Magpies 2020
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Can you confirm with of the inter conference games were HB picks and which were the Premiership teams ones thanks?
@Higgins I assume you mean the cross-over games?
- Canterbury picked Hawke's Bay for the game on 23 August. (They were the fifth team to make their choice; they could pick from Hawke's Bay, Counties and Otago)
- Hawke's Bay picked Wellington for the game on 2 October (only Ta$man and Wellington hadn't been picked yet).
- BOP "picked" Hawke's Bay for the game on 26 September (they got to pick last, so there wasn't another team left to chose).
- Hawke's Bay picked North Harbour for the game on 4 September. (Hawke's Bay were the second team to make their choice from Ta$man, Auckland, North Harbour and Waikato.)
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@Higgins I assume you mean the cross-over games?
- Canterbury picked Hawke's Bay for the game on 23 August. (They were the fifth team to make their choice; they could pick from Hawke's Bay, Counties and Otago)
- Hawke's Bay picked Wellington for the game on 2 October (only Ta$man and Wellington hadn't been picked yet).
- BOP "picked" Hawke's Bay for the game on 26 September (they got to pick last, so there wasn't another team left to chose).
- Hawke's Bay picked North Harbour for the game on 4 September. (Hawke's Bay were the second team to make their choice from Ta$man, Auckland, North Harbour and Waikato.)
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@Stargazer Thanks, clearly we don't regard Ta$man as a money spinner likely to lead to increased gate takings!
@Higgins The HBRU would always pick neighbour and arch rivals Wellington over Ta$man. It's a traditional game.
I assume, a factor that they took into consideration for the last pick was that Harbour is the team that we're more likely to beat than Ta$man. If you're striving for promotion to the Premiership, you have to take that into account as well. Promotion is also beneficial to gate takings in the following season. -
@Higgins The HBRU would always pick neighbour and arch rivals Wellington over Ta$man. It's a traditional game.
I assume, a factor that they took into consideration for the last pick was that Harbour is the team that we're more likely to beat than Ta$man. If you're striving for promotion to the Premiership, you have to take that into account as well. Promotion is also beneficial to gate takings in the following season.@Stargazer said in Magpies 2020:
@Higgins The HBRU would always pick neighbour and arch rivals Wellington over Ta$man. It's a traditional game.
I assume, a factor that they took into consideration for the last pick was that Harbour is the team that we're more likely to beat than Ta$man. If you're striving for promotion to the Premiership, you have to take that into account as well. Promotion is also beneficial to gate takings in the following season.You are not wrong. Being promoted is a massive boon. When we beat Hawkes last year to win promotion, it really was a great result for the BOP union and its gate takings this season, not having a surplus if games against minnows is great.
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Anybody go out to todays trial against Auckland contenders?A 35 7 win good result for the magpies wider training squad.
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Anybody go out to todays trial against Auckland contenders?A 35 7 win good result for the magpies wider training squad.
@kiwimatrix Oops. Just posted something similar in the HB Academy thread.
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@kiwimatrix Oops. Just posted something similar in the HB Academy thread.
@Stargazer Looks like a few new fringe players fighting for magpies spots.Te Rangi Fraser ex Bop,Levi Harmon ex Wellington and Joe Apikotoa was named as well.
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@Stargazer Looks like a few new fringe players fighting for magpies spots.Te Rangi Fraser ex Bop,Levi Harmon ex Wellington and Joe Apikotoa was named as well.
@kiwimatrix Levi Harmon originally comes out of Wai-Bush but hs been playing midfield for mostly Poneke in Wellington. Think he might have made the Wgtn Lions a couple of years back before a real bad knee injury sideline him for the best part of a season and a half. Joe Apikatoa, guess Tim Farrell is still missing in action? Any updates on him Stargazer?
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@kiwimatrix Levi Harmon originally comes out of Wai-Bush but hs been playing midfield for mostly Poneke in Wellington. Think he might have made the Wgtn Lions a couple of years back before a real bad knee injury sideline him for the best part of a season and a half. Joe Apikatoa, guess Tim Farrell is still missing in action? Any updates on him Stargazer?
@Higgins Sorry, I have no updates about Farrell.
I wondered where Apikotoa was going to try his luck, this year. It didn't work out for him in Wellington, last year. He had a brief stint in Spain (end of 2019), but returned early, reportedly because he wants to earn a contract in NZ. So if he's in the Bay, I assume that's where he'll play his club rugby?
Don't know the other players. I hope our locals are good enough to make the squad, if last year's squad members don't return (assuming Sapsford won't come back now that he has a sevens contract).
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@Higgins Sorry, I have no updates about Farrell.
I wondered where Apikotoa was going to try his luck, this year. It didn't work out for him in Wellington, last year. He had a brief stint in Spain (end of 2019), but returned early, reportedly because he wants to earn a contract in NZ. So if he's in the Bay, I assume that's where he'll play his club rugby?
Don't know the other players. I hope our locals are good enough to make the squad, if last year's squad members don't return (assuming Sapsford won't come back now that he has a sevens contract).
@Stargazer Sapsford played yesterday, so he may be still in the mix.
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@Stargazer Sapsford played yesterday, so he may be still in the mix.
@kiwimatrix Will ask him if he turns up for his former Wellington Axemen's 150th Anniversary Commemorative Match against the Nelson RFC next weekend.
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HBT article about the Magpies Academy/WTG game against Auckland Contenders.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503460&objectid=12312794
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From the "Club Rugby" website:
Some big news out late last week with one of Wellington rugby’s more colourful characters of recent times having pulled the pin on his time here, for now. HOBM’s Sheridan Rangihuna has relocated to the Hawke’s Bay, ending his Eagles career a handful of matches short of a century, a number he would surely have reached if not for his bouts with officialdom and a short-term contract with Japan’s Panasonic Wild Knights during last year’s Jubilee Cup. A former NZ Schools and U20s representative out of Gisborne Boys, Rangihuna was also a regular for the Lions and Sevens sides. Talented and tempestuous, on his day Rangihuna could be the best player going around in club rugby. We wish him all the best in his next endeavours and the Eagles’ loss is a Hawke’s Bay clubs’ gain.Possible back-up to Fakatava, if Weber makes the ABs again?
Edit: I don't rate Rangihuna highly (same category as Ruru to me), but if no one else is putting his hands up, he at least has experience.
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From the "Club Rugby" website:
Some big news out late last week with one of Wellington rugby’s more colourful characters of recent times having pulled the pin on his time here, for now. HOBM’s Sheridan Rangihuna has relocated to the Hawke’s Bay, ending his Eagles career a handful of matches short of a century, a number he would surely have reached if not for his bouts with officialdom and a short-term contract with Japan’s Panasonic Wild Knights during last year’s Jubilee Cup. A former NZ Schools and U20s representative out of Gisborne Boys, Rangihuna was also a regular for the Lions and Sevens sides. Talented and tempestuous, on his day Rangihuna could be the best player going around in club rugby. We wish him all the best in his next endeavours and the Eagles’ loss is a Hawke’s Bay clubs’ gain.Possible back-up to Fakatava, if Weber makes the ABs again?
Edit: I don't rate Rangihuna highly (same category as Ruru to me), but if no one else is putting his hands up, he at least has experience.
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Hawkes Bay favourite Tongan International Sona Taumalolo will return to the Magpies for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup..
Having played in France since 2012
Taumalolo played 45 games for the Magpies between 2005-2011 and represented the Chiefs between 2008-2012 playing 52 games..
He has also represented Tonga on 20 occasionsBen May will retire at the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season ,
May has reported bought a farm in the Taranaki area. -
Hawkes Bay favourite Tongan International Sona Taumalolo will return to the Magpies for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup..
Having played in France since 2012
Taumalolo played 45 games for the Magpies between 2005-2011 and represented the Chiefs between 2008-2012 playing 52 games..
He has also represented Tonga on 20 occasionsBen May will retire at the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season ,
May has reported bought a farm in the Taranaki area.@Steven-Harris He is one of my favourite players of all time so naturally I'm delighted, but nevertheless sceptical about how much input a player that must be edging 40 can contribute on the field.
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Hawkes Bay favourite Tongan International Sona Taumalolo will return to the Magpies for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup..
Having played in France since 2012
Taumalolo played 45 games for the Magpies between 2005-2011 and represented the Chiefs between 2008-2012 playing 52 games..
He has also represented Tonga on 20 occasionsBen May will retire at the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season ,
May has reported bought a farm in the Taranaki area.@Steven-Harris said in Hurricanes 2020:
Hawkes Bay favourite Tongan International Sona Taumalolo will return to the Magpies for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup..
Having played in France since 2012
Taumalolo played 45 games for the Magpies between 2005-2011 and represented the Chiefs between 2008-2012 playing 52 games..
He has also represented Tonga on 20 occasionsBen May will retire at the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season ,
May has reported bought a farm in the Taranaki area.Shit, how old is Sona? Must be close to 40? Will still be better than May.
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Hawkes Bay favourite Tongan International Sona Taumalolo will return to the Magpies for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup..
Having played in France since 2012
Taumalolo played 45 games for the Magpies between 2005-2011 and represented the Chiefs between 2008-2012 playing 52 games..
He has also represented Tonga on 20 occasionsBen May will retire at the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season ,
May has reported bought a farm in the Taranaki area.@Steven-Harris I'm very surprised about Taumalolo still playing. I lost track of him since the articles in the media about him being forced to retire due to "spinal anomalies". I vaguely remember reading something since then that he continued playing somewhere else, but I can't find it anymore.
I always rated him, but you have to wonder how good he still is at 38, although I agree with @Nepia that he's probably still better than May (he always was). May is 37, so they'll lift the average age of the team considerably, especially if Dixon is still with us this season, too.
By the way, has this news been published anywhere?
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Don’t worry I was surprised as anybody else when I found out this news..
