Hawkes Bay vs. North Harbour (RS)
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@Billsy111 said in Hawkes Bay vs. North Harbour (RS):
@JK Let's get one thing straight North Harbour are a major threat, we all know that. But where Hawkes Bay have the advantage is up front. Harbour have an inexperienced pack, especially at Shield level. The Bay will boosted no end by Brodie Retallick, there's no question about that. To beat this Harbour team, you need to disrupt there lineout, slow there ruck ball down, so players like Gatland, Li, Telea become non effective. Booth at halfback is a threat around the edges if you let him be. Harbour will I think play a hit and run game. They'll speed it up and want quick ball, simply because they can't match the Bay pack if it's a forward slog. For the Bay it's a matter of grinding there pack down, good lineout ball, rolling mauls, and release it when Harbour are back footing. No silly off loads, play the percentage game, and wear there pack down. Do that and the Shield stays. But if Harbour get off to a really quick start, as they have lately against the Bay, and it may be a different story. I'm really hoping the Bay pack show exactly what they can do this weekend
Err thanks mate, really really glad we got that straight......
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hbmagpies BREAKING: Brodie Retallick is back in the Black and White hoops for the first time since 2011!
Brodie Retallick has been named in the starting line-up for the Magpies v North Harbour match on Saturday 27th August, 2:05pm. Stay tuned for the full team naming tomorrow at 8am! ⚫⚪ -
@Stargazer wow look at that forward pack!
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Strong looking squad. Apart from - obviously - Brodie Retallick at 4, a deserved start for Tyrone Thompson; his first in the Magpies jersey. Great to see that the coaches finally realise that Ili should start at 13 instead of Grigg. Still coach's pet Tiatia at 15 though. Would have preferred Makene at fullback, so we have proper 10 cover as well.
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@Stargazer it's not Tyrone's first start, he started against Otago and scored the first try that night🙂
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The rain has arrived in Napier about an hour ago and looks like it has set in for a while. The forecast for tomorrow is not flash with showers all day until mid afternoon and a fresh sou-wester. Overnight temp tonight = 10 (currently 13 - down from 18 just 90 minutes ago) and tomorrow's high estimated to be 15degrees. All in all it looks to be not a nice rugby watching afternoon for the fans and those in the tipping competitions might want to revise the amount of points scored down a bit as it seems unlikely there will be much razzle dazzle flash backline movements given the forecast!
Still forecasts have been known to be wrong here in the Bay, fingers crossed that it is this time but either way it will be damp and a bit heavy underfoot, or what passes as heavy underfoot with these modern sand based surfaces these days. -
