New Zealand under 20

Canes4life

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="bobily" data-cid="578904" data-time="1463008052">
<div>
Nah, they got rid of that policy a few years ago for both NZ Schools and the U20 team.
 
And Umaga-Jenson will have a chance next year, but Emerson won't. The problem isn't to do with them not getting a chance, just that someone who didn't play that well made it ahead of them.
 
And yep, this is his 3rd year.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.worldrugby.org/u20/teams/2746'>http://www.worldrugby.org/u20/teams/2746</a>
 
Quite a few of the squad have 1997 birth years so are around next year, too :)
 
Possible team for next year, so far:
 
1.Pouri Rakete-Stones?
2.Asafo Aumua
3.Alex Fidow
4.Isaia Walker-Leaware
5.?
6.Luke Jacobson
7.Dalton Papalii
8.Marino Mikaele Tuu
9.Ere Enari
10.Stephen Perofeta/Orbyn Leger
11.
12.Jordie Barrett
13.Rieko Ioane
14.
15.Peter Umaga-Jenson
</div>
</blockquote>
 
Sione Asi from Otago Boys/Manawatu will go close next year as a tighthead prop.
 
Losi Filipo from Wellington will be a good pick for 11 or 14.

Nepia

I'm still bemused how Emerson missed out on this team. I'm not a huge fan of his yet, after all he went to Lindersfarne ... but in the match I watched he was probably the best player on the field and is likely a better out and out winger than Lowe is who did make the team (partially covering wing).
 
As for Auckland's lack of numbers, it's probably just a blip, but Auckland hasn't really dominated at schoolboy level for a while. Yes, there may be 1.5m people but if you take the Super 8 regions as an example there's likely close on 1m people and they probably have per capita higher numbers of players than in Auckland.

cgrant

The squad for the WC is :
 
FORWARDS Prop 
Ayden Johnstone Waikato 
Shaun Stodart Otago 
Sean Paranihi Canterbury 
Alex Fidow Wellington 
Sosefo Kautai Waikato Hooker 
Leni Apisai, captain Wellington/Hurricanes 
Asafo Aumua Wellington Lock 
Quinten Strange Ta$man 
Hamish Dalzell Canterbury Lock /Loose Forward 
Isaia Walker-Leawere Wellington 
Fin Hoeata Taranaki Loose Forward 
Mitchell Jacobson Waikato 
Luke Jacobson Waikato 
Dalton Papaliâ€™i Auckland 
Marino Mikaele Tu'u Hawkeâ€™s Bay 
Hapakuki Moala-Liava'a North Harbour BACKS 
Halfback 
Jonathan Taumateine Counties Manukau 
Sam Nock Northland/Blues First five-eighth 
Stephen Perofeta Taranaki 
TJ Vaâ€™a Wellington/Hurricanes Midfield 
Orbyn Leger Counties Manukau 
Jordie Barrett Canterbury 
Patelesio Tomkinson Otago/Highlanders Midfield/wing 
Jonah Lowe Hawkeâ€™s Bay 
Malo Tuitama Wellington Outside back 
Caleb Makene Canterbury 
Shaun Stevenson Waikato/Chiefs 
Jordan Trainor Waikato/Blues

sparky

Jordie Barrett looks like a Future All Black:
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>

</a>

Stargazer

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="cgrant" data-cid="584046" data-time="1464592915">
<div>
The squad for the WC is :
 
FORWARDS Prop 
Ayden Johnstone Waikato 
Shaun Stodart Otago 
Sean Paranihi Canterbury 
Alex Fidow Wellington 
Sosefo Kautai Waikato Hooker 
Leni Apisai, captain Wellington/Hurricanes 
Asafo Aumua Wellington Lock 
Quinten Strange Ta$man 
Hamish Dalzell Canterbury Lock /Loose Forward 
Isaia Walker-Leawere Wellington 
Fin Hoeata Taranaki Loose Forward 
Mitchell Jacobson Waikato 
Luke Jacobson Waikato 
Dalton Papaliâ€™i Auckland 
Marino Mikaele Tu'u Hawkeâ€™s Bay 
Hapakuki Moala-Liava'a North Harbour BACKS 
Halfback 
Jonathan Taumateine Counties Manukau 
Sam Nock Northland/Blues First five-eighth 
Stephen Perofeta Taranaki 
TJ Vaâ€™a Wellington/Hurricanes Midfield 
Orbyn Leger Counties Manukau 
Jordie Barrett Canterbury 
Patelesio Tomkinson Otago/Highlanders Midfield/wing 
Jonah Lowe Hawkeâ€™s Bay 
Malo Tuitama Wellington Outside back 
Caleb Makene Canterbury 
Shaun Stevenson Waikato/Chiefs 
Jordan Trainor Waikato/Blues
</div>
</blockquote>
 
Did it take the pigeon 3 whole weeks to reach you with the U20 squad list, cgrant? :shock:

Canes4life

I hope the players got the memo. They are set to leave in a few days!!

cgrant

France is very far !
More seriously, a friend of mine had just sent the list and I posted it without thinking that it was an old announcement. I must be turning :idiot2: .

rotated

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="cgrant" data-cid="584046" data-time="1464592915">
<div>
Jonah Lowe Hawkeâ€™s Bay
</div>
</blockquote>
 
It's the NZ equivalent of the Shaq effect.

Stargazer

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="rotated" data-cid="584114" data-time="1464608878">
<div>
It's the NZ equivalent of the Shaq effect.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
Excuse my ignorance, but what's the Shaq effect?

Frye

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="584123" data-time="1464614258">
Excuse my ignorance, but what's the Shaq effect?
</blockquote>
 I think rotated is suggesting that Jonah Lowe was named after a certain winger who was quite the phenom at the time.
 
<img src="https://harvardsportsanalysis.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/plot1.jpg?w=640" alt="plot1.jpg?w=640">

Stargazer

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Don Frye" data-cid="584125" data-time="1464614944">
<div>
I think rotated is suggesting that Jonah Lowe was named after a certain winger who was quite the phenom at the time.
 
<img src="https://harvardsportsanalysis.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/plot1.jpg?w=640" alt="plot1.jpg?w=640">
</div>
</blockquote>
 
If that's what he means, I'm 100% sure rotated is right.

rotated

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="584123" data-time="1464614258">
<div>
Excuse my ignorance, but what's the Shaq effect? 
</div>
</blockquote>
 
Don nailed it and they have all been filtering through the college basketball and football competitions in the past 2-3 years. I think four joined the NFL in the past 2 seasons out of college.
 
I guess as well has having more out there, if you have a parent who is going to name their kid exclusively after an athlete they are going to be more likely to push them into that sport too. At least that is my plan with little Kane, Carlos and Christian.
 
edit: I don't think NZs BDM lets you generate the same graph for Jonah, but even looking at <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/popular-baby-names'>Australia </a>here if you punch in Jonah you can see from 1995 onwards... boom.

Stargazer

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="rotated" data-cid="584130" data-time="1464616400">
<div>
Don nailed it and they have all been filtering through the college basketball and football competitions in the past 2-3 years. I think four joined the NFL in the past 2 seasons out of college.
 
I guess as well has having more out there, if you have a parent who is going to name their kid exclusively after an athlete they are going to be more likely to push them into that sport too. At least that is my plan with little Kane, Carlos and Christian.
 
edit: I don't think NZs BDM lets you generate the same graph for Jonah, but even looking at <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/popular-baby-names'>Australia </a>here if you punch in Jonah you can see from 1995 onwards... boom.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
I looked here: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Births-Deaths-and-Marriages-Most-Popular-Male-and-Female-First-Names?OpenDocument'>https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Births-Deaths-and-Marriages-Most-Popular-Male-and-Female-First-Names?OpenDocument</a>
in this document 
<ul type="disc"><li><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Top-baby-names-1954-2015/$file/Top-baby-names-1954-2015.xlsx'>1954 - 2015 Top 100 names at birth (xlsx 178kb)</a></li>
</ul>Jonah doesn't seem to be among the most popular boys names in any year.

Frye

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="rotated" data-cid="584130" data-time="1464616400">
<div>
 
edit: I don't think NZs BDM lets you generate the same graph for Jonah, but even looking at <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/popular-baby-names'>Australia </a>here if you punch in Jonah you can see from 1995 onwards... boom.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
 
I was a little skeptical but it looks like Lomu really could have kicked off the popularity.
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
 
The name has been steadily rising since 1996 when it ranked #312 with 78 births. It plateaued somewhat until 2006, after which it moved up through the Top 300 and spiked at #168 with 342 births in 2011. 
<div> </div>
 
</blockquote>
<div> </div>
 
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2014/06/jonah.html'>http://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2014/06/jonah.html</a>

Stargazer

Unfortunately, the NZ data only mention the most popular names, so they won't show a rise in popularity of the name Jonah, if that name wasn't among the top 100 popular boys names. Doesn't mean there wasn't an increase in popularity.

KiwiPie

According to sources, NZ U20s beat a Chiefs Dev/Mainly BOP side 35-21 yesterday in the Mount. They took control once the subs rolled on apparently as the BOP second stringers weren't at their level.

Immenso Rapido

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584078" data-time="1464599565">
Jordie Barrett looks like a Future All Black: <a class="bbc_url" href="

">

</a></blockquote>
 
He's a good cricketer too, although he missed the u19 team for this years u19 cwc, so looks like he is choosing right. And that team subsequently bombed out (even though it looked our best potential team in 10 years)

rotated

This kicks off in sleeps. Trying to get a gauge on the competition according to Paddy Power NZ are prohibitive favourites at evens.
 
Boks $3.50.
England $6.00.
Aussie $7.00
Wales, France $9.00
All others $40+.
 
So the Wales, Ireland, Georgia pool we have looks pretty weak.

profitius

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="rotated" data-cid="585115" data-time="1465065144">This kicks off in sleeps. Trying to get a gauge on the competition according to Paddy Power NZ are prohibitive favourites at evens. 
 
Boks $3.50. 
England $6.00. 
Aussie $7.00 
Wales, France $9.00 
All others $40+. 
 
So the Wales, Ireland, Georgia pool we have looks pretty weak.</blockquote>
 
Wales won the 6 nations grand slam and Ireland beat England away from home. England have strengthened since then but having them second favourites is due to past performances.

Margin_Walker

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="profitius" data-cid="585217" data-time="1465117130">
<div>
Wales won the 6 nations grand slam and Ireland beat England away from home. England have strengthened since then but having them second favourites is due to past performances.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
England will be a bit of an unknown quantity. The backline will be completely different with players who were busy playing AP rugby during the 6N coming back in (Brophy Clews, Mallinder, Williams, Thorley, Marchant). However the pack will be largely the same (Evans at openside the notable exception) and it's really not a vintage year on that front. The odds on England should certainly be longer than $6.00

The Silver Fern

New Zealand under 20