NPC - news, injuries etc
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@kiwiwomble Not annoying at all. Just remember, in terms of a home grown player pool, Otago is in the same position as most smaller provinces, but at least Otago has a university that attracts players; that's an advantage other smaller provinces (Manawatu excluded) don't have. They may not always play for the Highlanders, but there regularly are (or have been) SR players among them. Count yourself lucky you have a university.
More than 17 players from the 2020 Otago squad play Super Rugby, and the great majority of them play for the Highlanders. That's way better than many other provinces, particularly the smaller ones. Hawke's Bay, for example, more than half of our SR players do not play for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes do, however, sometimes dump new players from outside their catchment in Hawke's Bay; usually players we don't want (remember Ben Franks, Ben May).
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@stargazer it does sound a lot like youre saying i should be happy with what we have and not want them to do better
i'm pretty sure the whole idea of a comp is to want to do better than the other teamsthe Uni isn't what it was, most of these guys are getting picked up from school, its hardly draw card for a bloke thinking he got the skills to be an AB
a whole lot of super players that mainly got picked up because they were already in Dunners and they were in Dunners because they're playing for a team that cant get out of the championship isn;t exactly something to brag about
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@kiwiwomble Of course I'm not saying you should be happy with what you have (not being able to get out of the Ch'ship), but I don't think it's as bad as you seem to suggest and it's slightly funny that you complain about Highlanders players going to Southland, a team that has been sitting at the bottom of the pit for years and could only attract leftovers from elsewhere in previous years.
If I were an Otago fan, I'd be having a good look at the coaching staff.
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@stargazer Southlands made it out of the championship
it didn't really start as a big moan, just an observation that southland seem to try and bring in players the Highlanders have already attracted to the south and Otago seems to bring through young guys theyve brought down...where a bit of both might be whats needed
and the coaching staff turns over pretty regularly
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@kiwiwomble there needs to be a balance between those outside the region though, otherwise locals get pissed off that they are just importing players with no connection or passion for the province.
Was only a few years ago they had articles about not using enough local players in Southland, but if they get the results, fan will come round, back then they weren't.
As above, I know SOlomon is a fan of McLeod, and will follow his advice and play under him if he can, I suspect he played a big part if getting his brother down there too.
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The Waikato vs BOP XV game must have been played yesterday in Cambridge. The good guys won 33-19.
Having a quick look at the photos on the BOP FB page, I can see Burr, Thompson and Dyer in Waikato colours.
I would assume all Waikato surplus Chiefs players were released as they were for BOP.
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I saw this list for the 2021 national High Performance Referee Squad:
Paul Williams (Taranaki)
Ben O’Keeffe (Auckland) - moved from Wellington?
Brendon Pickerill (North Harbour)
James Doleman (Otago)
Mike Fraser (Wellington)
Nick Briant (BOP)
Cam Stone (Taranaki)
Dan Waenga (Hawkes Bay)
Tipene Cottrell (Hawkes Bay)
Jono Bredin (Otago)
Angus Mabey (Auckland)
Brittany Andrew (Manawatu)
Tiana Ngawati (BOP)
Maggie Cogger-Orr (Auckland)
Lauren Jenner (Counties)
Larissa Collingwood (Waikato)
Mike Winter (Waikato)
Nick Hogan (Hawkes Bay)
Chris Paul (Sth Canterbury)
Daniel Moore (Canterbury)
George Haswell (Canterbury)
Stuart Curran (Manawatu)
Marcus Playle (Auckland)
Selica Winiata (Manawatu)Retired
Richard Kelly (Taranaki)
Rebecca Mahoney (Wairarapa Bush)
James Munro (Canterbury)
Hugh Reed (Hawkes Bay) -
Waikato Rugby Union CEO, Blair Foote, recently announced his resignation, effective from the end of March 2021.
Blair and his wife Rachel have had long-held ambitions to own their own business and recently an exciting business opportunity arose for them within the Waikato region, which they have decided to take.
Therefore, Blair has informed the Board of Waikato Rugby Union that he will not be returning to his role as our CEO at the end of March.
Waikato Rugby Union Board Chair, Colin Groves, said “I would like to congratulate Blair on the next steps of his unchartered journey. Blair has been a first-class CEO, and during his six-year tenure, the Waikato Rugby Union has moved from serious financial difficulties and heavy negative equity to a position of financial stability and one where we hope to have our legacy debt cleared in 2021.”
While Waikato Rugby Union recruit for a new CEO, Carl Moon, will continue as acting CEO until the CEO appointment is confirmed.The bolded text is encouraging.
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Not sure what to make of this announcement, do they mean that Afeaki and Halangahu are co-head coach, or that they are both dual Blues/Harbour coaches?
North Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union was formed in 1985 and during this time has developed a reputation for playing colourful and entertaining rugby through all grades
NEW APPOINTMENTS AT NORTH HARBOUR RUGBY
8 Mar 2021North Harbour Rugby is moving forward into 2021 with a number of coaching and performances roles established.
Two new dual-coaches positions have been confirmed for the QBE Harbour men’s team with Ben Afeaki and Daniel Halangahu taking on roles for the 2021 season.
Both have had considerable experience around North Harbour in playing and coaching in the past.
The 33-year-old Afeaki a former prop played 58 games for the Union as well as making 36 appearances for the Chiefs and one Test for the All Blacks.
He hung up his playing boots in 2015 and is currently involved in the Blues set up as scrum coach and is a great addition to Harbour Rugby with his knowledge of the front row.
Former first five-eight Halangahu, 36 is also no stranger to rugby in the region having played 17 games for QBE North Harbour as well as being an assistant coach last season.
He previously played 74 games for the Waratahs. He retired from playing in 2015 and is currently an assistant coach at the Blues and has had assistant coaching roles with the QBE Harbour men’s side in the past.
One more change for Harbour is experienced rugby man, Alex King taking on the role of Head of Performance.
“I’m excited by the challenge to upskill from strength and conditioning to head the Performance Program and to work with the QBE Harbour coaches, Ben and Dan. They are great students of the game and bring a real energy and knowledge to Harbour.
It’s a great opportunity for myself and for Ben and Dan. We’re all keen to take the group of players forward this season and improve high performance outcomes for our QBE Harbour women’s side and newly formed Academy,” said King.
In the newly formed role, King’s core responsibilities will see him have strategic and management oversight across all High Performance Teams and Programs.
He will also have responsibilities in the implementation of the newly formed Blues/ MOU, which aims to create a world class High Performance Development Program in the region.
“It’s an exciting time for Harbour Rugby with both Ben and Dan coming on board and Alex as well,” said Harbour Chief Executive, David Gibson.
“There’s a real vibrancy around the Union and also at the Blues too with our relationship becoming stronger and a great deal of learning being shared.
It’s important we build on the platform that has been developing in recent times through this new approach and look at how we can improve our performance environments for those aspiring to reach the elite side of the game from our community,” explained Gibson.
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@tim typically they dont have roles in both M10 and Super do they?
But would seem a step backwards going from Blues to NH only, so have to assume it is dual Blues/Harbour coaches, surely?
Unless they are privy to the NPC shake up and getting ahead of the game
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It must be the week for announcing new coaches. Strawbridge seems to still have a role at Waikato.
Ross Filipo appointed as the new Waikato Head Coach for 2021
The Waikato Rugby Union would like to announce the appointment of Ross Filipo to the position of the NPC Head Coach...
The Waikato Rugby Union would like to announce the appointment of Ross Filipo to the position of the NPC Head Coach role. Filipo, 41, has a significant history in the game as a player, having played for the All Blacks, Crusaders, Chiefs and the Wellington Lions. He has also been quietly building a coaching portfolio that includes stints with local club rugby teams, Hamilton Marist and Taupiri Coca Cola in Japan and two years with the Waikato NPC team. Recently, Filipo, has been working as an RDO (Game Developer) at the Waikato Rugby Union, delivering the game to the community and coaching courses to aspiring coaches. Director of Rugby, Andrew Strawbridge, says “Ross has displayed a real understanding of how to develop players and how to create clear expectations and accountability. He cares for the player and operates a secure rather than a comfortable environment.” New Waikato head coach, Ross Filipo, said “It is a very special year for Rugby in the Waikato being our centenary year. I’m excited to take part in the shared responsibility of honoring our past, connecting with our community, continuing the momentum created last year with the team and trying to elevate it further in 2021.” -
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