NH club rugby
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That was a lovely offload by the winger after the scrum-half tried to screw the entire backline.
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Bundee Aki and Ultan Dillane have signed new 3-year contracts with Connacht - a major boost for Lam and CEO, Ruane, - who has suffered a loss of quality players as soon as their first contracts near their end over the years.
*"Galway and Bundee Aki, evidently, are a well-matched couple. Same goes for Ultan Dillane. Both young men told Willie Ruane, Connacht native and chief executive, they had no intention of leaving the province. Dark forces were working against Connacht during this contract renegotiation process, but they are used to that.
“It was relatively straight forward,” Ruane told local media yesterday. “Speculation is one thing,” he said of the rumoured double swoop by Munster, “but a statement of fact in some cases I didn’t understand at all. Absolutely bizarre. The guys wanted to be here so really it was just about details after that.”
Details do matter. Relatively straightforward, maybe.
The Aki deal, a provincial agreement locking him in for three more seasons, two of which will see him available for Ireland, could not possibly have been a smooth process. There was some twitter activity. It is also established a host of French and English clubs were in the market for the Kiwi centre of Samoan heritage. There were even, quickly dismissed, suggestions he might return home to become an All Black. Of course it doesn’t work like that in New Zealand. Usually when you are gone that ship sails with you.
Samoa, however, would happily build their midfield around his powerful skill-set. That option only disappears if Joe Schmidt caps Aki in November 2017. That is no certainty, mind. By then Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose should have cemented their Leinster partnership at Test level. Stuart Olding has been a Schmidt player since he was 20.
The Ireland coach likes a certain type of character in his team. Hard working, diligent and not prone to any off-field misdemeanours. “Joe has spoken to me about how I am playing,” said Aki. “Not about contracts or anything, just been giving feedback about how I am performing.”There is nothing to suggest Aki cannot become a key figure at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. For Ireland or Samoa. Long road still ahead.
What is certain is the name Bundee Aki – already a folk hero throughout the western province following his always stunning performances last season en route to the Pro 12 title – will be ringing around Eyre Square until June 2020.
The 26-year-old has settled into small city life. His two daughters travelled over, he regularly talks about the value of family and religious faith. “There were a few people knocking on doors but I feel like I am home here, I feel happy here.”
Along with fellow Samoan Pat Lam, Aki has embraced this culture-driven environment over lucrative foreign offers. “People chase money some times and it doesn’t work out. If you are enjoying rugby where you are why move?”
He is not your average soul and Connacht, Lam in particular, grasped as much when recruiting him from Super Rugby with the Chiefs in 2014. It was a surprising coup as Aki seemed, from the outside, to be close to the All Blacks set-up. Sonny Bill Williams had returned to Rugby League so he was promoted from provincial rugby with Counties Manukau to fill the 12 jersey as the Chiefs, in similar fashion to what transpired at Connacht, regained the Super rugby title in 2013.
Now Aki and Dillane look set to help maintain the greatest era in Connacht’s history. They may also get to play in the badly needed new or renovated stadium. “It’s been frustratingly slow,” Ruane admitted of plans for a 10-12,000 capacity ground. “We are scoping out a number of different options, the whole of Galway to be honest. We are down to a relatively short short list.”
The downing of the once mighty Toulouse a fortnight ago proved a Munster-like sustainability is evident around The Sportsground. Something like we witnessed in those heady Limerick years from Munster’s first European final in 2000. It really does feel like Connacht are on the cusp. Still swimming against the tide of better-financed Irish provinces, never mind European super powers that so craved Bundee’s signature.
“Needless to say the signings are hugely significant in the context of what we are trying to achieve with Connacht Rugby,” Ruane added. “Finally, I want to thank the players for the manner they went about their business during the negotiations.”Sensible words words from the man at the helm of Connacht Rugby.
Out west they look after their own. Bundee, from the mean streets of Manurewa in south Auckland, and Dillane, a 22-year-old Kerryman via the Ivory Coast, are Tribesmen. They have been from the beginning of their Connacht journey.
Good day for what Ruane, Eric Elwood and Lam are building, with more promised."*
Aki shuns lucrative offers for adventure out West with Connacht
Kiwi can become a key figure at the 2019 World Cup – for Ireland or Samoa
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Always sad to read that players have to retire from rugby due to serious injury. This time it's Tonga, New Castle Falcons and former North Harbour prop Taione Vea, who suffered a spinal injury at the beginning of the season.
http://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news/story/Vea-forced-to-retire
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And Chris Ashton signs for Toulon as of the end of the season, thereby kissing away any hopes of an England recall. Saracens by all accounts are pretty pissed off. Not surprising really as he's spent a large portion of last season and this season banned and while they've stood by him, he has now decided to jump ship.
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@Bones said in NH club rugby:
Haaaa yes Bundee, if you're enjoying rugby where you are, why chase money?
From previous interviews, I don't think he was enjoying rugby where he was when he left for Ireland. Am surprised that he's stayed though - I think he's got a strong hint about off-field behaviour if he wants to be considered further than Connacht.
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@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
@Bones said in NH club rugby:
Haaaa yes Bundee, if you're enjoying rugby where you are, why chase money?
From previous interviews, I don't think he was enjoying rugby where he was when he left for Ireland. Am surprised that he's stayed though - I think he's got a strong hint about off-field behaviour if he wants to be considered further than Connacht.
Well fuck of course he wasn't! He wasn't in Ireland was he.
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@Bones said in NH club rugby:
@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
@Bones said in NH club rugby:
Haaaa yes Bundee, if you're enjoying rugby where you are, why chase money?
From previous interviews, I don't think he was enjoying rugby where he was when he left for Ireland. Am surprised that he's stayed though - I think he's got a strong hint about off-field behaviour if he wants to be considered further than Connacht.
Well fuck of course he wasn't! He wasn't in Ireland was he.
Errr no he wasn't in Ireland. Are we having a senior moment here? Or what subtle point/dig/allusion/contempt/endless bonhomie are you seeking to communicate?
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@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
Out west they look after their own. Bundee, from the mean streets of Manurewa in south Auckland, and Dillane, a 22-year-old Kerryman via the Ivory Coast, are Tribesmen. They have been from the beginning of their Connacht journey.
Good god - a) is there a link for this hagiographical puke fest and b) if I visited said link, would Google Ads offer vomit buckets for sale?
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@Smudge said in NH club rugby:
@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
Out west they look after their own. Bundee, from the mean streets of Manurewa in south Auckland, and Dillane, a 22-year-old Kerryman via the Ivory Coast, are Tribesmen. They have been from the beginning of their Connacht journey.
Good god - a) is there a link for this hagiographical puke fest and b) if I visited said link, would Google Ads offer vomit buckets for sale?
There is now a link at bottom of article. Thought I'd included it - apologies. It might be behind a paywall though.
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@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
It might be behind a paywall though.
Unfortunately, it isn't - I almost wish it was.
Conjures up memories of a story on the All Blacks website a few years ago, which got yanked when they realised it was the most fawning piece anyone in the history of rugby writing had ever published.
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@Smudge said in NH club rugby:
@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
It might be behind a paywall though.
Unfortunately, it isn't - I almost wish it was.
Conjures up memories of a story on the All Blacks website a few years ago, which got yanked when they realised it was the most fawning piece anyone in the history of rugby writing had ever published.
Colour writers do tend to suffer from occasional flatulence. It's a universal problem. Best just open the window for a while.
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Here's a better writer and analyst at work. Murray Kinsella knows his stuff. He's on a journalistic tour in NZ currently for the42.ie and is filing regular reports.
Here's one on an Irish player who's spent some some time with Wanganui over the last few months and helped them get to the Meads Cup final.
Ex-Leinster lock Thornbury's adventure to the heartland of New Zealand rugby
The 23-year-old is part of a Wanganui side that plays in the Meads Cup final this weekend.
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Interview with David Nucifora, the Australian-born performance director with the IRFU. He outlines the detail and effect behind the IRFU's recent change in policy aimed at investing in the development of the domestic pathway and the curtailment of foreign player purchasing/contracts, including the much-derided project player growth that has occurred under the union's Player Succession Strategy from 2012.
Developing indigenous talent is IRFU’s way of competing with bigger and wealthier rivals
Extending Ruan Pienaar’s stay didn’t make sense for Irish rugby, says Nucifora
"Steady as she goes. The IRFU performance director David Nucifora maintains that the union’s drive to harness indigenous talent, with experienced rather than inexperienced coaching, remains their primary focus as they seek to compete against wealthier rivals. Hence, they are not for budging on their stance regarding Ruan Pienaar moving on from Ulster at the end of the season.Critical to all of this was Joe Schmidt agreeing to extend his stay as Ireland coach until the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Nucifora always believed, as well as hoped, Schmidt would stay, and the Ireland head coach could have taken longer to decide had he so wished. Now that he is staying, the union has ample time to plan for his succession.
“We’ve got a solid core of experienced coaches now and by the time they get to 2019 they’ll have done a good stint in international rugby and have a good base of experience, which is hugely important to us.
“We’ve bought ourselves some time now to sit back and watch how other people perform, so we’ve got that certainty of a really good, strong group of coaches in Irish rugby – both within the national set-up and within the provinces. Now, what we can do is sit back and start to see how people are going, and make decisions on the back of that, and not be rushed into things.”
Biggest challenge
Finances remain the biggest challenge facing the IRFU and Nucifora, be it wealthier rival unions or the English and French club game, which is backed both by benefactors and lucrative television deals.
“I think affordability of the game is always a challenge. There’s plenty of money in the game up in this part of the world and we’ve got some competitors with deep pockets. We have to continue to be smart in the way that we develop our players, keep our players and compete at a higher level. That’s probably the biggest challenge, to be honest.”
Central to that is developing players through the union’s pathway. “Developing your own is always a cheaper way of doing it. There’s no doubt about that. Investing in the pathways, we think, is a key way in trying to do that, and being able to introduce players earlier to the higher levels of the game is certainly cheaper than buying talent in.
“The other type of investment for us is our coaches,” added Nucifora, in a nod toward the presence of Rassie Erasmus at Munster and Stuart Lancaster at Leinster, in addition to Pat Lam and Les Kiss at Connacht and Ulster.
“We think that if we invest in our coaching that that’s going to help us achieve the quality of player that we’re looking to develop. There’s no doubt that if you introduce a young player who lacks experience and you put him in with an experienced coach, then that’s going to expedite the development, as opposed to putting him in with inexperienced coaches.”
“The other thing that we work hard on is our player welfare and how we look after the players because the players certainly appreciate us being able to to manage their careers so that they do get longevity and that they are able to perform at a higher level when required.”
Indigenous
Hence, Nucifora welcomed the arrival of Lancaster, the former England head coach, at Leinster, while the IRFU are also adamant it is time for Ulster to start developing indigenous scrumhalves, something they made clear to the province two years ago, even if none seem readily available to replace the hugely influential Pienaar.
“I think it was a fairly clear-cut situation, to be honest. Ruan has been a great servant for Ulster Rugby over seven years.
“Did we think it would be wise for him to stay nine years? No. I mean, that doesn’t fit in with any of our plans.
“In his role within Ulster Rugby, he’s done a great job, but it’s time to move on,” said Nucifora, citing the emergence of Joey Carbery when revealing that Leinster had sought an overseas replacement when Ian Madigan departed.
“When someone moves on, people think, ‘Gosh, we’ll never replace him, we’ll never find someone to fill that spot’. But there’s always someone who comes through once that opportunity presents itself. It may be uncomfortable for a short period of time but I’m sure that someone will put their hand up now that an opportunity presents itself.”
Not alone do Nucifora and the IRFU want Pienaar’s seven-year stay at Ulster to conclude, he strongly hinted that Ulster would not be allowed to emulate Leinster by signing a player akin to Jamison Gibson-Park, ie a “special project” who could become qualified to play for Ireland in three years.
Ineligible player
“When we have four half-backs and four hookers running out every week and we have one of those positions taken up by one ineligible player, that presents a number of challenges. When we have two, then that’s a real problem, isn’t it? And how are we going to create the opportunity for these players to get better? They need to be playing at a higher level.
“So the number of matches that Ruan played over a long period of time was significant. The number of games that the players beneath him played and started in was very few. We speak to the provinces about it. If we have a foreign player in the system, then part of it is: what is your succession plan? Who is coming through? Who have you earmarked? So it can’t just be about the here and now. It’s got to be about the future planning for that position as well.”
Players qualifying through the much discussed three-year residency rule, or special projects “are going to be considered like everyone else”, according to Nucifora, with the union not of a mind to actively seek a change in the rules.
“To be honest, if it is changed, it doesn’t really worry me. We’ll make do with whatever they are, so if it’s three, four, five, two, it doesn’t really matter,” he said, but added: “Certainly first and foremost in our mind is developing Irish talent that’s within the system.”
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@Pot-Hale Kinsella's work is regularly featured in the "Good Rugby Reads" thread.
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I don't know the player, but maybe some Ferners do. French club Tarbes has a sad message on its website that former Fiji (Warriors?) prop Isireli Temo, who signed with the club in August, has died. He was 30 years old. There is no further information (yet). 30 years, so young!
http://tpr65.com/news-120/news-de-lequipe-pro/item/1802-le-tpr-endeuille.html
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@Rocky-Rockbottom said in NH club rugby:
Also, Nonu defended like a crippled little blind girl who was lost at the seaside. During a tsunami. At night.
I think he's worked out that it doesn't pay to care too much.
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Pat Lam will be leaving Connacht at the end of the season. He has signed with Bristol.
http://www.bristolrugby.co.uk/news/pat-lam-appointed-as-head-coach/
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Regan King has returned to NZ for personal reasons; contract with Jersey Reds terminated
I must put that in my CV.