Blues 2019
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@stargazer Yeah I get that, I'm half Samoan and have played in a lot of teams where we said a prayer before and after games. I'm not at all religious but I went along with it and let them do their thing, no big deal at all, can't see why others can't do the same it really shouldn't be an issue.
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@african-monkey depends how much the religious crap is shoved down your face. A prayer in the pitch is one thing, but saying grace at dinner, getting preached at about your religious affiliations etc etc would piss a lot off people. Do they do Muslim stuff too, for Sonny? The blues are a work place and that sort of thing is something I would rage against
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@machpants said in Blues 2019:
@african-monkey depends how much the religious crap is shoved down your face. A prayer in the pitch is one thing, but saying grace at dinner, getting preached at about your religious affiliations etc etc would piss a lot off people. Do they do Muslim stuff too, for Sonny? The blues are a work place and that sort of thing is something I would rage against
I'd be more worried about the potential impact of religion being seen as a separate factor to personal agency. So, when you have two or three losses, mostly due to the personal decisions, many of which could be improved with greater preparation, it could be very frustrating if people explained away losses by suggesting that the current troubles were 'god's way of testing us' or 'god's plan' with the conclusion that 'we should just keep doing what we are doing'.
I'm not suggesting that is happening, but it's one thought that I could imagine happening and it could put a big gap between people who see their actions and the results they achieve as some reflection of god's will versus those who see the results they achieve as largely due to their personal agency (i.e., capability to bring about the actions required for winning rugby). Those individuals (i.e., the non-believers) may be more likely to closely examine their own - or others - preparation, whcih could lead to tension.
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I knew a guy who had the potential to go all the way, played NZ age group stuff, was big, strong, fast, but apparently found a God, and determined that until his God told him he should play rugby again, he shouldnt.
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Kiss of death:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12089370
Does raise a good point about whether Coventry will want to be just an assistant though.
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As has been said many times, if Tana had any humility or class he would resign.
The fact that he took an extension at all shows he puts his personal status ahead of the team.
How can he demand more of the players when his own performance is so dire?
And he can moan about injuries all he likes, take a look at every other NZ franchise, all have been effected by injuries.
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@kirwan Tana feels like a gambler deep in a hole trying to win his way out. I also think he's got plenty of enablers around him in management and governance. In some ways being dropped would be kinder, as its hard to see him at the helm for the upswing in form/results etc. Given that still could be a few years off in terms of genuine improvement.
I know it's all hot air until we see it, but I thought the Otere Black signing was going to do a lot for the blues. Hopefully that eventuates in 2019.
But fully agree that selection and recruitment are two things that stink in terms of Tana's coaching. Maybe a case of trying every combination in terms of selection... but fuck me he keeps making some insane decisions!
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Devils advocate. Richmond in the AFL were a basket case. Talented, but either missed finals, or lost the first final every year. Then they had a shocker year, and finished 13th.
Every single metric said the coach should get fired. But the Board went another way, kept the coach, and replaced all the assistants. They then won the comp, and will probably win again this year. To be clear, there was no indication Hardwick had this in him.
This year Collingwood and Nathan Buckley are looking like proving that keeping the coach can work.
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@mokey maybe it's a case of laughing over crying! I suspect he might do a bit of the latter in his own time. Or at least a fair amount on face palming!
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@mariner4life that sounds like Pat Lam's situation in 2012. Not Tana's situation in 2018.
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@paekakboyz I suspect Blues fans would rather see him crying as if it meant something, rather than him bouncing around and giggling like this is no more than a well-paid pisstake.
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@mokey said in Blues 2019:
@paekakboyz I suspect Blues fans would rather see him crying as if it meant something, rather than him bouncing around and giggling like this is no more than a well-paid pisstake.
I'm just voting with my feet. I drag myself down to EP occasionally, but it feels like an abusive relationship. Fark getting a season ticket though ... FOMO on the upswing is the only worry I have
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Excellent!
Blues Rugby
The official home of the Blues rugby team. Buy tickets and merchandise, get the latest news, view results and go behind-the-scenes with our players.
We can confirm today that current North Harbour coach Tom Coventry is to joining the Blues next season as an assistant coach. Coventry will join our coaching group alongside Tana Umaga and Ta$man coach Leon Macdonald, who were named in May. The former Waikato player and Chiefs assistant coach is vastly experienced and successful with two Super Rugby titles at the Chiefs and he guided North Harbour to the semi-final of the Mitre-10 Cup last season. In his two years at North Harbour he has had a close involvement at the Blues, guiding the Development team. -
I had to laugh - a couple of weeks ago on the Out of The Box podcast Nigel Yalden said he was happy Akira was staying with the Blues cos he gets to work under Steve Jackson who Yalden praised as a coach.
I usually like Yalden but to me it just reeked of NZ rugby media refusing to be critical. Jackson was poor in his two seasons as Blues coach and rightly replaced.
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@kiwimurph so Jackson didn't reapply, assume he knew he was done despite Tana keeping his job as head coach.
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@taniwharugby Yeah I got the sense Jackson was in trouble way back at the press conference for Leon MacDonald when they made it quite clear they were re-evaluating the rest of the coaching group (aside from Leon and Tana).
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@african-monkey said in Blues 2019:
can't see why others can't do the same
Probably for the same reason I wonder why people can't keep their superstitious shit to themselves.
