Exodus

[SBW1]

@stargazer There must be a good few hundred playing in all of the overseas competitions. I can remember an article over a decade ago which put a figure at 300 and that was mostly Europe and Japan.

[ARHS]

@sbw1 There are over 400 now, with a lot of players going to Japan or North American for the off season, if they miss a super contract. Japan 120+, France 100+, Americas 50 approx, Other Europe 100 approx, Offshore super teams 30+

Numbers in England and Guinness Pro 14 seem to be dropping.

[SBW1]

@arhs Offshore Super sides would mostly be Oz and Fiji, MP now that SA are out. England's rise has surely had a lot to do with the number of Kiwi coaches and players in their leagues, in the past anyway. Kind of seems we are exporting a lot of our rugby depth.

[muddyriver]

@sbw1 coaches is the big one. The coaching depth at mitre10 is very thin.

It will get worse and worse. We are the Brazil of rugby. When/if america grows out that will be the final nail in the coffin, referring to out Pro league being in the elite tiers.

[Higgins]

@arhs said in Exodus:

@sbw1 There are over 400 now, with a lot of players going to Japan or North American for the off season, if they miss a super contract. Japan 120+, France 100+, Americas 50 approx, Other Europe 100 approx, Offshore super teams 30+

Numbers in England and Guinness Pro 14 seem to be dropping.

Co-incidentally I was scanning through the squad on one of the teams that played earlier today and from the Washington Old Glory team they have Api Naikatini , Danny Tusitala, Kyle Stewart (ex Manawatu), Renata Roberts Te Nana, Peni Lasaqa (BoP), Willie Talataina (Ponsonby and who played a few games for Southand from memory) and even Junior Sau from the Kiwis years ago all in their squad. Then there is Callum Gibbons on their coaching staff as well.

[Bones]

Think here is best?

'He was actually really angry that I didn't know what I'd done'

Former All Blacks scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow is one heck of a storyteller, his entertaining yarns unfolding as quickly as his snappy pass.

[Bovidae]

@bones That was a good read. TKB's uncle Tukere was at Hamilton BHS when I was there. That was the connection for TKB to come to NZ.

[Yeetyaah]

@bovidae not so small world. His uncle, Rima, was a tutor at Polytech when I was doing a course there. A remember wearing a Chiefs jersey one day and he spoke about him.

[nostrildamus]

@bones said in Exodus:

Think here is best?

'He was actually really angry that I didn't know what I'd done'

Former All Blacks scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow is one heck of a storyteller, his entertaining yarns unfolding as quickly as his snappy pass.

Really enjoyed it, thanks Bones.
Surprised no eyebrows raised who he favours as best 9 or best coach (didn't he ever play under Foster?)

[Bones]

@nostrildamus said in Exodus:

Surprised no eyebrows raised who he favours as best 9 or best coach

Not sure what's so eyebrow raising? Or are you just using them to take another boring shot at Foster?

[nostrildamus]

@bones said in Exodus:

@nostrildamus said in Exodus:

Surprised no eyebrows raised who he favours as best 9 or best coach

Not sure what's so eyebrow raising? Or are you just using them to take another boring shot at Foster?
A1Aaron Smith not mentioned.
A2 guilty as charged. I was really more interested to read how highly he values and mentions Wayne Smith rather than Rennie, which might explain a few recent things overseas.

[Nepia]

@nostrildamus Did you miss the preceding sentence?

[KiwiMurph]

@nostrildamus Dupont is the World Player of the Year - it's not a huge leap to call him the best 9 in the world, especially considering TKB plays in France.

[muddyriver]

@kiwimurph and Arron Smith is geriatric

[nostrildamus]

@kiwimurph said in Exodus:

@nostrildamus Dupont is the World Player of the Year - it's not a huge leap to call him the best 9 in the world, especially considering TKB plays in France.

Oh I agree, plus he is a 9/10 in a way we don't seem to have here but just idly pointing out people were calling A Smith the best 9 in the world a few months ago. I think he has competition but yeah they play slightly different roles. This French team really looks like it is getting it together and not just for a game or two every so often.

[Crucial]

Anyway, I caught a bit of TKB playing last night. Still looks like he'd do well in black.

[nostrildamus]

@crucial said in Exodus:

Anyway, I caught a bit of TKB playing last night. Still looks like he'd do well in black.

If in similar form to pre-exodus, he'd be ranked #2 halfback perhaps? I liked his form in black. Workmanlike perhaps but efficient and excellent defender.

[Machpants]

'Blown away': Leicester snap up little known Kiwi Sean Jansen

Leicester have bolstered their back row options for the business end of the season by signing Sean Jansen from New Zealand.

[Margin_Walker]

Anyone know anything about Chandler Cunningham-South? Back row, played a bit of North Harbour and Canterbury age grade apparently. Signed an academy contract with London Irish a few weeks ago.

He's straight into the England U20s team (at 6) for their 6N game against Wales tomorrow.

[Higgins]

@machpants said in Exodus:

'Blown away': Leicester snap up little known Kiwi Sean Jansen

Leicester have bolstered their back row options for the business end of the season by signing Sean Jansen from New Zealand.

He is so little known that he was not included in the Otago NPC team last season https://www.orfu.co.nz/newsarticle/105465?newsfeedId=1294795 nor, it appears so, their Development/Academy team https://www.orfu.co.nz/HIGH-PERFORMANCE/otago-academy although, as the photo seems to indicate he was the North Otago No. 8 in the Lochore Cup Final against Wanganui last season

Heartland Championship finals: Team lists

The Heartland Championship comes down to the crunch on Sunday with finals for the Meads and Lochore Cups and the Bill Osborne Taonga to be unveiled following the fifth-place final in Gisborne.