Highlanders 2025
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Much of the ticket pricing is dictated by Forsyth Barr, not the highlanders. The prices they pay to practice on the pitch are absolutely absurd. The agreement they have is ridiculous
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Signing News.
TK Howden to the Highlanders, Will Tucker going the other way to the Canes - we are carrying three locks, that player is still TBC
Josh Bartlett is the prop from Australia... young Kiwi boy who played Western ForceNZ XV News
Jack Taylor, Oli Haig and Sean Withy expected to be named in the squad. -
@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
Josh Bartlett is the prop from Australia... young Kiwi boy who played Western Force
He is in the BOP squad again, and played one game for the Chiefs back in 2022. I'm not sure Bartlett is a better option than say Coxon.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
Signing News.
TK Howden to the Highlanders, Will Tucker going the other way to the Canes - we are carrying three locks, that player is still TBC
Josh Bartlett is the prop from Australia... young Kiwi boy who played Western ForceNZ XV News
Jack Taylor, Oli Haig and Sean Withy expected to be named in the squad.Really interesting loosie options with some big lads who can all switch into lock. Jospeh has talked about wanting to be the fittest pack, and not worry about being the biggest. This reflects it. Glad Taylor, Haig and Withy are being lined up. Hopefully they will be joined by some others like JRK, and even Ma'u. Millar should get a chance too
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It's our season! (Second team, I'm clearly a sado-masochistic bandwagoner)..
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So just racking the brain, a few things to note with the squad:
Props: I have heard Bartlett (player is from the Rebels or Force), but still not 100% on that one, as he is a loosehead. Potentially we are contracting seven props and have cut someone else? The other one from the Force could be Joel Hintz (would be a bizarre pickup I think?)... from the Rebels, Cabous Eloff could fit the bill.
Locks: JJ happy to carry three locks, as they are happy enough to get away with Stodart (and presumably Haig) on a matchday whilst they call someone else in. As for who that player could be, if they have let Tucker go, it is in theory someone better. Can discount Southland and Otago's others I think, so likely someone out of the region. Allan Craig, Hugo Plummer & Antonio Shalfoon are the first three who jump out - any other ideas?
Loose Forwards: We now have:
(6): Haig, Howden, Sanders
(7): Lasaqa, Withy, Michaels
(8): Renton, Stodart, BroughtonSanders is a candidate to have potentially been cut, because he has been unsighted and listed as a largely unexplained injury for Otago... could have made room for Howden, or they are simply carrying 9 because that was where the quality was available.
In theory the squad breakdown by position assuming nobody has been cut is: HK (3), PR (6), LK (3), LF (9), HB (3), FH (2), MF (6), W/FB (6)
Has Lowe and/or Sanders taken an early release so we can carry a third first five?
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This post is deleted!
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2025:
@frugby Who are the Midfielders?
Gilbert, Umaga-Jensen, Tele'a, Whaanga x 2, Te Hiwi is my guess at the six. Matt Whaanga has been injured for Southland. The six outsides are' JRK, Tavatavanawai, Nareki, Tangitau, Hurley and Lowe.
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@SouthernMann shit I liked that before clicking to Lowe. I guess in form he can do a job, that's very infrequent though.
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann shit I liked that before clicking to Lowe. I guess in form he can do a job, that's very infrequent though.
Yeah the joy of signing him to a three year deal. He is going to get plenty of good tackle bag holding time next year. He probably still isn't going to be ready until a good few weeks into the comp. Peni from Southland could be worth a go. He just needs to get fit.
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@SouthernMann Gilbert and Nareki need to go, too many Otago players in that team. They’re all has beens.
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann Gilbert and Nareki need to go, too many Otago players in that team. They’re all has beens.
Nareki is looking offshore for the end of the year last I heard, but still a very good winger - him and Gilbert are not even on the same planet.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2025:
@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann Gilbert and Nareki need to go, too many Otago players in that team. They’re all has beens.
Nareki is looking offshore for the end of the year last I heard, but still a very good winger - him and Gilbert are not even on the same planet.
Nibble on the line!
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With the squad basically settled, think our team looks interesting. Like most years, suspect what we start the year with will look quite different to the end of the year:
- de Groot (c)
- Taylor
- Ma'u
- Dunshea
- Holland
- Haig
- Withy (vc)
- Broughton
- Fakatava
- Millar
- Tangitau
- Umaga-Jensen
- Tele'a
- Tavatavanawai
- Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens
- Bell
- ?
- ?
- Howden
- Lasaqa
- Stodart
- Arscott
- Gilbert
I'm not normally a fan, particularly with the injury prone midfield we have, but particularly for games with the other NZ sides, an explosive 6-2 split where we can bring on a fresh loose forward trio could be a great option.
Note: I'm picking Renton and Nareki to start the season, before being slowly phased out - and obviously injuries will pay a part, and pretty much everyone in the squad will get a chance at some stage
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The Highlanders have the potential to have the best lineout, maul, and lock and loose forward combo (including the bench) in the comp imo. If Millar keeps going and the centres stay healthy, there’s a lot of potential (or is that wishful thinking)
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@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
or is that wishful thinking
I think there’s definitely potential but looking at your proposed back five, I would think that many of the same issues of the past few Highlanders’ seasons would persist. In that back five, there are plenty of good lineout targets and a lot of hardworking defenders but I’m not sure there are enough dynamic carriers who can make a lot of metres.
I’ve taken a quick look at some NPC stats of your proposed starting locks and loosies (RugbyPass stats, so not very precise but still), focusing on their number of carries, metres made and average metres per carry. This was the resulting table (opposition in the final column):
Broughton stands out, both in total number of carries and average metres per carry, which is to be expected of a number 8 I suppose. But he’s having a great season for Bay of Plenty. The others put up solid enough numbers. The second row of Holland and Dunshea might lack a carrying threat, though. Dunshea had one game against Waikato where he racked up a lot of metres but in others, like against Canterbury, he doesn’t make a carry. Holland offers a good work-rate but doesn’t make a lot of metres per carry (0.9).
Compared to other Super Rugby second row options (for example, the Blues with McWhannell (avg. 7.4 carries; 15.2 m; 2.09 m/c), Beehre (avg. 8.8 carries; 16.4 m; 2.56 m/c), and Suafoa (avg. 16.2 carries; 24.8 m; 1.58 m/c), not to mention someone like Tuipulotu), this might be a little too light as a carrying unit. I’d argue that the lack of ball-carrying forwards – the Highlanders front row doesn’t really offer a lot there, either – was a real problem last Super Rugby season as well (Holland and Dunshea combined for 7 carries and 9 metres made in last year’s quarterfinal against the Brumbies).
One interesting option would be to play someone like Oli Haig at lock. This would open up the blindside spot for someone like Hugh Renton (avg. 15.6 carries; 37.2 m; 2.26 m/c), allowing the carrying duties to be more evenly distributed among the back five. It would make the Highlander attack less predictable, instead of relying too much on a single player (Harmon last year, Broughton this year) to make something happen.
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@Mauss great stats and thanks for the effort. I think a lot of the carrying stats for the Otago NPC players is offset by an incredibly poor game plan. A lot of those players are more than capable of big runs but the one off carries off 9 and lack of dynamic attacking play past the 3-4 phase gives little room for the forward to get into space.
The likes of Holland, Haig, and Withy are all very good runners and decisions makers in open space, and good at passing and offloading. I think a decent game plan will help them a lot.
Only apprehension with Broughton is that he makes the good run but lacks in the physicality department, particularly on the offensive ruck.
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@KiwiInLondon Yeah, you could well be right about the Otago game plan. I also looked at Stodart's carry numbers and it's quite similar: high volume of carries with not a lot of result. The Otago gameplan is quite conservative, especially in the opposition 22, resorting mostly to the pick and go.
I do think someone like Holland, if he wants to make the step up to the next level, will have to show a little more when carrying into contact. A bit more aggression and leg drive, and I think he would become a very complete player.
