AB "What could have been" XV
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@kiwimurph said in AB "What could have been" XV:
@rotated Anscombe wasnt already signed up for overseas when he got picked up for the Chiefs. He played 2 years for the Chiefs. They played him at fullback cos they had Cruden at 10. A big part of him playing 10 for the U20s was his old man was the coach.
Same for Auckland. When Dad wasn’t involved he ended up as fullback, where was good without being great. Very good goal kicker rubbish ten.
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@derm-mccrum said in AB "What could have been" XV:
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Bent
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McCartney
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Ah You
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Hayden Triggs
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Ezra Taylor
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Nepia Fox-Matamua
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Sean Reidy
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George Naoupu
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Gibson-Park
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Joey Carbery
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James Lowe
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Bundee Aki
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Jared Payne
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Pita Ahki
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Isa Nacewa
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Rhys Marshall
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Peter Borlase
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Nathan White
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A. N. Other
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Jake Heenan
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Isaac Boss
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Tyler Bleyendaal
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Ben Te’o
Looks like an ITM cup ‘all-star’ team. Nothing more.
Fruean, Atiga, Whopper are three guys that were there abouts, could’ve been 20+ test players and never kicked on for a range of reasons.
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@gt12 said in AB "What could have been" XV:
Off the top of my head:
Afoa
Afeaki
Paterson
Hopa
Holah
Blackie
Luatua
Fotualii
Evans
Nacewa
King
Vidiri
PiutauPretty much all of them stuck behind All Black greats, except Piutau, Luatua, and perhaps Afoa who I think all went too early.
Yeah Afoa is a good one. Maybe Tialata from that same era too.
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Mike Delaney
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Marty Holah got 36 caps. A really good player behind a better one. There's no "what could have been" with him.
Duane Monkley is a different story.
Why not Eric Rush, if he started his career on the wing? He might have been awesome as a youngster.
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@pukunui said in AB "What could have been" XV:
@gt12 said in AB "What could have been" XV:
Off the top of my head:
Afoa
Afeaki
Paterson
Hopa
Holah
Blackie
Luatua
Fotualii
Evans
Nacewa
King
Vidiri
PiutauPretty much all of them stuck behind All Black greats, except Piutau, Luatua, and perhaps Afoa who I think all went too early.
Yeah Afoa is a good one. Maybe Tialata from that same era too.
I reckon we got the most out of what Tialata had to offer.
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@rocky-rockbottom said in AB "What could have been" XV:
Anthony Boric. looked to the manor born for about 10 minutes
Robbie Robinson**. Overshadowed even Cruden at 09 U20 WC.** Looked a star in the making
I think that is a Fern myth and Robinson just had a few loud fluffers. Cruden was World Junior Player of the Year after the tournament in 2009.
Still, it did seem like Robinson was set for a bigger career - maybe the equivalent of his cousin DMacs?
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@mn5 said in AB "What could have been" XV:
@mikedogz said in AB "What could have been" XV:
Joeli Vidiri
Quite a few guys could step Jonah but I'm pretty certain JV was the only one who ran over the top of him when Counties played Wellington. Fuck he was awesome.
Scored a brilliant try for Blues against Brive in 'World Rugby Championship'.
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Jamie McIntosh. Was touted as as a super-talent and then disappeared without trace.
There was a midfielder in the early 2000's who was hugely rated but didn't quite make it - Mark Ranby?
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Anthony Tuitavake is a guy that had a heap of potential that never really cracked it ,
Tamati Ellison another one ,
Good players that may have made it but werent quite needed enough with our depth .
I guess NZ rugby is full of those stories ,
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@kiwiinmelb yeah Ellison another signed overseas just as he cracked it and never came back good enough.
