Highlanders 2024
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@Canes4life said in Highlanders 2024:
Had a chat to a mate that’s working for the Landers and I questioned him on the PUJ move and he just sent back a smiley face. He said he has heard of a few more signings like that but couldn’t confirm until they were announced. Watch this space Landers fans.
Well we know of PUJ and JRK.
With what was announced today, in the backline there is only a spot left for another two first fives (We assume one to be Faleafaga) and an outside back. In the pack, Henry Bell will be there, and we assume Jack Taylor will be. Leaves one spot at hooker, another lock, and another lock/loose forward/prop.
One first five spot, the hooker spot I expect will be filled by overseas players by the sounds. The lock spot is also not filled, though conceivably we have picked up another one of those.
I guess what I'm really saying is, in terms of really exciting signings already made, there isn't a heck of a lot of room, because I'm fairly confident that where we don't know, we don't actually have a player signed. The only other really cool signing would be Tavatavanawai for the back three, but we haven't heard anything about that.
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Irish Paul and the ODT confirm Bell, Taylor and Faleafaga. Also says Hurley and Stodart won't be there next year. https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/132439491/highlanders-sign-young-trio-ajay-faleafaga-jack-taylor-and-henry-bell
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Irish Paul and the ODT confirm Bell, Taylor and Faleafaga. Also says Hurley and Stodart won't be there next year. https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/132439491/highlanders-sign-young-trio-ajay-faleafaga-jack-taylor-and-henry-bell
I love this, the way to go. Super is pretty well locked in until 2030, so teams can spend some time developing players etc. I also believe that in the long run the team will have a good Highlander's culture and will stay more loyal to team. This is what Aussie teams seem(or should) to be realising is the way forward, rather than just want to buy NZ players!!
Well done Clan!!!
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Highlanders Announce New Additions to 2024 Squad | Highlanders Rugby Club Limited Partnership
The Highlanders have announced the signing of several young players for 2024. In a move that was well signposted during the year players from their High Performance Programme will graduate to full contracts next season. Otago first-five, Cameron Millar, will be joined in the squad by fellow Otago...
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if im honest, maybe its me or maybe its all been a bit confusing, but i though Haig, hastie, millar and Ajay were already signed for 2024
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Te Hiwi, Millar, Hastie, Haig and Michaels were all confirmed end of last year. Taylor and Faleafaga are a year younger so I think they wanted to give them some more time just to see, but they have proven they are ready enough. Bell is obviously not as young, but this was wrapped up end of the NPC. I think the Landers would have liked to have had him this year, but they rushed in and panicked, signing up Leni Apisai which they later regretted,
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I think this is honestly the first time since 2019, I can look at our squad without my blue-tinted glasses trying to kid me and be excited about our squad. There was a fleeting moment in 2021 when we picked up Alaimalo, but it was very fleeting. We have had 15 players depart, the same number as 2019. For comparison, these were who we signed for 2020V2024:
2020 SIGNINGS:
Jeff Thwaites, Ethan de Groot, Ricky Jackson, Manaaki Selby-Rickit, Jesse Parete, Zane Kapeli, Sione Misiloi, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, Mitch Hunt, Chris Kuridrani, Jona Nareki, Scott Gregory, Michael Collins, Ngane Punivai, Connor Garden-Bachop & Vilimoni KoroiOf these, at the time I think it was genuinely accepted that de Groot, Jackson, MSR, Hunt and Nareki were really good pickups, Scott Gregory and CGB fairly good, and the rest... well we might have shown brief excitement, but they are all a bunch of journeyman. LOOK AT THOSE LOOSE FORWARDS!
In practice, you'd have to say de Groot and Nareki have been raging successes, and barring CGB where the jury is still firmly out, the others were all abject failures.
Now thankfully, I think we have learned, because of those seven new signings announced today (Not Millar), I think there is real belief in all of those guys, but particularly Jack Taylor, Oli Haig and Ajay Faleafaga to be top top quality. Couple that with the others, who I think are crucially local and hungry, we are heading in the right direction. Sprinkle in PUJ and JRK, as well as the next best double-barrel name from overseas, and this is a squad who takes steps forwards, not backwards next year. I'm excited for the future.
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I think a fair goal for next year is to win more games than we lose, and make Forsyth Barr Stadium a hard ground to play at for opposition sides. If we win more than we lose, we will finish between 5th and 7th, depending on how the other sides up the top go.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
I think a fair goal for next year is to win more games than we lose, and make Forsyth Barr Stadium a hard ground to play at for opposition sides. If we win more than we lose, we will finish between 5th and 7th, depending on how the other sides up the top go.
I think we need some standards. I'd like to see them set a goal of winning 5-6 Home Games, and then the rest will take care of itself. We should make the eight no problem this season I think.
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The big problem is that basically none of the guys that the Highlanders have signed are proven performers. We've seen plenty of age-grade superstars tank once they reach the big leagues (probably more often than not...). A lot of these guys aren't even top age-grade players, they're just half-decent, and while they certainly all have potential, it's entirely possible (and perhaps even probable) that they're no better than the men they're replacing.
Time will tell, of course.
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@Mr-Fish Not every players needs to be terrific, but it is important that we build a core of local players... and I'd argue half of those guys do have superstar potential. Haig and Millar in particular. Faleafaga and Hastie both slick, whilst Taylor and Bell will be tidy. I think we probably need another top quality hooker, but these guys are all more or less upgrades on previous strategies. I'm not sold on Te Hiwi, but could hardly be worse than some of the other idiots we have had, whilst Michaels is only the third choice openside, so fits the bill perfectly.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@Mr-Fish Not every players needs to be terrific, but it is important that we build a core of local players... and I'd argue half of those guys do have superstar potential. Haig and Millar in particular. Faleafaga and Hastie both slick, whilst Taylor and Bell will be tidy. I think we probably need another top quality hooker, but these guys are all more or less upgrades on previous strategies. I'm not sold on Te Hiwi, but could hardly be worse than some of the other idiots we have had, whilst Michaels is only the third choice openside, so fits the bill perfectly.
I mean, around half the players from U20 squads tend to push on and have decent Super Rugby careers - and maybe half of those guys are better than journeymen, or the standard of players that the Highlanders already have in abundance. So maybe 8/30 would improve the standard or the Highlanders (after at least two or three years investment).
Have the Highlanders picked the right eight, or just the eight that were willing to head south (or are already living in Highlanders country)?
It's definitely possible the Highlanders have struck gold but statistically speaking (and based on the recent recruitment calls made by the coaches in the past few years), it's unlikely. If it were the Crusaders bringing in five or so age-grade stars I would be a lot more confident that they had a) identified the top talent and lured them to Christchurch, and b) will nurture their talents adequately. In the Highlanders' case, I think that's probably a bit much to ask...
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2024:
@Mr-Fish said in Highlanders 2024:
statistically speaking
Waaaaait a minute.... aren't these "statistics" purely finger in the air by you?
Or have you got something factual you're basing this off?
I mean, I haven't done the leg work myself but I suspect that if you went through every Under 20s World Cup squad and looked at the number of starts each player got at each level of the game, then I think you would get similar results to me going, 'Alex Fidow, I guess he had an ok career at Super level, he goes in the 'decent' basket'.
From doing that over six squads, that's where the average numbers of 8 and 15 came from.
If we're being very technical, it's impossible to objectively say who has and who hasn't had a good career - but I imagine we'd all come to very similar conclusions with most players.
E.g. for 2016:
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I think it would be unfair for Gilbert to have to move positions again.
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@Mr-Fish said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@Mr-Fish Not every players needs to be terrific, but it is important that we build a core of local players... and I'd argue half of those guys do have superstar potential. Haig and Millar in particular. Faleafaga and Hastie both slick, whilst Taylor and Bell will be tidy. I think we probably need another top quality hooker, but these guys are all more or less upgrades on previous strategies. I'm not sold on Te Hiwi, but could hardly be worse than some of the other idiots we have had, whilst Michaels is only the third choice openside, so fits the bill perfectly.
I mean, around half the players from U20 squads tend to push on and have decent Super Rugby careers - and maybe half of those guys are better than journeymen, or the standard of players that the Highlanders already have in abundance. So maybe 8/30 would improve the standard or the Highlanders (after at least two or three years investment).
Have the Highlanders picked the right eight, or just the eight that were willing to head south (or are already living in Highlanders country)?
It's definitely possible the Highlanders have struck gold but statistically speaking (and based on the recent recruitment calls made by the coaches in the past few years), it's unlikely. If it were the Crusaders bringing in five or so age-grade stars I would be a lot more confident that they had a) identified the top talent and lured them to Christchurch, and b) will nurture their talents adequately. In the Highlanders' case, I think that's probably a bit much to ask...
A glass half empty approach is pretty easy to take. With 20 year olds we never know whether they will be the quality we need/want or will impact change.
Here is the situation the Highlanders are in though
- Established players don't want to play for the team which is currently the 5th best in NZ
- Quality players with connections to the Highlanders have taken up opportunities elsewhere
- The players the Highlanders have signed from elsewhere have not been up to scratch
- The Highlanders are a significant step behind their rivals in terms of setting up development programmes
- The current development programme is seeing players come through. This is a step in the right direction
- What we did over the last six years did not work.
There will never be enough talent in the south to hold up the squad alone. It will need strong recruitment out of high school, good culture and results will flow from there. This is just the start.
