Hawke's Bay Tui
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Shit.
The new-look Farah Palmer Cup competition draw was announced today and Big Barrel Tui head coach Steve Woods admitted it will be a tough season for his depleted squad.
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Woods won't have the services of both of last year's co-captains and experienced loosies Hanna Brough and Gemma Woods. Brough is playing for Counties-Manukau and Woods is unavailable.
Experienced lock Te Aroha Hunt is also unavailable as is promising lock Liana Mikaele-Tu'u who is Auckland-based with university commitments. On a positive note Woods pointed out Black Ferns fullback-first five-eighth Krysten Cottrell should be available for the campaign after recovering from surgery.
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Gone from last year are stand-out loosie Hannah Brough (to Counties), young talent and future BF Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, former BF Gemma Woods, prop Davina Atkin, first five/fullback Sylvia Bockman, utility player Chanel Huddleston, lock Te Aroha Hunt, prop Te Maari MacGregor, talented back Felicity Powdrell, her sister Anna Powdrell and frontrower Jess Taueki. I may have missed a few.
Especially the loss of Brough, Mikaele-Tu'u, Woods and Huddleston will hurt the squad. I don't know the newbies. I understand some come from league and there are, again, a few school girls in the squad. I see two returning players, Laurae Blake and Jaimee Robin (nee Edwards).
It's going to be a tough season, considering they're mixing Premiership and Champsionship teams this year, but it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
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Hawke's Bay Tui - revised 2020 FPC draw:
Date Time Home team Away team Where Sun 13/9 12.30pm Otago Spirit v Tui Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin Sat 19/9 12.30pm Wellington Pride v Tui Hutt Rec Ground, Lower Hutt Sat 26/9* 4.35pm Tui v Canterbury McLean Park, Napier Sun 4/10 12.00pm Ta$man v Tui Sports Park, Motueka Sat 17/10 2.00pm Tui v ManawatÅ« Cyclones Tremain Field, Napier Fri 23/10 â Sun 25/10 Semi-finals Fri 30/10 â Sun 1/11 FPC Final *double header with Mitre 10 Cup game (televised)
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HAWKEâS BAY TUI: PREVIEW 2020
In what is a remarkable feat, former Black Ferns halfback Emma Jensen will play her 18th season of national provincial rugby, when she laces up the boots for the Hawkeâs Bay Tui in the 2020 Farah Palmer Cup.
Talking points
Sheâs played 120 matches, sheâs the second highest points scorer and by far the most capped player in womenâs provincial rugby, but Emma Jensen canât get enough of the Farah Palmer Cup and is back again for more this year.
Jensen made her NPC debut for Hawkeâs Bay 18 years ago, before a stint with Waikato and then onto Auckland where she played most of her professional rugby. She returned to her beloved Hawkeâs Bay in 2018 and will be a key player for the Tui this season.18 seasons is huge, and 120 caps is a lot in women's rugby! The word "professional" must be a slip of the pen.
After making her Black Ferns debut last year, young hooker Forne Burkin will captain Hawkeâs Bay this year, with former captainâs Hanna Brough (Waikato) and Gemma Woods unavailable this season.
As mentioned in the ManawatÅ« Cyclones preview, this year marks 40 years since the first womenâs interprovincial match in New Zealand, which was played between Hawkeâs Bay and ManawatÅ« on September 14, 1980 in Palmerston North. The two sides play off for the Attenborough-McBeth Cup each season. The cup is named after the coaches of each team on that day, Rangi and John, respectively. The Tui take on the Cyclones on Saturday 17 October in Napier.
Outgoing players
Hanna Brough (Waikato), Gemma Woods (unavailable), Liana Mikaele-Tuâu (Auckland), Te Aroha Hunt (unavailable), Chanel Atkins (unavailable), Te Maari McGregor (unavailable) -
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FYI
Livestream of the game (k/o 12.30pm):
Not having high expectations for the Tui's FPC campaign, but I hope they'll do well!
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The game is a bit messy, lots of cobwebbs, with many handling errors and the Tui's tackling isn't good enough. Their positioning isn't helping either, with the fullback having to defend the entire width of the field, which is impossible to do if Otago kicks over the Tui's defensive line and a speedy player is giving chase. Te Pou is fast, but another player really needs to drop back to help her defend.
The Tui's scum, however, is excellent. They totally dominated Otago in that respect.
HT: Otago 14 - 11 Tui (two tries to one)
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Full time: Otago 29 - 20 Tui
I think the Tui deserved more from this game. Not rewarded for their dominant scrum, with the ref too whistle-happy. I lost count of the number of scrums in which the Tui totally bulldozed Otago, but Otago got advantage. According to the commentators because they were not pushing straight, but I'm not convinced. Their dominance was just too big. Anyway, defence is a big work-on, although it improved in the second half, forcing Otago to make mistakes.
Apart from the game against Ta$man, this was probably their best chance of winning a game this season.
Next week, they play Wellington at the Hutt Recreation Ground, Lower Hutt (Sat 19th, 12.30pm). -
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Livestream Wellington Pride - Tui:
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Just when I was writing that I expected the Tui to get crushed after two Wellington tries in 9 minutes, Forne Burkin scores a try for the Tui.
It's 12 - 7 to Wellington after approx. 15 minutes.
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Wellington scored a third try: 19 - 7
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A third try to the Wellington left winger, Black Fern Ayesha Leti-Iâiga.
26 - 7 Wellington
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Try Michaela Baker.
26 - 12 Wellington
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Yuck, another try to Wellington. 31 - 12
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Try to our new left winger Harmony Kautai.
Half time: Wellington 31 - 17 Tui
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A big score was expected with Wellington stacked with Black Ferns, but it's still depressing to watch. The Tui's defence is like Swiss cheese.
48 - 17 Wellington
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55 - 17 Wellington
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Geez, it's now 67 - 17. I knew it was going to be bad, but this is really, really bad.
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That was the final score.
Again a big los from a Championship team against a Premiership team. Not surprised. This format definitely isn't working in the FPC; the differences are too big. On top of that, the Tui have lost so many players this year, it was going to be hard, even under the old format.
Extra tackle training this week? They need it, because they might be at the wrong side of a hundy next week against Canterbury.
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@Stargazer
Are you suggesting HB start with 16, 17 or 18 on the field if Ms. Palu is to get the chance to show her bulldozing technique to the fullest extent! -
The referee might have invoked the mercy rule before she gets the chance to get on though!
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Half time: Tui 10 - 37 Canterbury
Score as expected. Tui defence has holes like Swiss cheese, but when in possession and on attack, they aren't too bad. Te Pou's try in the corner was a beauty.
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Full time: Tui 15 - 72 Canterbury
What a relief! No hundred put on them. Actually, the Tui had some good moments in this game, but just couldn't finish them. If they learn how to tackle, things will improve a lot. Oh, and big Ashley Palu bulldozed her way over the try line for the third try!
Next week, they'll finally have a chance of winning a game (probably their only one of the season). They'll play Ta$man in Motueka.
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@Stargazer I was really impressed at the Tui's halfback. She's probably short of a yard of pace (is she a bit older than the others?) but jeez she can pick an option. Very quick to spot empty space and put the ball there, and good at changing the attack when they looked to be running themselves our of space.
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@JC You're right to be impressed. The Hawke's Bay halfback is Emma Jensen. She's a legend!
Everyone talks about Jason Rutledge, but Jensen is also 42 years old and has achieved quite a lot in rugby. She's in her 18th season of provincial rugby and has played 123 provincial games thus far. She has said that this is her last season, so she could end up having played 125 games! She's by far the most capped player in womenâs provincial rugby.
She's from Hawke's Bay and attended Central Hawke's Bay College. She made her Hawke's Bay debut while still at school.
Jensen has also represented Hawke's Bay in hockey (both in her her fifth form year).She had to chose between rugby and hockey when she moved to Hamilton to study at Waikato Uni, and - obviously - chose rugby.
She represented Waikato from 2002-04 and Auckland from 2005 to 2015, and then returned to Hawke's Bay.She made her Black Ferns debut in 2002 and went on to win three Rugby World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010)!
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@Stargazer Surprised to see Niamh Jefferson on the bench. She has started every game since mid-2018. Good at the tackle - never far from it - and wins lineout ball. Carrying a niggle?
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@Number-10 I was wondering about that as well. I remember that in last week's game against Canterbury, she was replaced during the second half, but had to come back on because the player she replaced got injured. With Kathleen Brown, she's one of my favourite players in the Tui squad. Surprised she never received a BF call-up, although there's a lot of competition in the loose forwards.
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Ta$man has an image on their FB page with Jefferson starting. It will be interesting to see if the line-up has changed ...
C'mon girls!
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Livestream Ta$man v Tui
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Half time: Ta$man Mako 0 - 19 Tui
Tries to 2nd five Jaimee Robin, prop Whitley Mareikura and 16-year-old centre Amelia Pasikala.
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Full time: Ta$man Mako 5 - 62 Tui
Second half tries to Harmony Kautai, Cortez Te Pou, Niamh Jefferson, Amber McKenzie, Michaela Baker, Shaylee Tipiwai and Krysten Cottrell.
Stand-outs for me were prop Mareikura in the first half, Krysten Cottrell, both midfielders Jaimee Robin and Amelia Pasikala, and great impact from the bench from Niamh Jefferson.
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@Stargazer said in Hawke's Bay Tui:
@Number-10 I was wondering about that as well. I remember that in last week's game against Canterbury, she was replaced during the second half, but had to come back on because the player she replaced got injured. With Kathleen Brown, she's one of my favourite players in the Tui squad. Surprised she never received a BF call-up, although there's a lot of competition in the loose forwards.
@Stargazer With that scoreline I think that probably answers why Niamh Jefferson, Emma Jensen and Cortez Te Pou all started from the bench.
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@Number-10 Te Pou started from the bench because she had a minor ankle niggle, which got worse after she was tackled not long after scoring her try. She had to leave the field and I saw a post on her instagram in which she was sitting in a wheelchair at the airport, with her ankle in bandages. Jensen and Jefferson have played a lot minutes; both had great impact from the bench today.
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Hadn't noticed this before, but they've moved the Tui v Manawatū Cyclones game from Saturday to Friday, and it's now before the Magpies v Northland game at McLean Park. Kick-off is at 4.35pm.
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