NH club rugby
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@nepia Maybe - though he's squeezed in 13 years as a pro rugby player and nine as an AB, so he's probably pretty comfortably off. Run his sports shop for a hobby. (I think he's got a better location in Nelson than Rebel Sports).
I see they've already conscripted him to appear on some of the Sky pre-match/post match shows and he speaks very well - especially for a prop. He might be able to take on John Drake's old role.
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@chris-b said in NH club rugby:
@nepia Maybe - though he's squeezed in 13 years as a pro rugby player and nine as an AB, so he's probably pretty comfortably off. Run his sports shop for a hobby. (I think he's got a better location in Nelson than Rebel Sports).
I see they've already conscripted him to appear on some of the Sky pre-match/post match shows and he speaks very well - especially for a prop. He might be able to take on John Drake's old role.
You'd hope so, and yep, if it was a hobby and not his bread and butter then all good.
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@chris-b said in NH club rugby:
I see they've already conscripted him to appear on some of the Sky pre-match/post match shows and he speaks very well - especially for a prop. He might be able to take on John Drake's old role.
IIRC, he's very popular with the Sky TV commentators (regularly appears on Stevenson and Mils' podcast), so that wouldn't be surprising.
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@johanek said in NH club rugby:
Premiership clubs lost £38.5m in 16-17
Only one club turned a profit. Another spent more in wages than their turnover.
They're bleeding talent out of our game, and they don't even make money.
This is not news. All the signs are that they will eventually mimic elements of the Irish system in terms of player management, reduce number of foreign players, make greater use of academies. And they’ll have to cut salary costs. The supposed £1m Piutau salary is a joke. Completely unsustainable.
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@crucial said in NH club rugby:
Just watched some T14 highlights and a slightly chubby Toeava showed some very nice skills at 13 for Clermont.
He had a pretty nice stat line for the game - 2 tries, 4 try assists, 7 linebreaks, 6 defenders beaten, 78m and 2 offloads. That would be a gazillion points in fantasy.
He use to come in a little bigger to start the Super Rugby season and would slim down as the season went along. It never seemed to affect his explosiveness though.
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Clermont are using Toeava as a utility back, who can slot in at 10, 12, 13 and 15. He started in Clermont as injury cover for fullback Nick Abendanon, then got a contract for several years, got injured for a while and since he returned from injury, he's been really good for them. Not sure whether he'll get more starts in the midfield now that Rougerie has retired as they have signed George Moala and also have guys like Lamerat, Penaud and Betham, and obviously their number one midfielder, Wesley Fofana (who re-signed with the club until 2023, last week). Moala started training with them this week. I think they're still waiting for Tim Nanai-Williams ... In the absence of Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee is captaining the team (despite former captain Damian Chouly being available).
Interestingly, Ngatai played his first Top 14 game for Lyon last weekend and formed a midfield duo with Rudi Wulf.
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Note to self - mustn’t mention Barnes or Bod on Silver Fern ever again.
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@taniwharugby would only be trumped by the Ardie and Messam midfield.
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@stargazer said in NH club rugby:
Clermont are using Toeava as a utility back, who can slot in at 10, 12, 13 and 15. He started in Clermont as injury cover for fullback Nick Abendanon, then got a contract for several years, got injured for a while and since he returned from injury, he's been really good for them. Not sure whether he'll get more starts in the midfield now that Rougerie has retired as they have signed George Moala and also have guys like Lamerat, Penaud and Betham, and obviously their number one midfielder, Wesley Fofana (who re-signed with the club until 2023, last week). Moala started training with them this week. I think they're still waiting for Tim Nanai-Williams ... In the absence of Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee is captaining the team (despite former captain Damian Chouly being available).
Interestingly, Ngatai played his first Top 14 game for Lyon last weekend and formed a midfield duo with Rudi Wulf.
It was Toeava's midfield vision and distribution that was most impressive. They'd be dumb not to keep him there. Although he may not see much ball if Moala plays inside him.
Who was the 12 in that game? He made Basteraud look slim. -
@stargazer I was always a fan of Rudi Wulf!
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@crucial said in NH club rugby:
@stargazer said in NH club rugby:
Clermont are using Toeava as a utility back, who can slot in at 10, 12, 13 and 15. He started in Clermont as injury cover for fullback Nick Abendanon, then got a contract for several years, got injured for a while and since he returned from injury, he's been really good for them. Not sure whether he'll get more starts in the midfield now that Rougerie has retired as they have signed George Moala and also have guys like Lamerat, Penaud and Betham, and obviously their number one midfielder, Wesley Fofana (who re-signed with the club until 2023, last week). Moala started training with them this week. I think they're still waiting for Tim Nanai-Williams ... In the absence of Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee is captaining the team (despite former captain Damian Chouly being available).
Interestingly, Ngatai played his first Top 14 game for Lyon last weekend and formed a midfield duo with Rudi Wulf.
It was Toeava's midfield vision and distribution that was most impressive. They'd be dumb not to keep him there. Although he may not see much ball if Moala plays inside him.
Who was the 12 in that game? He made Basteraud look slim.The way French coaches make their team selections is influenced heavily by excessive rotation and - at times - complete unpredictability. Fofana is their first choice midfielder. Who'll join him in the midfield for the big games is still a big question to me.
The 12 in the game against Agen was Apisai Naqalevu, a 29 year old Fijian they've picked up from Bordeaux, and who played for Dax in the Pro D2 before that. According to Clermont's website he weighs in at 104kg (1.84m).
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@rocky-rockbottom said in NH club rugby:
great pic in that Barnes article
"High five, Ali!"
"Yeah, go fuck yourself fluffybunny."How on earth did he look 50 almost 11 years ago and then hasn't aged at all.
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@stargazer said in NH club rugby:
Clermont are using Toeava as a utility back, who can slot in at 10, 12, 13 and 15. He started in Clermont as injury cover for fullback Nick Abendanon, then got a contract for several years, got injured for a while and since he returned from injury, he's been really good for them. Not sure whether he'll get more starts in the midfield now that Rougerie has retired as they have signed George Moala and also have guys like Lamerat, Penaud and Betham, and obviously their number one midfielder, Wesley Fofana (who re-signed with the club until 2023, last week). Moala started training with them this week. I think they're still waiting for Tim Nanai-Williams ... In the absence of Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee is captaining the team (despite former captain Damian Chouly being available).
Interestingly, Ngatai played his first Top 14 game for Lyon last weekend and formed a midfield duo with Rudi Wulf.
How'd Charlie go?
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@pakman said in NH club rugby:
@stargazer said in NH club rugby:
Clermont are using Toeava as a utility back, who can slot in at 10, 12, 13 and 15. He started in Clermont as injury cover for fullback Nick Abendanon, then got a contract for several years, got injured for a while and since he returned from injury, he's been really good for them. Not sure whether he'll get more starts in the midfield now that Rougerie has retired as they have signed George Moala and also have guys like Lamerat, Penaud and Betham, and obviously their number one midfielder, Wesley Fofana (who re-signed with the club until 2023, last week). Moala started training with them this week. I think they're still waiting for Tim Nanai-Williams ... In the absence of Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee is captaining the team (despite former captain Damian Chouly being available).
Interestingly, Ngatai played his first Top 14 game for Lyon last weekend and formed a midfield duo with Rudi Wulf.
How'd Charlie go?
Doesn't matter if he took the field does it? His reputation as a great is what matters.
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@stargazer said in NH club rugby:
The 12 in the game against Agen was Apisai Naqalevu, a 29 year old Fijian they've picked up from Bordeaux, and who played for Dax in the Pro D2 before that. According to Clermont's website he weighs in at 104kg (1.84m).
No way is that guy 104kg unless the settings on my TV were out and he was stretched sideways. Maybe he is short?
Watch at about 3.20