BOP vs Steelers
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<p>Bay of Plenty Steamers team v Counties Manukau<br>
ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe, Sunday, 4.35pm</p>
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<p>1. Siegfried Fisi'ihoi<br>
2. Liam Polwart<br>
3. Pingi Tala'apitaga<br>
4. Culum Retallick (c)<br>
5. Keepa Mewett<br>
6. Jesse Parete<br>
7. Hugh Blake<br>
8. Joe Tupe<br>
9. Te Aihe Toma<br>
10. Kelly Haimona<br>
11. Isaac Te Aute<br>
12. Terrence Hepetema<br>
13. Lalakai Foketi<br>
14. Monty Ioane<br>
15. Te Rangi Fraser</p>
<p>Reserves:<br>
16. James O'Reilly<br>
17. Aidan Ross<br>
18. Jeff Thwaites<br>
19. Troy Callander<br>
20. Shahn Eru<br>
21. Henry Stowers<br>
22. Ruki Tipuna<br>
23. Regan Ware</p>
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<p>A few injuries apparently, but I think we'll do better this week (I always say that!). I believe the addition of Polwart, Tala'apitanga and Mewett, will add some starch to the set piece. Hopefully this will lead to better attack all round - which was missing somewhat last weekend.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="KiwiPie" data-cid="609319" data-time="1472234100">
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<p>Yeah that pack looks a bit more soild with a real lock in there and better scrummagers - our scrum looked like it was on wheels in the first half last weekend. That Jesse Parete is a lump of a lad, be interesting to see how he goes.</p>
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<p> Yeah, I agree.</p>
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<p>Once again we go in as the underdog. I watched the Counties game against Harbour and they didn't look unbeatable.</p>
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<p>I would at least like to see us look threatening on attack and, at some stage, like to see the backline fire. </p> -
Ruki Tipuna in the squad? He must be the last remaining player still going from the team that won the shield?
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="aucklandwarlord" data-cid="609640" data-time="1472287172">
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<p>Ruki Tipuna in the squad? He must be the last remaining player still going from the team that won the shield?</p>
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<p>Yes if you mean playing for the Bay - Colin Bourke and Paul Tupai are still playing. Tupai looks like he's about to play another season for Bedford at 41!</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="KiwiPie" data-cid="609820" data-time="1472294327"><p>
Yes if you mean playing for the Bay - Colin Bourke and Paul Tupai are still playing. Tupai looks like he's about to play another season for Bedford at 41!</p></blockquote>
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Where are they still playing? I saw some 20 minute biography on Nili Latu on the sports channel over here. He's still playing in England as well -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="aucklandwarlord" data-cid="609896" data-time="1472322769">
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<p>Where are they still playing? I saw some 20 minute biography on Nili Latu on the sports channel over here. He's still playing in England as well</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bedfordrugby.co.uk/content/players/paul-tupai'>http://www.bedfordrugby.co.uk/content/players/paul-tupai</a></p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricoh_Black_Rams'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricoh_Black_Rams</a></p>
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<p>Plus at age 37</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bristolrugby.co.uk/team/first-team-squad/mark-sorenson/'>http://www.bristolrugby.co.uk/team/first-team-squad/mark-sorenson/</a></p>
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<p>And not still playing but if you're short of cash .....</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://homeloanshop.co.nz/home-loans/bernie-upton/'>http://homeloanshop.co.nz/home-loans/bernie-upton/</a></p> -
<p>That's a funny old game. We pounced on Counties mistakes to have a half-time lead but had no ball and were hanging on. Second half started with a penalty try and yellow card and we were soon 24 points behind - it really looked like Counties would score every time they had the ball. But from nowhere we mounted a comeback, 3 tries and just 5 behind - and in the end Counties were happy to kick it out and win the game. Physically we were no match for the massive Counties pack so picking up 2 points is not bad an outcome.</p>
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<p>In the absence of anyone else I thought I would add my two cents worth.</p>
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<p>Another Premier team....another expected loss. I thought our boys played better than last week and even at times looked superb but are still plagued with inconsistency . Five tries is nothing to scoff at, not to mention two bonus points but there is obviously much to improve on.</p>
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<p>Next week's must win game will be telling as its out first Championship team and Otago are playing well They must play for all the 80 minutes and must nail any advantage they get.</p>
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<p>A couple of questions :-</p>
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<p>What player are showing out so far after the first two games? Hepetema, Parete, and Tipuna for me</p>
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<p>Does anyone have a breakdown of the injury situation ? Whose out for the season? When are others expected to return ? The press and BOPRU, as usual, aren't forthcoming with information.</p> -
<p>Chase Tiatia has a broken tibia from a report in the BoP Times last week. Nothing mentioned on timeframes for Hollinshead at this stage.</p>
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<p>Te Aihe Toma looks better for another year of experience and especially his time with the Highlanders. As a team, defence looks like the big work on, that first 15 minutes of the second half was alarming, but they pulled it back very well.</p> -
<p>You know, I actually agreed with you Donsteppa on the defence thing but just checked the stats and 7 teams (out of 14 in the Premier and Championship comps) have a worse tackle success than us. Still some of our missed tackles looked ugly.</p>
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<p>Our record in other aspects hasn't changed after the Counties game. We still feature in the bottom Three for clean breaks,carries, metres, defenders beaten,offloads and rucks !! I'm beginning to think Nemani will be sorely missed.</p>
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<p>Interestingly we are third equal for the number of tries.</p>
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<p>With regard injuries is it a possibility that Royal, Karpik, Hollinshead, Stanaway, Webber and Tiatia are out for the season ?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Snollygoster" data-cid="610492" data-time="1472445724">
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<p>You know, I actually agreed with you Donsteppa on the defence thing but just checked the stats and 7 teams (out of 14 in the Premier and Championship comps) have a worse tackle success than us. Still some of our missed tackles looked ugly.</p>
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<p>It wasn't so much tackles being missed outright as ones where we barely held on and conceded metres. It means the opposition keep going forwards and eventually the dam breaks.</p>
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<p>I get frustrated as well by the lack of injury news. All you get is such and such is injured but no indication of when he will play again.</p>
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<p>I've liked Parete so far, he's obviously pretty raw but he puts himself about and seems to have a good engine given the minutes he played. Undecided on most of the team - have seen good and bad for most of them. Pleased Ruki Tipuna is back though, he's always been good value especially when sniping - he's so small, forwards can't reach down far enough to tackle him.</p> -
<p>Gutted to lost this one. I thought Counties were there for the picking...and they were for all but 17 minutes! Some good signs though and as usual I am positive for Otago. One point that I can't figure out in regards to the type of game we are trying to play - there was very little hard & straight running by the forwards. We seemed to shovel it a bit and subsequently didn't earn the right to score points. Not sure we are a team to rely on broken play. What kind of system are we using?</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="GagaBoy" data-cid="610604" data-time="1472464939">
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<p>Gutted to lost this one. I thought Counties were there for the picking...and they were for all but 17 minutes! Some good signs though and as usual I am positive for Otago. One point that I can't figure out in regards to the type of game we are trying to play - there was very little hard & straight running by the forwards. We seemed to shovel it a bit and subsequently didn't earn the right to score points. Not sure we are a team to rely on broken play. What kind of system are we using?</p>
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<p>Well put Gagaboy. Their game plan is somewhat perplexing. I'm guessing the plan against Taranaki was to kick to the opposite end of the field and hope things happen there which was successful to a point. Even after that bad first half they apparently had over 60% of territory and a 50% share of the ball. The score didn't reflect that though. I'm not sure what the plan was against Counties but my worry is they don't have a genuine game breaker ....someone like a Nemani or a Masaga. I would like to think the backs are going okay though and its good to see them often making ground. </p> -
D Duluth moved this topic from BOP Mafia on
