Highlanders 2024
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George Bell would be interesting. Would the prospect of being the outright starter be enough for him or are the AB’s big men wanting him to stay in Canterbury. I’m sure the All Blacks would prefer him to be starting week in and week out too.
I’m sure the Crusaders would do all they can to keep him around, similar to what Canes said above another Coles and Aumua. But imo, Bell is an All Black now and if you ask me, All Blacks should be getting minutes regularly. I’ve never been a huge fan of All Blacks being selected when they aren’t always starters in their super teams.
All in all, he’s a pipe dream. But one you can talk yourself into and get your hopes up simply because he’s from the region. If we are being real, there’s probably a very very slim chance he leaves the Red and Blacks.
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As a team, we have more to offer an up and coming outside back than a young hooker. A topline outside back stuck behind good players at their franchise, could be playing a lot of rugby for us next year. They will not be competing with All Blacks in Dunedin. Both Nareki and Tavatavanawai are 26, will be 27 at the start of next season. Wingers don't last forever.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
As a team, we have more to offer an up and coming outside back than a young hooker. A topline outside back stuck behind good players at their franchise, could be playing a lot of rugby for us next year. They will not be competing with All Blacks in Dunedin. Both Nareki and Tavatavanawai are 26, will be 27 at the start of next season. Wingers don't last forever.
Tavatavanawai and Nareki are both the sorts of players who I think could move into the midfield, but I doubt that will be at the Highlanders... that said we might only need them for another year or two. The internal goal is to be competing for the title by 2026, which with our young forwards sounds about right.
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
Bell is an All Black now
Say what?
Maybe not quite, but he is factually fourth pick behind Taukei'aho, Taylor and Aumua.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby factually how?
World Cup last year. Was named as a train-on player when Aumua was injured.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
As a team, we have more to offer an up and coming outside back than a young hooker. A topline outside back stuck behind good players at their franchise, could be playing a lot of rugby for us next year. They will not be competing with All Blacks in Dunedin. Both Nareki and Tavatavanawai are 26, will be 27 at the start of next season. Wingers don't last forever.
Tavatavanawai and Nareki are both the sorts of players who I think could move into the midfield, but I doubt that will be at the Highlanders... that said we might only need them for another year or two. The internal goal is to be competing for the title by 2026, which with our young forwards sounds about right.
Positions 11 - 14 are our biggest problem areas over the next few years. There are very few obvious midfield solutions locally. Whaanga for his fans, seems a few steps behind some of the real quality guys around the country. Our best young winger is on a mormon mission. Rangitutia and Augistine are probably the best outside backs in the age grade teams. Tangitau would be fantastic, as a guy to pick up from elsewhere. He has been at the blues for two years now.
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@SouthernMann josh? i was impressed with him in the NPC last year and hope he kicks on, will be watching
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2024:
He didn't look any better than any other hooker this year from what I've seen. Was a pile of shit to start the season.
Think that is harsh.
And even still, he is also only 22, playing in his first season of Super Rugby, in a dysfunctional side with locks who were clueless in the lineout.
When Codie Taylor was 22, he had just played a handful of games in his first year of Super Rugby, made the ABs in 2015 at the age of 24. Taukei'aho cracked the ABs at 23, but had year of experience under his belt already. Coles was 25 and had four seasons of Super under his belt.
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@African-Monkey said in Highlanders 2024:
@Bones Yup, his throwing was horrible. Clearly the worst out of the NZ hookers.
I'm sure he'll get better, but he can start by improving that part of his game.
I'm going to die on the hill that the locks were a way bigger issue in the Crusaders lineout. For all his upside, Hannah was consistently bullied. Cahill and Strange were no better.
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@Bones Bell threw 3/3 v MP (Taylor 10/13), Bell threw 2/2 v Blues (Taylor 13/14), Bell threw 4/5 v Brumbies (Taylor 9/11) Funnily enough the uptick in the lineout coincides with Hannah dropping to the bench, and the loose forwards being reshuffled.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann josh? i was impressed with him in the NPC last year and hope he kicks on, will be watching
Josh Whaanga is the best midfield back produced out of the Otago/southland region in my memory. Which says more about our inability to bring theough midfield backs than his quality. The omly midfield backs I can remember coming from Otago/Southland in the professional era are Sio Tomkinson, Josh Timu and Matt Whaanga. Josh probably needs to become a bit more bulky, even though he is probably around 100kg. It is just he is very tall. I think there is enough there to say he will.be a stable Super player. Is he a Rieko, Billy Proctor, ALB or even Brayden Ennor? Probably not. May lack the top end speed..
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@Bones Bell threw 3/3 v MP (Taylor 10/13), Bell threw 2/2 v Blues (Taylor 13/14), Bell threw 4/5 v Brumbies (Taylor 9/11) Funnily enough the uptick in the lineout coincides with Hannah dropping to the bench, and the loose forwards being reshuffled.
Shalfon is a bigger body mass then Hannah and Blackadder at 7 gave the Crusaders more options.
That made the Line out a lot stronger. -
@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@Bones Bell threw 3/3 v MP (Taylor 10/13), Bell threw 2/2 v Blues (Taylor 13/14), Bell threw 4/5 v Brumbies (Taylor 9/11) Funnily enough the uptick in the lineout coincides with Hannah dropping to the bench, and the loose forwards being reshuffled.
I'm not sure why you replied to me with that, but since you did...ummm...whoop de doo?
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I'm enjoying the conversation about the second string Crusaders hooker and where he sits in the All Black's pecking order... in the Highlanders thread
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann josh? i was impressed with him in the NPC last year and hope he kicks on, will be watching
Josh Whaanga is the best midfield back produced out of the Otago/southland region in my memory. Which says more about our inability to bring theough midfield backs than his quality. The omly midfield backs I can remember coming from Otago/Southland in the professional era are Sio Tomkinson, Josh Timu and Matt Whaanga. Josh probably needs to become a bit more bulky, even though he is probably around 100kg. It is just he is very tall. I think there is enough there to say he will.be a stable Super player. Is he a Rieko, Billy Proctor, ALB or even Brayden Ennor? Probably not. May lack the top end speed..
Putting off making dinner, I did a bit of a check of players over the years, and plus the guys mentioned the only southern developed midfield backs I can come up with over the professional era are Michael Collins, Matt Faddes, Charlie Hore, Matt Saunders and Jason Kawau. We are certainly really shit at producing midfield backs in the south.
