NPC 2023
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@Yeetyaah Waikato was in the 2nd Div when I started going to games and I remember the finals to gain promotion. That format wouldn't work in the professional era as the best players would migrate to the Div 1 teams and the rest would be like Heartland provinces.
Whatever NZR decides to do they can't make changes to the NPC without taking into account where SR fits in the rugby landscape too.
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Hard for NZR to use the financial stick and not cull Wellington - I mean would they be defending champs and Ranfurly Shield holders if they were financially prudent? So naturally NZR will have to come up with some other B/S criteria to get their own way. But given their governance review in combination with their lack of marketing of the NPC they clearly are going to do what they want to do not matter what.
As I said in another thread, they want NZR to follow a more business approach, rather than a rugby approach, which winds up like Oz with a wingnut like Kim Jong McLennan in charge ... and we've all seen what happens when you do that.
Also, kind of typical of NZR that this news leaks after a good AB performance. Can't have happy fans for too long.
@Steven-Harris said in NPC 2023:
Gotta say though , there might be a revolution if NZ Rugby decided to tread this path
NZR & franchise bases v provinces Civil War.
The NZRFU have truely done a shit job running the NPC as a competition. The teams are performing well, lots of close games and upsets. As for comments the standards have dropped, I think that’s wrong and just looking at the past with rose tinted glasses. The game keeps changing, throwing up new challenges, we are losing players to offshore clubs, but our rugby is still of a high quality, and it’s never been more important to keep NZs rugby base wide and to have new ideas, ways of playing the game, and players promoted. This competition does that. It’s always been at the heart of our success.
SR on the other hand is a hot mess. Factory teams created for money with no heart with Corporate ownership - how did that ever happen? The worst example are the Blues. They have been a disaster for such a long time - summed up by paying big money for league players that have been abject failures, when they have a massive player base.
NB: I see another English side has gone under. International Clubs are paying over the top for players with money that comes from outside the game. Japan is a prime example. It’s a false economy that will destroy our rugby if we let it by killing off our local competition.
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From the NPC website:
Should be good close games. Wellington will be gutted to be playing Waikato... arguably the second best team in the competition on form.
I'd be favouring the chances of at least one away side winning.
Canterbury by 5
Wellington by 3
Ta$man by 6
Bay of Plenty by 19 -
@Canes4life they will be pretty narly about the weekend loss no question ,fire has been lit i suspect
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@Canes4life said in NPC 2023:
@frugby I'm hoping the Wellington loss over the weekend was just a case of getting too complacent and not a sudden drop in form. I'm backing the Lions to hit back with some steel his week.
I absolutely expect that to happen, which is why I have picked them to win the game - but it'll be close I think.
Waikato aren't your usual 8th-placed team in a 14-team comp that will roll over first week of the playoffs. There a side who were ravaged by injuries, but have all of a sudden put some form together, beating both Auckland and Canterbury in the last three weeks in-between pummelling Otago.
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Yep, but that doesn't change the fact Fergus Burke has been the best 10 in the competition.
Sorry, I didn't realise you were posting an objective team that isn't allowed any dissension.
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Surprisingly he doesn't have a SR contract as of now.
Has not re signed with MP yet, maybe he was hanging out for a contract somewhere else.Not really surprising, sometimes NZ rugby just decides they don't like a player. He could be as. good as Fergus Burke and no NZ team will pick him up (in saying that I hope I'm wrong).
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Yep, but that doesn't change the fact Fergus Burke has been the best 10 in the competition.
Sorry, I didn't realise you were posting an objective team that isn't allowed any dissension.
Sorry, didn't mean to offend. McClutchie has been good, no doubt, but do you think he has been better than Burke?
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Surprisingly he doesn't have a SR contract as of now.
Has not re signed with MP yet, maybe he was hanging out for a contract somewhere else.Not really surprising, sometimes NZ rugby just decides they don't like a player. He could be as. good as Fergus Burke and no NZ team will pick him up (in saying that I hope I'm wrong).
Playing devils advocate here, could there be other factors at play? Was mentioned somewhat in gest that the whole Shield-gate may be an explanation as to why a lot of Hawke's Bay players have been contracted by the NZ sides in the past.
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Surprisingly he doesn't have a SR contract as of now.
Has not re signed with MP yet, maybe he was hanging out for a contract somewhere else.Who will MP run at 10 then I wonder?
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Burke
McClutchie has been on fire this season, guiding the Magpies to a few wins that didn't look likely.
Surprisingly he doesn't have a SR contract as of now.
Has not re signed with MP yet, maybe he was hanging out for a contract somewhere else.Not really surprising, sometimes NZ rugby just decides they don't like a player. He could be as. good as Fergus Burke and no NZ team will pick him up (in saying that I hope I'm wrong).
Playing devils advocate here, could there be other factors at play? Was mentioned somewhat in gest that the whole Shield-gate may be an explanation as to why a lot of Hawke's Bay players have been contracted by the NZ sides in the past.
That's some reaching to be honest, aside from McClutchie the home grown players worthy of Super contracts have them and we have a lot of PIs and fringe players with contracts for non NZ teams too.
I know you're only playing devils advocate, but how on earth would what happened on the weekend effect the historical selection of HB players?
