Blues 2017
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@KiwiMurph Forgot about Tupou and Hodgman who is also a very good signing, he just hasn't had a chance to prove himself at Super level behind Moody and Crockett. Wouldn't suprise me if Hodgman starts next year.
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Did TNW end up signing?
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@pukunui said in Blues 2017:
Did TNW end up signing?
I try to keep up with all the signings, but as far as I know, he's still in Japan and hasn't signed with any SR franchise yet (or a team anywhere else).
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@Wurzel said in Blues 2017:
You'd hope Tana is showing Harry Plummer some love. It's early days yet, but if a player like him flourished elsewhere it would be a disaster for Auckland/Blues rugby
His names suggests he should be playing for England.
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Harry Plumer is an outstanding prospect, at least as a goalkicker. He was very good against the Aussie schoolboys.
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@cgrant said in Blues 2017:
Harry Plumer is an outstanding prospect, at least as a goalkicker. He was very good against the Aussie schoolboys.
He does look the goods doesn't he? I would assume someone has him tied into something. Needs a season of NPC but you'd be silly to let another team get him first if you had an option.
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Trask, who played for the NZ Barbarians against Fiji, showed a few touches of class in that game. I don't remember the name of the Waikato 1st Five who played in the NZ schools final but he is another one who has a big future ahead. NZ are blessed with very good 1st Fives, too many in fact as a good number will head north ...
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@cgrant said in Blues 2017:
Trask, who played for the NZ Barbarians against Fiji, showed a few touches of class in that game. I don't remember the name of the Waikato 1st Five who played in the NZ schools final but he is another one who has a big future ahead. NZ are blessed with very good 1st Fives, too many in fact as a good number will head north ...
However the Blues always manage to not find one of a high enough quality.
I hope for their sake that they get the early selection right this time around and they are locking in Barrett's rather than Bleyendaals.
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@cgrant Rameka Poihipi - the Ham BHS captain and 1st 5/2nd 5?
There is another 1st 5 from Waikato that has a big future called Matty Lansdown. He was the 1st 5 of the champion Waikato Junior team and trialled for the NZ U20s.
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Yes, I was talking about Lansdown (it wasn't the NZ schools final but the Hobbs tournament with Waikato vs Auckland in the final).
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These are the players signed for the Blues so far. Fill in gaps if I missed anyone.
Pauliasi Manu
Sam Prattley
Alex Hodgman
Charlie Faumuina
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Sione MafileoJames Parsons
Patrick Tuipulotu
Jimmy Tupou
Scott Scrafton
Josh Goodhue
Gerard Cowley-TuiotiJerome Kaino
Steven Luatua
Akira Ioane
Kara Pryor
Blake GibsonAugustine Pulu
Billy Guyton
Sam NockIhaia West
Piers Francis
Stephen PerofetaSonny Bill Williams
George Moala
TJ Faiane
Rieko IoaneMelani Nanai
Jordan Trainor
Michael Collins
Matt Duffie
Rene RangerHow many full contracts are we allowed? Last year we had 33 on full contracts and 9 on WTG contracts, but we were allowed to have a bit more due to 7s. If all the players above are on full contracts, we have at most one more full contract left, which would likely go to a hooker.
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As long as Kurt Eklund is nowhere near the side I don't care who it is. Su'a and Moulds would be my guess behind Parsons.
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@African-Monkey said in Blues 2017:
As long as Kurt Eklund is nowhere near the side I don't care who it is. Su'a and Moulds would be my guess behind Parsons.
Pleasants-Tate?
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Isn't Pleasants-Tate with the Highlanders ?
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If we have offered GPT a contract, I think we'd have a good chance of getting him. He would make the 23 every week up here, but isn't guaranteed that at the Highlanders with Dixon and Coltman down there.
@African-Monkey said in Blues 2017:
As long as Kurt Eklund is nowhere near the side I don't care who it is. Su'a and Moulds would be my guess behind Parsons.
With the way Eklund throws the ball, he should just go to the MLB, because his curve ball is something else.
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His contract with NH was for 2 seasons, from which they got great value out of him....assume the Blues one woulda been the same too?
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@Dice If Pleasants Tate is available then he walks into our matchday 23. Would be great value off the bench.
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@taniwharugby said in Blues 2017:
His contract with NH was for 2 seasons, from which they got great value out of him....assume the Blues one woulda been the same too?
Media releases are sometimes very unclear on that point. From the media release from March 2015 (below), I understand that he was available for ITM/Mitre 10 Cup for N Harbour from 2015, so if his contract with NH was for two years, than I assume it was for 2015 and 2016.
The same media release only says that he will return to the Blues in 2016 but doesn't say for how long.
http://www.allblacks.com/News/26798/rene-ranger-signs-with-north-harbour-and-the-blues
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Yeah he was available in 2015 but had neck surgery before he left France.
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As usual, 9 and 10 are probably the biggest concerns.
Hooker and lock deserve plenty of attention too.
Parsons is out of the EOYT with neck/concussion issues. Greg Pleasants-Tate missed most of the NPC with a neck injury. Hopefully both will be fit, and we pickup Gafatasi Su'a from Counties (and formerly Auckland). Adrian Smith looked pretty good for NH, and Molds is tidy.
Anyone else worth considering?
At lock we need a good an "athletic lock" who is a good lineout option to partner "power lock" Tuipulotu. Goodhue may be too young. Cowley-Tuioti is promising, but may not be up to it (in height and ability). It would be good to see Fatialofa in the squad.
Fullback and wing looked to be covered now.
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Scrafton is a good lineout option. But can he deliver in the other aspects of the game ? SR is not at the same level than the Mitre 10 Cup.
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I'm interested to see who the WTG spots go to. I think we might see a surprise or two in there. We've consistently been a team that has taken a punt on a prospect or two with these spots.
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The 2017 Blues squad is:
Backs: Michael Collins (Otago), Matt Duffie (North Harbour), TJ Faiane (Auckland), Billy Guyton ( Ta$man), Rieko Ioane (Auckland), Matt Vaega (North Harbour), George Moala (Auckland), Melani Nanai (Auckland), Sam Nock (Northland), Declan O’Donnell (Taranaki), Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki), Augustine Pulu (Counties Manukau), Rene Ranger (North Harbour), Jordon Trainor (Waikato), Ihaia West (Hawkes Bay), Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau), Piers Francis (Counties Manukau).
Forwards: Gerard Cowley-Tuioti (North Harbour), Epalahame Faiva (Waikato), Charlie Faumuina (Auckland), Blake Gibson (Auckland), Josh Goodhue (Northland), Alex Hodgman (Canterbury), Akira Ioane (Auckland), Jerome Kaino (Auckland), Steven Luatua (Auckland), Sione Mafileo (North Harbour), Pauliasi Manu (Counties Manukau), Matt Moulds (Northland), Brandon Nansen (North Harbour), James Parsons (North Harbour), Sam Prattley (Auckland), Kara Pryor (Northland), Scott Scrafton (Auckland), Murphy Taramai (North Harbour), Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland), Jimmy Tupou (Counties Manukau), Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Auckland),
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@Stargazer So Faiva makes the Blues squad. Little is still available to either the Canes and Landers.
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A few lucky fellows in the backs.
Interesting to see Branden Nansen there.
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Happy with the Faiva pickup.
Outside backs is a bit of an issue - Declan is always injured, Rene hasnt refound his mojo, Nanai looks best at fullback, as do Trainor and Duffie.
Be interesting to see how Faiane goes - his knees have been wrecked and he hasnt played since the U20 World Cup over a year ago.
Forward pack looks promising.
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@Tim I do. I would have happily have had him in the Chiefs. Faiva is excellent around the field and does his core roles well enough. He would probably be the 3rd choice hooker in that squad to start the season but if Parsons is rated no.1 anything can happen.
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bit gutted for Waa, reckon he made huge progress from 2015 ITM Cup, his few outings for the Blues and then for Northland this year.
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Umaga on the squad:
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So, what's the starting XV for the Blues? Lock, Wing, and Fullback probably the only contentious decisions. Though Pryor will push Gibson hard, and Hodgman should push Manu.
- Manu
- Parsons
- Faumuina
- Tuipulotu
- Tupou/Cowley-Tuioti/Goodhue/Scrafton
- Kaino (expect to see Kaino rested a bit, and Ioane get plenty of game time)
- Gibson
- Luatua
- Pulu
- West (with Francis getting significant game time from the bench)
- Vaega/Nanai/Duffie
- SBW
- Moala
- Ioane
- Nanai/Collins/Duffie
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Pretty close to the money there Tim.
I think Tupou will have the inside running on the other lock role given his experience and leadership, and his history with Tana.
I think Ranger could be in with a shot at the wing spot - to me he is suited to wing more than midfield.
I think Francis could really push West for the 10 spot. They will need to get that 10-12-13 axis right - last year the early option of West-Moala-Ranger at 10-12-13 didn't work.
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@KiwiMurph Ah, I forgot about Ranger. I guess Trainor is an outside chance too.
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Campbell Burnes' opinion:
There is some late Super Rugby reward for North Harbour's sterling title charge in the Mitre 10 Cup Championship.
No 8 Murphy Taramai, a former All Blacks Sevens and Wellington rep, who made every post a winner in 2016 by playing almost every minute for the union, has won a late, and fully deserved, call-up to a fulltime contract. The 24-year-old Taramai brings a high work-rate and carries well, as does lock/No 6 Brandon Nansen, who had his injury issues with North Harbour, but made an impact whenever he played.
They join new signings who had already been flagged in Sonny Bill Williams, Augustine Pulu, Otago's Michael Collins, Taranaki's Stephen Perofeta, Canterbury prop Alex Hodgman, Counties Manukau lock/loosie Jimmy Tupou and Steelers prop Pauliasi Manu, who returns to the franchise he should never have been forced to leave in 2012.
Others who had not been flagged include Waikato hooker Hame Faiva, whose play has matured nicely in 2016, Northland lock Josh Goodhue, and Taranaki wing Declan O'Donnell.
Midfielders Rene Ranger and TJ Faiane return from long-term injuries.
The unlucky man is North Harbour's inspirational skipper and lock/No 6 Chris Vui, who may have missed out to his bigger teammate Nansen.
If the Blues can stay fit, they will surely make the playoffs, but they cannot again finish bottom of the New Zealand conference for that to happen.
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@KiwiMurph Ranger has the skill set to play centre, but I don't think he has the mindset to do so, especially at Super level, which is where him on the wing with a freedom to roam and go hunting for work suits him best.
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Looking at the Blues squad, I'm going to predict that they make the playoffs, finish 2nd or 3rd in the NZ conference, and lose in a semi-final.
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@KiwiMurph said in Blues 2017:
Happy with the Faiva pickup.
Yeah he's a good player.
I would have picked GPT in the squad though.. Moulds is a little lucky considering Umaga seemed reluctant to play him this year
I see Faiva is another Aucklander returning home. Born in Auckland played for Eden as a kid before going off to board at Wesley
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