NPC 2023

[foobaNZ]

@Nepia I fear it's too late. If done right the club footy passion could translate to NPC. If I wander down to a club game there is often more passion than at a Lions fixture unfortunately.

[Nepia]

@foobaNZ said in NPC 2023:

@Nepia I fear it's too late. If done right the club footy passion could translate to NPC. If I wander down to a club game there is often more passion than at a Lions fixture unfortunately.

There's still lots of passion in the provinces. Best we just cut you big city blokes out of it and share your NPC players around to the rest of the squads and we'll leave you to your club rugby.

[mikedogz]

Aug 7, 2023  /  Sport

Rugby: Hurricanes, Māori All Blacks lock Isaia Walker-Leawere cops one-month ban for cannabis | Newshub

He has entered a treatment programme to address his substance use.

[Bovidae]

He's from the East Coast!

[Canes4life]

@mikedogz pretty disappointing. Seems to reflect the form he’s had for the Canes recently. He hasn’t really kicked on like I thought he would. Maybe time the Canes move on from Izzy.

[Yeetyaah]

@mikedogz Bro got a whole month for smoking weed and Frizell got 2 weeks for a coward punch and threats of violence wtf NZR 🤡

[Stargazer]

@Yeetyaah Yeah, and as the boss of Drug Free Sport New Zealand says in that article, weed isn't perfomance-enhancing. It's utterly stupid of him, but it's not cheating!

[Yeetyaah]

@Stargazer Exactly, I mean obvs despite people's opinions it is still illegal but hardly worth the ban, maybe a fine and some kinda drug course idk.

[Steven Harris]

The first thing many unions need to look at is the salary cap , it’s fair to say many are flaunting the 1.1m salary cap paying overs for super players which is inflating the spend
Sticking to the cap might see a quality super rugby player stay at a smaller province , I know when Isi Tu’ungafasi made the Crusaders he went back to Northland demanding money that Northland couldn’t come up with ,hence he ended up at Ta$man
I know this really grated with Northland because they had held out an olive branch after he was unwanted by Auckland

I know of other unions where a very similar story has happened, I get that it’s an open market , but it doesn’t help when overs are being thrown out there
Some interesting changes coming next year

[African Monkey]

@Steven-Harris Haha a bit rich of Isi Tu'ungafasi to do that for such a bog average front rower. Did he not realise that he was only dragged down to Chch in the hope that they could convince Ofa to sign for them lol.

[Chris]

@African-Monkey said in NPC 2023:

@Steven-Harris Haha a bit rich of Isi Tu'ungafasi to do that for such a bog average front rower. Did he not realise that he was only dragged down to Chch in the hope that they could convince Ofa to sign for them lol.

That was very close to happening Ofa pulled out at the last minute.

[African Monkey]

@Chris Yes all the main sources on here were talking about it.

[Chris]

@African-Monkey

I don't know about people on here talking about it, just what I heard from my source when it was happening.

[foobaNZ]

@Nepia fair point re: big provinces. I still love the Lions even if the Canes get better support. They're both equal in my eyes

[taniwharugby]

@African-Monkey to be fair he did make good strides through the season and had improved considerably and I'd have had him back the following year.

[taniwharugby]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/132737842/new-zealand-rugby-boss-mark-robinson-says-current-npc-model-isnt-fit-for-purpose

[Chris]

@taniwharugby

It has been on the NZR agenda for a while now by the look of things,NPC is heading for an amateur or semi amateur competition.

[Kiwiwomble]

However, that clashes with NZ Rugby’s opinion that provincial unions should first and foremost concentrate on community rugby, with winning NPC titles no longer the priority.

.....nothing is going to generate interest in lower levels like having...nothing...to play for

I for one am shocked...shocked that the attendance figures are dropping given how little is done to get people to the games.....

I saw on the weekend the AB's instagram page posted a meme about not having AB's games to watch this weekend and just waiting...rather than encouraging people to go watch NPC...sums things up i think

[taniwharugby]

@Chris been on the agenda for over a decade really, NPC is the red-headed step child of NZR.

[Bovidae]

It's ironic, but more correctly sad, that NZR have created this problem with the NPC.