Blues 2021

[Bovidae]

@Tim I assume he played club rugby in Auckland this year?

[Tim]

@Bovidae Yeah, started a lot of games for College Rifles.

[Nogusta]

@Tim Not 100% sure but I heard a whisper that Ruru has been released.

[nzzp]

@Nogusta said in Blues 2021:

@Tim Not 100% sure but I heard a whisper that Ruru has been released.

surely not! If so, well done on the good oil.

[Tim]

@Nogusta Interesting. Wonder if his replacement would be Funaki or someone else?

[gt12]

@Tim said in Blues 2021:

@Nogusta Interesting. Wonder if his replacement would be Funaki or someone else?

Kid looks good.

[Stargazer]

If Ruru has been released ... it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Canes picked him up with TJP gone and Booth injured.

[Yeetyaah]

@Stargazer he'd be selected as a lock for the canes though eh?

[taniwharugby]

wow, I thought he has been bloody good for Auckland this year too, probably his best season.

[nzzp]

@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:

wow, I thought he has been bloody good for Auckland this year too, probably his best season.

I agree, based on what I have seen. His performance against Northland was top notch (sorry @taniwharugby )

[KiwiMurph]

He was good for Auckland, however, it's been proven he's not Super Rugby starter quality and arguably not even Super Rugby bench quality.

He's 27 years old - I'd rather the Blues have someone they think they can develop as the 3rd halfback.

[taniwharugby]

@KiwiMurph yeah there's that, maybe it's knowing there is pressure from Nock & Christie finally given him the arse kick he needed, OR, maybe he has requested a release knowing he may not get much time behind them?

[Duluth]

I would guess it's about signing a younger halfback like Funaki

If they signed all 3 established halfbacks another franchise might've given Funaki a full contract. In the short term it could be a bit of a risk though

[Nogusta]

@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:

wow, I thought he has been bloody good for Auckland this year too, probably his best season.

Agreed.
This was a 'whisper' I heard prior to the start of M10.

[Dice]

@Tim I think AJ Lam or Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens could possibly take that right wing spot off Mark Telea. Both had better M10 seasons than Telea.

[Dice]

@KiwiMurph The coaches basically gave up on him last season.

Sadly, his service is just not quick enough for Super Rugby.

[Crazy Horse]

I have yet to see AJ Lam do anything to make him stand out, good or bad. Have I missed something?

[Dice]

@Crazy-Horse He wasn't great in his last two games coming off injury, but before the injury, he was maybe the form winger in the M10.

[Bones]

@Crazy-Horse said in Blues 2021:

I have yet to see AJ Lam do anything to make him stand out, good or bad. Have I missed something?

Hah that's weird to see when I've missed the last couple of games and he was absolutely carving up prior to that. Wasn't he high up in both tries scored and assists?

[Tim]

Was there anything on the Breakdown of interest from Leon MacDonald?