NPC - news, injuries etc
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Found the extract below in an Aussie newspaper about new Auckland loosie Jamason Fa'anana-Shultz. I wonder if this means he is signed for the Blues next year?
Southern Districts will have to do without the services of Jamason Fa’anana-Shultz for the rest of the season with the young star on the verge of making the step up to Super Rugby.
Fa’anana-Shultz, a former Queensland under-20s representative, was brought to Sydney by the NSW Waratahs as a development player at the start of the season.
The No.8 made an outstanding start to life in the Shute Shield as, while Souths struggled to find their best form, Fa’anana-Shultz starred.
The Waratahs decided against taking him on but two New Zealand-based Super Rugby clubs, believed to be the Hurricanes and the Blues, have swooped, with both the Wellington and Auckland-based clubs said to be keen on his services.
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Video of him playing from 2015
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@Daffy-Jaffy Interesting. Blues do need a replacement for Luatua.
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It is surprising that Auckland do not have sufficient players running around in club rugby that are capable of acquitting themselves in the Mitre10 Cup NPC. Still at least Jamason Fa'anana-Shultz has a name that is clearly a kiwi name so that is something in his favour.
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PRESEASON GAME
The Wellington XV to play Ta$man at Awatere Rugby Club in Seddon on Thursday, August 10 (Kick off 2.30pm):
15 Trent Renata (Oriental-Rongotai)
14 Malo Tuitama (Oriental-Rongotai)
13 Billy Proctor (Marist St Pats)
12 Regan Verney (Old Boys University)
11 Paddy Hughes (Wellington)
10 Jackson Garden-Bachop (Northern United)
9 Sheridan Rangihuna (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
8 James Blackwell (c) (Petone)
7 Du'Plessis Kirifi (Loan Player)
6 Galu Taufale (Poneke)
5 Lui Okeamoa-Luamanu (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
4 Kane Thompson (Johnsonville)
3 Joe Apikotoa (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
2 Ben Power (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
1 Vince Sakaria (Marist St Pats).Reserves: 16 Alex Fidow (Ories) 17 Sitiveni Paongo (Tawa) 18 Ha'amea Ahio (MSP) 19 Will Mangos (OBU) 20 Greg Foe (Poneke) 21 Teariki Ben-Nicholas (OBU) 22 Carlos Price (Petone) 23 Dan Kirkpatrick (Petone) 24 Levi Harmon (Poneke) 25 Andrew Wells (MSP) 26 Lester
Ta$man
1 Tom Hill
2 Ti’i Paulo
3 Siua Halanukonuka
4 Alex Ainley
5 Ethan Blackadder
6 Tone Ng Shiu
7 Braden Stewart
8 Vernon Fredericks
9 Billy Guyton
10 Tim O’Malley
11 Tima Faingaanuku
12 Trael Joass
13 Alex Nankivell
14 Viliami Lolohea
15 Will JordanReserves
16 Brendan Asumoa-Goodman
17 Ryan Cozon
18 Isaac Salmon
19 Mike Curry
20 Willis Scott
21 Ben Finau
22 Andrew Knewstubb
23 Levi Aumua
24 James Hawkey
25 Jack Best -
Premiership odds (NZ TAB):
1 Canterbury 1.75
2 Ta$man 5.50
3 Taranaki 5.50
4 Auckland 8.00
5 Counties Manukau 9.00
6 Waikato 21.00
7 North Harbour 26.00Championship odds:
1 Wellington 2.50
2 Otago 3.80
3 Hawkes Bay 4.50
4 Manawatu 6.00
5 Bay Of Plenty 10.00
6 Southland 18.00
7 Northland 21.00Bit harsh on Northland.
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@KiwiMurph Yes we look far stronger this year. Interesting to see how we fit our backs in with that squad. I'll probably look stupid by saying this but we really should be pushing for the title this year.
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@African-Monkey said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
@KiwiMurph Yes we look far stronger this year. Interesting to see how we fit our backs in with that squad. I'll probably look stupid by saying this but we really should be pushing for the title this year.
Anything less than a finals appearance would be a disappointment for me. This team is as talented, if not more talented than the 2015 team that went to the finals.
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@Dice @African-Monkey Yes certainly the omission of Simon Hickey from a) the captaincy and b ) the squad makes me very happy.
Im holding off getting too excited though - Nick White's first year as head coach last year was abysmal - he gets a bit of a pass due to the weird ruck rules last year but Auckland were very poorly coached - I'm hopeful but not expectant.
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@KiwiMurph said in Mitre 10 Cup - news, injuries etc:
@Dice @African-Monkey Yes certainly the omission of Simon Hickey from a) the captaincy and b ) the squad makes me very happy.
Im holding off getting too excited though - Nick White's first year as head coach last year was abysmal - he gets a bit of a pass due to the weird ruck rules last year but Auckland were very poorly coached - I'm hopeful but not expectant.
Oh yes, no Hickey for once! What makes me doubly happy is that Hickey's double, Elkington-McDonald, didn't get selected. I was worried we were going to pick him again. We still have the other Hickey though...
White is my biggest worry this year. I hope he's at least average, because that'd be a big upgrade to last year.
