NPC - news, injuries etc
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@kiwimurph said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
Wasn't Ieremia the Canes backs coach when Hamateur was around?
Be interesting to know who else applied.
The good news is Nick White set the bar low.
Yep, the Hammettuer used to send him to do the Sunday radio shows after he (Hammettuer) had thrown the players under a bus the night before.
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@hooroo I might have the same attitude if I supported a team as hopeless as Waikato.
NPC rugby is entertaining and actually pretty good quality. Having a good system in place to recruit players and develop their abilities and attitudes is also very important for Super Rugby teams. A healthy Auckland Union and team is important for developing the region's large pool of talent, and developing players for the Blues and All Blacks.
I can't see someone having a strong interest in NZ Rugby but having no interest in their local NPC team, especially one with the player pool of Auckland. Sounds like the attitude of a fair-weather fan.
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@tim said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
@hooroo I might have the same attitude if I supported a team as hopeless as Waikato.
NPC rugby is entertaining and actually pretty good quality. Having a good system in place to recruit players and develop their abilities and attitudes is also very important for Super Rugby teams. A healthy Auckland Union and team is important for developing the region's large pool of talent, and developing players for the Blues and All Blacks.
I can't see someone having a strong interest in NZ Rugby but having no interest in their local NPC team, especially one with the player pool of Auckland. Sounds like the attitude of a fair-weather fan.
Why just becasue a team is hopeless?
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@tim said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
@hooroo That was just me musing as to why you are so uninterested, to the point of active apathy, in the entire competition.
I take a passing interest in the Shield but I jsut can't find the time or interest to watch any NPC in general.
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The other issue is an NPC coaching job provides a coaching pathway for up and coming coaches.
Now we have another coaching job taken by another former all black who has a very dubious coaching record.
The job could have potentially gone to an up and coming coach (I'm just hypothesising here as I don't know exactly who applied).
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surprised he is heading there! If he went anywhere, was expecting Waikato given the Chiefs and his brother is there as well.
Had heard pretty much everyone was chasing him with his NRU contract ending this season, gutting to lose him!
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Walden (24) comes from Taranaki and was head boy at Francis Douglas Memorial College before heading south to study at the University of Otago.He first played for Otago in 2013 and has played 47 games for the province. He captained the side this year when regular skipper Sam Anderson-Heather was injured.
He was awarded the David Latta Trophy this year for the best player throughout the season, as judged by his peers. The trophy is voted on by players on a points system for every game.
The second five-eighth is contracted to the Highlanders for next season so should play some of his club rugby in Dunedin for the Southern club.
Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said it was always disappointing to lose players but Walden had given good service to the province and simply wanted to be closer to his family.
His brother Josh, a halfback, had also previously played for Otago but was not selected this season and has now picked up a two-year contract with a club in Hong Kong.
Tei Walden is part of the Highlanders leadership group and is also well respected by fellow players.
His departure is the latest in a series of defections from this year's Otago team.
Halfback Jono Ruru has gone to Auckland and new All Black flanker Dillon Hunt is heading to North Harbour.
Prop Craig Millar has linked with the Sunwolves Super Rugby team and is expected to join up with a Japanese top league side after the Super Rugby season finishes.
First five-eighth Hayden Parker has also joined the Sunwolves and his future may also be in Japan for the rest of the year.
Prop Hisa Sasagi had been called into the Clermont side, a powerhouse in the French Top 14 league. He was set to join the club as medical cover for former Hurricanes prop Loni Uhila but was not cleared by the club's medical staff who discovered an issue with his back. He never played a game for the club.
Sasagi, who played for Samoa on its recent northern hemisphere tour, has now returned to New Zealand.