Super Rugby 2020

Bones

@Machpants is it not starting again?

Machpants

Nope but no way the landers are anything but roadkill this year. We'll be a happy 3rd or 4th

Bones

@Machpants said in Super Rugby 2020:

Nope but no way the landers are anything but roadkill this year. We'll be a happy 3rd or 4th

If it starts again it'll be funny to watch JMac and Jackson do the other side of their Jekyll and Hyde act. Oh hello 5th!

Tim

Will be interesting to see if Pari Pari Parkinson is still the softest player in New Zealand.

Bones

@Tim said in Super Rugby 2020:

Will be interesting to see if Pari Pari Parkinson is still the softest player in New Zealand.

And if matchbox 20 get booed off stage.

Tim

@Bones I hope he lost those four kilograms that were the subject of 100 odd articles.

Bones

@Tim said in Super Rugby 2020:

@Bones I hope he lost those four kilograms that were the subject of 100 odd articles.

I'm sure Hammett had him get in the gym to add another 4. supercoach

hydro11

@JK said in Super Rugby 2020:

Interesting that it only mentions a single North vs South match. I'd heard this was to be a 3 match series

That would heavily cut into Mitre 10 Cup.

Yeetyaah

Might be a weird suggestion, but a top 3 finals might work okay. Super rugby used to have a 6 team finals in where the top 2 teams go straight to the semis. Maybe the top team goes straight to the final and the 2nd and 3rd play it out for the final spot? Idk having no final is weird.

Stargazer

More and more players coming back from Europe, at the moment. Currently in quarantine are Colin Slade, Terrence Hepetema and Jordan Taufua. The last two are probably back temporarily, but Colin Slade is off-contract and French sources suggest he'll be playing for the Hurricanes next season. I'm keen to find out how much truth there is in that rumour.

Lots of other players off-contract, too, but as far as I know, they're not back in NZ yet. Maybe they're just moving clubs in the NH and staying there. Examples: Loni Uhila, Isaia Toeava, Kahn Fotuali'i, Liam Messam and Julian Savea. And that's only the players from the Top 14.

Ben Franks has retired.

It will be interesting to see whether some of them and some of the players that have come back from Japan, will be playing Super Rugby again, at least in 2020.

KiwiMurph

@Stargazer Sumo has mentioned Dixon, Hemopo and Squire for the Highlanders.

Back to the bench for Frizell then...

Tim

I'm not in favour of the limited wage pool being used to pay guys who went overseas. Keep the money for players committed to NZ rugby.

Stargazer

@KiwiMurph Don't care about Frizell, but I don't want Mikaele-Tu'u to lose his spot to players (most likely Dixon) who aren't committed to the future of the team, because they'll probably be heading off to the NH again, once things go back to normal if given the chance.

Stargazer

@Tim Couldn't agree more. If they're back to stay, fine. If they're just waiting to go back to Japan/Europe/MLR, then only use them as injury cover, and only if no one of the WTG is good enough.

KiwiMurph

just as well they don't have a former halfback to bring back - otherwise Fakatava would be even further behind in the pecking order and @Stargazer would riot.

Bones

@Stargazer to be honest I struggle to see a spot for Dixon unless injury strikes badly. Hemopo would be extremely useful though...if he stayed he'd make a fine trio with Cane and Savea...