Rebels vs Highlanders
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@NTA said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
That was a good game. A couple of those rebels tries were amazing, and you have to wonder if they would have been a better side picking Gordon-To'omua from the get go at 10-12
Can't help but think Faamausilipenalty and Leotaforthepenalty might be better off the bench too.
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@Mattasaurus said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
Highlanders - played 14, won 4..
In the finals 🙄Participation Award?
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That fullback for the Rebels, Nick Jooste, played a very good game. Runs hard, has size, covers the ground well and has good timing coming into the line.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
That fullback for the Rebels, Nick Jooste, played a very good game. Runs hard, has size, covers the ground well and has good timing coming into the line.
Is he an U20 player? Thinking I've heard his name either there or 7s
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@NTA said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@ACT-Crusader said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
That fullback for the Rebels, Nick Jooste, played a very good game. Runs hard, has size, covers the ground well and has good timing coming into the line.
Is he an U20 player? Thinking I've heard his name either there or 7s
I don’t think I’ve seen him play before. Late start inclusion too because Hodge was named at 15.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@NTA said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@ACT-Crusader said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
That fullback for the Rebels, Nick Jooste, played a very good game. Runs hard, has size, covers the ground well and has good timing coming into the line.
Is he an U20 player? Thinking I've heard his name either there or 7s
I don’t think I’ve seen him play before. Late start inclusion too because Hodge was named at 15.
Australia U20s according to google. 2016-7
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Well, well...in the finals.....can you believe it.... Will have far too much firepower for the Blues. They won't know what has hit them!
Jeez, Smith looks a pale shadow of his former self.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack it's only 2 games ago Smith was back in business!
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was smith that bad? to me he looked solid rather than world beating as he so often does
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
Jeez, Smith looks a pale shadow of his former self.
Couldn't disagree more.
His ability to hit a runner with a flick of the wrists and a bullet pass is unmatched. He plays the refs well, he's a lock for the RWC next year (gulp).
Fakatava looked good, but brought something different against a tiring side. Don't be sucked in, it's the 2007 Byron Kelleher argument all over again
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@nzzp dont forget that runner if often 15-20m away and not the obvious target
@Bones said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
Yuuuuck. Kept in it by shining moments from Harmon, MMT, Fakatava, TUJ.
Paea with his best game though eh, he did one slightly positive thing. Smith with his worst.
yeah, those guys really do stand out above the rest
I have to say I kind of like the mongrel Dickson has developed this year...taken it too far a few times but also put in load of really dominant tackles as well as a safe lineout option
im not going to bag our makeshift outside backs or even someone like koroi for missing that conversion, theyve all either just recently joined the team of been right on the outer...and then we expect them to come in and win it? if browny called me today and asked me to play im 100% turning up....not going to say "nah mate...not sure im good enough"
I do wonder what the deal is with Vahaakolo though, plays with lots of these guys for otago and obviously played earlier in the season..but now we bring in van Vugt, i think its weird we can bring in replacements when we have unused outside backs in our original squad, we should not be able to have someone like Tikoisolomone in the original squad and then just say...hes not ready we'll have someone else thanks
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@Kiwiwomble said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
I do wonder what the deal is with Vahaakolo though, plays with lots of these guys for otago and obviously played earlier in the season..but now we bring in van Vugt, i think its weird we can bring in replacements when we have unused outside backs in our original squad, we should not be able to have someone like Tikoisolomone in the original squad and then just say...hes not ready we'll have someone else thanks
I think the thing with Van Vugt was he was bought in before the mentioned players and then got injured in the pre-season.
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@SouthernMann really? dont remember ever hearing of him before last week, if so may bad
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He has already played 4 seasons for the Stags and has re-signed for his 5th. Also played two seasons for Rugby Atlanta in the MLR.
van Vugt Back for Fifth Season with SBS Bank Southland Stags
Southland outside back Rory van Vugt is back for the 2022 Bunnings NPC season. Rory, 24, made his debut for...
Agree he isn't really a player many will have had on their radar for the Highlanders. -
@Stargazer yeah, i should have said vaguely familiar with him at NPC level, just had missed him in any super discussions
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@nzzp said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
Jeez, Smith looks a pale shadow of his former self.
Couldn't disagree more.
His ability to hit a runner with a flick of the wrists and a bullet pass is unmatched. He plays the refs well, he's a lock for the RWC next year (gulp).
Fakatava looked good, but brought something different against a tiring side. Don't be sucked in, it's the 2007 Byron Kelleher argument all over again
I just wish he could offer a running threat, he just doesn’t go anymore. That is bad news at international level, as they can relax around the ruck when he’s there. Unless it’s dry powder…
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@Machpants i honestly think its just as much we dont have the weapons to back him up if he does run...and he knows it, so he's playing "safer", feed someone for a small hit up and make sure he's there to feed the next one...and the next one. If he runs he risks getting isolated and possibly at the bottom of a ruck
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@Kiwiwomble said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
@Machpants i honestly think its just as much we dont have the weapons to back him up if he does run...and he knows it, so he's playing "safer", feed someone for a small hit up and make sure he's there to feed the next one...and the next one. If he runs he risks getting isolated and possibly at the bottom of a ruck
OK that’s a fair point!
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@Machpants said in Rebels vs Highlanders:
I just wish he could offer a running threat, he just doesn’t go anymore. That is bad news at international level, as they can relax around the ruck when he’s there. Unless it’s dry powder…
I've wondered about this over the last couple of years. Opposition teams know that if Smith is picking up the ball you can pretty much guarantee it's either going to be kicked (averagely) or passed (brilliantly) - he isn't going to run it. This was all good when the forwards did their jobs and the backs did theirs. This isn't always the case at the moment.
Still he's still head and shoulders above the next best. And we don't want to head down the Brendon Leonard route if we don't have to.
