Highlanders 2022
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@Kiwiwomble Fun but still shit
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@98blueandgold said in Highlanders 2022:
@Kiwiwomble Fun but still shit
made the SRTT final so only as shit as everyone else
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@Kiwiwomble just like we made the playoffs this year with 4 wins! Great season
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@98blueandgold damn, you must be fun at parties, huge difference to this year, last year we had wins over the saders, blues and chiefs and all the aussies teams
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@Kiwiwomble yeah in 2021 for instance I took great joy in watching Jona Nareki light up the comp, 2022 will be a fleeting memory in the grand scheme
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Enjoyed watching 39-1 Highlanders
Crazy listening to Aaron Smith how Jamie Joseph rang him in 2011,offering him a contract with the highlanders ..Smith was with the Blues wider training squad ..he contacted the Blues out of respect to see if they were prepared to give him a contract ..they wanted to wait until after the NPC ..🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻..Pat Lam was the head coach ..Toby Morland was one of the halfbacks who was selected in the 2011 Blues squad WTF …
He wasn’t even the number 1 halfback in Otago ,in what world was he ever gonna be better than Aaron Smith ..?
Love to know who was in charge of recruiting for the Blues at that timeThis all happened on Andy Daltons watch who was the CEO of both Auckland and the Blues
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@Steven-Harris my memory of early Smith was he wasn't really anything special, looked like a great touch player though. Maybe something like Milo-Harris.
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@Bones what’s really annoying from Blues piece Andy Dalton was signing some pretty average players from out of the Blues region and also signing them for Auckland..
The Toby Morland one still gets my back up ..
Aaron Smith going to the Highlanders turned out to be the correct decision if you think about it ,Jamie Joseph could see his talent something Pat lam obviously couldn’t see ..Interesting to hear Nuggy talk about Ben Smith as well and how much he rated him
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@Steven-Harris nug loved Benders Dummy😆
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@Steven-Harris said in Highlanders 2022:
This all happened on Andy Daltons watch who was the CEO of both Auckland and the Blues
Shows how toxic the organisation was.
We lost Naholo as well - but to be fair he wasn't training properly, didn't care. Smith kinda showed up half heartedly as well; sometimes you need a kick in the arse to go to another level, rather than coast. Both found that at the Landers with the gritty underdog culture
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@nzzp said in Highlanders 2022:
@Steven-Harris said in Highlanders 2022:
This all happened on Andy Daltons watch who was the CEO of both Auckland and the Blues
Shows how toxic the organisation was.
We lost Naholo as well - but to be fair he wasn't training properly, didn't care. Smith kinda showed up half heartedly as well; sometimes you need a kick in the arse to go to another level, rather than coast. Both found that at the Landers with the gritty underdog culture
Also, worth noting the Blues had a policy of picking almost exclusively from within the region and only using a tiny number of imports. Smith was told he might get signed after the NPC.. Lam had to be cautious about how he used the import spots
That policy plus the lack of quality in the NPC regions really hurt the Blues. Harbour and Northland where at historic lows and Aucklands selection was bizarre at the time.. very little player development and strange journeymen signings. Anscombe deserves plenty of blame as well as Dalton for the selections
Lam was the target of a pretty nasty campaign in Auckland rugby politics. Plenty of it came from Anscombe and some of those stories still get repeated.
It's interesting to look back on the decade since that shit now. Lam did great work with Connacht and has created a strong Bristol team from scratch. He's been extended to 2028 and is a multi millionaire from his rugby knowledge (the highest paid non Test coach?)
Anscombe went overseas and destroyed Canadian rugbyApologies for the Auckland/Blues talk in this thread.. back to talking about the Highlanders
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Here is Roger Clark saying the Highlanders are expecting to announce a new coach within the next 10 days.
When asked about who it will be, in my mind he hinted it will be Dermody.
"The Highlanders intended to appoint a head coach who "understands our region, our people and our club, and can get the best out of the people they are working with".
Also interesting to see he stated 80% of the squad is signed for next year. The confirmed departures are Kayne Hammington, Bryn Evans, Sio Tomkinson and Liam Coltman. I'd be thinking Ngani Punivai, Solomon Alaimalo, Fetuli Paea, Marty Banks (hopefully a potential off field role), Jeff Thwaites and a loose forward might not be making it back either.
Highlanders coach announcement imminent
Chief executive Roger Clark says the Highlanders will announce their new coach within the next 10 days. Tony Brown’s two-year, second stint as...
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@SouthernMann Noah Hotham about to secure himself a super rugby contract!
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i like dermody in general...but i am a little concerned what we need a is sea change...guess we'll see
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@FakatavaFuture said in Highlanders 2022:
@SouthernMann Noah Hotham about to secure himself a super rugby contract!
He is 100% getting himself a Super Rugby contact. I just hope it is with us.
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@SouthernMann What was the deal with Thwaites this season? Was he injured or just not rated anymore. Even with injuries Ma'u was selected ahead of him. Speaking of props, it is time to move on from Hohneck.
