Blues 2016 squad

taniwharugby

looks like Tana wants a Moala-Ranger mid-field, although Ranger is still not doing contact due to his neck surgery...
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/75836897/tana-umaga-confident-rene-ranger-and-george-moala-midfield-will-fire-for-blues'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/75836897/tana-umaga-confident-rene-ranger-and-george-moala-midfield-will-fire-for-blues</a>
 
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<img src="http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/9/5/g/8/v/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.195g4h.png/1452619689426.jpg" title="" alt="1452619689426.jpg">
Ranger may look as though he's been plucked from the Northland bush after an extended hunting expedition, but his return from a two-year stint in France should be a major asset.
The 29-year-old former All Black remains on the comeback trail from neck surgery, which kept him out of the NPC with North Harbour and continues to restrict him from resuming contact.
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KiwiMurph

Tana's plain speaking makes for a nice change. Moala's game has come on leaps and bounds - hopefully his passing game is the next area to improve on.

Tim

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<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11573258'>Rugby: Blues' 10 jersey is West's to lose</a> 
Patrick McKendry 
2:58 PM Wednesday Jan 13, 2016 
New year, new coach, new attitude at the Blues. 
Gone is the metaphorical revolving door at the pivotal first-five position under John Kirwan's reign, and in is new coach Tana Umaga's endorsement of Ihaia West as the man with the No10 jersey to lose. 
Umaga, appointed as Kirwan's replacement in June following a disastrous season which reaped three victories and 13 defeats, has been impressed with West's recent development, and in particular the skill and mental strength he showed in kicking the last-minute conversion for Hawkes Bay to win the Championship final against Wellington last year. 
West, who turns 24 on Saturday, became the incumbent under Kirwan last year, playing 15 matches as the Blues limped to second-to-last place on the table. His rivals for the jersey were Simon Hickey and Dan Bowden, both of whom have signed with offshore clubs after being deemed by Umaga as surplus to requirements. 
While West played well in patches, he will want to play a more dominant role in 2016 and an early endorsement from Umaga should help. 
Kirwan's strategy during his troubled three seasons in charge was a constant competition for places which left some players down on confidence and unsure of their place in the side. In 2014, Hickey, West, Benji Marshall and Chris Noakes were all tried in the No10 jersey. 
This year West will be vying with the inexperienced Matt McGahon and Piers Francis for the first-five spot, and the expectation is for him to take control on and off the field. 
"Ihaia West is the guy who has been in Super Rugby for three years," Umaga said today. "I was very impressed with him in last year's ITM Cup. The growing of Ihaia [could be seen] in that kick to win the game. Some people have had issues with Ihaia's mental temperament - being able to handle pressure situations. I just thought his game had grown in the ITM Cup. 
"He is the senior 10 there so it's his job to lose at the moment... but everything's open." 
Umaga, taking time out from leading his team in their pre-season training activities, was wary about promising much in his first season - another big difference to the relentlessly positive Kirwan. West's halfback partner is likely to be Bryn Hall, who will have Billy Guyton and 19-year-old Sam Nock as his rivals for the position. 
Umaga said: "I know [Hall] didn't have such a good 2015 but I have talked to him about 2014 when he was very good and how he can get back to that." The Blues' World Cup-winning All Blacks, prop Charlie Faumuina and skipper and loose forward Jerome Kaino, have been training with the team, with Japan-based players, flanker Tanerau Latimer and utility back Male Sa'u, due to arrive in a fortnight. 
Midfielder Rene Ranger, back at the Blues following his stint in France, has yet to resume contact training following neck surgery. Umaga is hopeful the 29-year-old Ranger will be available for the team's first game against the Highlanders at Eden Park on February 26.
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Tim

So, the team is shaping up now. I'm picking that it'll be something like this:
 
 1. O. Tuâ€™ungafasi 
2. Parsons 
3. Faumuina 
4. Tuipulotu 
5. Bekhuis 
6. Kaino (c) 
7. Latimer 
8. A. Ioane 
9. Hall 
10. West 
11. Li 
12. Moala 
13. Ranger 
14. Nanai 
15. Visinia 
16. Mayhew 
17. MacDonald 
18. Mafileo 
19. Luatua 
20. Gibson/Ram 
21. Guyton 
22. S'au 
23. McGahan
 
Hooker, Lock, and fullback are the major concerns.

MN5

Ranger and Moala in midfield. Shit I might actually watch some super rugby this year.

KiwiMurph

I would like to think there is potential for the Blues outside backs to improve - the likes of Li and Visinia have a heap of natural talent but haven't kicked on - will be interesting to see if they blossom a little more in a new environment.

taniwharugby

guess thats a vote of confidence for West to go out there and give it a good crack without worrying too much about being dropped (unless he is really terrible, week after week) 
 
I guess Parsons is a lock for 2, but I've never thought much of him, thought McDonald might be a better starting option with Parsons and Moulds fighting it out for the bench.

Dice

Personally, I'd have Bekhuis dead last on the depth charts for lock. I have a feeling had we not already had him signed up before Tana came, we'd of had Fatialofa here instead of him. I'd like to see a good dose of Luatua and Tuipulotu as a lock pairing in pre-season to see if it's worth running with during the season.
 
We messed up big time by not taking Pleasants-Tate. McDonald is too small to be affective at this level. Parson had a promising start to his Blues career, but has gone backwards with every season since then.

leytonandamanda

I like McDonald at hooker,very under rated player. I think he is actually better than parsons 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

taniwharugby

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Dice" data-cid="552529" data-time="1452805488">
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We messed up big time by not taking Pleasants-Tate. McDonald is too small to be affective at this level. Parson had a promising start to his Blues career, but has gone backwards with every season since then.
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Which is where I am hoping Moulds will get a good shot, he is a big lad, strong, fast, has skills, just his throwing has been off more often than not, if he can sort that, he'll have the skill set to make the next step too IMO.

KiwiMurph

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Dice" data-cid="552529" data-time="1452805488">
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Personally, I'd have Bekhuis dead last on the depth charts for lock. I have a feeling had we not already had him signed up before Tana came, we'd of had Fatialofa here instead of him. I'd like to see a good dose of Luatua and Tuipulotu as a lock pairing in pre-season to see if it's worth running with during the season.
 
We messed up big time by not taking Pleasants-Tate. McDonald is too small to be affective at this level. Parson had a promising start to his Blues career, but has gone backwards with every season since then.
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Completely agree with this - although I feel with Akira Ioane having a little less mass and been in and out of the squad this year due to 7s I wouldn't be surprised if he is more used as a bench option than an automatic starter - meaning Kaino at 8 and Luatua at 6 will likely get a good run - just a hunch.

KiwiMurph

Good article here on Tana. <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11574524'>http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11574524</a> 
It seems to suggest Bowden got punted.

taniwharugby

While only rumor, and one quelled in the taniwha forum when Bowden posted himself, there were issues with Bowden in the northland camp last year, but the sources (2 seperate ones) were pretty credible, so who knows if there really were issues, and why.

broughie

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="KiwiMurph" data-cid="552779" data-time="1452850689">
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Good article here on Tana. <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11574524'>http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11574524</a> 
It seems to suggest Bowden got punted.
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Good insight by Tana. He really was only a stop gap a best. But I have never really appreciated his rugby skills.

Crash

And yet Bowden seemed to do well in the UK.
Albeit, currently Bath look like a team in need of a miracle - well beaten by Leinster yesterday, and they already have incumbent (and soon to be England) first five, George Ford.

Gary

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="KiwiMurph" data-cid="552557" data-time="1452810906">
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Completely agree with this - although I feel with Akira Ioane having a little less mass and been in and out of the squad this year due to 7s I wouldn't be surprised if he is more used as a bench option than an automatic starter - meaning Kaino at 8 and Luatua at 6 will likely get a good run - just a hunch.
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Is it a given that 7's players will have to shed bulk this year. Titch is aiming at gold this year and I think there are fewer games being played each daythan the world series which may benefit the bigger type players and a more physical game style.

Crucial

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Gary" data-cid="553017" data-time="1453039344">
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Is it a given that 7's players will have to shed bulk this year. Titch is aiming at gold this year and I think there are fewer games being played each daythan the world series which may benefit the bigger type players and a more physical game style. 
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They will still shed a little bulk, but I have read a bit about how Titch's famous fitness regimes may not have the advantage they sometimes do in the olympics due to the structure.

bobily

There was an article a while back about how one of the players joining the 7s was planning to lose a decent bit of weight. Also, the news recently said that SBW had lost 3kg (which seems like a bit for so early on - it doesn't mean much if he doesn't continue to lose some, though).

KiwiMurph

Yeah i've heard Akira Ioane quoted recently talking about how he needed to "get skinny" for the 7s this year.

Tim

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<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://theblues.co.nz/no/'>Blues to open with free game against Rebels</a>

18 Jan 2016 
The Blues will kick off their 2016 Super Rugby season with a free admission game in Pakuranga next month. They will play the Melbourne Rebels in their first pre-season match at the Pakuranga Rugby Club on Thursday 4 February, the Blues announced today. 
The Blues are pleased to reach out to the Auckland community with free entry for the game. 
â€œThe communities in Auckland and Northland are our lifeblood and we want to continue to increase our work in our rugby communities,â€ said Blues Community & Brand Manager, Robyn Rowley. 
â€œLast year we brought back curtain raisers involving local college rugby, which we will continue this year. And when it allowed, the team also trained at some schools. 
â€œThis year we had the opportunity for a home pre-season game which is an ideal chance to give back a little to the community with free entry.â€ 
The Pakuranga Rugby Club is thrilled to host the game. 
â€œIt is exciting for the club and especially for the east Auckland community,â€ said club manager Stephen Hackett. 
â€œItâ€™s great to have the opportunity to host the Blues in its roots. It is an opportunity for our members and the fans out here to get in behind the match and for them to meet the Blues.â€ 
Hackett said the Pakuranga club has taken significant strides both on and off the field in the last five years and the opportunity to host a game of this magnitude is reward for a community that has really backed rugby. 
The match will kick off at 5.30pm with further details about the match and entertainment to follow. 
The Blues other pre-season games will be away against the Hurricanes at Eketahuna on Saturday 13 February and the Chiefs at Pukekohe on Friday 19 February, a week ahead of the season kick-off when they host the 2015 Super Rugby champions, the Highlanders at Eden Park. 
There are new options for True Blue Members this year. In addition to the eight-game season passes, fans can opt for a Flexi-Plan package and pick the games that suit you best. All other benefits, including free rides on trains and special event buses for all games, can be viewed by going to www.trueblues.co.nz
 
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The Silver Fern

Blues 2016 squad