Hurricanes 2020

[Stargazer]

@Canes4life He may or may not be a proven performer; he may or may not be good. I just don't agree with him blocking the development of young NZ players if he gets game time instead of any of (in alphabetical order) Aso, Barrett, Goosen, Lam, Laumape, Lowe, Proctor, Tiatia, Toala or Umaga-Jensen. I don't see why the Canes need this signing with all the talent already available in the squad. Why couldn't they replace Rayasi with a NZ player?

[OomPB]

@Higgins Kobus rooted from the Stormers who had like most other SA franchise their budget challenges. Maybe Plumtree scout him for the Canes. Kobus have "Gimmie Guts" like Pollard.

[Daffy Jaffy]

@OomPB The Canes CEO on van Wyk -
Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee said van Wyk's arrival came in large part due to coach John Plumtree's connections in South Africa, where he coached and played for 15 years over two stints.
"John has obviously spent a lot of time in South Africa, so he knows a lot of people over there. Kobus' name came up and then John and [assistant coach] Jason Holland had a look at him play and he was really keen to come out. "We're really excited by that. Super Rugby is an international competition, but having foreign players in New Zealand doesn't happen that often. He's been picked on ability first, but I think it's cool for fans to have a bit of international flavour."

[Nepia]

Six Magpies (I'm not counting Ban May ) must be an all time record.

Unsure how McClutchie didn't make it amongst that bunch of 10s.

Canes should have dumped Prinsep for Blackwell as a loosie (he's not a lock but could be a good workhorse loosie) and given another NZ lock a spot.

I wonder what business case the Canes put forward to get an outside back from South Africa because we never have any decent outside backs in NZ (or in the Pacific for that matter).

[canefan]

@Nepia It's crazy

[Stargazer]

Good to find out until when these players have been signed:

[Higgins]

@Nepia @stargazer I agree. Centres, wingers and fullbacks are not on the skilled shortages list at Immigration NZ so he could not possibly qualify for a work permit under that category, particularly as there are plenty of available unemployed NZers able to do the job to a reasonable degree of competence. Perhaps he is coming as a backpacking fruit picker under that seasonal work work scheme thing who also plays a bit of rugby as an aside on Friday nights or on the weekend?

What is intriguing is how Stargazer missed out on picking this up when it is clearly listed in van Wyk's Wikipedia file that he is a Hurricanes player for 2020 with the notation as being up to date as of 3 September 2019. Up your game Stargazer, we rely on you to ferret these things out for us!

Kobus van Wyk - Wikipedia

[cgrant]

@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2020:

My top 23 for next year:

1. Fraser Armstrong
2. Dane Coles (c)
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Scott Scrafton
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere
6. Vaea Fifita
7. Ardie Savea
8. Gareth Evans
9. TJ Perenara
10. James Marshall
11. Ben Lam
12. Ngani Laumape
13. Vince Aso
14. Wes Goosen
15. Jordie Barrett
16. Asafo Aumua
17. Xavier Numia
18. Alex Fidow
19. James Blackwell
20. Du Plessis Kirifi
21. Jamie Booth
22. Fletcher Smith
23. Peter Umaga-Jensen

I know Blackwell is a coach's favorite but Leaupepe was impressive during the RWC (actually, he was even in the Top stats XV of the competition). He and IWL would make a very good pair in the second row, with Scrafton on the bench.

[Stargazer]

@Higgins Ha, I checked that change on his wiki page and it was made today! They forgot to change the date of 3 September to 12 November though

[Bones]

@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2020:

Can anyone remember who our first fives were way back in the days when the Canes still played at Athletic Park and Mel Arnold (or whoever that curly haired 1st five from Canterbury) was in the squad. This years bunch of first fives might struggle to outrate that one.

Hah... Ummm wasn't it Bachop?

[Higgins]

@Bones Yeah, one of the others (aside from Arnold) might have been Steven Bachop. I had forgotten he had defected to The 'Poo and subsequently that other despised orange jersey wearing outfit after his stint with Otago.

[Bones]

@Higgins any opportunity to post stuff like this should never be turned down.

[OomPB]

@Daffy-Jaffy Canes backline with Goosen and van Wyk, thats very Afrikaans.

[Nepia]

@OomPB said in Hurricanes 2020:

@Daffy-Jaffy Canes backline with Goosen and van Wyk, thats very Afrikaans.

They have a Du Plessis in the pack as well.

[OomPB]

@Nepia Plumtree's scouting. Maybe need to change my favourite NZ franchise from Chiefs to Hurricanes.

[Nepia]

@OomPB said in Hurricanes 2020:

@Nepia Plumtree's scouting. Maybe need to change my favourite NZ franchise from Chiefs to Hurricanes.

Abort.

[Higgins]

@Bones You do know that you have consigned me to at least a week of horrific nightly nightmares after posting that picture. After 20 years I have got those down to only about one or two a nights a week where I wake up a couple of times a night all hot and bothered and screaming obscenities whilst clinging tightly to my stuffed magpie comforter but it looks like the grieving process has taken a few steps backward!

[Bones]

@Higgins oh come on, can't go past a favourite son.

[Higgins]

Is that shot taken at the game where they fluked about a twenty point win over Wgtn. One of the very few times I have not supported the team playing against Wgtn!

[Higgins]

On reflection it might be from the time they rolled Nelson Bays for about a hundred. No doubt ChrisB will have the newspaper clippings from that encounter in his scrapbook of the 1997 season and will be able to confirm one way or the other. Pretty sure I would have only been supporting the referee in that game, again another thing that does not happen all that often!