Auckland Rugby 2021

Daffy Jaffy

Ponies players that were involved in the preseason game on Wednesday -

Left to right - Tito Tuipulotu, Sam Wye, Presley Tufuga, Jordan Trainor, William Talataina-Mu, Terrell Pieta, and Cephus Salaivao.

Listed as unavailable due to injury - Hamdahn Tuipulotu, Tino Ulugia, and Jamie Lane.

Tino Ulugia is an interesting prospect. Schooled at De La Salle but since has been playing in Samoa for the Warriors club and Samoa A. He is listed as 2.10m on the club facebook page..

Tim

@daffy-jaffy Damn, that's 6'11''!

Tim

@african-monkey I hope so. I think in another thread someone said that he would start on the wing.

Auckland backline without him might be:

Ruru
Plummer
Rayasi
Evans
Faiane
Lam
Sullivan

Would be nice to see Meihana Grindlay get some time at 13 too.

African Monkey

@tim Is Faiane hanging around for the NPC?

Tim

@african-monkey I would imagine so, as Japanese season starts after NPC?

Stargazer

@tim They have a very long preseason though. It will depend on his contract.

Edited to add:
For example, Tiaan Falcon was supposed to fly back to Japan in September. It's only because he re-negotiated his contract that he's now able to play NPC and return to Japan later.

Duluth

@tim

I wonder if Heem is back with Auckland too? He could play 13

Tim

@duluth Yeah, that's a good call.

Tim

Thinking about an Auckland 23 for this season. Centre will be a challenge having lost Tele'a and Manu. Maybe Faiane to move out one? Gibson gone too?

Young locks and loose forwards to pick? Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa back from injury?

1 Lay
2 Vikena
3 Ta'avao
4 Scrafton
5 Dalziel
6 Sione Tuipulotu
7 Choat
8 Ekuasi

9 Ruru
10 Plummer
11 Rayasi
12 Evans
13 Faiane
14 Heem
15 Sullivan

16 Apisai
17 Adams
18 Renata
19 Whetton/Josh Beehre
20 Jones
21 Paea/Funaki
22 Lam
23 RTS

Tim

FYI, here's the Blues U20 squad:

Hooker: Soane Vikena (Blues), Ray Sua (Auckland), Hanz Leota (Auckland)

Prop: Leandro Vakatini (Auckland), Josh Fusitua (Auckland), Esile Fono (Northland), Sione Ahio (Auckland), Ryan Mead (North Harbour)

Lock: James Brown (Auckland), Allan Craig (Northland), Josh Beehre (Auckland)

Loose forward: Wallace Sititi (Auckland), Chlayton Frans (North Harbour), Cam Church (Auckland, Captain), Will Bason (Auckland), Jordan Hutchings (Auckland)

No 8: Vaiolini Ekuasi (Auckland)

Halfback: Manu Paea (Auckland), Dayton Iobu (Auckland)

First five: Christian Stenhouse (Auckland), Jock McKenzie (Auckland)

Midfield: Meihana Grindlay (Auckland), Corey Evans (Auckland), Sage Shaw-Tait (Auckland)

Wing: Joel Cobb (Auckland), Ryan Nankivell (Auckland)

Fullback: Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (Blues), Sofai Maka (Auckland).

Tim

New Zealand Rugby announced Sione Ahio, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Corey Evans, Joshua Fusitua, Meihana Grindlay, Manu Paea and Soane Vikena in the 2021 New Zealand Under 20s Squad.

Tim

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Nogusta

@african-monkey no he won't be playing NPC.
Grindlay will be suiting up for the Naki I heard.

KiwiMurph

I'll be happy if Auckland avoid relegation.

Dice

Looks like Akira has stuck with Auckland?

Tim

Tim

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Tim

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Grammar TEC play College Rifles next round, whereas Eden play Waitakere, University play Manukau, and Ponsonby play Otahuhu, so Grammar TEC could well miss the playoffs.

booboo

@tim said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

Grammar TEC play College Rifles next round, whereas Eden play Waitakere, University play Manukau, and Ponsonby play Otahuhu, so Grammar TEC could well miss the playoffs.

Is that all the club's in Auckland now? Or is there a small 2nd Div still going?

"Back in my day ..." there were 21. And even then that had shrunk from a few years prior. (That is only on the Akl side of the harbour.)

Just did a mental exercise to see who is missing.

From that 21:
Grammar TEC have combined 3 into 1. And before my time Teachers joined with Eastern, and Cornwall and Grafton (I think) became Carlton. So one club essentially merged from five, but for my purposes that's minus 2.

Roskill looks to have gone. Have a feeling they "merged" with the mighty Eden. Roskill Districts was itself an amalgamation of Mt Roskill and Hillsborough a year or so before my time. (Liking the Auto correct for Roskill ... Roadkill).

Te Papapa seems to have disappeared. Tamaki, East Tamaki and Mt Wellington nowhere to be seen. Neither is Te Atatu.

So there's the 8 I'm missing.

Probably sadly indicative of the diminishing number playing sport (Not just rugby).

nzzp

@booboo said in Auckland Rugby 2021:

Probably sadly indicative of the diminishing number playing sport (Not just rugby).

Our society has changed, and leisure options have changed.

Back in the day, there wasn't much else to do at the weekend - shops (if they were open) closed at noon Saturday... so people genuinely had free time.

I'm not saying we should go back, but there's a key driver right there

The Silver Fern

Auckland Rugby 2021