Highlanders 2020
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@Stargazer said in Highlanders 2020:
Assuming Sam Gilbert has been brought in as injury cover, who is the injured player?
Where is Tima F?
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More info on the Highlanders injuries. Tima F is not mentioned.
Unavailable due to injury: Ngane Punivai (Concussion), Nathan Vella (concussion), Nehe Milner-Skudder (Shoulder)
Season ending injuries: Sione Misiloi (foot), Thomas Umaga-Jensen (shoulder), James Lentjes (ankle), Tevita Nabura (Back), Conor Garden-Bachop (Back)
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Highlanders team: Mitch Hunt, Sam Gilbert, Rob Thompson, Sio Tomkinson, Jona Nareki, Josh Ioane, Aaron Smith, Marino Mikaele Tu'u, Dillon Hunt, Shannon Frizell, Pari Pari Parkinson, Josh Dickson, Siate Tokolahi, Ash Dixon (c), Ayden Johnstone.
Replacements: Liam Coltman, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Jeff Thwaites, Manaaki Selby-Rickit, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, Kayne Hammington, Teihorangi Walden, Vilimoni Koroi.
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2020:
Unavailable due to injury: Nehe Milner-Skudder (Shoulder)
No way, and his shoulder too...
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Well Sam Gilbert has come almost out of nowhere. He only made a handful of appearances for Canterbury last year and I don't think he started a game, and now he's a starting Highlander.
I'm a little concerned he's being used on the wing - by both teams but particularly at the higher level - given he's historically a 10/15. A much better intro at this level would be at 15, but he's plugging a hole on the wing instead. I'd be saying the same thing if Razor was using Dallas McLeod on the wing.
Where's Josh McKay by the way?
Lastly, Gilbert is a STAC lad. After a fairly long lean patch, they now have Richie, Harry Allan and Gilbert playing Super Rugby.
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I'm trying to think of All Blacks who weren't wingers but started out there at provincial or SR level. Maybe Colin Slade. Shane Philpott. Daryl Gibson. ALB debuted on the wing for the Chiefs I think, for a game or two. Not a lot of "tried and true" stories there.
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The point I'm making in opposition to the idea that wing is a tried and true path to player development into other positions, is that it hasn't been the case all that often. It's a lot different to how Australian RL fullbacks often drift successfuly into five-eighth, or another good Australian example is batsmen coming in at 5 and especially 6 then successfuly moving up to 3 or 4 in the test side.
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@shark said in Highlanders 2020:
The point I'm making in opposition to the idea that wing is a tried and true path to player development into other positions, is that it hasn't been the case all that often. It's a lot different to how Australian RL fullbacks often drift successfuly into five-eighth, or another good Australian example is batsmen coming in at 5 and especially 6 then successfuly moving up to 3 or 4 in the test side.
I think across NZ rugby (@Bones didn't specify AB level) that a decent number of fullbacks (Dagg probably debuted at wing for the Magpies) would start out at wing, and probably a few centres (like your mention of ALB, Bunce, Clarke, and Innes at AB level etc).
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@shark said in Highlanders 2020:
I'm trying to think of All Blacks who weren't wingers but started out there at provincial or SR level. Maybe Colin Slade. Shane Philpott. Daryl Gibson. ALB debuted on the wing for the Chiefs I think, for a game or two. Not a lot of "tried and true" stories there.
Mils started as a winger for the Blues in 2002.
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@Nepia said in Highlanders 2020:
@shark said in Highlanders 2020:
The point I'm making in opposition to the idea that wing is a tried and true path to player development into other positions, is that it hasn't been the case all that often. It's a lot different to how Australian RL fullbacks often drift successfuly into five-eighth, or another good Australian example is batsmen coming in at 5 and especially 6 then successfuly moving up to 3 or 4 in the test side.
I think across NZ rugby (@Bones didn't specify AB level) that a decent number of fullbacks (Dagg probably debuted at wing for the Magpies) would start out at wing, and probably a few centres (like your mention of ALB, Bunce, Clarke, and Innes at AB level etc).
That makes sense. Positionally fullback is much harder and needs to be a communicator to the wings. In much the same way centre takes experience to play well.
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@shark said in Highlanders 2020:
@Rapido I'll grant you Clarke for Auckland in 1991 and the ABs in 1992, but Tana was a winger for several years as opposed to starting out there, and was he a midfielder prior?
Tana was League centre before that. (for Wainuioamata, Wellington and Junior Kiwis)
Shoved into the 'easy' development position of wing, for the start of his union career. Took 5 years to shake that off. -
Getting all 1990s and sub-AB level.
Brendan Laney. George Konia, Rico Gear.
Centres, especially in the lower division provinces where they started. Then wingers when move to first division or Super 12 level, for a good half decade or so. Then eventually back to midfield. Although my memory is fuzzy on Laney.
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I think Craig Innes is the best example in support of the 'tried and true path' argument. A centre at age grade level up to NZ Colts who then played wing on the 1989 EOYT before supplanting Smoking Joe in 1990. But that was only at AB level, briefly, and in a pretty damn good AB side too. Tana is a decent example but he was playing wing because he was new to union, as opposed to easing his way in at a higher level, out of position.
Sam Gilbert, a 10/15 playing wing for a slightly messed-up SR franchise, doesn't appeal as a similar success story.
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@KiwiMurph said in Highlanders 2020:
@shark said in Highlanders 2020:
I'm trying to think of All Blacks who weren't wingers but started out there at provincial or SR level. Maybe Colin Slade. Shane Philpott. Daryl Gibson. ALB debuted on the wing for the Chiefs I think, for a game or two. Not a lot of "tried and true" stories there.
Mils started as a winger for the Blues in 2002.
I remember Mils on the wing for John Boe's NZ U19 team in 2000.
