Auckland Rugby 2021

Duluth

@kiwimurph said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

no Manu Paea or Grindley?

Sam Wye chosen instead of Manu Paea?

Grindlay went home to Taranaki

I saw someone mention that Paea has not played in the preseason and might be injured

Tim

4 hookers?

Lay to play tighthead off the bench?

Wonder where Marco Fepulea'i is?

No Josh Beehre either.

Steven Harris

A message sent to me from a contact , he’s a hard out Auckland supporter ..

Meihana Grindlay told by Auckland that they want to spend 18 months to 2 years longer developing him before playing at NPC. Has signed with the Chiefs and Taranaki for 2 years. While Auckland sign and bring in Solomons Kata
What the F..K..!

Duluth

@tim said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

Wonder where Marco Fepulea'i is?

Google says he’s playing major league rugby for LA

Tim

McKenzie and Tangitau too young I suppose.

Tim

@duluth I thought he was back playing club rugby this year, but that might have been Adams.

Bovidae

@steven-harris said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

A message sent to me from a contact , he’s a hard out Auckland supporter ..

Meihana Grindlay told by Auckland that they want to spend 18 months to 2 years longer developing him before playing at NPC. Has signed with the Chiefs and Taranaki for 2 years.

Surely not a full Chiefs contract?

Grindlay is still a work in progress. At schoolboy level he could use his size and power to run over people but there wasn't much subtlety to his game. So, like Kata.

Duluth

@steven-harris said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

A message sent to me from a contact , he’s a hard out Auckland supporter ..

Meihana Grindlay told by Auckland that they want to spend 18 months to 2 years longer developing him before playing at NPC. Has signed with the Chiefs and Taranaki for 2 years. While Auckland sign and bring in Solomons Kata
What the F..K..!

Didn't you say recently you've known Ieremia for a long time? One of the biggest criticisms of him has been that he is reluctant to give younger players a chance. It'd be interesting to know Ieremia's reasoning

With the Hookers picked I'm a little concerned the Alama won't be picking Vikena very often

Tim

Does Anae play more as a prop or a hooker these days? Seems he was at the Rebels as a prop? Only four non-AB props otherwise.

Tim

By position:

Prop

Hodgman
Jordan Lay
Anae
Renata
H Tuipulotu
Ta'avao
Tu'ungufasi

Hooker

Vikena
Apisai
Abel

Lock

Scrafton
Kalapu
Lane
Dalzell

Loose Forward

Choat
Gibson
Reidlinger-Kapa
S Tuipulotu
Vai
Jones
Ekuasi
Peita
Ioane

Halfback

Ruru
Funaki
Wye

First Five

Plummer (c)
Hollinshead

Midfield

Evans
Heem
Kata

Wing

Rayasi
Lam
Clarke
Tuivasa-Sheck

Fullback

Sullivan
Trainor

Duluth

@tim

He started at prop for Samoa vs the NZ Maori's recently. I skimmed through the recent Rebels teams and it looks like he was only at prop this year

That makes more sense than 4 hookers

Tim

Midfield could be very thin this year.

Murray to get a call up at some stage? Lam to cover centre? Plummer forced to spend time at 12?

Duluth

@tim said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

Plummer forced to spend time at 12?

Hopefully Plummer stays at 10. Hollinshead has played plenty of rugby at 12

KiwiMurph

Clarke is also a possibility to cover centre.

Hopefully Evans gets first crack at 12.

Tim

What 23 to you guys expect for the first game?

1 Hodgman
2 Vikena
3 Renata
4 Dalzell
5 Scrafton
6 Choat
7 Gibson
8 S Tuipulotu

9 Ruru
10 Plummer
11 Rayasi
12 Evans
13 Heem
14 Lam
15 Sullivan

16 Apisai
17 Lay
18 Tu'ungufasi
19 Kalapu
20 Ekuasi
21 Funaki
22 Hollinshead
23 Kata/Reidlinger-Kapa

KiwiMurph

@tim Looks about right.

With Alama in charge again and with all the disruption/noise I'm expecting another frustrating campaign like last year (whilst they very nearly won the comp they didn't play particularly well all year - it was a lot of individual brilliance bailing them out) - on paper that's a useful team though.

Could be a in a bit of a hole early with Canterbury and Ta$man first up.

Hopefully Zarn's head is ok. Don't want to be risking that.

Kirwan

@kiwimurph said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

@tim Looks about right.

With Alama in charge again and with all the disruption/noise I'm expecting another frustrating campaign like last year (whilst they very nearly won the comp they didn't play particularly well all year - it was a lot of individual brilliance bailing them out) - on paper that's a useful team though.

Could be a in a bit of a hole early with Canterbury and Ta$man first up.

Hopefully Zarn's head is ok. Don't want to be risking that.

Significant drop in the loose forward quality thanks to AB callups and Alama's drama. Could be a struggle if we get injuries there.

taniwharugby

@kirwan loosie reserves I saw on Saturday looked capable enough, although they were against our bench too, where our drop off is greater.

Think we counted 15 reserves you had kitted up here that got a run on Saturday.

African Monkey

@steven-harris So he packed a sad like a lot of youngsters do these days and left? What happened to proving yourself instead of just expecting opportunities to be handed to you on a plate haha.

muddyriver

@african-monkey when the offer is Super plus NPC, id say thats a very very easy decision. and the right one, without doubt

The Silver Fern

Auckland Rugby 2021