Blues vs. Chiefs
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@mariner4life said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
@Frye the only surprise is that people are surprised. Nanai has had a bum deal all year. If he wants game time he could pop 50 minutes down SH1, i certainly wouldn't complain
We've all already agreed that he's going to the Canes next year.
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@No-Quarter yea you guys are really battling for outside backs alright...
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@mariner4life Well they do have to play Wes Goosen for some reason.
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@Tim you know he would be first choice at the Blues...
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@mariner4life We will try anyone at 1st 5.
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@mariner4life said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
@No-Quarter yea you guys are really battling for outside backs alright...
To be fair, none of their current lot did anything with the front foot ball they received all night against the Crusaders.
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Gallagher Chiefs team named to take on the Blues in Battle of the Bombays rematch
The final seeding order of the tightly contested New Zealand Conference is still anybody’s guess just four rounds shy of the 2017 Investec Super Rugby playoffs. What can be guaranteed however, is that come 7.35pm on Friday evening, two highly motivated and courageous kiwi sides will throw everything at each other in the hopes of securing a win which could prove season-defining.
Gallagher Chiefs head coach Dave Rennie has made three changes to the starting fifteen who narrowly lost 31-24 to the BNZ Crusaders in Fiji last Friday. There’s just one change to the forward pack with relentless number 8 Liam Messam contributing 156 caps of experience to the starting lineup.
The remaining two changes effect the backline, with Johnny Faauli returning to the playing 23 to start at second five-eighth. The potent mid-fielder reunites with Anton Lienert-Brown who moves to centre for Fridays evening’s unmissable derby match.
The Gallagher Chiefs team to play the Blues at 7.35pm this Friday 26 May at Eden Park:
1 Kane Hames (19)
2 Nathan Harris (25)
3 Nepo Laulala (8)
4 Dominic Bird (22)
5 Brodie Retallick (81)
6 Mitchell Brown (11)
7 Sam Cane (co-captain) (90)
8 Liam Messam (156)
9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow (77)
10 Aaron Cruden (co-captain) (83)
11 James Lowe (47)
12 Johnny Faauli (4)
13 Anton Lienert-Brown (35)
14 Tim Nanai-Williams (81)
15 Damian McKenzie (44)RESERVES:
16 Hika Elliot (115)
17 Siegfried Fisi’ihoi (21)
18 Atu Moli (21)
19 Taleni Seu (28)
20 Lachlan Boshier (13)
21 Jonathan Taumateine (4)
22 Solomon Alaimalo (4)
23 Shaun Stevenson (18)() = Gallagher Chiefs caps in brackets
Unavailable for selection: Brad Weber, Mitchell Graham, Glen Fisiiahi, Liam Polwart, Charlie Ngatai, Sam McNicol, Stephen Donald and Toni Pulu.
The Gallagher Chiefs return to FMG Stadium Waikato to take on the Waratahs at the earlier kickoff time of 5.05pm next Saturday 3 June. Rising Chiefs region rugby talent will be on show in the curtain raiser, with Hamilton Boys High School playing Rotorua Boys High School in the University of Waikato Chiefs Cup Final. Tickets to next Saturday’s Round 15 fixture between the Gallagher Chiefs and the Waratahs can be purchased from ticketdirect.co.nz or 0800 4 CHIEFS
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no comment about the unavailability of Ngatai...
If this is his headaches back, you'd have to think the writing is on the wall?
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@taniwharugby said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
no comment about the unavailability of Ngatai...
If this is his headaches back, you'd have to think the writing is on the wall?
Rennie already commented a couple days ago. He's recovered but they're handling him with kid gloves, so are leaving him out of this game.
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I think it's safe to say that Melani was a Feeney pick last year.
I'm not a fan of the SBW-Moala midfield. Stylistically, they could be as bad a match as it gets. With a pairing like this, all I expect is individualism. Unless someone upskills or changes their playing style, this combination has little room to grow into anything.
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@KiwiMurph said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
Maybe it will be a late switch like Matt Todd last week and Perofeta will end up starting.
Excellent to see Perofeta on the bench. Hope he gets some real decent minutes at 10. I quite like the idea of Nock, Perofeta and Faiane off the bench in the last 30 or so - that has potential. All 3 players should be involved in all the of the remaining Blues games this year.
On the other hand Collins is starting and Nanai isn't even in the 23 - ridiculous.
Hopefully the rain stays away and its another classic NZ derby.
There has to be more than playing ability behind his sporadic selection. It is glaringly obvious what he can bring to the field. No coach is blind enough to not see that.
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@Crucial said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
Maybe it will be a late switch like Matt Todd last week and Perofeta will end up starting.
Excellent to see Perofeta on the bench. Hope he gets some real decent minutes at 10. I quite like the idea of Nock, Perofeta and Faiane off the bench in the last 30 or so - that has potential. All 3 players should be involved in all the of the remaining Blues games this year.
On the other hand Collins is starting and Nanai isn't even in the 23 - ridiculous.
Hopefully the rain stays away and its another classic NZ derby.
There has to be more than playing ability behind his sporadic selection. It is glaringly obvious what he can bring to the field. No coach is blind enough to not see that.
T has been quite poor with team selections for two seasons now, so I'm not sure if there's anything more to this than that.
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@Dice seems to have his favorites and cant see beyond this unless forced to with injury...see Scrafton as an example.
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@Dice said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
@Crucial said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
@KiwiMurph said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
Maybe it will be a late switch like Matt Todd last week and Perofeta will end up starting.
Excellent to see Perofeta on the bench. Hope he gets some real decent minutes at 10. I quite like the idea of Nock, Perofeta and Faiane off the bench in the last 30 or so - that has potential. All 3 players should be involved in all the of the remaining Blues games this year.
On the other hand Collins is starting and Nanai isn't even in the 23 - ridiculous.
Hopefully the rain stays away and its another classic NZ derby.
There has to be more than playing ability behind his sporadic selection. It is glaringly obvious what he can bring to the field. No coach is blind enough to not see that.
T has been quite poor with team selections for two seasons now, so I'm not sure if there's anything more to this than that.
Yep, he has poor selections across multiple positions so it's not just Nanai.
Without injuries we'd still be playing some of them.
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@taniwharugby He certainly does and it's holding us back. How Michael Collins has gained the starting fullback spot back is beyond me as has already been said on here. He'll probably manage to somehow fit Tupou back in the team before the end of season.
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I hear T reads the Fern and bases his selection policy on Blues fan reactions....
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@ACT-Crusader said in Blues vs. Chiefs:
I hear T reads the Fern and bases his selection policy on Blues fan reactions....
Wasn't that Blackadder's selection policy for the Crusaders?
