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2014 – ITM CUP - NZ's 3rd Tier Competition

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waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
GunnerDownUnder

GunnerDownUnder

Jim Clark (26)
Game was alright considering the conditions.
Taufua had a good game, but what was going on with the line-outs… Even in the wind they were poor.
Great Counties defence at times and they were unlucky not to win.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Better game tonight in much better conditions (still wet & windy by most people's standards but this being Invercargill in August about what you'd expect), Southland too good in most areas & BOP lacking options beyond shovel it wide & hope for a missed tackle. 34-23, 3 tries to 2 so no BP.
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Steve Williams (59)
Good God McGuigan hasn't changed a but.

Some good, some bad, some outright awful, and the biggest flaw is the positioning.

Otherwise a decent game to watch. Would like to see Sopoaga declare for Samoa, he'd have a long international career.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Highlander35 said:
Good God McGuigan hasn't changed a but.

Some good, some bad, some outright awful, and the biggest flaw is the positioning.

Otherwise a decent game to watch. Would like to see Sopoaga declare for Samoa, he'd have a long international career.
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A bit harsh on McG there, thought he wasn't too bad considering what was going on in front of him. And why should Sopoaga declare for Samoa? Born in Wellington, played all his footy in NZ & probably our 4th-ranked 5/8 right now, of which DC is surely on if not his last legs then down to his last few. Stay patient, stay fit & keep putting in week on week & there's no reason he can't have a decent AB career.
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
4th ranked 5/8 in NZ. Hmmm. Hope he has booked a trout fishing expedition to Scotland for 2015. Just in case.
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Steve Williams (59)
He's behind DC, Cruden, Barrett and Slade. Yes, DC is pretty much gone after the WC, but those three are 25, 23 and 26 respectively, then Ihaia West, for the future, is 22.

He could end up with maybe 15-30 ABs caps, but maybe 50+ Samoan ones.

Tusi Pisi won't be around forever either. If he declared for Samoa he'd have about a dozen caps before the end of 2015, and then be the incumbent for at least a half dozen years.

As for Byron, he should be playing in a much simpler position. His best Footy came at 12, where all he had to worry about was hitting gaps, and making the tackle on his man.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Highlander35 said:
He's behind DC, Cruden, Barrett and Slade. Yes, DC is pretty much gone after the WC, but those three are 25, 23 and 26 respectively, then Ihaia West, for the future, is 22.

He could end up with maybe 15-30 ABs caps, but maybe 50+ Samoan ones.

Tusi Pisi won't be around forever either. If he declared for Samoa he'd have about a dozen caps before the end of 2015, and then be the incumbent for at least a half dozen years.

As for Byron, he should be playing in a much simpler position. His best Footy came at 12, where all he had to worry about was hitting gaps, and making the tackle on his man.
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Sopoaga's 23 so in the same ballpark as most of the others you mention. Agree he's more likely to play 50+ for Samoa than NZ but getting a bit tired of reading that any NZ-born & schooled (rugby & otherwise) guy with a Polynesian sounding name should play for Samoa or wherever their parents/ grandparents hail from as opposed to where THEY were born, went to school, first played the game, got developed by NZ Rugby's money.... pretty sure you get my point.
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Steve Williams (59)
I get your point and now realise I hadn't considered I was contributing to the stupid trope that the All Blacks steal all the Pacific islanders.

I was trying to argue that his position is probably analogous to Maitland for Scotland and now Anscombe for Wales, in that he's a fair way down the pecking order, and to have a strong international career is what a lot of players strive for and that would be an opportunity to do so.

I've distracted from the main topic of conversation, It's great that the Cups up and running, gives me a lot of high quality rugby at a reasonable time.
 
G

galumay

Guest
Hoping the Makos have another good season, we were in Nelson for the opening game of the 2012 season when they beat Canterbury which was a great game. Betham had a blinder that night. Also have a soft spot for Otago, mate just had 6 of the Otago players billetted with his family, they had come over to Omakau for the end of the junior rugby comp and the presentations night. When you spend a bit of time in NZ you do get to understand where the passion for rugby comes from! They live and breathe it, and the further south you go the more intense it gets.
 
Dan54

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
I have thoroughly enjoyed both first 2 games, Naki/Counties wasn't to bad a game for first up, and in those conditions, liked the look of the Naki pack, and think Tana got a little work to do with his forwards. Lat nights game I was pretty impressed with the Stahs style of game, haven't seen a team from Southland play that style for quite some time, and they got a few players that can break the line it seems. BOP as you say Waiopehu just threw ball side to side and hoped for gaps to open in front of them.
Can almost see what you meaning about Sopoaga declaring for Samoa Highlander (I didn't think you were getting on bandwagons), but I not convinced he will ever play test rugby for anyone, whilst he does a lot of good things ,I tend to think he got an awful lot of things to iron out of game before he went to test level.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Highlander35 said:
I get your point and now realise I hadn't considered I was contributing to the stupid trope that the All Blacks steal all the Pacific islanders.

I was trying to argue that his position is probably analogous to Maitland for Scotland and now Anscombe for Wales, in that he's a fair way down the pecking order, and to have a strong international career is what a lot of players strive for and that would be an opportunity to do so.

I've distracted from the main topic of conversation, It's great that the Cups up and running, gives me a lot of high quality rugby at a reasonable time.
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Maitland, Anscombe & all the others are the price we have to pay in order to have strong PI teams as any rule change to prevent an Anscombe situation would obviously have yo apply equally to Sopoaga. I can live with him declaring for Samoa if that's what he wants to do, I just get annoyed when people (not necessarily you) see a PI name & assume NZ has poached him when the obvious fact is that for every Fekitoa there's about 50 "poached" the other way.
 
G

galumay

Guest
Otago had a good win today and looked the goods, just watching Canterbury now, reminded why the AB's have such amazing depth. This team could take on most S15 teams and give them a run for their money, at least a third of the team would be welcome picks in any international team.

Hopefully the NRC might raise the standards here and prove to be a feeder for both S15 and test teams. God knows we need it.
 
Braveheart81

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
waiopehu oldboy said:
Sopoaga's 23 so in the same ballpark as most of the others you mention. Agree he's more likely to play 50+ for Samoa than NZ but getting a bit tired of reading that any NZ-born & schooled (rugby & otherwise) guy with a Polynesian sounding name should play for Samoa or wherever their parents/ grandparents hail from as opposed to where THEY were born, went to school, first played the game, got developed by NZ Rugby's money.. pretty sure you get my point.
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At this stage of his career he's probably dreaming of playing for the All Blacks and doesn't see any reason to change that.

Trying to win an All Black cap might be much higher in his list of desires than just playing a rugby test for a different country he's eligible for.
 
Oldschool

Oldschool

Jim Clark (26)
galumay said:
Hoping the Makos have another good season, we were in Nelson for the opening game of the 2012 season when they beat Canterbury which was a great game. Betham had a blinder that night. Also have a soft spot for Otago, mate just had 6 of the Otago players billetted with his family, they had come over to Omakau for the end of the junior rugby comp and the presentations night. When you spend a bit of time in NZ you do get to understand where the passion for rugby comes from! They live and breathe it, and the further south you go the more intense it gets.
Click to expand...
Liam Squire to have a blinder of a ITM cup for the Makos this year.
 
Bairdy

Bairdy

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Up to the Canterbury match right now, where they are putting on a clinic.

Surprised to see Southland play the way they did against BOP. A few sharp backs and they look quite potent in attack now. Good to see Cabbage for what is it, his 15th season of NPC? Shoehorn him for the All Blacks squad hooker!

Have a little soft spot for North Harbour as the underdogs of the comp. Even without the likes of Ben Afeaki and Francis Saili, I hope they finally get off the bottom of the Championship.
 
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