Highlanders v Sharks

[Machpants]

Send Hunt, or Ioane, to the canes please - they'll be 100% top 10 there!

[mariner4life]

@Tim said in Highlanders v Sharks:

@mariner4life said in Highlanders v Sharks:

you could make a decent argument that Ioane is the 2nd best 10 in the country

LOL, come on! The guy is miles off test quality.

that's not what i said. who is better?

[Tim]

@mariner4life Barrett, Mounga, even Hunt.

[Stargazer]

@Tim and Dmac (yes, even him)

[Tim]

@Stargazer yep, forgot him.

[mariner4life]

Mounga is #1

Barrett isn't in the country. and it's questionable

the others? come on

[Canes4life]

@mariner4life seriously guys, surely Fletcher Smith deserves a mention here.

[Stargazer]

The Highlanders are vowing to play a high-tempo, ball-in-hand style under Brown, much like Japan at the Rugby World Cup, and vice-captain Ash Dixon confirmed Brown's style would ask a lot of the Highlanders' fitness levels.

"To play the game he wants to play you've got to be pretty fit," Dixon said.

"Obviously we've got the Japanese trainer as well [Highlanders conditioning coach Simon Jones], and the game plan and fitness are pretty aligned, so it's been pretty heavy around preseason."

Intriguingly, DIxon also revealed that Brown has returned to Dunedin with even more attacking ideas.

"Brownie's always got a lot of new tricks up his sleeve," Dixon said.

"It's quite cool, because he always makes you think.

"We've got a couple of new things this year we're going to have a crack at, so hopefully we can show that at the weekend."

.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/119284022/super-rugby-highlanders-start-all-blacks-no-9-aaron-smith-against-sharks

[Machpants]

@Stargazer said in Highlanders v Sharks:

@Tim and Dmac (yes, even him)

Cruden

[taniwharugby]

Tony Brown

[Yeahtheboys]

@DrivingMaul wdym, what’s the size difference between Ioane and Esterheizan ?🤣

[Jonty lean]

It just annoys me that they use hammington than giving fakatava the spot

[Bones]

Ioane was easily the 2nd best ten in NZ last year. Don't see why he shouldn't be this year.

Should be able to make a similar impact at 12 I guess. I'm skeptical but interested to see how this pans out...it better have nothing to do with Hammett. He's no Walden though.

Anyway, looking forward to the Highlanders proving a few wrong.

[Machpants]

So you think Ioane was a better ten than either Barrett or Mo'unga, really? No way, he was third choice, and a long way back

[OomPB]

Sharks

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Jeremy Ward

[OomPB]

@OomPB Try-scoring wing Sbu Nkosi has a minor niggle and will miss this game, handing newly-recruited Madosh Tambwe a debut start.

[OomPB]

Sharks have a very good chance winning this. They do enjoy playing in NZ. If their forwards produce enough possession the backline can do the rest. I never like Louis Schreuder, should started Nohamba .

[Machpants]

@OomPB They certainly do, Highlanders were dead set for bottom of NZ table... until Canes and Blues fought over offering them to hold their beers!

[cgrant]

@Stargazer said in Highlanders v Sharks:

Great to see Mikaele-Tu'u get the first shot at no. 8, but again Hammington on the bench and not Fakatava.

I am also eager to see what Teariki Ben-Nicholas can do at this level.

[Stargazer]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/119312938/super-rugby-highlanders-midfielder-rob-thompson-bulks-up-for-big-year