NPC - news, injuries etc
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@Stargazer One of the slight problems with these sorts of tours - the promoters want to play up that the Mako are New Zealand's national provincial champions, while playing down that there's only a handful of squaddies on tour.
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@Dice said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
Ouch. So Dalton Papali'i has signed for Counties.
Now @crucial is going to act like Dalton is his favorite player.:smiling_face_with_open_mouth_smiling_eyes:
Would've preferred to keep him, but it does ease up the loose forward log jam at Auckland
In practical terms I don't think it will matter much. IMO Papali'i is the best blindside in NZ. He should only play NPC if he's coming back from an injury
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@Duluth I am really surprised he’s gone to Counties Manukau given that they struggled big time in this years Mitre 10 Cup..I know he’s the sort of player who will stand out regardless of whom he plays for, but I can’t help but think it would have been a backwards step..maybe with an up and coming team like Hawkes Bay or even dare I say it Canterbury would have been a much better option to critique his game..even staying with Auckland was doing him no harm..I just don’t get it, to me it can only be a culture issue to why he’s leaving ..
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@Steven-Harris A lot of players seem to go back to their home provinces these days. Don't mind it personally and it gives someone else a chance to come through I guess. I assume Choat will be back this season?
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@African-Monkey Yeah, isn't Papalii from Counties? He's mentioned his Dad playing club rugby there too.
Also, Tai Lavea has probably coached him a lot of his career.
As @Duluth pointed out, he's probably not going to play much NPC anyway.
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@Steven-Harris said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
@Duluth I am really surprised he’s gone to Counties Manukau given that they struggled big time in this years Mitre 10 Cup..I know he’s the sort of player who will stand out regardless of whom he plays for, but I can’t help but think it would have been a backwards step..maybe with an up and coming team like Hawkes Bay or even dare I say it Canterbury would have been a much better option to critique his game..even staying with Auckland was doing him no harm..I just don’t get it, to me it can only be a culture issue to why he’s leaving ..
Pretty sure he just wants to play for his high school coach, Tai Lavea. I think Papali'i played 4 years under Lavea at St Kents, and was made captain by him as well. I know Papali'i has a high opinion of him.
When Lavea was made coach of Counties, I think some of us predicted that he would try to entice guys who he coached at St Kents to jump over to Counties with him.
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@African-Monkey said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
I assume Choat will be back this season?
In the Bristol press release they said he would be returning to Auckland at the end of the season. He's only there as injury cover.
I don't think he's played for them yet. It seems he has an ankle injury.
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This is the link to the Seatle Seawolves Fans FB group:
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Mako line-up:
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Live commentary also on the Seawolves' Twitter account: https://twitter.com/SeawolvesRugby
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Had a catch up with one of the Ponsonby coaches this evening,
Wiseguy Faiane will kit up for Ponies this year, be interesting to see if he can claw his way back to where he was a couple of seasons back. -
The Chiefs region PRO teams are having a pre season comp.
Strong Steelers contingent named for pre-season hit-out! ⚫️🔴⚪️👍
New Counties Manukau head coach Tai Lavea has named a strong squad ahead of this weekend’s Centurion Cup opener against Waikato.
Lavea’s Counties Manukau Cavaliers selection will take the field at Hamilton’s Fred Jones Park on Saturday at 4:35pm with 10 of the 15 starters boasting Mitre 10 Cup experience.
In naming the first squad of his tenure, Lavea has also opted for co-captains with Karaka duo Mickey Woolliams and Cardiff Vaega to share the leadership duties.
Steelers first-five Riley Hohepa (Patumahoe), halfback Liam Daniela (Bombay) and fullback Kali Hala (Karaka) will be familiar faces in the backline while Patumahoe’s James Brady has been rewarded for his stellar 2019 club and sevens seasons with selection on the wing.
“We are really excited about the opportunity to have a competitive game of rugby at this time of year,” Lavea said.
“The boys have been training hard for several weeks now and the selections reflect that.
“I’m very confident they will go out there on Saturday and represent our region with pride.”
Lavea added that the Centurion Cup – a pre-season competition in which the provincial unions aligned to the Chiefs play against one another – provided local players with an opportunity to push for Mitre 10 Cup contracts.“We’ve made it pretty clear to the boys and the local clubs that we will be signing players who perform for us in the coming weeks and beyond that at club level,” Lavea said.
Also included in the 25-man squad on an extended bench are Chiefs players Donald Maka and Orbyn Leger.⚫️🔴⚪️
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