Exodus 2018
-
If Aus has to trawl the depths of NZ Super rugby teams to find eligible players, then that speaks volumes about their own depth in stocks. Pulu is a very good winger but must be remembered he will be 30 next year and does pick up a fair few injuries.Think it says more about their own problems than anything else.
-
@stargazer so he played for Niue, but they tricked him so he's now allowed to play for Aus?
-
@taniwharugby Is that a serious question?
-
-
Is not like he's been called over for the wallabies. It's just a move between clubs and as he Australian eligible he doesn't count towards foreign limits for the Brumbies. A good winger and a good signing for them, but not huge news one the eligibility thing was sorted.
-
@bones interesting it's come up now though, given the hearing was in 2014...when he was in form for the chiefs (and uninjured) as is the way, his name was mentioned but was always the ineligibility thing was bought up.
So Niue have said yeah bro, you can play for us, he's gone choice, but turns out he wasnt eligible.
-
@taniwharugby yeah I know a few guys who turned out for teams at the Welly sevens that they may not have been eligible for....
I do know the Niue team had a blast at the Comm games!
And is it just me that was bugged by Niue being spelled wrong throughout the whole article?
-
And the 'NZ Herald Foot in the Mouth Award' for the
year month weekday goes to.....https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12103333
Oh, for the days when facts were checked before stories were written.
But, of course,like Ratpoo, Gregor Paul isn't a journalist, he's a writer of uninformed opinion.
-
@bones Yeah those welly sevens days were before eligibility became a big thing. It didn't matter and if you had injuries you just grabbed whoever was available. If I remember correctly Scott Waldrom made his international sevens debut for Argentina!
-
@machpants sounds about right. Even I almost made it on for Samoa I think it was!
-
@machpants said in Exodus 2018:
@bones Yeah those welly sevens days were before eligibility became a big thing. It didn't matter and if you had injuries you just grabbed whoever was available. If I remember correctly Scott Waldrom made his international sevens debut for Argentina!
I think those cases were specific in the tournament rules and clearly approved as being outside of eligibility rules in order for the team/tournament to continue.
At one stage I think you could select non playing squad members from other teams as injury replacements.
Pulu appears on official team lists, although the Niue team always looked to be a ring around side for a bit of fun.
-
But Anthony Pulu Jr appears as a reserve for FORU 15s final in Noumea in 2008 and there are photos of him playing for Niue in NZ (Growers Stadium) in 2009, when he was the goalkicker. Maybe that was a different Toni Pulu that just looks a bit like him.
Roy Kinikinilau played for Tonga sevens as a substitute - but may well have been eligibile for them as of right - before he played for New Zealand.
-
@machpants said in Exodus 2018:
@bones Yeah those welly sevens days were before eligibility became a big thing. It didn't matter and if you had injuries you just grabbed whoever was available. If I remember correctly Scott Waldrom made his international sevens debut for Argentina!
Phillipe Rayasi became Scotland's blackest player in one tournament as well. Great stuff.
-
@bones said in Exodus 2018:
@machpants sounds about right. Even I almost made it on for Samoa I think it was!
Does "almost made it on for Samoa" actually mean you sat next to the Samoan team at breakfast one morning?
-
-
@machpants said in Exodus 2018:
@smudge quoting the wrong person there!
No, I didn't. I was quoting Bones, who was replying to you. You're just tagged in the post...
-
Okay, I've been digging.
Niue took part in the Wellington leg of the 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series (6-7 Feb 2009). Toni Pulu was named in the squad and played in at least 5 of their 6 games; the line-up of the 5th game won't load. Interesting detail: Tim Nanai-Williams and Nafi Tuitavake were playing for NZ.
Niue participated in the Wellington leg of the 2009/2010 IRB Sevens World Series. That tournament took place on 5 and 6 Feb 2010. Toni Pulu was named in the Niuean team and played in all five games (3 times as a reserve).
Niue also competed at the Adelaide leg of that Series (19 - 21 March 2010). Toni Pulu was again named in the squad and played in all 5 of their games.
Niue entered a team for the Gold Coast leg of the 2011/12 IRB World Series (25 - 26 November 2011).
Again, Toni Pulu was in that squad and played in the two first games against Fiji and NZ (that NZ team included Charles Piutau and Frank Halai). Niue were a player short in the next two games, and his name was missing on the team sheets. They were back to a full squad for the Shield Semi (which they also lost), but Pulu wasn't in the squad. So I guess he got injured in the game against NZ (or suspended).I couldn't find a Sevens Tournament in which Niue participated in 2010/11 and 2012/13.
About that Oceania Cup game at Growers Stadium on 27 June 2009 that @ARHS is referring to, that was a qualifier for the 2011 RWC against Cook Islands (won by CI 29 to 7). Niue had two players with the last name Pulu in their squad (15 and 21 jersey). Unfortunately, there was no squad list with first names on the WR website, so I can't say whether Toni Pulu was one of those players.
-
@mn5 said in Exodus 2018:
@machpants said in Exodus 2018:
@bones Yeah those welly sevens days were before eligibility became a big thing. It didn't matter and if you had injuries you just grabbed whoever was available. If I remember correctly Scott Waldrom made his international sevens debut for Argentina!
Phillipe Rayasi became Scotland's blackest player in one tournament as well. Great stuff.
Jo Nayacavou says hi from this millenium.
