Otago 2024
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@Higgins said in Otago 2024:
@Landers92 Is that centre the same Levi Harmon that came from Bush to play for Poneke about eight or nine years ago? Fronted for my Axemen as well but got a bad injury pre-season that put him out for the whole year. Think he buggered off back to Poneke the next season before disappearing somewhere, at least I don't recall hearing his name mentioned in Wellington club rugby for a fair few years now.
Yeah mate. Was in Hurricanes and NZ 7’s system for a bit there.
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@NateHill74 said in Otago 2024:
Liam Coltman is back, he's been in Dunedin for a while now. Jake Te Hiwi got a wrist injury in the Landers quarter and is still a couple of weeks away from returning. Fingers crossed ready for first week. Also that Levi Harmon is the same. And yeah broken knee 2021 final in Dunedin, was going to make the Otago team if it weren't for that injury. moon boot all of 2022. First season back, scored 2 tries in final, dominated in the midfield for GI this year. So looking forward to seeing him in the provincial stage again
Thanks @NateHill74 your local insights are really good. I'm interested to see what Harmon can do. Must have been very highly rated before he had all his injuries. I wonder how they are planning to use Sanders? Surely he must be behind Haig, Stodart and Lio-Willie. Or will they look to use Stodart or Haig as temp locks. Interested to see Palmer get a run on the wing. Not a young man anymore, but does some great things for Southern though. Interesting all the national schools reps from last year are in the training group, even though some barely got out of Colts in the club season. I really so hope we see a bit of Pledger this season. While he has played a lot of top rugby. He hasn't played a lot of open grade rugby.
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That's alright. I'm in polytech and the team always train outside our classes. Looks like Haig at 6 at the moment. Haven't seen too much else. Finn Hurley, Will Tucker were running up and down the field jogging like a rehab. Maybe just a rest but keeping them moving. Mackenzie is a big surprise considering he's had many options to make the team but has always not been comitted enough to play. Pledg and A-One will most likely have a rest after 20s then come back into things. Train with the otago team. Pledg will then go with 19s for a bit too.
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@NateHill74 said in Otago 2024:
That's alright. I'm in polytech and the team always train outside our classes. Looks like Haig at 6 at the moment. Haven't seen too much else. Finn Hurley, Will Tucker were running up and down the field jogging like a rehab. Maybe just a rest but keeping them moving. Mackenzie is a big surprise considering he's had many options to make the team but has always not been comitted enough to play. Pledg and A-One will most likely have a rest after 20s then come back into things. Train with the otago team. Pledg will then go with 19s for a bit too.
Sounds like Hurley may have got a knock in the final if he is paired up with Tucker. I'm really looking forward to Haig and Holland this NPC. Both have now been in professional environments for a while now. I'm expecting them to dominate now.
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Looking forward to watching this pre season game. If Southland can figure out to work Facebook live… meant to be live approx 10mins ago…
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19-14 to Southland at halftime. Southland the much better team in that first half.
Otago playing very 1 dimensional trying to play everything through the forwards(A Tom Donnelly special) while Southland are trying to get it into the wide channels and getting breaks and half breaks from offloads. Very impressive.
Couple stand outs so far. Byron Smith at 10 for Southland looks to be a good athlete and had a good half. For Otago, Ale Aho is a big unit who gets around the park well with a great skill set who I thought looked solid. One to watch.
Wholesale changes in the second half, should be an interesting half.
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@Landers92 said in Otago 2024:
19-14 to Southland at halftime. Southland the much better team in that first half.
Otago playing very 1 dimensional trying to play everything through the forwards(A Tom Donnelly special) while Southland are trying to get it into the wide channels and getting breaks and half breaks from offloads. Very impressive.
Couple stand outs so far. Byron Smith at 10 for Southland looks to be a good athlete and had a good half. For Otago, Ale Aho is a big unit who gets around the park well with a great skill set who I thought looked solid. One to watch.
Wholesale changes in the second half, should be an interesting half.
Very disappointed with the first half. We should run away with this in the second half seeing the team Southland have out there. Backs looking sharp this time around. Kyan Rangitutia doing a couple of good things on both attack and D. Stoked to see Byron Smith look good. I hope there is the potential for him to be a Landers option.
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Mackenzie Palmer is a real rocks and diamonds player. Probably not someone I want to see regularly playing.
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Otago 33 - Southland 24. Much better second half for Otago and as expected much better depth and a class above in the second half.
Otago chancing their arm a bit more in the second half and looked a lot better. Nareki in particular was dangerous, he is an absolute handful when you can get him the ball 1 on 1, 2 try assists in about 10mins for him.
A backline of Arscott at 9, Millar 10, Nareki 11, Falefaga 12, Levi Harmon 13, Rangitutia 14. Palmer 15. I have have missed a sub or 2 in the backs but they were the majority of the minutes. Looked a lot better than the first half backline but that’s pre season footy and what it’s for.
As I said above Aho was impressive at lock and he carried that into the second half getting through 80 minutes. Next Friday against Canterbury I expect a more stable side with some better balance. All in all a successful game and didn’t look like any injuries.
NPC is back!
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Byron Smith looked the best of the 10s on display.
We looked at our best when we had wingers playing on the wing, instead of a fullback and a centre with Palmer and Whaanga.
Lucas Casey looked top draw at seven. Will be interesting to see the battle between him and Taylor for that gig.
Agree with @Landers92 Aho looked great.
Moana Takataka looks an absolute beast of a man. Won a couple of scrum penalties too.
Neither Arscott or Hastie gave me much confidence.
Gilbert continues to just be an ok rugby player. Someone who finishes, but not a lot else.
For Southland. Their lineout was terrible after Taylor went off.
That former Auckland 12 was an absolute powerhouse.
Josh Augistine looked good for an 18-year-old.
Withy, outstanding.
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get in! we may never loose again!
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I’ve been told that AF at 10 was atrocious, Hastie was average, Otago in general played like a bunch of ball hogs with no structure, and the kicking from hand was also awful. Sounds about right or harsh?
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@KiwiInLondon said in Otago 2024:
I’ve been told that AF at 10 was atrocious, Hastie was average, Otago in general played like a bunch of ball hogs with no structure, and the kicking from hand was also awful. Sounds about right or harsh?
Hastie and Faleafaga both played like they hadn't had a run in around two months. Hastie's last game was in May, and Faleafaga's early June. Millar looked average too. He hasn't played since the Highlanders got knocked. Arscott was untidy. He's only had 20 minutes since the Highlanders finished. Byron Smith, has been playing regular rugby, was the best 10 today. He also has the most to prove. Out of the Super guys, Nareki and Withy were the only two who properly stood out. Most looked short of a gallop.
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@KiwiInLondon said in Otago 2024:
I’ve been told that AF at 10 was atrocious, Hastie was average, Otago in general played like a bunch of ball hogs with no structure, and the kicking from hand was also awful. Sounds about right or harsh?
Very harsh.
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Irish Paul has chucked up the Otago team for the trial on X. The strangest selection is Sam Fischli at lock. He isn't an overly big loosie, so can't see him as a viable lock option. Probably a give him a run and see if he can cover there, just in case. Other noteable picks, Taylor getting openside ahead of Lucas Casey. Arscott and Millar starting in the inside backs. Faleafaga at 12. Timu returns at centre. Josh Whaanga on the right wing. Gilbert at fullback.
Stodart, Asi, Hurley, Te Hiwi and Umaga-Jensen not named. Likely to be injured. I'd expect all of them to be in the 23 if available. -
@SouthernMann said in Otago 2024:
Irish Paul has chucked up the Otago team for the trial on X. The strangest selection is Sam Fischli at lock. He isn't an overly big loosie, so can't see him as a viable lock option. Probably a give him a run and see if he can cover there, just in case. Other noteable picks, Taylor getting openside ahead of Lucas Casey. Arscott and Millar starting in the inside backs. Faleafaga at 12. Timu returns at centre. Josh Whaanga on the right wing. Gilbert at fullback.
Stodart, Asi, Hurley, Te Hiwi and Umaga-Jensen not named. Likely to be injured. I'd expect all of them to be in the 23 if available.A real shame if Hurley is still carrying a niggle into the start of the season. Would have liked him to get a run at 15 before the season kicks off and move Gilbert into 12 to continue building there. Would also like to see Whaanga get a good shot in the 13 jersey so I wouldn’t be against swapping Timu and Whaanga around. Seems as the approach with Whaanga is to slowly ease him in via the wing like last season.
Overall you would have to say that’s close to our strongest starting XV and the extended bench is a good chance for these younger fringe players to push their case. Hopefully for Stodart it’s just a rest, he got through a solid 40 last week. Would be nice to get a full update on all injured squad and players before the season starts so hopefully Otago do that.
@frugby as for saying Aho reminds you of Tuipulotu, have you seen a fair bit of him play? Intrigued to know as I’ve only seen the 1 pre season game so don’t know a lot about him.
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I just see Gilbert as a bench player. There is just something about him. He has been mucked around a bit, and has juet never kicked on. He dies in contact. Doesn't regularly swt his outsides up. Is a good goal kicker. That's about it. Disappointing really, as he has all the physical attributes to be a good player at this level, and competent at Super Level.
An issue we have faced in recent years is a lack of pace. Having the likes of Whaanga and Timu being interchangeable at centre/wing doesn't seem to address that. Play wingers on the wing. Not spare centres. If Whaanga is a rught winger this year, I'd expect a fair few cross kicks. He'd be the tallest outside back going around in the comp.
The pack looks strong apart from the weird Fischli selection. He just can't be a locking solution. -
Lio-Willie and Gilbert named as captains
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@SouthernMann Only other option is Haig and lock but I understand the logic of starting your best six at six rather than playing him out of position
