Highlanders 2025
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@KiwiInLondon Fakatava is the 3rd most experienced highlander in the team, he's sticking around great news in my book. Arscott is shown the door meh that's pro sport. And hypothetically Fakatava is in the top 4 halfbacks for Razor? If he was to find himself back in Black but was at Moana that would be an awful look for Jamie wouldn't it. Don't fret, Pledgers Development in the side will be similar to that of when Cortez Ratima was behind Weber etc. at the chiefs
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@Grooter said in Highlanders 2025:
@KiwiInLondon Fakatava is the 3rd most experienced highlander in the team, he's sticking around great news in my book. Arscott is shown the door meh that's pro sport. And hypothetically Fakatava is in the top 4 halfbacks for Razor? If he was to find himself back in Black but was at Moana that would be an awful look for Jamie wouldn't it. Don't fret, Pledgers Development in the side will be similar to that of when Cortez Ratima was behind Weber etc. at the chiefs
@Grooter said in Highlanders 2025:
@KiwiInLondon Fakatava is the 3rd most experienced highlander in the team, he's sticking around great news in my book. Arscott is shown the door meh that's pro sport. And hypothetically Fakatava is in the top 4 halfbacks for Razor? If he was to find himself back in Black but was at Moana that would be an awful look for Jamie wouldn't it. Don't fret, Pledgers Development in the side will be similar to that of when Cortez Ratima was behind Weber etc. at the chiefs
I see what you mean and I understand the initial positive reaction. But my argument is that we don't need him. We NEED some props. We NEED 10 and 13. Surely that contract money is better used else where in a position where we have literally no depth.
Plus, Hastie and Pledger are both at Otago NPC with Millar. It just makes so much more sense.
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NZ Rugby is paying Fakatava's contract. He is a highly very competent halfback. Who has played good rugby.
We aren't losing out on money re-signing Folau.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
NZ Rugby is paying Fakatava's contract. He is a highly very competent halfback. Who has played good rugby.
We aren't losing out on money re-signing Folau.
My mistake. But I think my general points stands. I'm just not confident the dynamic between the three halfbacks will bring out the best in the two young ones.
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@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
NZ Rugby is paying Fakatava's contract. He is a highly very competent halfback. Who has played good rugby.
We aren't losing out on money re-signing Folau.
My mistake. But I think my general points stands. I'm just not confident the dynamic between the three halfbacks will bring out the best in the two young ones.
I don't think we are in a position to knock a gift horse in the mouth of Fakatava wanting to re-sign.
We are fortunate that halfback is our only spot of depth.
The next closest would be fullback with a fully fit JRK and Hurley. Or blindside with TK and Oli.
Most other franchises would have at least a couple of spots where there are established players and one up and comer.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:
NZ Rugby is paying Fakatava's contract. He is a highly very competent halfback. Who has played good rugby.
We aren't losing out on money re-signing Folau.
NZR pay the contract but the Highlanders will have negotiated the value. In theory all five teams have the same budget, with All Blacks getting top ups from NZR. So if they Highlanders are giving Fakatava the max Super contract possible (200ish a few years back, not sure what it is now), they are hitting their own player budget.
Not saying it's not worth it, just my understanding differs on how players are paid.
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@Mr-Fish I’d read it the same way you do
But it sounds to me like they’ve essentially offered him a Black Jersey and therefore the higher earnings, pay and contract that come with it.
Wasn’t it Julian Savea that got offered a massive contract in 2016, only to be dropped the following year from the All Blacks? He still got all that pay despite being dropped didn’t he?
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2025:
@Mr-Fish I’d read it the same way you do
But it sounds to me like they’ve essentially offered him a Black Jersey and therefore the higher earnings, pay and contract that come with it.
Wasn’t it Julian Savea that got offered a massive contract in 2016, only to be dropped the following year from the All Blacks? He still got all that pay despite being dropped didn’t he?
NZR can agree to a deal where they top up the pay of non All Blacks (although I would imagine it's very rare, and would be surprised if they had done it in this instance) but that doesn't force the Highlanders to offer him the max Super salary.
Yes re Savea, but obviously they expected him to play a large part in the All Blacks going forward at that stage. Same thing happened with So'oalo back in 2008ish. There's always the risk a player suddenly deteriorates in form/importance. He'd still have earned considerably more if he'd actually been selected in the All Blacks given there's an assembly/match fee.
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Will Jamie Joseph ever take accountability for their current performances?
He spends most of this interview going woe is me, not a great look.
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@darylmitchell said in Highlanders 2025:
Will Jamie Joseph ever take accountability for their current performances?
He spends most of this interview going woe is me, not a great look.
Thanks for the share, that was a great interview from Wheels.
Jamie touches on a few interesting things there, I don’t take any of that as ‘woe is me’. Think they are all fair, honest and valid points.
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@SBW1 said in Highlanders 2025:
Are the Highlanders still a chance at making the 6?
No chance. Canes away, Crusaders away, Chiefs home. Don’t think they’ll win any of them the way they’ve been playing and can’t see them turning it around tbh.
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@Canes4life said in Highlanders 2025:
@SBW1 said in Highlanders 2025:
Are the Highlanders still a chance at making the 6?
No chance. Canes away, Crusaders away, Chiefs home. Don’t think they’ll win any of them the way they’ve been playing and can’t see them turning it around tbh.
Next you'll be saying Springer can't be described as mildly better than Jonah Lowe.
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@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:
@darylmitchell said in Highlanders 2025:
Will Jamie Joseph ever take accountability for their current performances?
He spends most of this interview going woe is me, not a great look.
Thanks for the share, that was a great interview from Wheels.
Jamie touches on a few interesting things there, I don’t take any of that as ‘woe is me’. Think they are all fair, honest and valid points.
I usually can't stand Wheeler, but he does ok in these interviews. I actually didn'tmind watching that.
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Word on the street, and a fairly reliable word at that, is that the environment in the Highlanders squad is getting increasingly toxic. A large part of the squad are getting fed up with not getting coached properly and being asked to execute a game plan that they know doesn't work. It's resulted in a complete loss of belief in the camp.
There is also apparently a big issue with some players about something that went down between De Groot and Renton that ended up in Renton getting the captaincy. Not many players respect him because of it and the leadership group is fractured. The assistant coaches are apparently just a bunch of yes men and don't add anything of significance and the only real coaching they've received is when Tony Brown has dropped in for a few sessions.
Now you can go 'oh this is him being negative again etc etc' but this is pretty bloody reliable and things seem to be falling apart.
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@KiwiInLondon said in Highlanders 2025:
Word on the street, and a fairly reliable word at that, is that the environment in the Highlanders squad is getting increasingly toxic. A large part of the squad are getting fed up with not getting coached properly and being asked to execute a game plan that they know doesn't work. It's resulted in a complete loss of belief in the camp.
There is also apparently a big issue with some players about something that went down between De Groot and Renton that ended up in Renton getting the captaincy. Not many players respect him because of it and the leadership group is fractured. The assistant coaches are apparently just a bunch of yes men and don't add anything of significance and the only real coaching they've received is when Tony Brown has dropped in for a few sessions.
Now you can go 'oh this is him being negative again etc etc' but this is pretty bloody reliable and things seem to be falling apart.
That could get ugly then if players want out at the end of the year.
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@KiwiInLondon if you wanted to portray a more negative persona, you could change to KiwiNotInDunedin.
