Super Rugby 2025
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He is a Kiwi (.and he’s also Tonga). Born and schooled in Marlborough to a well known family there - Tonga got him on their radar in 2022/23 when he was still a teenager through his heritage when he’d barely left high school and was offered a chance to play at a World Cup as they had a number of injuries and the like.
There’s more egregious examples of poaching/nation switching than this - agree there are issues with using this team as a pathway but this seems like a case of a young Kiwi guy who probably didn’t know the true nature of his talents and probably wouldn’t have represented Tonga if he thought he was an All Blacks contender.
If his departure to the Chiefs is confirmed it probably allows another Pacific Island player to take his spot, who is committed to representing one of those sides. -
I've missed the outrage about an established All Black taking the development opportunities away from a promising young Islander.
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I've missed the outrage about an established All Black taking the development opportunities away from a promising young Islander.
@antipodean said in Super Rugby 2025:
I've missed the outrage about an established All Black taking the development opportunities away from a promising young Islander.
Interesting there's no mention of Tonga poaching kiwi school kids that live in NZ.
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@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2025:
How the hell does Pelligrini even get in your mind as a AB, he's not eligible for ABs . He's a Tongan intrernational FFS. You got to make better arguments.
Out of interest Miracle couldn't even be poached as he has played for Samoa.
Kyren has played for Tonga…that’s the point? But he has birthright transfer which I don’t think Patrick or Miracle do, so they would have to stand down five years rather than 3.
@zedsdeadbaby said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2025:
How the hell does Pelligrini even get in your mind as a AB, he's not eligible for ABs . He's a Tongan intrernational FFS. You got to make better arguments.
Out of interest Miracle couldn't even be poached as he has played for Samoa.
Kyren has played for Tonga…that’s the point? But he has birthright transfer which I don’t think Patrick or Miracle do, so they would have to stand down five years rather than 3.
The stand-down period for all players is
fivethree years, and it's only open to those who were born in another country or have parents/grandparents born in another country. You can't transfer countries through naturalisation. -
@zedsdeadbaby said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2025:
How the hell does Pelligrini even get in your mind as a AB, he's not eligible for ABs . He's a Tongan intrernational FFS. You got to make better arguments.
Out of interest Miracle couldn't even be poached as he has played for Samoa.
Kyren has played for Tonga…that’s the point? But he has birthright transfer which I don’t think Patrick or Miracle do, so they would have to stand down five years rather than 3.
The stand-down period for all players is
fivethree years, and it's only open to those who were born in another country or have parents/grandparents born in another country. You can't transfer countries through naturalisation. -
@Bones said in Super Rugby 2025:
@Mr-Fish tough on Holland and Jim.
They don't need to stand down because they never played for Netherlands/Fiji. Naturalisation period is also five years though (which they've both passed already).
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@Mr-Fish stand down period for those that switch test allegiance during their career is 3 years correct?
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@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
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@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
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This post is deleted!
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans. -
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
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@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
Ah yes Harding. I'm sure it seemed smart at the time. Oops
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@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
Ah yes Harding. I'm sure it seemed smart at the time. Oops
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@SouthernMann said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@canefan said in Super Rugby 2025:
@nonpartizan said in Super Rugby 2025:
The Highlanders came bottom and would have had Kelleher, Randell, Wilson, Tony Brown, Kronfeld in their side.
Just goes to show how competitive the Super 12 was.
Alatini too, and didn't Lima play in MF for them? He was no slug
Yes, forgot about Alatini.... Kees Meeuws and also Anton Oliver.
Karl Hoeft, Simon Maling was considered so good at junior level that a certain R McCaw left Otago catchment and went to Canterbury
. Nick Evans.Sam Harding was the swapped player. Otago/Canterbury had a no poaching policy. Otago breched it picking up Harding. Canterbury went after McCaw. I think Hansen has told the story on a couple of podcasts.
Maling was a lock.
Ah yes Harding. I'm sure it seemed smart at the time. Oops
Dunedin schooled players out of the Haka Valley is a bit of a sore point. Right on the border of the two franchises. McCaw and now George Bell in red and black.
Harding was a good player, just a long way from our greatest All Black of all time.
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in fairness hadn't harding been preferred as the school boys 7 or something? it wasnt as crazy a call at the times as it has turned out to be, form memory Richie had also wanted to go to Lincoln to study
@nonpartizan i'd always thought it was as simple as he was 29 when he went overseas, so closer to the end of his career than the start so wanted to make some money overseas
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@canefan i think it was more a case of he actually committed to study for a year or two, i remember people at school saying he'd be an AB
