Super Rugby 2020

Locke_Lamora · 02-02-2020 2:27pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I wouldn't call TJ wild and inconsistent. For the past couple of years I'd have rated him in the top 5 halfbacks in world rugby. Only watching the Canes game now so maybe he was crap in that.

McClutchie is playing in Japan for a season then back to Hawkes Bay. Needs to improve his kicking, from the tee and from hand but he's only 20 so plenty of time.

I love TJ but he mixes the good with the bad. Sometimes his passing will fail him, then he'll follow it up with try-saving tackles and line breaks.

At least they're investing in McClutchie I suppose. He'd be great to watch in super rugby.

hahashake · 03-02-2020 12:03pm

I'm thinking Cruden may get a call up to the ABs this year. Even if he is 3rd choice and blocking a younger player, he has the kind of experience that you need with (95% win ratio).

sydthebeat · 05-02-2020 3:00pm

1. Ayden Johnstone
2. Liam Coltman
3. Siate Tokolahi
4. Paripari Parkinson
5. Josh Dickson
6. Dillon Hunt
7. James Lentjes (C)
8. Marino Mikaele Tu’u
9. Aaron Smith
10. Mitch Hunt
11. Jona Nareki
12. Josh Ioane
13. Rob Thompson
14. Tima Fainga’anuku
15. Josh McKay

RESERVES

16. Ash Dixon
17. Daniel Lienert-Brown
18. Josh Iosefa-Scott
19. Jesse Parete
20. Shannon Frizell
21. Kayne Hammington
22. Michael Collins
23. Teariki Ben-Nicholas

Highlanders team to face sharks on Friday morning.
Very green.
Not sure why frizell is on the bench, other than being a returning all black.
Happy enough to see jesse parate has come in from the chiefs, hes look pretty handy as s quad member anytime i saw him last season, though hes no liam squire.

Mitchell Hunt gets his debut straight in at 10, and Fainga'anuku and Nareki are both debutant wingers
6 debutants in total when you include the bench.

3 Backrows on the bench, as part of a 6 / 2 split, doesn't bode well for line out so hoping Dickson and PPP can stay on for s long as possible.

On the sharks side, they are coming in from a good scrappy win over the bulls.

I think if we can get at least parity up front, we should have enough in the back line to cause the sharks trouble, Any Tony Browne coached team will always have some tricks up their sleeves.

hahashake · 05-02-2020 3:50pm

Decent traditional tight 5 , mobile backrow (if undersized with 2 7s) and dual playmakers at 10/12 (also undersized). Then 3 big loose forwards on the bench, including Teariki Ben Nicholas at 23.

Fairly strong but some head-scratchers.

sydthebeat · 05-02-2020 3:59pm

hahashake wrote: »

Decent traditional tight 5 , mobile backrow (if undersized with 2 7s) and dual playmakers at 10/12 (also undersized). Then 3 big loose forwards on the bench, including Teariki Ben Nicholas at 23.

Fairly strong but some head-scratchers.

agreed on a few counts...

worried about the size across the back line apart from Thompson and Fainga’anuku..... there are some hefty sharks backs running down those channels.

and the 6 forwards on the bench, with no obvious lock replacement is a head scratcher... maybe mauger thinks hes playing rugby league

Burkie1203 · 05-02-2020 5:30pm

Rugby Australia and Fox have failed to agree a new TV deal

RA even deeper in the poop now.

sydthebeat · 07-02-2020 8:06am

What a disaster

Men against boys

sydthebeat · 07-02-2020 9:03am

It's going to be a long season......

Not much positive to take from that. Nareki on the wing looks good.

Ioane lost at 12, worst game I've seen Rob Thompson play, hunt kicking it way too much and his charged down conversion was the icing on the cake for ineptitude.

Its hard to see us coming anywhere near challenging for play offs this year. Rebuild and progress will be the name of the game

hahashake · 07-02-2020 10:39am

Only positives were Aaron Smith and the number 8. Bring back Ioane to 10, Gatland to bench. Not convinced by the FB but then Ben Smith is a hard act to follow.

Good to see the SA sides deservedly playing with their tails up.

Digifriendly · 07-02-2020 8:10pm

Sharks looked very impressive especially their back line. Full back was clinical.

sydthebeat · 08-02-2020 8:51am

Gatland works his magic as chiefs beat crusaders 25 - 15

Digifriendly · 08-02-2020 5:01pm

Waratahs well beaten against Blues who open their account with ex Harlequin Joe Marchant scoring a try. Looks like dreadful attendance at South African derby.

sydthebeat · 15-02-2020 9:02am

I think anyone questioning the merit of the super rugby and top14 TBP system should watch the Hurricanes v sharks game this morning.

Hurricanes up by 21 points, 5 tries to 2, with 12 mins left.

Sharks get one more try and batter the Canes line till the 83rd minute and lose by 16.

No TBP to either team, great game that's 100% competitive till the end.

If that was Pro14 the Canes would have given up and the sharks could easily have gotten a LBP from it

sydthebeat · 15-02-2020 11:20am

OK maybe we're not so sh!t.

Digifriendly · 15-02-2020 12:57pm

Australian sides looking a bit flimsy again after 3 rounds. I thought Sharks would be closer to Hurricanes after their impressive win last week.

Leinstertomas · 15-02-2020 4:22pm

Didn't get catching it but surprised at Highlanders beating Brumbies away

sydthebeat · 15-02-2020 4:34pm

Leinstertomas wrote: »

Didn't get catching it but surprised at Highlanders beating Brumbies away

The brumbies had a maul and absolutely nothing else.

Delighted with the fight our younger lads had towards the end, when the likes of tokolahi Smith and coltman gone off

sydthebeat · 15-02-2020 10:43pm

Had to pull the trigger on the Highlanders alternative jersey from today.....it's delicious

Quintis · 15-02-2020 11:33pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

Had to pull the trigger on the Highlanders alternative jersey from today.....it's delicious

Where did you order from?

sydthebeat · 16-02-2020 7:49am

Quintis wrote: »

Where did you order from?

Sports direct.

https://ie.sportsdirect.com/adidas-highlanders-parley-rugby-shirt-2020-381131?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyp7yBRCwARIsABfQsnQJem1C4Gn7yjLHYxB3t0NMsmjbg6SdY7S97K6E-0cyuFlKLcTl_ygaAoI1EALw_wcB#colcode=38113118

Yeah_Right · 23-02-2020 2:24pm

Good win for the Blues in Loftus yesterday. Penalty to win it in the 81st minute. Bit of a shock by the Brumbies in Hamilton hammering the Chiefs. The Highlanders got a bit of a spanking by the Crusaders. Sorry Syd.

sydthebeat · 23-02-2020 2:30pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Good win for the Blues in Loftus yesterday. Penalty to win it in the 81st minute. Bit of a shock by the Brumbies in Hamilton hammering the Chiefs. The Highlanders got a bit of a spanking by the Crusaders. Sorry Syd.

Its what I expected this year. We'll be propping up the kiwi conference and probably won't make the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see how we get on next weekend against Brad thorns kids.

You're boys are doing good this year...and that's with akira and BB to come back into the squad.

Yeah_Right · 23-02-2020 2:42pm

It will be nice to not be the worst kiwi team for once ðŸ˜
Haven't seen anything of the Reds this year but I see they hammered the Sunwolves by 60 odd points!
Ioane has a battle on his hands to get the 8 jersey back. Sotutu is playing some very good rugby.
Interesting that the Blues started three 10s yesterday.

sydthebeat · 28-02-2020 9:03am

It's going to be a long fecking season

sydthebeat · 28-02-2020 8:40pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Interesting that the Blues started three 10s yesterday.

I would take any of those right now at the Highlanders. Mitch hunt isn't a half shadow of a rugby player. Id gladly never see him in a landers shirt again.
The experiment with ioane at 12 isn't working.

I really hope they are looking at a dejected sopoaga at wasps and working on bringing him back.

Liam coltman, for a capped AB, is playing absolute muck...
We'd be completely at sea if it wasn't for A Smith

Locke_Lamora · 28-02-2020 8:53pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

I would take any of those right now at the Highlanders. Mitch hunt isn't a half shadow of a rugby player. Id gladly never see him in a landers shirt again.
The experiment with ioane at 12 isn't working.

I really hope they are looking at a dejected sopoaga at wasps and working on bringing him back.

Liam coltman, for a capped AB, is playing absolute muck...
We'd be completely at sea if it wasn't for A Smith

A Highlanders fan doesn't like Mitch Hunt, colour me surprised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQbodCg_Qtc

Yeah_Right · 28-02-2020 9:32pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

I would take any of those right now at the Highlanders. Mitch hunt isn't a half shadow of a rugby player. Id gladly never see him in a landers shirt again.
The experiment with ioane at 12 isn't working.

I really hope they are looking at a dejected sopoaga at wasps and working on bringing him back.

Liam coltman, for a capped AB, is playing absolute muck...
We'd be completely at sea if it wasn't for A Smith

The 2nd Highlanders try was a thing of beauty.

I can't understand the thinking of Hunt over Ioane at 10. Hunt seems to me to be a good back up but I wouldn't want him as the main man. Ioane was getting the attention of the ABs as a 10!!

I've long had doubts about Coltman. A solid pro but I don't think he should be getting game time for the ABs.

You've got some good hard working loosies but a shame about Lentjes. Horrific injury. If Jack Whetton is half the player his dad and uncle were he'll be bloody good.

You're missing Ben from accounts.

sydthebeat · 28-02-2020 10:15pm

We're missing all 7 or 8 that left last season..... Not at all replaced.

I can't understand why we let the likes of lomax and hemopo go as well.

We've got such an inexperienced squad this year, I suppose it's in the hope of them coming good eventually...
But not much mark hammett can do with young soft forwards.

sydthebeat · 29-02-2020 3:42pm

Looks like the blues are the real deal this year

Yeah_Right · 29-02-2020 5:15pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

Looks like the blues are the real deal this year

I told you!!! THIS IS OUR YEAR!!!

Super Rugby 2020

Comments