Hurricanes v Blues

Tim

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/124355764/super-rugby-aotearoa-julian-savea-back-to-start-for-hurricanes-against-blues

mikey07

@tim I knew their golden boy Proctor would start at 13 and they would bench PUJ

Yeetyaah

Blues team looks pretty good. Blues by a bit.

taniwharugby

@bovidae I'm quite surprised Nock is starting over Christie, only in that I thought Leon preferred Christie.

I do think Ruru offers more off the bench than Christie.

Some serious firepower out there though!

Tim

Players not considered with injury: Soane Vikena (Pec), Ray Niuia (knee), TI Faiane (leg), Dillon Hunt (concussion), Finlay Christie (leg), Alex Hodgman (ankle), Blake Gibson (ribs), Jone Macalai (season-ending).

https://blues.rugby/debutants-and-all-blacks-combine-in-opening-line-up/

Machpants

@tim said in Hurricanes v Blues:

However, MacDonald will be able to call on the services of Karl Tu’inukuafe and Ofa Tuumgafasi during the game, giving him a luxury in propping depth that other Super Rugby coaches could only dream of and that’s not even mentioning All Black Alex Hodgman, who is recovering from an ankle injury and should be back by round.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/124358998/leon-macdonald-uses-blues-front-row-depth-with-surprise-selection-against-hurricanes

More marvelous reporting, first sentence "So stacked are the Blues with their props that Leon MacDonald has been able to put two off them on the bench for Saturday’s Super Rugby Aotearoa game against the Hurricanes."

So the blues are the only ones that can put props on their bench? Golden oldies scrums, here we come!

KiwiMurph

@machpants "two off them" as well. I wonder where they are 'off' to?

LABCAT

Why do they start Savea over Rayasi?

I thought Rayasi is destined to be NZ's next star winger...

Higgins

@labcat Well George Bridge's flame must have burnt out in double quick time if this is the case.

Duluth

Blake Gibson (ribs)

The most consistently broken player in NZ? An endless stream of relatively small injuries. He must be so frustrated.

Huge opportunity for Choat with Hunt missing as well. I expect him to be in the full squad next year.. probably pushing Gibson out

Stargazer

@labcat Because they're a bunch of Julian Savea fanboys, and expect him to get more bums on seats and be a crowd favourite again. Stuck in the past. Reactions on their social media posts are very mixed ...

Rayasi was expected to be NZ's next star winger ... by some Aucklanders. :fishing_pole:

Higgins

@duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues:

Blake Gibson (ribs)

The most consistently broken player in NZ? An endless stream of relatively small injuries. He must be so frustrated.

Huge opportunity for Choat with Hunt missing as well. I expect him to be in the full squad next year.. probably pushing Gibson out

No, he has nothing on the likes of Hugh Renton and Sam McNichol who seem to have been permanently injured over the last four or five seasons. Geoff Cridge also makes the list with an honourable mention.

Winger

@kiwimurph

Kirifi isn't starting

Stargazer

@tim said in Hurricanes v Blues:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/124355764/super-rugby-aotearoa-julian-savea-back-to-start-for-hurricanes-against-blues

For who can't be bothered to go through the entire article:

Holland still expects Ardie Savea to play a lot at No 8, where he featured exclusively for the Hurricanes and All Blacks last year, but felt openside flanker was the best fit for round one.

The Savea, Fifita, Flanders loose trio will counter the Blues’ bruisers and provides more lineout options, too. Holland said Kirifi, who was one of their standouts last year, was unlucky but this was horses for courses.

“We’re aware of the threat the Blues have and how we counter them and meet them head on around physicality.”

Last year’s regular No 6 Reed Prinsep will come off the bench, while hooker Dane Coles remains on ice as he regains full fitness from a calf strain. Asafo Aumua dons No 2 again.

Umaga-Jensen on the bench raises some eyebrows after his electric form alongside Ngani Laumape in 2020. With Umaga-Jensen having stayed home for last Friday’s pre-season defeat to the Highlanders on paternity leave, Billy Proctor seized his chance and gets first crack at No 13.

Said Holland: “Billy’s gone really well, he’s been awesome in the pre-season and really put the pressure on, and Pete missed a few days after becoming a father late last week. To be fair, Billy’s earned it and it’s going to be a good battle in that midfield this season.”

African Monkey

@stargazer said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@labcat Because they're a bunch of Julian Savea fanboys, and expect him to get more bums on seats and be a crowd favourite again. Stuck in the past. Reactions on their social media posts are very mixed ...

Rayasi was expected to be NZ's next star winger ... by some Aucklanders. :fishing_pole:

We'll happily have him too haha. What a waste not starting him.

Winger

@canes4life said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life interesting to see PUJ on the bench and wtf is Prinsep doing as reserve lock. I’d assume Fifita would move to lock....

Maybe one day (hopefully soon) we will all see why the coaches rate Proctor so highly. But I just don't see it. But the same with Blackwell. And Tiatia. I don't rate Prinsep but at least I can see why some might rate him

Barrett is covering 1st I assume. So who is the FB cover. Proctor, Goosen and I think PUJ (or was it his brother) have all played there during the NPC. Or Rayasi maybe.

and the two I will watch with interest is Flanders and Fifita. Falnders as its his first start but hoping for big things from him. And Fifita to see if he's got the fire back. I guess he starts though due to having a 1.90 lock in the team. And the need for more quality line-out options

Canes4life

Looking at both teams I’m picking Canes 12- as they have home advantage.

Higgins

@winger I have watched him turning out for MSP in club rugby a couple of times and whilst he looked ok there was nothing he exhibited that indicated he was a full time professional player, and had been so for three years.

kiwi_expat

@winger said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@canes4life interesting to see PUJ on the bench and wtf is Prinsep doing as reserve lock. I’d assume Fifita would move to lock....

Maybe one day (hopefully soon) we will all see why the coaches rate Proctor so highly. But I just don't see it. But the same with Blackwell. And Tiatia. I don't rate Prinsep but at least I can see why some might rate him

Barrett is covering 1st I assume. So who is the FB cover. Proctor, Goosen and I think PUJ (or was it his brother) have all played there during the NPC. Or Rayasi maybe.

and the two I will watch with interest is Flanders and Fifita. Falnders as its his first start but hoping for big things from him. And Fifita to see if he's got the fire back. I guess he starts though due to having a 1.90 lock in the team. And the need for more quality line-out options.

@winger It seems like the Hurricanes coaches (Chris Gibbes in particular) tend to value toilers/hard workers, fitness & work-rate over the more flashy, purely big-boppers, hence Princep, Scrafton, Blackwell etc.. over the likes of Isaiah Walker-Leawere (who's still carrying a bit of weight to be fair) etc.. And I can't really object, as it worked for them so well last year, (their forwards were probably the best performing of all franchises by the business end of SRA 2020), but we'll see what happens on Saturday.

gt12

@stargazer said in Hurricanes v Blues:

@labcat Because they're a bunch of Julian Savea fanboys, and expect him to get more bums on seats and be a crowd favourite again. Stuck in the past. Reactions on their social media posts are very mixed ...

Rayasi was expected to be NZ's next star winger ... by some Aucklanders. :fishing_pole:

I'm not from Auckland, and he is quality.

Even the Chief's coaches would probably work out that he is a starting quality Super winger.

The Silver Fern

Hurricanes v Blues