Blues 2023
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This is the last year of Eklund's contract. With his drop in form, I wonder if he will leave at the end of the season? Any ideas on who might replace him?
Eklund signed as fulltime replacement - The Blues
Bay of Plenty hooker Kurt Eklund has been named as fulltime replacement for the Blues for the 2021 Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa season. Eklund will replace hooker James Parsons who last week announced his retirement on medical advice. Eklund’s outstanding performances for Bay of Plenty in 2019 led to...
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@SBW1 Pretty happy with this. I not Reiko's greatest fan , but a fan regardless, but it's more about us keeping some of these players is whats pleasing me. Getting some players we can keep building a team around!
I will add although he not Blues I hoping like hell NZR get DMac's (and JB's)signature until 27 for same reason, he will be a 10 we can build a team around with a few young ones!
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@nzzp said in Blues 2023:
If he stays fit, could threaten Dougie's record of test tries. Needs 16 to equal it, and has 33 in 59 tests over 6 years. Four per year is super doable ...
Man, Doug was awesome
I will always remember that time he burned Jason Robinson at Twickenham. Sooo good.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2023:
If he stays fit, could threaten Dougie's record of test tries. Needs 16 to equal it, and has 33 in 59 tests over 6 years. Four per year is super doable ...
Man, Doug was awesome
I wonder what his tries rate would be if he wasn't dropped for Bridge and hadn't moved to centre.
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@Nepia said in Blues 2023:
@nzzp said in Blues 2023:
If he stays fit, could threaten Dougie's record of test tries. Needs 16 to equal it, and has 33 in 59 tests over 6 years. Four per year is super doable ...
Man, Doug was awesome
I wonder what his tries rate would be if he wasn't dropped for Bridge and hadn't moved to centre.
To be fair, he'd be offshore by now. Wingers don't stay late in NZ rugby - very rare to have a winger past 26/27. And the centre shift was well underway before Bridge got selected. Man, Hansen post -17 struggled with some selections.
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@nzzp said in Blues 2023:
@Nepia said in Blues 2023:
@nzzp said in Blues 2023:
If he stays fit, could threaten Dougie's record of test tries. Needs 16 to equal it, and has 33 in 59 tests over 6 years. Four per year is super doable ...
Man, Doug was awesome
I wonder what his tries rate would be if he wasn't dropped for Bridge and hadn't moved to centre.
To be fair, he'd be offshore by now. Wingers don't stay late in NZ rugby - very rare to have a winger past 26/27. And the centre shift was well underway before Bridge got selected. Man, Hansen post -17 struggled with some selections.
Agree with all of that.
It's also worth pointing out that RI had calf troubles in the lead up to the RWC. He was meant to play in the Bledisloe just before the competition but withdrew with the injury. During the Cup the coaches tried to nurse him through but his acceleration was gone
2020 was the year they slowly moved him from wing to centre at the national level, mostly from the bench. He should've played more that year IMO
2019 5 Tests (4 starts)
2020 5 Tests (2 starts) -
Rieko signed up is great news for AB rugby.
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Akira Ioane ready to resume All Blacks bid
Akira Ioane will make his return from a knee injury this weekend.
Ioane has been one of several All Blacks to sustain significant injuries during the Super Rugby Pacific season and, speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Elliott Smith, he noted he had been able to gain some perspective through the severity – or lack thereof – of his injury.
“I was gutted with what happened, but big picture, there’s still a lot of games left to play and some boys are out for nine months like Sevu [Reece],” Ioane said. “I’m just grateful and lucky that it was my MCL and not an ACL or something like that.”
“They’ve put me through the hurt locker over the last couple of weeks just trying to get back to where I was or better. It’s been going well, the knee’s all good and I’ve been enjoying getting back out there with the boys in training.”
Ioane’s return is timely, as coach Leon MacDonald has taken the opportunity to give Dalton Papali’i an extra week off following the bye to allow more time for a niggling rib injury to heal.
“Dalts has battled away with a rib injury right through that first half of the season,” MacDonald said.
“He’s been playing week to week in a bit of discomfort, so to block off two weeks without doing any contact is really going to help that settle down well and hopefully mean he won’t have to manage it weekly and get him through to that second half of the season pain-free.”
