NH club rugby
-
Captain Kaino lifts his first domestic trophy, poor bastard after 15 (? I think) years with the blues! But good on him, a great generational player, we still miss him!
"Toulouse celebrated a record 20th title - seven years after their first triumph." Editorial brilliance, 20 titles in 7 years....
-
Just a word on Pita Ahki. He was signed as a journeyman to be 5th choice to play 12-13 (in fact we didn't know why he was signed) and after several injuries he got his chance and he's been stunning. He's probably the biggest surprise in this french rugby season, a great value for money.
-
@jauzy019 said in NH club rugby:
Just a word on Pita Akhi. He was signed as a journeyman to be 5th choice to play 12-13 (in fact we didn't know why he was signed) and after several injuries he got his chance and he's been stunning. He's probably the biggest surprise in this french rugby season, a great value for money.
Another ex-Blues player doing better overseas than at home ....
-
In the great traditions of misbehaving with a hard won trophy -
-
So once/if BREXIT goes ahead, things will get messy. Those Kolpak posters with contacts beyond 2020 will mostly have to be played out, there will be a glut in the market of Pro rugby players, effecting values. UK clubs will be scrambling for championship players to sign up. All good news for some SH teams, less jobs for SA rugby players
RFU just days away from issuing edict on player eligibilty and Brexit
A no-deal Brexit could bring plenty of negative consequences for English rugby, although Premiership clubs have received welcome news on player eligibility.
-
Positive B sample leaves Top 14 forward facing drugs ban of up to four years
Stade Francais forward Hendre Stassen has tested positive for steroid use and could now face a ban of two to four years for doping.
-
Aaron Cruden will stay as "World Cup cover" with Montpellier at least until November this year. After that he'll be free, either to come back to NZ or to take up a contract elsewhere, for example, in Japan.
http://www.montpellier-rugby.com/news/officiel-jokers-coupe-du-monde
-
Not sure if it is back in the thread but Whoppa MacKintosh is playing as a 'joker' for Vern Cotter at Montpellier while the RWC is on.
He was at the charity SEvens tournament in Wimbledon yesterday (not playing) and FFS you forget what an enormous unit the guy is. Huge. -
THE.FUCK
think the title needs to be Moron to take legal action, what fan would do that??
-
@Crucial said in NH club rugby:
Not sure if it is back in the thread but Whoppa MacKintosh is playing as a 'joker' for Vern Cotter at Montpellier while the RWC is on.
He was at the charity SEvens tournament in Wimbledon yesterday (not playing) and FFS you forget what an enormous unit the guy is. Huge.And still couldn't hold up his side of the scrum. A mystery.
-
@taniwharugby said in NH club rugby:
THE.FUCK
think the title needs to be Moron to take legal action, what fan would do that??
Yeah and the result should be expunged from the record, too.
And memories
-
Ireland is a meca for suing- they will sue for anything as its a pretty good chance of success, plenty of no win no charge lawyers.
I didn't bother reading the article but they have no ACC so the only way to pay medical costs is through the courts, so I presume she is claiming some sort of injury -
@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
@Crucial said in NH club rugby:
Not sure if it is back in the thread but Whoppa MacKintosh is playing as a 'joker' for Vern Cotter at Montpellier while the RWC is on.
He was at the charity SEvens tournament in Wimbledon yesterday (not playing) and FFS you forget what an enormous unit the guy is. Huge.And still couldn't hold up his side of the scrum. A mystery.
True. Not something I was going to mention to his face though.
-
@taniwharugby said in NH club rugby:
THE.FUCK
think the title needs to be Moron to take legal action, what fan would do that??
Hmmmm, maybe I should have a go at Carlos, the Blues and NZR for the time he kicked the ball and it hit me in the head and then hit and spilt my beer.
-
Ben Teo'o has signed a short-term contract with Toulon during the RWC making him ineligible under RFU rules as a possible injury replacement for England:
-
All Blacks might have to choose between the black jersey and the riches available in Japan if the Rugby World Cup hosts press ahead with new plans to set up a professional domestic competition that runs from August to January. Japan Rugby Football Union vice-president Katsuyuki Kiyomiya told Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei that he wanted to leverage the success of the Japanese team at the Rugby World Cup to launch the 12-team new competition in the second half of 2021.Kiyomiya's plan is to recruit players from the southern hemisphere to give the competition star power and tee up a broadcasting deal with streaming giant DAZN, which already holds the rights to Japan's J-League football competition, "We will turn the new union into the Pacific Rim union that can generate [annual revenue of] about 50 billion yen [$NZ730 million], to be on a par with the European market," he said. The report will not surprise NZ Rugby, which has been keeping a close eye on the fluid Japanese situation for at least a year, but it does add another layer of uncertainty for in terms of player retention.Beauden Barrett's four-year deal with the Blues includes an option for the All Blacks star to take up a short-term contract in Japan beyond 2020, although when the deal was struck it was assumed Barrett would miss a Blues campaign at some point for the Japanese experience. However, if the new Japanese competition replaces the existing Top League format in the Japan rugby calendar, Barrett would to sacrifice his All Blacks jersey for the majority of a test season to get a Japan 'sabbatical' in the August to January period. That is something the playmaker might not be willing to do and NZ Rugby – armed with the security of a rich new deal with Sky – might also find this too much to accept.All Blacks stars such as Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock have already announced deals with Japanese deals built into them. Retallick is set to take up a deal in Japan in 2020 – the existing Top League competition clashes with Super Rugby next year – then take an extended break from rugby before another season in Japan in 2021. However, that was based on the understanding that the 2021 Japanese season would also run in the first part of the year. NZ Rugby will hope Retallick's deal will stay that way so they don't need to get involved in a tug-of-war for his services.Whitelock's deal with Japanese side Panasonic is unaffected, as it is only locked in for the first half of 2020. After that he will return to New Zealand and Crusaders."When we started talking to Brodie the expectation was that he'd play two competitions for Kobe and they would fall in a 12-13 month period," Lendrum told Stuff in June. NZ Rugby therefore had to show flexibility when Kobe's two-season deal ruled Retallick out of Super Rugby for the majority of 2021, with Lendrum admitting the deal took the star lock away from the Chiefs for a longer period they had hoped for.It appears now that the Japanese want to avoid a clash with Super Rugby, which is excellent news for that competition, but means top All Blacks might have to skip some test rugby if they want to enjoy the financial benefits of playing in rugby's rising powerhouse.
