NPC - news, injuries etc
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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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Counties new/returning Assistants are all ex Counties Players
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A couple of Counties Young Guns to look out for. One out of my home disrict club Onewhero.
We are delighted to announce another Academy Product, Ioane Moananu signed to a full 2020 Steelers Provincial Union Contract.
Ioane was identified in 2018 as a talented player co captaining the De La Salle 1st XV in the Auckland 1A Competition.
2019 saw Ioane join the Steelers Academy and play his Premier Club Rugby out of the Manurewa Rugby Football Club Inc
At 17 years of age, Ioane Captained the Counties Manukau U19 Representative Team at the National Jock Hobbs Memorial Tournament and earned himself a full 2020 Provincial Union Contract from his performances and will play in the Mitre 10 Cup next season.
Ioane has also been identified as a player of interest for the NZ U20’s and Chiefs U20 teams and will take part in their upcoming selection programs.
We are excited to see this young, talented Hooker grow and develop in our Union and we look forward to watching his progress.
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CMRFU would like to recognize and commend the achievements of Cam Roigard who has officially been signed for the 2020 season!
Cam Roigard came to CMRFU and the Onewhero Rugby Club through our Steelers Academy and was identified from his performances as a halfback with the 2018 CoEd Top 4 Champions, St Peter’s School Cambridge.
In the 2019 Premier season with Onewhero, Cam amassed a total of 75 points for his club scoring 9 tries, with 9 conversions and converting 4 penalties.
Cam attended 2 weeks of PIC Steelers trainings, playing Northland in their pre-season game and then went on to represent the U19’s at the 2019 U19 Jock Hobbs National Memorial Tournament.Cam was named as the 2019 AS Wilcox Premier Club Player of the Year, and from his club, Academy and U19 performances, Cam has been offered and has accepted a full 2020 Provincial Union Contract.
Cam has also been selected to be part of the NZ U20’s training camps, is a part of the Chiefs U20’s and has a interim training contract with the Super Rugby Club.
Well done Cam! We look forward to watching this exciting talent in our Union, both in our Club Competition and in the Mitre10 Cup.
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@mikedogz said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
Counties new/returning Assistants are all ex Counties Players
Interesting about Dean Cummins. Has been away overseas learning his coaching trade quietly with Milton Haig. Has more RWC experience than Razor now
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@mikedogz I've asked Waikato and Counties if I can get pre or post match interviews with the head coaches and players, hopefully I'll be able to post them on here
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The Chiefs Rugby Club today have announced today the launch of the 2020 Chiefs Country Centurion Cup. The Centurion Cup will see Chiefs Country Provincial Unions Bay of Plenty, Counties Manukau, Taranaki and Waikato play a quadrangular competition in Hamilton, as curtain raisers to the Gallagher Chiefs home matches at FMG Stadium Waikato. At the conclusion of the Centurion Cup competition, a Chiefs Development XV will be selected to play a one-off game against the Blues Development XV. (...)Fixtures:
Saturday 8 February
Bay of Plenty vs. Taranaki, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 4.25pm
Waikato vs. Counties Manukau, Fred Jones Park, Hamilton, 4.25pmSaturday 22 February
Centurion Cup Final: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 4.25pm
3rd and 4th Play-off: Loser Game 1 vs. Game 2, Fred Jones Park, 4.25pmFriday 13 March
Chiefs Development XV vs. Blues Development XV, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 4.25pm
