Auckland Rugby 2020

[Tim]

Some good young backs to look for in the NPC squad: Taufa Funaki, Zarn Sullivan, Meihana Grindley, AJ Lam, Lemeki Namoa.

Any young standouts in the forwards? Maybe the hooker Vikenia?

[KiwiMurph]

@Tim Niko Jones?

[Tim]

Some clues from the Blues U20 and A squads.

Steven Bates and Dave Askew have named their first Ganellen Blues U20 team of the year. The team will travel to Napier to play the Hurricanes U20 in a Super Rugby curtain raiser at McLean Park, on Saturday the 29th of February.

Bates and Askew have picked the promising Zarn Sullivan as captain, with Terrell Peita as his vice captain, in a side which features 11 players recently named in the New Zealand U20s as well as NZ 7s player Niko Jones and the 2019 Development Player of the Year, Lemeki Namoa.

The match will kick off at 2.05pm.

Starting XV:
1 Tevita Langi – North Harbour
2 Soane Vikena – Auckland
3 Jimmy Roots – North Harbour
4 Damien Naufahu – Auckland
5 James Brown – Auckland
6 Rob Rush – Northland
7 Niko Jones – Auckland
8 Terrell Peita (vc) – Auckland
9 Manu Paea – Auckland
10 Zarn Sullivan – Auckland
11 Heremaia Murray – Auckland
12 Lemeki Namoa – Auckland
13 Joel Cobb – Auckland
14 Lewini Mocevakaca – Auckland
15 Sofai Maka – Auckland

Reserves:
16 Gil Cann-Vaana – Northland
17 Leandro Vakatini – Auckland
18 Sione Ahio – Auckland
19 Joeli Matalaweru – Auckland
20 Noah Perelini – Auckland
21 Taufa Funaki – Auckland
22 Corey Evans – Auckland
23 Patrick Elia – Northland
24 Kade Banks – North Harbour
25 Jack Gray – Auckland
26 Clayton Frans – North Harbour
27 Cam Church – Auckland
28 Meihana Grindlay – Auckland
29 Hamdahn Tuipulotu/ Aisea Takapu – Auckland
30 John Latu – Auckland

[Tim]

Eleven players from the Blues region have been selected in a 52-strong squad selected for the New Zealand Under-20 camp in Palmerston North next month.

This is the first step towards selecting the team to compete at July’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy.

The 11 Blues region players include Blues ITC players, who trained through the pre-season with the club, in Auckland’s Soane Vikena (pictured), Taufa Funaki and Zarn Sullivan.

The other Blues players to attend the camp comprise Northland’s Robert Rush, North Harbour’s Jimmy Roots and Aucklanders Hamdahn Tuipulotu (brother of Blues captain Patrick), Terrell Peita, Corey Evans, Lemeki Namoa, Meihana Grindly and Heremaia Murray.

The 52 players were selected after more than 100 players were tested in November.

“It’s widened our base and created a really competitive environment,” said New Zealand Under 20 head Coach, Craig Philpott. “With that has come a good selection dilemma because outside the 52 that we have named, there are another 20 players on a shortlist that could easily have been selected.”

The development camp next month also includes expert coaching focussed on set-piece work with forwards and a focus on game drivers for halfbacks, first fives and fullbacks. North Harbour’s Tevita Langi is one of eight additional players to attend the set piece camp

[Tim]

The Blues A team have the final game of a two-match programme when they take on the Chiefs A in Hamilton on Friday.

Buoyed from their 33-5 victory over Hurricanes B in Wellington last week, the Blues A combination head to FMG Stadium as the curtain-raiser to the Chiefs’ Super Rugby clash against the Hurricanes.

The game will provide further valuable game time for Blues players who have returned from injury including Jack Heighton, Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa, Finlay Christie and Jared Page and other Super Rugby squad players Tony Lamborn and Tamati Tua.

The side also includes a group of exciting new players from our Provincial Unions who get the opportunity to test themselves at this high level including Ropate Rinakama, Michael Lea, Teague McIlroy, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Felix Kalapu, Lewis Gjaltema, Patrick Elia and Kade Banks.

Also some of the Blues Under-20s squad members will have an opportunity including Niko Jones, Ekuasi, Joel Cobb, Elia and Banks.

The match kicks off at 4.25 pm on Friday against Chiefs A who also have a number of Super Rugby players in their side.

The team is: 15 Jared page, 14 Tomas Aoake, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Tamati Tua 11 Joel Cobb 10 Jack Heighton 9 Finlay Christie; 8 Tony Lamborn, 7 Niko Jones, 6 Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa , 5 Sam Caird, 4 Samipeni Finau, 3 Ropate Rinakama, 2 Kianu Kereru-Symes, 1 Fatongia Paea.

Reserves: 16 Michael Lea, 17 TBC, 18 Teague McIlroy, 19 Felix Kalapu, 20 Xavier Cowley-Tuioti, 25 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 21 Lewis Gjaltema, 22 Patrick Elia, 23 Kade Banks.

[Dice]

A bit of a depth chart for this season.

Props

Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Angus Ta'avao
Alex Hodgman
Ezekiel Lindenmuth
Marcel Renata
Jarred Adams
Marco Fepuleai?
Rob Cobb(with Waikato?)
Taniela Koroi

Hookers

Leni Apisai?
Mike Sosene-Feagai
Soane Vikena
Michael Lea
Leif Schwencke

Locks

Patrick Tuipulotu
Scott Scrafton
Jack Whetton
Jamie Lane
Peter-Chanel Tagaloa
Lyndon Dunshea

Backrowers

Hoskins Sotutu
Akira Ioane
Blake Gibson
Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa
Adrian Choat
Niko Jones
Cameron Suafoa

Halfbacks

Jonathan Ruru
Taufa Funaki
Danny Tusitala
Dwayne Polataivao
Rilloy Suesue
Manu Paea

First Fives

Harry Plummer
Zarn Sullivan
Daniel Kirkpatrick?
D'angelo Leuila
Tyrone Elkington-McDonald

Midfielders

Rieko Ioane
TJ Faiane
Tumua Manu
Tanielu Telea
Paulie Roache
Meihama Grindley

Outside Backs

Caleb Clarke
Salesi Rayasi
AJ Lam
Jordan Trainor
Lemeki Namoa
Kurt Heatherley
Freedom Vaha'akolo

Bolded the ones I think will most likely be in the Mitre 10 squad.

Also, some guys I listed might've moved on and I don't know about it.

[Tim]

@Dice Jarred Adams will be in the props, unless he's signed with another team.

[Dice]

@Tim I thought I had him in, but I obviously forgot, probably because our prop depth is ridiculous for this level. I'll add him.

[Tim]

@Dice Yeah, huge prop depth. Lemalu would be handy at lock.

[Tim]

@Dice Also looks like NZ schools (Rotorua) halfback Manu Paea is back in Auckland (Eden, Blues U20 - listed as Auckland).

[Dice]

@Tim It'd be nice to have him. Not sure what he's up to.

[Dice]

@Tim Yeah, I already put him in there. Good to have him back in Auckland. He's only 18, so probably won't get a look in this year, but one to look out for.

[Daffy Jaffy]

[Tim]

https://www.aucklandrugby.co.nz/newsarticle/91847?newsfeedId=972103

Marco Fepuleai is back playing for Ponsonby this weekend. Apollo Perelini's son is on the bench.

Rayasi is playing for Marist, and there's a Nili Latu on the bench.

[Higgins]

@Tim said in Auckland Rugby 2020:

Apollo Perelini's son is on the bench.

Rayasi is playing for Marist, and there's a Nili Latu on the bench.

Might be Nili senior's grandson!!!!!

[Dice]

Awesome to see Moli Faiva on the bench for College Rifles. He was a stud in school.

[Tim]

https://www.superrugby.co.nz/news/club-rugby-to-have-a-super-flavour-this-weekend/

Other Blues players set to feature for their club on Saturday are Aaron Carroll (Mt Maunganui), Ezekiel Lindenmuth (Ardmore Marist) and Jack Heighton (East Coast Bays). Tamati Tua, Luteru Tolai and Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa are also available but their clubs weren’t known at the time of publication.

Moved to Counties Manukau?

[Duluth]

Round 3 team sheets: pdf link

[NateHill74]

Noticed Freedom Vaha'akolo playing for Dunedin club side Dunedin. Possible transfer move?

[Tim]

@NateHill74 Interesting. Might also be there in the Highlanders wider squad?