Blues 2019

[Tim]

@Chris-B

What's Ryan Coxon like at loosehead?

Other options would include Nic Mayhew, Chris Eves, Jeff Thwaites, Reuben O’Neill, Mitchell Graham (if alive), Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Jared Adams, Pauliasi Manu (if available), and Sam Prattley.

[Chris B.]

@tim Haven't seen enough of him to comment.

[Tim]

Come to think of it, Daniel Lienert-Brown is off contract too. Good around the field, but not strong in the scrum. Behind Hodgman at Canterbury, and a lesser ball-carrier too.

[Bovidae]

Coxon was mainly a TH who seems to have been converted to LH. He is out of St Peters Cambridge.

[Bones]

@tim yet performs very well for a better team in a starting position. Hmmm.

[Tim]

@bones Hodgman was injured for almost the entire Super Rugby season (again). He starts ahead of Lienert-Brown for Canterbury, who are a fairly decent team.

Aki Seiuli got a number of starts this year. And ... is actually off contract too.

[Canes]

@tim Well, he's starting over Crockett

[Canes]

Ross Wright looks decent as a loosehead for Northland

[kev]

@taniwharugby I think we forget how young a player like Tua is. The missed tackles is not good enough but if the Coaches are good enough and he has the courage they can turn that around. Hope they persist and make him the quality rugby player he can be.

[KiwiMurph]

Didn't Tua hurt his hand this year whilst out on the drink? Not a great look.

[Dice]

The two Taranaki looseheads, Reuben O'Neill and Jared Proffit, look handy. Both look quite strong in the scrums. Proffit in particular has come off the bench this season and just had guys moonwalking.

[Steven Harris]

@kiwimurph and after watching Tua miss 6 x tackles including a blatant miss on Jack Whetton..maybe a bit of heart shrink as well..t

[KiwiMurph]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12116975

[Tim]

@kiwimurph Great news.

[Duluth]

Good, the Bolton group has been a disaster

Now sack Redman, sack Hanks and allow Umaga to pretend he's decided to leave for an 'exciting new challenge'

[Steven Harris]

@tim amen to that piece of news..!

[Duluth]

Another article about the changing ownership

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/106728162/new-zealand-rugby-to-buy-large-stake-in-struggling-blues

[Duluth]

So the NZRU is just an interim investor until a new investor is found. I wonder if the Auckland union want to buy that 40%? They have more than enough cash right now.

[taniwharugby]

@duluth I think Auckland, North Harbour & Northland should all take at least a chunk of that 40%.

I cant recall what Northland's cash reserves were like but they are in a pretty good position financially.

[Duluth]

@taniwharugby

I would be happy with more involvement of the three unions rather than another private investor. Certain people in that Bolton group apparently got starry eye'd and tingly feels when dealing with famous ex AB's.
Rugby people wanted to sack Kirwan, the Bolton group desperately wanted to keep him.. they only let go when they got a hold of another superstar coach (a coach with a profile to engage with Auckland's complex and diverse media landscape blah blah blah bullshit)

But I doubt Northland would be interested? When Rugby Holdings was created (based on previous input to the Blues franchise) they immediately sold half of their small share to Auckland