Blues 2018

Tim

14 MAR 2018

While the Blues are in South Africa preparing to play the Stormers this week, the balance of the squad and some of the regions best talent have come together for the Blues A fixture against the Hurricanes Development team in Wellington this Saturday. The A team started the 2018 campaign with a 26-all draw against the Chiefs two weeks ago.

Matt Moulds, Kara Pryor and Isaac Salmon are fit to play for the first time in 2018, while Harry Plummer, Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa, Scott Gregory, Jack Heighton and Rob Cobb all step up from our Under 20’s side that beat their Hurricanes counterparts two weeks ago.

Former NZ Under 20 prop, Ezekiel Lindenmuth who has been training with the Crusaders and Auckland’s wing/centre Loketi Manu are also new to the squad.

Kick off is at 1pm at Evans Bay. Lineup to be announced later this week.

KiwiMurph

BLUES A TEAM VS HURRICANES

Kick off is at 1pm at Evans Bay. The team is:

Ezekiel Lindenmuth
Matt Moulds
Isaac Salmon
Ben Neenee
Jacob Pierce
Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa
Kara Pryor
Matt Matich

Lewis Gjaltema
Harry Plummer
Caleb Clarke
Orbyn Leger
Tumua Manu
Loketi Manu
Jordan Trainor

Reserves
Kurt Eklund
Rob Cobb
Jack Straker
Kondo Masaki
Adrian Choat
Jack Heighton
Song Gi Paku
Scott Gregory
Salesi Rayasi
Sione Havili (#26)

Tim

Be interesting to hear how Salesi Rayasi goes. IIRC, he was the leading try scorer in Auckland club rugby last year.

Gunner

No Tamati Tua.

Played club footy last weekend, then from what I hear cut his hand quite badly while out on the diesel...

Stargazer

You can find a quick write-up of the Hurricanes Dev v Blues 'A' game in the Hurricanes thread: http://www.thesilverfern.com/topic/1919/hurricanes-2018/83#

FT: Hurricanes Dev 40 - 19 Blues A (HT: 14 - 7)

nzzp

@rocky-rockbottom said in Blues 2018:

my expert pre-season prediction had Blues at 1 and 3 at this stage.
Next pod of matches I had them going 4 and 2.
Then to close off the season, 4 of the last 6 matches vs the Hurricanes and the New England Crusaders OF COURSE A PERFECT TIME TO START COMING INTO SOME FORM TO GEAR UP FOR A RUN AT THE PLAYOFFS. FFS

THIS IS OUR YEAR

@Rocky-Rockbottom and I will be the only blue tinted die hards guzzling lion red, crying into our beards and lamenting the demise of the Greatest Provincial Rugby Team Of All Time (GPRTOAT) and how far the administrators and players of the mighty blue and white hoops have fallen from our glory years.

Could be another long year ... ever win is a false dawn, every light is a train, etc etc etc

Tim

Whoever had the tip about Tamati Tui busting his hand was on the money.

Imgur

Gunner

@tim said in Blues 2018:

Whoever had the tip about Tamati Tui busting his hand was on the money.

Yea I got my info from a pretty reliable source

taniwharugby

@gunner dumbarse....not you

Dice

Tana might have to apologize to the country if he ruins Rieko.

Dice

I think the Blues Development team played the Chiefs Development team on Friday, but no team line-up or info on the game has been released.

I saw Papali'i training and catching some balls on the news last week, so the hand seems OK. I wonder if he got some game time with the Development team on Friday.

I'd start Pryor at 7 this week and bring Papali'i on the bench if he's ready.

Stargazer

@dice Yeah, according to the ticket direct website, it was the curtain raiser to Chiefs v Highlanders in Hamilton. Really odd there hasn't been any info whatsoever on either the Chiefs or the Blues social media accounts. Maybe one of the Chiefs faithfull who went to the game on Friday knows whether this cutain raiser was indeed played and has more info?

Bovidae

I don't arrive early enough to see the curtain-raiser but judging by the condition of the ground (divots everywhere) a game was definitely played beforehand. The match is also listed in the match programme but I have no idea of the team lists or score.

antipodean

@rocky-rockbottom said in Blues 2018:

ps another one of my brilliant theories that I just thought of now is i'm starting to think these coaches have fuckall to do with results. what effect do they have? 10%? Colin Cooper is a "better" coach than Tana? iHomo it's down to the senior players in the team, setting a standard that everyone else tries to live up to. See cantabs culture and theri performance over the weekend compared to Blues. Playing for each other and for the good of the team. So young shits come into the team and DO NOT want to let the older players down.
The exact opposite of the lazy, unravelled, rudderless fuckwit tyre fire Blues.
Tana could scream his nuts off all week to those sleepy drongos but without any players in your team you dont give a fuck about letting down its all for nought

This is what I don't understand - the Blues have All Blacks. They know what's required to perform consistently at the highest level.

mimic

@rocky-rockbottom said in Blues 2018:

ps another one of my brilliant theories that I just thought of now is i'm starting to think these coaches have fuckall to do with results. what effect do they have? 10%? Colin Cooper is a "better" coach than Tana? iHomo it's down to the senior players in the team, setting a standard that everyone else tries to live up to. See cantabs culture and theri performance over the weekend compared to Blues. Playing for each other and for the good of the team. So young shits come into the team and DO NOT want to let the older players down.

The exact opposite of the lazy, unravelled, rudderless fuckwit tyre fire Blues.

Tana could scream his nuts off all week to those sleepy drongos but without any players in your team you dont give a fuck about letting down its all for nought

I disagree. The coach is extremely important.
The coach needs to understand what makes their players grow and find the optimum conditions for them to be better.
Screaming at players isn't what a good coach does..

The blues have shown a lot of areas where they are brilliant as individuals.. But they still haven't developed that team mentality.. that to me falls on the coach, not the players

KiwiMurph

Quite a good small listen.

Wilson touches on wider issues too (Blues vs Auckland)

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/on-air/radio-sport-breakfast/audio/jeff-wilson-the-blues-are-worse-off-under-tana-umaga/

Wilson told the Radio Sport Breakfast that he doesn't think the Blues are in a better state this season.

"Sir John Kirwan made some gains when he was there, Pat Lam took them to the playoffs and it was the moment the season didn't go as planned, he was fired...and didn't get the opportunity to right the ship.

"Are they prepared to stick with Tana and his coaching team to right the ship through the season?

"The trend is so poor with Auckland and the Blues they can't at the moment, in anyway shape or form, bring the fans into the stands to support them, and why would you?"

Duluth

@kiwimurph

He's right that Lam doesn't deserve to be lumped in with Kirwan/Umaga

He's right there's been no improvement under Umaga

He's right that the Patrick McKendry article at the start of the year was wrong

He's wrong about the player situation. He's fighting the last war.
When he was in Lam's setup they were restricted to picking from the region. That isn't the case anymore, this team has recruited heavily from outside the region (Manu, SWB, Francis, Pulu, Tupou, Gatland, Hodgman, Perofeta, Black, Apisai, Guyton, O'Donnell, Colllins, Faiva etc).
The performance of the ring-ins has been mixed. Particularly when compared to some of the exports (Fatialofa, Seu, Aso, Lam, Hall)

He is right to mention the split in the boards. The rumours of childish friction between the ARU and the Blues board aren't great
(Worth pointing out that the ARU wanted Kirwan sacked and the Blues wanted the Kirwan/Matson compromise... I think the Blues board might be the root cause. Does memories of Umaga as a player make their giney tingle like Kirwan's history did?)

KiwiMurph

@duluth said in Blues 2018:

@kiwimurph

He's wrong about the player situation. He's fighting the last war.
When he was in Lam's setup they were restricted to picking from the region. That isn't the case anymore, this team has recruited heavily from outside the region (Manu, SWB, Francis, Pulu, Tupou, Gatland, Hodgman, Perofeta, Black, Apisai, Guyton, O'Donnell, Colllins, Faiva etc).
The performance of the ring-ins has been mixed. Particularly when compared to some of the exports (Fatialofa, Seu, Aso, Lam, Hall)

I think what Goldie was getting at was for the Blues to be successful they realistically need it to be from local players mostly - while the Blues can certainly offer contracts to players from all over the country the really good players are probably going to see the Blues as a last choice option. Most of those players you mention above came to the Blues as a last option (the Counties guys while technically not in the Blues region live in Auckland anyway so i'd lump them in as local).

Duluth

@kiwimurph said in Blues 2018:

(the Counties guys while technically not in the Blues region live in Auckland anyway so i'd lump them in as local)

My point is more relevant if you use the real region. They are imports and they've been mixed.

I do find the Blues a little confused about where they represent now.
I was at a game last year where thanking volunteers from all over the Blues region - from Counties, Auckland and North Harbour. The org from top to bottom is run by retards.

Bovidae

As long as Wilson isn't talking as an authority on coaching.

The Silver Fern

Blues 2018