Highlanders 2023
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An injury update on a couple of players in an ODT article
Big second-rower Pari Pari Parkinson has lost "a fair bit" of weight after battling a viral complaint and is not considered ready to play. Young Highlanders lock Fabian Holland has been diagnosed with a grade three hamstring tear and faces about 10 weeks on the sidelines. -
@Nepia said in Highlanders 2023:
@friedrugby said in Highlanders 2023:
Renton (Not signed yet, doesn't seem to be anyone else on the radar atm)
Weird that he hasn't been resigned, he's a bit of a glue player at the Highlanders.
Think that more so speaks of the strength of the Highlanders though - he is still quite limited, even if his effort can't be questioned. If I were in his shoes, seems a good time to go overseas because his stock will never be higher.
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@friedrugby said in Highlanders 2023:
@Nepia said in Highlanders 2023:
@friedrugby said in Highlanders 2023:
Renton (Not signed yet, doesn't seem to be anyone else on the radar atm)
Weird that he hasn't been resigned, he's a bit of a glue player at the Highlanders.
Think that more so speaks of the strength of the Highlanders though - he is still quite limited, even if his effort can't be questioned. If I were in his shoes, seems a good time to go overseas because his stock will never be higher.
So much discussion about how limited so many highlanders are, methinks it might indicate a lack of imaginative coaching...
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Highlanders stint challenges Burns
You will always get absolute honesty out of Freddie Burns. The Highlanders first five has revealed he has not completely enjoyed his experience in...
some interesting points, the fact he's disappointed with the crowds though is on him and shows how little thought some of the random signings give before signing, i dont think crowds have been any different to the last several years...hes also playing in dunedin so one of if not the smallest supporter base in the comp
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@Kiwiwomble I can totally imagine him being disappointed with the crowds in NZ/Dunedin. It's spot on. Crowds here are disappointing compared to Europe where you regularly see full stadiums. In NZ, people rather watch from their couch. Unexpected? No. Disappointing. Totally!
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@Stargazer said in Highlanders 2023:
@Kiwiwomble I can totally imagine him being disappointed with the crowds in NZ/Dunedin. It's spot on. Crowds here are disappointing compared to Europe where you regularly see full stadiums. In NZ, people rather watch from their couch. Unexpected? No. Disappointing. Totally!
of course the turn outs are shit, its just a pet peeve of mine, like someone the buys a house next to a bar of restaurant and complains about the noise...you want to play in front of big crowds....dont move to fucking dunedin
I think we can also learn from some of the english stadiums, half of them are less than 15k capacity and a few closer to 10k...rugby park in invercargill is 18k, too big stadiums make poor crowds look even worse
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@Kiwiwomble He doesn't sound like he's complaining in that interview. Just a remark. Geez.
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@Stargazer agree to disagree
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2023:
@Stargazer said in Highlanders 2023:
@Kiwiwomble I can totally imagine him being disappointed with the crowds in NZ/Dunedin. It's spot on. Crowds here are disappointing compared to Europe where you regularly see full stadiums. In NZ, people rather watch from their couch. Unexpected? No. Disappointing. Totally!
of course the turn outs are shit, its just a pet peeve of mine, like someone the buys a house next to a bar of restaurant and complains about the noise...you want to play in front of big crowds....dont move to fucking dunedin
I think we can also learn from some of the english stadiums, half of them are less than 15k capacity and a few closer to 10k...rugby park in invercargill is 18k too big stadiums make poor crowds look ever worse
Was just about to point out those "sold out" stadiums are pretty small.
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@Nepia id love to know what we paid him, i would love to find out it was bugger all because he wanted some new experience and maybe put himself in the shop window for a japanese gig...but i have no idea. With banks and millar getting injured and and hunt being a bit shit we would have needed someone else...but someone local would have been better
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Good article from Irish Paul on southern sport as a whole, starting with the Highlanders. Roger Clark pretty much confirming what we all know, we are getting the second tier. Approaching all the players we should be and getting declined. Then signing players no one else wanted. Although pretty harsh on Nareki, and shows the desperation in signing Jonah Lowe.
"It’s been a grim run that has exposed their lack of game-changers and Clark is candid about their deficiencies. “You look at our backline at the moment, and most of our players wouldn't get picked in other teams – anyone in double digits anyway,” he says. “So, we've got a lot of work to do.”
This season was always going to be a slog. The next few years will be interesting, especially with prioritising home grown players.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/132022585/inside-the-struggles-of-sports-teams-in-the-south
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2023:
I was just reading that article too. There is an accompanying article specific to rugby which doesn't appear to be online.
It sits behind a payway, and so did an article I needed for work. So, now I've spent $45 on a Stuff subscription.
Highlanders provinces say success is sustainability, as Southland has a dig at Wellington
Southland rugby chief executive Steve Mitchell has loaded up on rugby development officers, increased player numbers, hired a director of rugby to look after all Southland sides not just the Stags, and would have been quite happy to stay in the now-dumped NPC Championship.
Those changes reflect the union’s shift of mindset, and the rare increase in participation rates – there will be a record number of teenage sides in Southland club rugby this year – points to the evolving role of provincial unions: forget about NPC titles, get boys and girls playing and balance the books.
“The NPC competition, the investment from the different PUs is not standard,” Mitchell said. “There's quite a bit of discrepancy and what's invested. There would be a challenge out there that the most expenditure leads to win.
“Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield and won the competition last year, but ended up with a $900,000 deficit. That's not sustainable. And that's what New Zealand Rugby challenged the provincial unions with about three years ago – to actually develop a sustainable delivery model.”
The Stags have struggled in the NPC over the past two years, winning just two games. But their high-performance budget is about $1 million – Auckland spent almost $5 million on commercial and high performance in 2022 – so that’s not surprising.
It’s also misleading in terms of the success of the Southland pathways. In the next few years, a group of eight Southland-born players – Ethan de Groot, Jack Taylor, Sean Withy, Will Stodart, Hayden Michaels, Cam Millar, Finn Hurley and Michael Manson – could all be in the Highlanders set-up.
Mitchell also points to this year’s strong Southland Boys’ High School team, which features two of Mils Muliaina’s nephews in the backline, Mika and Rico.
“There is a hell of a lot of more talent down here,” said Mitchell, who previously worked with Ta$man. “Now we're actually starting to service them a lot more effectively than we have in the previous 10 years.”
Otago chief executive Richard Kinley echoes many of Mitchell’s thoughts, particularly on the changing nature of provincial unions.
“We live a bit in both worlds,” he said. “A huge part of our business and focus is with our community game, working within their clubs and stakeholders to develop players, coaches, referees, and opportunities for people to participate.”
In fact, Kinley – who has been with Otago rugby for a 11 seasons – has a particular number etched into his brain. “When I started here, and I can still remember this, it was 7272,” he said in reference to the number of registered players in the union.
It currently sits around 8000, although no one in provincial rugby needs reminding about the challenges around participation.
“I wouldn't have said there's been huge growth, which considering the impact of COVID is acceptable, but it's certainly something that we're always looking to,” Kinley said.
“That would lead to more locally grown players coming through that pipeline and high performance.”
Otago have established a Country Academy to capture as much talent as possible, but like Southland, Kinley says the relationship with the Highlanders has improved in recent years and there are now more than a dozen players sitting in their respective academies who have already been earmarked for Super Rugby contracts.
In fact, Kinley is confident that Otago and Highlanders fans will soon start to see the fruits of that work.
“I'm actually genuinely excited about the Otago squad this year,” he said, citing youngsters Cam Millar, Oli Haig, Finn Hurley and halfbacks Nathan Hastie and James Arscott. “I think there's a balance that I haven't seen as much as I see this year and next year.
“We've got some really good experienced players retained, but we've got some exceptional talent coming through.”
- Stuff
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