NH Club Rugby
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@Catogrande said in NH Club Rugby:
And last weeks hero
CalorieCalouri (bloody predictive text) barely touched the ball. Reports say he was exposed defensively too? Not that I mean to tall poppy him but last weeks raptures always felt a little premature.Yep mate, but no way was he going to have repeat of last week. He wasn't bad, I didn't think, just play didn't go his way. I thought he was ok on defence, not great, but also thought he got left exposed by his centre who actually seemed to drift in a couple of times. Geez he can get some height from a standing jump. So really I thought he was ok, and probably ok only, but still looks to have incredible potential to me.
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@Dan54 I only saw the highlights so really can't comment with any authority so thanks for the insight. I agree in that I feel his ceiling is very high and as an England fan let's fucking hope he gets anywhere near that ceilng. In truth my post was more a dig at all the press wanking on about him. As Martin Johnson said of Henry Pollock "two tries against a shit Wales team doesn't mean anything".
A point of difference between England and NZ is that when you guys have a generational talent, ie Lomu, whilst you're not afraid to get him in there with some actual game time, you also seem to nurture them, look after them and maybe ensure some cover for their perceived deficiencies. We either wait until they are 29 and have had the opportunity to have any talent coached out of them or give them one shot and expect them to work wonders from the get go before dropping them for "defensive failures".
See also cricket football and God knows how many other England sports.
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As I said last week, i'd like to see him in defence before i cast an opinion, he wasn't exactly spectacular. Also, this crap about him being good in the air, he's got a big vertical jump and attempts to take the ball above his head but i'm not sure i've seen him catch one!
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@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:
Ma'a Nonu, aged 43, is starting at 12 for Toulon tomorrow against Lyon in the Top 14.
Ten years and one day after his second Rugby World Cup win.
His father will be cheering from the stands
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@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:
Ma'a Nonu, aged 43, is starting at 12 for Toulon tomorrow against Lyon in the Top 14.
Ten years and one day after his second Rugby World Cup win.
That's at LEAST five more years he could have played for the ABs.
So selfish, especially considering the donkeys we've had since him.
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@sparky He will need to be pressed into service pretty quickly as they are struggling to get over no hopers The Dragons away 10 - 17 with about five minutes to go in this morning URC game
EDIT Reverse jinx as they increase their margin to a more comfortable 14 points with a converted try real close to fulltime.
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@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:
Pita Ahki's last game for Toulouse so the Kiwis at the club performed Ka Mate for him.
The Toulouse instagram feed is loaded with Ahki posts. The French do celebrate individuals well
I have not seen much of him play since he left NZ. The fans seem to rate him very highly.. the highlight videos look great.. how has his form been in the last year or so? Still near his best?
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@Duluth From what I've seen he fits very much in the "club legend" model. A very good player but not world class.
He's had the benefit of playing for France's and probably Europe's best team in recent years.
When fit, he's been Toulouse's top choice 12 for about about seven years. He looked very good during Covid times. A mid-fielder in the Garry Ringrose model. A very good organiser who others like Dupont and Ntamack could play around. He's won five French Championships and two European Championship with Toulouse.
That's said I can't remember him shining on a big occasion. He went off early in the 2024 European Cup Final and he's had a lot of injuries in the last 18 months.
He's a solid signing for the Blues, especially as they will miss Reiko's calmness in midfield next year. But I don't expect him to play the house down.
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@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:
@Duluth From what I've seen he fits very much in the "club legend" model. A very good player but not world class.
He's had the benefit of playing for France's and probably Europe's best team in recent years.
When fit, he's been Toulouse's top choice 12 for about about seven years. He looked very good during Covid times. A mid-fielder in the Garry Ringrose model. A very good organiser who others like Dupont and Ntamack could play around. He's won five French Championships and two European Championship with Toulouse.
That's said I can't remember him shining on a big occasion. He went off early in the 2024 European Cup Final and he's had a lot of injuries in the last 18 months.
He's a solid signing for the Blues, especially as they will miss Reiko's calmness in midfield next year. But I don't expect him to play the house down.
I agree. He rarely sets the world on fire but he is a good distributor, defends well and has a good vision of the game. At 31, after multiple injuries, he is on the downside IMO. He could be as valuable as Bryce Heems was a few years ago.
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@cgrant said in NH Club Rugby:
@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:
@Duluth From what I've seen he fits very much in the "club legend" model. A very good player but not world class.
He's had the benefit of playing for France's and probably Europe's best team in recent years.
When fit, he's been Toulouse's top choice 12 for about about seven years. He looked very good during Covid times. A mid-fielder in the Garry Ringrose model. A very good organiser who others like Dupont and Ntamack could play around. He's won five French Championships and two European Championship with Toulouse.
That's said I can't remember him shining on a big occasion. He went off early in the 2024 European Cup Final and he's had a lot of injuries in the last 18 months.
He's a solid signing for the Blues, especially as they will miss Reiko's calmness in midfield next year. But I don't expect him to play the house down.
I agree. He rarely sets the world on fire but he is a good distributor, defends well and has a good vision of the game. At 31, after multiple injuries, he is on the downside IMO. He could be as valuable as Bryce Heems was a few years ago.
downslide (not downside).
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