As long as they sell all games on to Stan I'll be happy. By all, I guess I mean the Magpies games. 🙂

Don’t forget Norm Berryman

Players unavailable due to injury

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Shoulder, TBC
Simon Parker, Ankle, TBC
Josh Lord, Concussion, TBC
Manaaki Selby-Rickit, Toe, Short-term
Liam Coombes-Fabling, Hamstring, Short-term
Anton Lienert Brown, Collarbone, Mid-term
Malachi Wrampling, Hamstring, Mid-term
Kaleb Trask, Hamstring, Mid-term
Sione Ahio, Ankle, Long-term
Rameka Poihipi, Knee, Season

@Mauss

Good post. That sort of sums up most of the potentially promising options - he has the size and tools but not the consistency.

That seems true for the other guys in the conversation with size - basically Finau and Parker seem to be in the same boat.

Then there are guys with consistency but they have physical limitations and we’ll continue with our imbalance.

I’d be happy with the selectors choosing two guys who have the tools and then just giving them 20 tests to see what they can get to.

@booboo said in Quarterish Final Prediction thread:

Two questions:

Who do you think will win? Who do you want to win?

Crusaders v Reds
Chiefs v Blues
Brumbies v Hurricanes

My picks
1.. Saders Blues Brumbies
2. Saders Blues* Canes

Chiefs get a second shot

Two from two.

Hope I'm wrong about the third.

@sparky said in Super Round 2026 - Christchurch:

I don't see the point of a Super Round.

It'll be good for them, they got nothing else going on for them down here.

@BerhamporeNinja Harkin is actually 26... everyone assumes he is some youngster because he has burst through from obscurity.

so we lost Ineos and gave gained toyota and gallagher, is it basically just those two are covering what we got from Ineos or has this been a net gain?

@SouthernMann my record on contracting isn't amazing. But my memory was that conversation on here last summer was that TUJ had signed on for 2025 and 2026.

Though that said if we've picked up Meihana Grindlay then that gives us a very stacked midfield and leaves us a bit thin on outside backs. We've got Big Jim, TUJ, Grindlay, Telea, Te Hiwi and Whaanga covering midfield plus Lowe (who played thirteen for a couple of games off the bench last season).

With Hervey in the wider training group it's hard not to feel we must be losing a midfielder somewhere if we've signed Grindlay.

@Mamuka he has stepped down this morning, been reported.

Rafa received a tribute at the French Tennis Open overnight.

Auckland FC had some big salary cap advantages this year as a new team which they won't have next year.

@MiketheSnow said in So World club championship?:

@Bones said in So World club championship?:

No Americas?

Or Wales

Wales Argentina should do a combined Patagonia.

alt text

As an example, here was the NZ Barbarian U18 XV from last year.

NZ Barbarians U18.jpg

@Chester-Draws said in NZ Sevens 2024-25:

Now do the men's!

There would be fuck all black in the graphic! This season they had their worst ever win %.

@Windows97 said in New Zealand U85 v Sri Lanka:

@reprobate I guess the logic is that they're playing against teams that aren't weight restricted therefore the 85kg rule doesn't apply, but yes there is a certain amount of irony to it.

Still I recall playing a heartland team propping against some 120kg behemouth and having to pluck my spine out the back of ass after every scrum. I would have much preferred to have been the 95KG version of myself at the time 🙂

As an <85kg man myself I got squashed plenty in club footy, so can definitely sympathise. Sadly I never had a 95kg version of myself, but I did play a game of under 85s and fuck I felt like Jonah. I wasn't of course, being big for 80 minutes just turned me into a hungus.
Anyway, they should just change the name (surely small blacks has been taken already?)

Davies earns rookie of the year award, but unfortunately got landed on by another rider after crossing into the other riders line… nowhere to go for the already airborne Smith. Broken nose and arm for Davies