Super Rugby News
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All Blacks Akira Ioane and George Moala join guest star Carlos Spencer in the Blues team to contest the Brisbane Global 10s tournament this Friday and Saturday.
The 22-strong squad, announced today by coach Tana Umaga, also includes teenage talent Caleb Clarke, who returns after playing for the All Blacks Sevens team in the World Cup tournaments in Sydney and Hamilton.
The Blues team will be led by 46-game Super Rugby loose forward-lock, Jimmy Tupou.
There’s plenty of exciting running talent with the likes of brilliant outside backs Melani Nanai and Jordan Trainor, outstanding North Harbour loose forward Murphy Taramai, who joins fellow former All Black Sevens representatives with Antonia Kirikiri and Jonathan Ruru.
The Blues will also unleash some young players for the future in New Zealand Under-20 players Jacob Pierce, Dalton Papalii, Tamati Tua and Orbyn Leger.
“It is a good occasion which the players really enjoyed last year,” said Umaga. “We are going there to enjoy this opportunity and produce some good rugby.
“At the same time it will play a key part in our preparations for the upcoming Super Rugby season and have some goals to achieve while the rest of the squad are preparing at home.
“We are bringing some players who are exciting runners given some space and opportunity. We are keen to play a physical and open running game that will both effective and also attractive.”
Umaga said the young players, especially, will be able to learn much from having Spencer in the team environment.
“Carlos is an iconic player who is still capable of performing on the field. He is also developing into an excellent coach, so our players have a unique opportunity to learn from him.”
Players not considered for selection because of injury include Otere Black, Michael Collins, Blake Gibson, Matt Moulds, Stephen Perofeta, Kara Pryor, Matt Johnson, James Parsons, Jerome Kaino, Scott Scrafton, Leni Apisai, Josh Goodhue, Dan Kirkpatrick, Sione Mafileo, Isaac Salmon.
Goodhue, Kirkpatrick and Perofeta received injuries in the pre-season game against the Chiefs, with Perofeta likely to be out for six weeks with a slight fracture in his hand, while Johnson will be replaced in the team for the season due to a medical condition.
The team is: Caleb Clarke, Kurt Eklund, Jordan Hyland, Akira Ioane, Antonio Kiri Kiri, Orbyn Leger, George Moala, Melani Nanai, Sam Nock, Jordan Olsen, Dalton Papalii, Jacob Pierce, Marcel Renata, Jonathan Ruru, Hoskins Sotutu, Carlos Spencer, Michael Tamoaieta, Murphy Taramai, Tanielu Tele’a, Jordan Trainor, Tamati Tua, Jimmy Tupou (Captain).
Coaches: Tana Umaga, Steve Jackson.
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@daffy-jaffy said in Super Rugby News:
with Perofeta likely to be out for six weeks with a slight fracture in his hand,
Well I called it....
@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby News:
Hopefully it's just one week. Knowing the Blues history it will probably balloon out to a month.
@higgins said in Super Rugby News:
Who is Isaac Salmon?
Prop from Ta$man.
In better news that's a much better squad on paper than the Blues had last year at the 10s - should at least win a game this year which would be an improvement on last year.
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@higgins said in Super Rugby News:
Fifteen players not considered because of injury, and its only preseason training time. Looks like they will have to hire a grandstand to take the team photo if this keeps up. Who is Isaac Salmon?
He's a Mako$ tighthead prop. I'd say the last-season's plan was for him to just be a squaddie and maybe get a bit of time off the bench - the season started with Hames being used on the tighthead side with Halanukonuka - but, Hames was called into the ABs and SH got injured so Salmon got thrown in the deep end and "swam like a fish".
Well, he did better than I expected, but I'd guess a long way to go to be proper Super rugby standard. Promising, though.
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@tim said in Super Rugby News:
Well there goes the season. All three hookers injured is pretty rough.
3 out of 4 flyhalfs isn't great either
Anyone know how long how long Kirkpatrick is out for? At the moment it looks like Plummer will be on the bench for the early matches.. or Spencer
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@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby News:
For Blues fans...this might be the last Blues win for a while...
Blues v Chiefs preseason game
Ruru might take Nock's bench spot
The Dalton Papalii try was good, even accounting for some pre season pansy Chiefs tackles
The Perofeta injury looked innocuous. Just a gentle fend at the end of a good run
Some good stuff in amongst the normal pre season fluff
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@duluth Yeah, I'm only up to near the end of the 1st half, but Ruru has looked good since coming on.
Ngatai looks good.
The ref is still letting clearly tackled players get up and go again. It's very annoying.
Ioane earned several turnovers, and Moala running strongly.
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Nock has not progressed anywhere near as well as I had expected/hoped he might, should be pressing Pulu for the starting spot but as it is he might struggle to hold his bench spot, this year is also the last of his 3 year contract IIRC?
Think young Emile Pittman will press to start for Northland if he re-signs with us this year.
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I'm so over pre-season. The injury toll year on year seems to get larger
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Can't take too much out of a game like that, but the forwards played well in general. The line-out was pretty good and the scrum was about even with the Chiefs. The maul attack/defense was good as well, which was one of our major weaknesses last season.
Was very hard to judge the backs with such limited ball to work with, but Nock and Gatland weren't too good, although I feel like Gatland's play was affected a bit by Nock's poor play. Ruru came on and tidied things up a bit. Kicking from hand is definitely a work on for us.
Tamati Tua got a lot of game time at both centre and wing, but was a bit out of sorts on defense in both positions.
Papali'i definitely stood out in that 2nd half. I also thought Sione Havili had a nice 4th quarter(Blake Gibson might want to stop getting injured with this guy around).
We had Kirkpatrick in at centre in the 3rd quarter, which was weird. When Perofeta and Kirkpatrick went off injured in the 4th quarter, Leger was at fullback, Ruru was at 10, Telea was at 12, and Plummer didn't even get on. Was Plummer injured?
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@canefan said in Super Rugby News:
Quade Cooper is on contract with the Reds but coach BBBT has told him to stay away from training, in an apparent move to change the culture of the franchise
Don't worry, Quade doesn't train because there are no facilities to facilitate.....
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@act-crusader said in Super Rugby News:
@canefan said in Super Rugby News:
Quade Cooper is on contract with the Reds but coach BBBT has told him to stay away from training, in an apparent move to change the culture of the franchise
Don't worry, Quade doesn't train because there are no facilities to facilitate.....
At least BBBT's laptop is safe
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As mentioned earlier I went to the Chiefs-Blues game in Te Kuiti. That was my first time at a match at Rugby Park but there was a huge crowd on a hot day. The kids were all over BBBR when he arrived.
I don't take too much out of pre-season games and the video has been posted for all to watch. From my view the Chiefs were the better team in the 1st half. It was just some excellent scrambling defence from the Blues that kept the Chiefs out on occasion. Both teams were heavily penalised for offside by Jackson.
It was all one-way traffic in the 3rd quarter as poor discipline from the Chiefs reserves (i.e., Taranaki players
) led to kicks to the corner and the inevitable push-over try. I had a great view of Papali'i's try - speed and strength.Ruru is huge for a halfback. Nankivell was fuckin' terrible when he came on.
