Chiefs 2024
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@Tim I think the Chiefs should be heavy favourites for the title. They seem to have all bases covered and will be hurting from last year's final. The Crusaders without Mo'unga and Whitelock will be there or there abouts (most likely the final) but the Chiefs should favour themselves to go one better than last year.
The Blues, Brumbies and Hurricanes might be able to upset that prediction though if they can keep key players fit.
The rest of the teams don't seem to have enough firepower to do the business this year for me.
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@Canes4life said in Chiefs 2024:
@Tim I think the Chiefs should be heavy favourites for the title. They seem to have all bases covered and will be hurting from last year's final. The Crusaders without Mo'unga and Whitelock will be there or there abouts (most likely the final) but the Chiefs should favour themselves to go one better than last year.
The Blues, Brumbies and Hurricanes might be able to upset that prediction though if they can keep key players fit.
The rest of the teams don't seem to have enough firepower to do the business this year for me.
Chiefs without Cane, BBBR, and Weber are also a pretty different and much younger team.
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@gt12 yeah but the Chiefs still have an established 10, they have two All Black's ready to replace the dinosaur that was Rettalick, and Ratima is primed to have a big year at halfback. I don't actually think the Chiefs lose much when you think about it.
When you factor in the return of Tupaea and how deadly that back-three was last year behind a sound pack, the Chiefs are going to be very hard to beat.
Then again, I'm feeling quite confident about my maturing Canes side, who despite losing Ardie will have a raft of players starting to hit the so-called golden ages of 25/26, many whom will be pushing for national selection.
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@Canes4life said in Chiefs 2024:
yeah but the Chiefs still have an established 10, they have two All Black's ready to replace the dinosaur that was Rettalick, and Ratima is primed to have a big year at halfback. I don't actually think the Chiefs lose much when you think about it.
When you factor in the return of Tupaea and how deadly that back-three was last year behind a sound pack, the Chiefs are going to be very hard to beat.
Plus, unlike a few competitors, no head coach change. That means no transition period as new systems etc are introduced
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@Duluth said in Chiefs 2024:
@Canes4life said in Chiefs 2024:
yeah but the Chiefs still have an established 10, they have two All Black's ready to replace the dinosaur that was Rettalick, and Ratima is primed to have a big year at halfback. I don't actually think the Chiefs lose much when you think about it.
When you factor in the return of Tupaea and how deadly that back-three was last year behind a sound pack, the Chiefs are going to be very hard to beat.
Plus, unlike a few competitors, no head coach change. That means no transition period as new systems etc are introduced
I think this is the big thing in the Chiefs' favour, but I feel this is the most open season of Super Rugby in a while. Didn't seem to really matter whilst Razor was there, the Crusaders would always find a way.
What you really want to see is all the teams beating each other, as opposed to teams going on long unbeaten runs. Crusaders, Hurricanes and Blues hold the unknown, and the Highlanders the true youth, so they are probably a year away from properly challenging.
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@Canes4life said in Chiefs 2024:
@gt12 yeah but the Chiefs still have an established 10, they have two All Black's ready to replace the dinosaur that was Rettalick, and Ratima is primed to have a big year at halfback. I don't actually think the Chiefs lose much when you think about it.
When you factor in the return of Tupaea and how deadly that back-three was last year behind a sound pack, the Chiefs are going to be very hard to beat.
Then again, I'm feeling quite confident about my maturing Canes side, who despite losing Ardie will have a raft of players starting to hit the so-called golden ages of 25/26, many whom will be pushing for national selection.
Lots to agree with there. I think that at lock we should be OK if we don't have injuries, and if Jacobson takes the Cane role, we should be OK up front, especially if Finau matures.
Our backline could be very dangerous, but I'm not 100% sold on either of our HBS at this level. Ratima does look very good though.
@Duluth makes a good point about the lack of change in coaching, which should be a good thing. McMillan has been going very well.
However, new coaches have a pretty good record in Super rugby - Rennie won in his first year, Razor in his first year, Boyd in his second (after finaling in his first). Also Cheika won in his second year. That could be a good sign for the Blues with a pretty established squad and a refreshed coaching team that might be able to push them over the edge.
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@gt12 said in Chiefs 2024:
Our backline could be very dangerous, but I'm not 100% sold on either of our HBS at this level. Ratima does look very good though.
I'll be interested to see how McMillan uses the halfbacks. I am assuming that TTT is clearly the no.3. To get the best out of Roe and Ratima I would be starting Roe and finishing with Ratima, which is essentially what Waikato does. More likely, there will be rotation.
While we will definitely miss Weber's experience and defence, his box kicking put the Chiefs under pressure too often, and his passing could be erratic - much more noticeable being at the game.
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@gt12 Boyd isn't a coach, I'm assuming you meant Laidlaw? He's had some success as an assistant in what was mostly a successful year for the Canes in 2015, and then obviously coached the NZ Sevens side in a pretty dominant period.
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@Canes4life said in Chiefs 2024:
@gt12 Boyd isn't a coach, I'm assuming you meant Laidlaw? He's had some success as an assistant in what was mostly a successful year for the Canes in 2015, and then obviously coached the NZ Sevens side in a pretty dominant period.
Rennie isn't the Chiefs coach either.
I'm referring to the Canes winning the lot in 2016 after making the final in 2015 under Boyd who was new to coaching in Super rugby.
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https://www.chiefs.co.nz/news-item/gallagher-chiefs-squad-named-for-japan-pre-season
ABs are included. No starters like Lord, ENS, Stevenson and Narawa.
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An update on the injuries.
Narawa - back
Stevenson and Nanai-Seturo - minor leg injuriesAll are expected to play the Blues.
Trask - undisclosed injury that kept him out of the NPC
Wrampling - elbow
Lord and Thompson - minor ankle issuesThe Cross-Border games will be played over normal 40-minute halves, but the Chiefs were successful with their request for the teams to field expanded match-day squads of 27, and therefore allowing for 12, as opposed to eight, substitutions.
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@Yeetyaah said in Chiefs 2024:
Best choice IMO. I thought it was between him and ALB.
Jacobson has captained just about every team he's played for from the Waikato U19s.
Newshub have reported that the vice-captains are Boshier and Poihipi. This suggests that Boshier will be the no.7.
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@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2024:
@Yeetyaah said in Chiefs 2024:
Best choice IMO. I thought it was between him and ALB.
Jacobson has captained just about every team he's played for from the Waikato U19s.
Newshub have reported that the vice-captains are Boshier and Poihipi. This suggests that Boshier will be the no.7.
Poihipi?
Will he start (will he even bench) in our best team? He's a good player, but that is a surprise.
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I don't see Poihipi being in the XV but likely on the bench.
To that end, while Jacobson’s elevation was not so surprising, McMillan’s choice of vice-captains was more of an eyebrow-raiser, as he confirmed loose forward Kaylum Boshier and midfielder Rameka Poihipi had been handed those roles, ahead of the likes of All Blacks Damian McKenzie (111) and Anton Lienert-Brown (106), who are now the most-capped players in the squad.
“It’s a little bit of a nod to the future, but the general public won’t be aware around the influence those guys have in our environment,” McMillan said.
“We know we’ve got some more-established All Blacks and perhaps bigger personalities in the team that are going to add value anyway. So it’s about sharing the responsibility of the leadership role.”https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350162075/luke-jacobson-named-skipper-chiefs-ditch-co-captaincy
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Chiefs hooker Tyrone Thompson denies he has signed with the Newcastle Knights for 2025, but admits he is certainly weighing up an offer to join the NRL club.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350170772/chiefs-hooker-hasnt-signed-newcastle-knights-yet
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Narawa and Lord will miss the first few rounds. Josh Jacomb has officially replaced Kaleb Trask in the squad.
