NZ Club Rugby 2024 ( General)
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Some clubs here in the Waikato and up in Counties are starting to prepare for next season by having meet and greet BBQ's and fitness training. My club Te Rapa has a new coach who has come over from Fraser Tech after coaching their B team. Hopefully he brings a few guys over.
Counties are again trying to re-start the Under 19 grade. My home district club Onewhero is joining forces with two other clubs (Tuakau/Te Kohanga) to put a team in. The next step for the players that were in the Tuakau/Onewhero team that won the 1st XV competition.
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This applies to all community rugby, including club rugby.
We are certainly taking a different course to those in the north regarding red cards.
2024 and 2025 community rugby game innovations:
1. Reduced tackle height to below the sternum targeting the belly area for all community rugby grades
The first tackler must tackle below the sternum and target the belly area. The second tackler can legally tackle below the shoulders in accordance with current rugby law.2. Halfback offside at scrum for all community rugby grades
The halfback of the team that has not won possession in a scrum, must not advance past the tunnel until the scrum has ended. If they opt to stay in a position in front of their Number-8’s feet, they must stay within 1m of the scrum.3. Maximum 1.5 metre scrum push for all community rugby, excluding senior premier club rugby grades
The maximum push of any scrum is limited to 1.5 metres, unless the scrum is within 5 metres of the goal line. Please note: Small Blacks rugby at U12 and U13s is already limited to a maximum 0.5 metre scrum push and Teenage rugby is limited to a maximum 1.5 metre scrum push irrespective of location on the field.4. Red card replacement
If a player receives a Red Card, they may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. -
@Bovidae said in NZ Club Rugby 2024 ( General):
- Red card replacement
If a player receives a Red Card, they may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player.
I'd say this will work, 99% of club footy players are there for the rugby, but I think the 'fears' some of the NH folks have about a player deliberately taking someone out at pro level, this level is where that might be realised (or maybe not so much someone taking out a specific player out, just that there are more likely some genuine thugs at club level - although these types are likely to be a thug for a full RC or 20 min one anyway)
- Red card replacement
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Are there any other provinces with under 19 grades?
Seven team U19s competition confirmed - Counties Sports Hub
Seven teams are set to take part in the Bright Cup Counties Manukau U19 club competition this season. They are encouraging numbers after the Union’s push to run a four-team competition over a shortened season last year – the first time in nearly a decade an U19 competition has taken place in the...
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Enjoyed getting haircut yesterday, as the young woman who does it a bit of a rugby fan, and was able to keep me up to date with goings on at Southern (my local rugby club). Got a few ex players back in fold, ie Jesse Parete,(after years away at Super, Japan, MLR, etc and a couple of other ex players keen to suit up good news(although we lost our centre to the Blues for super). Also in lower grade I follow Kaponga, was having chat to a couple of players last weekend at gold, and seems the numbers are great agin, with most sticking around and one or 2 coming out of retirement etc. So I am really happy , love this part of season, super just kicked off, looking at whats going on in my beloevd club land, it just reminds me why I came home to NZ!
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Pukekohe bounce back in week two - Counties Sports Hub
Pukekohe was the sole Counties Manukau side to win their Wider Auckland Pre-Season Competition game on Saturday after they defeated Pakuranga 38-27. It sees Michael Porter’s side bounce back from an opening week loss. Defending champions Patumahoe suffered a second successive loss, going down to...
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Patumahoe finish strong as Takapuna win title - Counties Sports Hub
Defending champions Patumahoe finished the John Spiers Trophy Wider Auckland Pre-season competition with a 21-5 win over Pakuranga at Bell Park in Pakuranga on Saturday. Winless in their opening two matches, Brad Healy’s side tuned up for the McNamara Cup with a solid win in their final pre-season...
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@mikedogz was reading this mate and applauding CM for it too. One of prime reasons what Silver Lake money was about etc.
The other thing that got me was how my club I was tied up with in Aus would of been wrapped to only pay $60 a season to start with!! -
Tomorrow at 11:20am on Sky Sport 2 there is coverage of Ponsonby vs Petone in celebration of Ponies 150 years anniversary. These two clubs have played a traditional preseason game for many years. I remember watching them back in the seventies and eighties. I think the first time i saw Murray Mexted play live was in one of those games, he was brilliant and basically beat us single handedly.
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@Daffy-Jaffy Friday 3pm live Sky Sports 2
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Waikato club rugby starts this weekend. Usual teams in Premier grade. Division one is the grade my club Te Rapa is in, one more team with Kereone coming up. Division 2 is gone. Talk that Old Boys Guzzlers might play the Div 1 Bye team. Colts and U85 grades about the same. A bit of growth in the women's grade with a smaller prem grade and the rest in the championship grade. Looks like 3 or 4 new teams including Waitete from Pine tree country. A bit of growth in the Presidents grade and more travel needed for us city based folk with 4 new teams from all corners of the province.
Some country and small town clubs are dying or are in recess at senior level. Te Akau, Northern and Matangi-Hillcrest havent had teams for a few years. Whatawhata and Jaradites more recently have gone quiet. Ngaruawahia, Te Awamutu Marist and Huntly have Presidents teams and sometime have junior teams. Raglan has only had junior teams lately. Te Kowhai is one club that might grow. They have a junior club and started up a Presidents team a few years ago.
I am doing a bit of registrations admin for my club Te Rapa and will be running around with the Prezzies again. We have a new coach over from Fraser Tech B's and he has brought over a bunch of players with some having decent premier grade experience, so hopefully we can push to be in the top half of Division one for a change.
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Counties club rugby also starts this weekend. 7 clubs in the Premier grade, that hasn't changed for a while. They all have development teams that play in their own grade. The country and small town clubs have recovered since Covid and they all play in the Championship grade with no reserves team needed. Drury, Weymouth are the City clubs with Manurewa the only club with a C team. Onewhero and Waiuku in my opinion the most likely to push to go back in to prems if they can get their player numbers up in the future.
Beachlands Maraetai is the only club without a senior team but have consistently had an U85's team and junior teams. U85's and colts teams are about the same. Manurewa Women the only premier team in the Auckland comp, the rest in the Development grade with Karaka a new team.
For the first time in a long time there will be an U19's grade with teams from all parts of the province and Puketapapa Roskill Sports from Auckland. I will follow Tuakau/Onewhero/Te Kohanga combined. They have been well supported by Liam Daniela and the union running a 6 week youth rugby development program based out of Tuakau and at the stadium. The core of the team would be out of the two time champion Onewhero AS/ Tuakau College teams of the past two years.
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What is Cam Church like?
Players to watch this McNamara Cup season - Counties Sports Hub
Cohen Brady-Leathem (Patumahoe)The youngster burst onto the scene last year to not only play for his club side but to make the Steelers NPC team as well. Used primarily at fullback by Patumahoe, he starred for the Steelers in the number nine jumper and will be one to watch this year. Adam Brash...
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@mikedogz said in NZ Club Rugby 2024 ( General):
Waikato club rugby starts this weekend.
I was thinking of watching a half each from a couple of games, just to see who is playing. I see that Jackson Willison has moved back to coaching his old club (Hautapu) from TA Sports. Hamilton Burr must be a player/asst coach.
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@mikedogz said in NZ Club Rugby 2024 ( General):
What is Cam Church like?
He was a very good no.7 at schoolboy level, and the best of a NZ Schools loose forward trio that included Segner and Ekuasi. I don't think he has cracked the Auckland squad so probably a good move.
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I went along to watch the Hamilton Old Boys-Hautapu game, which was the marquee game in Rd 1. Gideon Wrampling played the full game for HOB at 2nd 5. There were a few young players from the Chiefs U20s spread across both teams. Hautapu ended up winning 32-24 with a late penalty to deny HOB a BP.
New Zealand community rugby to introduce 20-minute red card for next two seasons
