Exodus

[Yeetyaah]

@Wurzel How do you know this?

[Stargazer]

@Yeetyaah Here's the media release of Suntory Sungoliath:

https://www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/sungoliath/news/2019c/20190606NR.html

[Wurzel]

Looks like Melani Nanai is on the All Blacks radar. Or perhaps they're just being pricks to Worcester and Manu Samoa...

Geoff Berkeley  /  May 31, 2019  /  sport

Warriors signing on standby for New Zealand World Cup squad?

NEW Worcester Warriors signing Melani Nanai is understood to be on the All Blacks standby list for the Rugby World Cup after being “held back”…

[Billy Tell]

@Wurzel said in Exodus 2019:
Or perhaps they're just being pricks to Worcester and Manu Samoa...

Geoff Berkeley  /  May 31, 2019  /  sport

Warriors signing on standby for New Zealand World Cup squad?

NEW Worcester Warriors signing Melani Nanai is understood to be on the All Blacks standby list for the Rugby World Cup after being “held back”…

Yes that’s it.

[Stargazer]

It's way more likely that Nanai has contractual obligations to play Mitre 10 Cup then that he's on the ABs "stand-by list". There are several players who are well ahead of him in the outside backs queue.

[KiwiMurph]

If Nanai wasn't heading overseas I think you would have heard his name thrown up a lot more this year for AB consideration given how strong his form has been. It is interesting.

[Nogusta]

@Stargazer bit of both. He is contracted til the end of M10 and is keen to head over straight after Super. Auckland are happy for him to head over there and get his family settled in but NZRU have asked him to stay as cover in the event of further outside back injuries

[Rapido]

^^ Is he not interested in playing for Samoa at the world cup?
If so, he has timed his contracting dates abysmally?

or is he easy either way?

[Jaebird]

This post is deleted!

[Crucial]

@canefan said in Exodus 2019:

@Crazy-Horse said in Exodus 2019:

Raelene Castle? You know it's going to happen sometime 😀

Fuck no. Besides she is scary looking. She must take appearance advice from Tim Burton

Don't discriminate against her simply because she has to wear a helmet at all time to protect from (further) brain injury.

[Jaebird]

@mikey07 you obviously had a problem with Rangihuna being better than the two you mentioned, hmm makes me wonder if your a tawa man. As for CP he's been goneskeez ages ago, got signed up for nothing.

[Higgins]

Carlos Price did not start all that often for his allocated club of Petone either after being trumpted as the next big whiz kid when signed by the WRFU whilst still at school in Auckland.

[mikey07]

@jailbird no I’m not I’m actually from Wainui I just find his pass slow and his decision making questionable but hey that’s just my opinion happy to be proved wrong.

[nzzp]

@Nogusta said in Exodus 2019:

@Stargazer bit of both. He is contracted til the end of M10 and is keen to head over straight after Super. Auckland are happy for him to head over there and get his family settled in but NZRU have asked him to stay as cover in the event of further outside back injuries

Seems reasonable to me.

He'll be on that second tier, but our outside back stocks suddenly look thin with DMac gone.

Without jinxing it, injuries could mean another Paulasi Manu situation perhaps? RWC winners medal, without ever getting capped (or playing for the team!)

[taniwharugby]

BBBR NOT exiting stage left until at least 2023.

[Chris]

BBBR to miss next 2 SR seasons back for ABs in 2021 )
[link text](link url)https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/113415766/all-blacks-and-chiefs-lock-brodie-retallick-resigns-with-new-zealand-rugby-to-2023

[booboo]

@taniwharugby said in Exodus 2019:

BBBR NOT exiting stage left until at least 2023.

Can I like this twice?

[Stargazer]

Highlanders loose forward Elliot Dixon has confirmed that he has signed a two-year deal with Ricoh Black Rams and will head there in October to play in the Japan Top League.

With the World Cup in Japan from September to November, the Japan league has been switched to a January start and will clash with Super Rugby next year.

There have been suggestions another season will be played in the second half of the year - bringing two seasons in the calendar year, and a lucrative payday for many players.

But that appears to have been ruled out. The suggestion is the next three seasons in Japan are set to be played in the first half of the year, directly clashing with the Super Rugby season.

Dixon (29) said the season structure was still undecided in Japan but it appeared to be the end of being able to play in two competitions back to back.

''At the moment the competition is pretty cool over there. The Top League is awesome to play and then you can come back again and play for a season for the Highlanders again. But not sure if we are going to be able to do that,'' Dixon said.

''I would love to do that but it hasn't worked out that way so I'm going to head off to Japan.''

Dixon is one of seven Highlanders from this season's original squad who will play in Japan next season.

He will be joined by locks Tom Franklin and Jackson Hemopo, loose forward Liam Squire, first five-eighth Marty Banks, midfielder Richard Buckman and winger Tevita Li, who has joined Suntory.

.
I'll post the link to the press release of the clubs concerned, once they have confirmed the signings of Franklin and Banks. All I have on Franklin at the moment is that he still has a 2nd year on his Kobelco Steelers contract, but that wouldn't necessarily rule out a return to SR (depending on the Top League format).

Jun 11, 2019

Dixon's decision to choose Japan all about family

The Japanese threat continues to grow and may become even more of a menace to New Zealand rugby. Highlanders loose forward Elliot Dixon confirmed...

[Chris]

@Stargazer That would put him out for 2020 SR at least, due to Japan League schedule for 2020 ?

[Stargazer]

@Chris Probably, but it depends on how it's written in his contract. He signed his contract with Kobelco in 2018, when nothing was known about the Top League format post RWC.