Blues v Highlanders
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@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
Are there extended squads this year (and since the bubble)? It seems like an obvious need and I assumed they'd have allowed teams to have more players on the books.
The WTG is usually large (10-15 players) but that was clearly not enough for the Hurricanes.
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@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
Are there extended squads this year (and since the bubble)? It seems like an obvious need and I assumed they'd have allowed teams to have more players on the books.
The WTG is usually large (10-15 players) but that was clearly not enough for the Hurricanes.
I guess it has to be bad in certain positions, like front row. A few out there and you just can’t safely play
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@bovidae Partially because of the large numbers of players affected; probably also because one or more positions were affected. If - say - all your frontrowers, including those of the WTG, have tested positive, then there's not much you can do.
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@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
Are there extended squads this year (and since the bubble)? It seems like an obvious need and I assumed they'd have allowed teams to have more players on the books.
The WTG is usually large (10-15 players) but that was clearly not enough for the Hurricanes.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might have been a good idea to have a wider training squad, and probably a rotating WTG ready as backups for teams if they got caught short (or, the ability for teams to call up WTG players from other teams).
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@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
Are there extended squads this year (and since the bubble)? It seems like an obvious need and I assumed they'd have allowed teams to have more players on the books.
The WTG is usually large (10-15 players) but that was clearly not enough for the Hurricanes.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might have been a good idea to have a wider training squad, and probably a rotating WTG ready as backups for teams if they got caught short (or, the ability for teams to call up WTG players from other teams).
Isn't that already happening eg Coombes-Fabling moving from Chiefs WTG to Highlanders playing?
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@crucial said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
Are there extended squads this year (and since the bubble)? It seems like an obvious need and I assumed they'd have allowed teams to have more players on the books.
The WTG is usually large (10-15 players) but that was clearly not enough for the Hurricanes.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might have been a good idea to have a wider training squad, and probably a rotating WTG ready as backups for teams if they got caught short (or, the ability for teams to call up WTG players from other teams).
Isn't that already happening eg Coombes-Fabling moving from Chiefs WTG to Highlanders playing?
I thought so, which is why I don't get why teams like the Canes (who had heaps of time) aren't calling in players from other squads, I guess it's not being used in that way (which I understand, but it might have been better if they has set up some type of system).
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Early reports indicated that the franchise had at least one player test positive on Thursday evening and by Friday several other cases had been detected.
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@antipodean said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
So, who is the player the Blues can least afford to lose?
I'd say Christie. Every other player has a reasonable stand in, but the drop to Nock based on recent form is game altering.
I agree
the question isn't who's best, it's where the biggest step down is. I am a massive Nock fan, but he is nowheere near his best form this year.
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@nogusta said in Blues v Highlanders:
I heard Funakis on the bench.
So that means either FC or SN are impactedI wanted the Blues to have a look at Funaki soon. MacDonald can be conservative about giving new players game time. So there's a silver lining there
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@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might have been a good idea to have a wider training squad, and probably a rotating WTG ready as backups for teams if they got caught short (or, the ability for teams to call up WTG players from other teams).
I would guess that the SR teams aren't too interested in helping each other, even if it is for the greater good. Netball, which starts this weekend, is doing exactly what you propose by having a shared player pool. One Auckland team has even leant a player to the other so they can play this weekend.
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@taniwharugby I'm hearing Caleb Clarke
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@george33 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@taniwharugby I'm hearing Caleb Clarke
Stuff says mah boy Beaudy. Sad face emoji.
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It's not his own fault of course but Beaudy has been an absolute dud buy for the Blues
Takes a sabbatical/break in 2020 and plays a handful of games in Super Rugby Aotearoa with mixed results (he was bad vs Crusaders in Christchurch at fullback but excellent at 10 vs Highlanders in Dunedin)
2021 goes to Japan
2022 is injured/covid (so far)
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