@DurryMexted said in Hurricanes 2026:

Enari extends through 26 announced

Down vote

Jamie Viljoen has been signed by Taranaki, hence why he was in the Chiefs U18 list.

Did the Crusaders release who attended their U18 camp?

@Mauss

When he’s on song and has guys running the right lines, his ability to unpick defences is very good. Finn Smith is similar but contrast him in the Lions game. A more in your face defence and runners not giving the same options. Totally different outcome.

Tevita Ofa extends -
4246099b-49ff-4238-9c0e-61388188363a-image.png

@Mr-Fish said in Super Rugby 2025:

@Nepia said in Super Rugby 2025:

@Duluth said in Super Rugby 2025:

@Nepia

They're probably counting/estimating unique individuals.

So 2m unique individuals over the entire comp watched, and of that 700k (on Sky and Open) of them watched the final?

Yep, but chances are anyone who watched an in-season game also watched the final.

It's good numbers, but it's also interesting they haven't released the overall season increase like they did for Sky Go and digital platforms.

I don't think there was an increase, but due to the fact there were less games.

@Devon-Kiwi said in Stu Wilson RIP:

@booboo said in Stu Wilson RIP:

@sparky said in Stu Wilson RIP:

Rest In Peace

Some great memories there. (And some interesting bits at the end: was it Ricky Cowan with that League try?)

Loved watching hom play
Thanks for the memories!

Thank @sparky

I remember robbie stuart as a player

grafter . . . absolutely zero flare in his game

kinda surprised at the time that he made AB

in retrospect tho, considering the amount of players who get AB appearances under contemporary regulations, I have no doubts of his selection being justified

a lot more players of olden times (at least as good as Robbie) would have also made the AB list nowdays

@Mr-Fish said in Māori All Blacks 2025:

NZR have been quite explicit with their intentions, with the MABs playing in July and the ABXV playing in November. Could probably be a better set-up but I don't mind it hugely. It's just 'unfortunate' that so many of the top Maori players are in the All Blacks at the moment and that the third tier is a bit weak.

ABXV would be better selected after SR too, but I guess more money to be made doing it this way around? Maybe giving NZR too much credit?

The full list (not jersey numbers)

Cian Healy ☘ Will Collier 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Hassane Kolingar 🇫🇷 Paul Alo-Emile 🇼🇸 Camille Chat 🇫🇷 John Ricky Riccitelli 🇳🇿 David Ribbans 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ruben van Herdeen 🇿🇦 Josh Beehre 🇳🇿 Hoskins Sotutu 🇳🇿 Peter O’Mahony ☘ Sam Cane 🇳🇿 Shannon Frizell 🇳🇿 Lachlan Boshier Tawera Kerr Barlow 🇳🇿 Santiago Arata Perrone 🇺🇾 Melvyn Jaminet 🇫🇷 Josh Jacomb 🇳🇿 Peter Umaga-Jensen 🇳🇿 Leicester Faingaʻanuku 🇳🇿 Mark Telea 🇳🇿 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens 🇳🇿 Joe Marchant

I don't know who was more nervous speaking at the AB announcement - Kirk or Robertson.

@sparky whaura

@zedsdeadbaby said in Still talking about Foster:

Yeah - he explains his frustrations that the process took so long after the 2019 RWC and believed it should have been concluded in “days”.

He had agreement from those two to come over. Joseph would have been forwards coach.

um that would have been a good coaching team methinks.
I've been a Foster as coach critic but I've also said as a team manager type he seems to have been quite popular with the players. And as more a coach-manager than a strategy / tactics coach .. oh well, we'll never know now.

@1kiwi said in Americas cup:

Peter Burling joins Italian syndicate Luna Rossa for the 38th America's Cup

Off to sail for the dirty lucre. Fair enough

@sparky said in Thirty years ago today......:

Jonah Lomu became Jonah The Great.

Jeez he was starting to look frail by then.

Typically humble, self effacing interview from Jonah. Absolute legend.

Worth noting that if Mike Catt hadn't been in position to help him regain his footing ( and get trampled in the process ) he might have fallen short of the line considering Will Carling did pretty well to actually ankle tap him.

Have never heard Tony Underwood interviewed so have no idea what he's like but it almost upsets me that Jonah did that to a couple of good roosters like Carling and Catt.

Almost.

@NTA said in Cricket: WTC Final Oz vs SA:

@sparky said in Cricket: WTC Final Oz vs SA:

@Smudge Was the ICC Chairman man of the match or something?

It's like something the dictator of a small country would post on social media.

He looks like a young, Indian version of John Howard.

He has twice the forehead John Howard has

@nzzp said in Major League Cricket:

Pros: winter cricket for NZ

Cons: Danny Morrison commentating
Crazy high scores

Yeah he is kinda a cricket version of Justin Marshall

@nostrildamus said in Did the new Dunedin stadium make the Highlanders/Otago soft?:

The Highlanders had some scary, hairy, half-bull props in that era and I can just imagine the flaring from their nostrils in the freezing air would have been a bit of a psychological weapon.

Sure, and when the Highlanders had electric backs staring at you with a scrum 60m out, that was a great psychological weapon too.

This whole argument is a bit like the one used about big football clubs not enjoying going away to Stoke on a Cold Tuesday night. The numbers don't back it up.

I know we have some members of the media here, and not to be too much of a fluffybunny about it, but those are questions that just haven't been really raised or explored enough by the NZ rugby media.