AB's v Samoa

booboo

@chimoaus

I found this amusing:

22 D’Angelo Leuila - Papatoetoe - Gaitavai/Fagalii

Tim

He's also in the Blues dev squad.

chimoaus

@booboo said in AB's v Samoa:

@chimoaus

I found this amusing:

22 D’Angelo Leuila - Papatoetoe - Gaitavai/Fagalii

Used to stay with an uncle from that suburb, he may have played for that well known team.

Billy Tell

Some serious pace for Samoa at 13.

Rapido

14 Albert Nikoro - West Scarborough - Vaiala/Vaiusu

A winger from west Scarborough? Not good enough to make the full Scarborough team?

I remember in the 95 World Cup, and it was quite amusing to see an unknown Auckland club rugby player like George Harder carving up against test opposition.

Somehow, I don't think this will be quite the same.

What League do they play in? Yorkshire?
That Samoa are calling up an amateur or semi-pro outside back from low level English club rugby is quite sad.

Nepia

@Rapido said in AB's v Samoa:

14 Albert Nikoro - West Scarborough - Vaiala/Vaiusu

A winger from west Scarborough? Not good enough to make the full Scarborough team?

I remember in the 95 World Cup, and it was quite amusing to see an unknown Auckland club rugby player like George Harder carving up against test opposition.

Somehow, I don't think this will be quite the same.

What League do they play in? Yorkshire?
That Samoa are calling up an amateur or semi-pro outside back from low level English club rugby is quite sad.

Not really, Nikoro has been close to Super rugby standard in the past - maybe they think they can get him up to standard?

Bovidae

Nikoro has bounced around a lot - Auckland, Ta$man, Waikato, Perth and now in the UK. I'm probably missing other stops.

Dice

The Samoan back 3 would look a lot better with Melani Nanai and Matt Duffie in there instead of Tuala and Nikoro.

Dice

@booboo said in AB's v Samoa:

@chimoaus

I found this amusing:

22 D’Angelo Leuila - Papatoetoe - Gaitavai/Fagalii

Could be worse, he could have Eden in there instead.

Wurzel

West Scarborough play int the West Australian Premiership; ideal prep for taking on the All Blacks

Tim

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

Matt Duffie

I thought he was a safe white boy?

Rapido

@Wurzel said in AB's v Samoa:

West Scarborough play int the West Australian Premiership; ideal prep for taking on the All Blacks

Oh, wow.

WA club rugby? Not Yorkshire club rugby.

Well, suppose he's conditioned to hard grounds then rather than a playing on cold Tuesday night v Grimsby etc ......

booboo

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

@booboo said in AB's v Samoa:

@chimoaus

I found this amusing:

22 D’Angelo Leuila - Papatoetoe - Gaitavai/Fagalii

Could be worse, he could have Eden in there instead.

That would be funny.

pukunui

I take it they aren't naming the team today. Maybe they are pulling a Cheika and delaying the final team naming to rattle the opposition.

Dice

@Tim said in AB's v Samoa:

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

Matt Duffie

I thought he was a safe white boy?

Seeing this team actually reminded me that he's eligible for Samoa. I remember seeing his name in a wider team list for the Samoan league team a number of years ago.

Wurzel

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

@Tim said in AB's v Samoa:

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

Matt Duffie

I thought he was a safe white boy?

Seeing this team actually reminded me that he's eligible for Samoa. I remember seeing his name in a wider team list for the Samoan league team a number of years ago.

That's Rugby League, though - you only have to visit the Otara Markets to be eligible for the Samoan league team.

mimic

@chimoaus said in AB's v Samoa:

Interesting to see the dominance of European based players. Sign of the times I guess in regards to earning potential.

Looking at the starting XV, everyone played rugby in NZ except for Viliamu Afatia who I don't know about... I guess some could argue that Jack Lam grew up Austalian..
But yes, very hard to pick a player from a super rugby team, as it would give them a pay cut... And let's be honest, most of the young guys still in NZ will try to be All Blacks first, and it's not until they hit their 30s and realise it's not possible, do they move on...
Most who realise that they can't crack the ABs will move overseas as some earn more than super rugby players... It's ridiculous

Also, Matt Duffie is of Samoan descent.

Frank

Hoping to see Naholo and Ioane as the wings.

Stargazer

@mimic said in AB's v Samoa:

@chimoaus said in AB's v Samoa:

Interesting to see the dominance of European based players. Sign of the times I guess in regards to earning potential.

Looking at the starting XV, everyone played rugby in NZ except for Viliamu Afatia who I don't know about... I guess some could argue that Jack Lam grew up Austalian..
But yes, very hard to pick a player from a super rugby team, as it would give them a pay cut... And let's be honest, most of the young guys still in NZ will try to be All Blacks first, and it's not until they hit their 30s and realise it's not possible, do they move on...
Most who realise that they can't crack the ABs will move overseas as some earn more than super rugby players... It's ridiculous

Also, Matt Duffie is of Samoan descent.

I think this explains why you don't see many SR players in Samoan/Fijian/Tongan squads:

Fonotia is eligible to play for the Manu through his grandfather, who was born in Samoa, and says it's something he had always wanted to do.

He spent three years at Super Rugby level with the Crusaders but says the opportunity to play test rugby only eventuated after his switch to the Ospreys club in Wales.

"It was sort of one of those things I had to do when I got overseas, by the way sort of Super Rugby rulings of foreign players (with only a limited number of non-New Zealand eligible players allowed in each franchise) the easiest time for me was when I went overseas," he said.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/333029/sport-samoa-call-up-a-dream-come-true-for-kieron-fonotia