RWC Squads

[nick_]

did his ACL apparently

That'll do it... Out of the loop in NQ now. Unlucky. I'd put $ on him making the next RWC though - even the one after that too.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Preliminary AB squad of 41 to be named tomorrow for Samoa, 4N & Bledisloe 3 & final 31 for RWC on 30 August.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...-cup-card-in-naming-41strong-all-blacks-squad

As you'd expect, players named but who still have Super Rugby commitments won't be at the training camp next week & pre-Samoa camp the week after.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

All Blacks 41-man squad:

Forwards:
Hookers
Dane Coles - Hurricanes / Wellington (27)
Hikawera Elliot - Chiefs / Poverty Bay (3)
Keven Mealamu - Blues / Auckland (123)
Codie Taylor - Crusaders / Canterbury *

Props
Wyatt Crockett - Crusaders / Canterbury (27)
Charlie Faumuina - Blues / Auckland (20)
Ben Franks - Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay (31)
Owen Franks - Crusaders / Canterbury (57)
Joe Moody - Crusaders / Canterbury (8)
Tony Woodcock - Blues /North Harbour (110)

Locks
James Broadhurst - Hurricanes / Taranaki *
Brodie Retallick - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (36)
Luke Romano - Crusaders / Canterbury (17)
Jeremy Thrush - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)
Samuel Whitelock - Crusaders / Canterbury (62)

Loose forwards
Sam Cane - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (22)
Jerome Kaino - Blues /Auckland (56)
Richie McCaw (captain) - Crusaders / Canterbury (137)
Liam Messam - Chiefs / Waikato (40)
Kieran Read - Crusaders / Canterbury (72)
Matt Todd - Crusaders / Canterbury (2)
Victor Vito - Hurricanes / Wellington (26)

Backs:
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow - Chiefs / Waikato (15)
TJ Perenara - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)
Aaron Smith - Highlanders / Manawatu (38)

First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett - Hurricanes / Taranaki (28)
Daniel Carter - Crusaders / Canterbury (102)
Colin Slade - Crusaders /Canterbury (17)
Lima Sopoaga - Highlanders / Southland *

Midfielders
Ryan Crotty - Crusaders / Canterbury (13)
Malakai Fekitoa - Highlanders / Auckland (8)
Ma'a Nonu - Hurricanes / Wellington (94)
Conrad Smith - Hurricanes / Wellington (85)
Sonny Bill Williams - Chiefs / Counties Manukau (23)

Outside backs
Israel Dagg - Crusaders /Hawke's Bay (46)
Cory Jane - Hurricanes / Wellington (48)
Nehe Milner-Skudder - Hurricanes / Manawatu *
Waisake Naholo - Highlanders / Taranaki *
Charles Piutau - Blues /Auckland (14)
Julian Savea - Hurricanes / Wellington (33)
Ben Smith - Highlanders / Otago (38)

Officially this is the squad for the Samoa test, 4N & Bledisloe 3 but hard to see anyone not in it making RWC 31 unless there's multiple injuries in a given position.

5 x newbies, marked *
13 x Crusaders
12 x Hurricanes
6 x Chiefs
5 x Highlanders, all of them backs
5 x Blues

A nice neat 1,500 test caps between them.

Dagg & Jane arguably luckiest to be there but Shag is nothing if not loyal so will give them every opportunity to prove they're still RWC quality. If having Naholo & NM-S around doesn't inspire them to re-capture their former glories nothing will & they'll be gonski: he may be loyal but he ain't a sentimentalist.

Just on the Samoa test, ideally you'd want to rest all the 'canes & Clan players but that'd leave us short in the backs so someone(s) will have to back up from their SF if not the GF.

 

[qwerty51]

Here come the injuries.

Manuel Montero gone.
Liam Williams underwent surgery on his foot and is in doubt.

 

[Bairdy]

 

[Antony]

Here come the injuries.

Manuel Montero gone.
Liam Williams underwent surgery on his foot and is in doubt.

Real shame about Montero - he deserves to play on the biggest stage.

 

[Omar Comin']

So Uruguay's biggest name, and I think only professional player Rodrigo Capo Ortega has apparently 'retired' from test rugby before the world cup.

What a disgrace. While the world cup is on there should be no top level club competitions allowed to be played. It happens every time. Guys from tier 2/3 countries being forced to miss the world cup because of pressure from their clubs.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Preliminary Springbok squad:

Forwards: Schalk Brits (Saracens), Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), Scarra Ntubeni (Stormers), Adriaan Strauss (Bulls), Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Stormers), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Heinke van der Merwe (Stade Francais), Marcel van der Merwe (Bulls), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Victor Matfield (Bulls), Franco Mostert (Lions), Willem Alberts (Sharks), Schalk Burger (Stormers), Marcell Coetzee (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Stormers), Francois Louw (Bath), Teboho 'Oupa' Mohoje (Cheetahs), Warren Whiteley (Lions)
Backs: Faf de Klerk (Lions), Rudy Paige (Bulls), Ruan Pienaar (Ulster), Elton Jantjies (Lions), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Morné Steyn (Stade Francais), Damian de Allende (Stormers), JP Pietersen (Sharks), Bryan Habana (Toulon), Cornal Hendricks (Cheetahs), Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks), Zane Kirchner (Leinster), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Willie le Roux (Cheetahs).

Injured/Conditioning squad:

Heinrich Brüssow (Cheetahs), Lood de Jager (Cheetahs), Jean de Villiers (Stormers), Fourie du Preez (Suntory), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Sharks), Jaque Fourie (Kobe Steelers), Patrick Lambie (Sharks), Lionel Mapoe (Lions), Coenie Oosthuizen (Cheetahs), Cobus Reinach (Sharks), Jan Serfontein (Bulls), Frans Steyn (Sharks), Duane Vermeulen (Stormers).

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16016_58052,00.html

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

ENGLAND TRAINING SQUAD heading to Denver for high-altitude training:

Chris Ashton (Saracens), Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Sam Burgess (Bath Rugby), Danny Care (Harlequins), Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks), Calum Clark (Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Alex Goode (Saracens), Jamie George (Saracens), James Haskell (Wasps), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), George Kruis (Saracens), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), Matt Mullan (Wasps), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Rob Webber (Bath Rugby), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), David Wilson (Bath Rugby), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Marland Yarde (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Of the original 50 (!) Lancaster named, Nick Easter left at home to recover from his back injury but will come back into the squad when they return home in August. Stephen Myler, Elliot Daly, Maro Itoje and Ed Slater will return to their clubs and be on standby.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...announce-45man-squad-for-denver-training-camp

 

[Shelts89]

Elliot Daly and Maro Itoje are pretty exciting young players so mighht have been nice to see them go, but hey they're young so will hopefully be involved with England in the future. The only really annoying thing is Easter coming back into the squad later. Especially if they are going to keep picking him to cover lock like they did in the 6Ns!

 

[Bairdy]

Huge blow for the Argies, but I'm sure that don't lack backup behind the likes of Ramiro Herrera.

Figallo ruled out of World Cup

Argentina tighthead Juan Figallo will miss the World Cup after suffering a knee injury that required an operation.

The Pumas confirmed today that Figallo is in London where he has undergone surgery on his knee, which he injured in training this week.

He will be out of action for three to four months as a result, and will not feature at the World Cup.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3885_60932,00.html

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Italy have lost Kelly Haimona to a slow-healing broken arm.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_62481,00.html

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Waisake Naholo gone for the season, cracked a bone last night:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...of-rugby-world-cup-contention-with-leg-injury

At least we've plenty of back-3 options available.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

total bummer, I KNEW no good would come of this stupid tri nations exhibition season rubbish, "cotton wool the entire 43-strong squad in a hyperbaric chamber in the Pitcairns" I wrote in a frantically irate penned missive to the NZRFU that I never bloody sent

seeing as Naholo will probably be raking it in for Toulon by the time RWC 2019 rolls around he must be dying to get Hansen in a room and ask him "look, were you going to pick me for the 2015 World Cup or not. ANSWER ME."

man, how fleeting are these World Cup chances. Dan Carter? Dan Carter? WILL NOT BE SIGHTED AGAIN UNTIL HE STEPS FOOT IN POMMYLAND IN SEPTEMBER

someones going DOWN in a season ender in the Aus vs Sa game tonight. Who will feel the whispering touch of Bad Santa's black glove? WHO?


ps sorry for the hyperbolic nature of this post, i think its because I've been reading that stupid Ron Burgundy book while in the shitter

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

USA have dumped Todd Cleaver for "multiple conduct violations":

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_63753,00.html

 

[Shelts89]

He is their captain too is he not? Must be a pretty serious violation!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

What about Tom Coolican - Hooker for The Corporation (formerly with Beasties). Wiki says he has been capped 8 times for the Eagles. Is he no longer needed by the Septics?

 

[USARugger]

He is their captain too is he not? Must be a pretty serious violation!

Had captaincy removed earlier this year. Would have possibly taken multiple injuries just to see him break the back row for the RWC this year - getting a bit found out because of age and size. Also probably on the lower end of technical capability out of our loosies, still very prone to giving away dumb penalties and robbing Eagles of their momentum.

 

[Shelts89]

Had captaincy removed earlier this year. Would have possibly taken multiple injuries just to see him break the back row for the RWC this year - getting a bit found out because of age and size. Also probably on the lower end of technical capability out of our loosies, still very prone to giving away dumb penalties and robbing Eagles of their momentum.

Ah fair. I can't say I am too knowledgeable on the US players if I am honest. I know Chris Wyles is in pretty good form over here in England.

 

[USARugger]

Ah fair. I can't say I am too knowledgeable on the US players if I am honest. I know Chris Wyles is in pretty good form over here in England.

Wyles is a quality player. His combination with Scully at the back is easily one of our best attacking weapons with the XV Eagles.