at least he made it count, scoring a try, last week. TJ is just a young, inexperienced pup. He might become a better player than Cardiff, but why didn't they sign Tongia? Despite that stupid shoulder charge against Mo'unga, he's still a better wing than Hann & TJ.
About Falcon: to me, he's the proof that the coaching is failing. He is a super-talented, but inexperienced first-five. They play him out of position most of the time, things are not going well (with the whole team, not just him); first they take him off the field early in two games and now he's dropped. His facial expressions said it all; complete lack of confidence. I hope he has a good run with the Saracens, gets some confidence back and will play for the Magpies again next week, before he starts doubting his abilities completely. I'm glad he's already been signed by the Chiefs. Hopefully, in a better environment, he'll learn a lot, becomes (mentally) stronger and have a better season next year.
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Righto, just settling down on the sofa and about to start my final pre-match preparations. It is extremely comforting to have watched Waikato over the last hour or so and can now put our guys lack of performance into perspective. That Waikato side could play for another six weeks and still not cause the scoreboard attendant too much trouble, on their side of the scoreboard at least! Kind of what we have had to endure these last two seasons, still all the pressure will be on Taranaki tonight to pick up the gift five competition points that all bar about a dozen of us have already conceded and you just never know what that might do to them.
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I have not noticed the Gala Caterers pie cart that usually sits to the left of the McKenzie Stand (or whatever it is now called) as we look at it on the television. It has been there forever so maybe it's absence is part of the curse Mr. Philpott is trying to get exocised.
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I fear those 3 penalties in the first 2 minutes that we got will be all we get this half
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That must be a knock on
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Great to see Mason Emerson trying to run through people
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Weber realising there is no offside over the line saves the day
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Scoreline is OK here, but we haven't been a second half of the game team this year. Something about Philpotts half time talks?
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Scrum looked better with Buckman pushing
