Farah Palmer Cup 2022

Crucial

Impact from the BF selection to teams this week. Thanks to @Stargazer for the list in the BF thread. As you'd expect Waikato and Canterbury lose quite a few so squad depth will be tested. BOP lose two hookers (although both have also played at 8 this year ) and a Prop so their recent scrum dominance could go. Auckland lose their captain and Wellington their best scoring option.
Good luck picking winners this week!

Auckland
Lock
Maiakawanakaulani Roos
Loose Forward
Tafito Lafaele
Charmaine McMenamin
Inside Back
Sylvia Brunt
Ruahei Demant
Theresa Fitzpatrick (Sevens)

BOP
Hooker
Luka Connor
Natalie Delamere
Prop
Santo Taumata
Loose Forward
Kendra Reynolds

Canterbury
Hooker
Georgia Ponsonby
Prop
Pip Love
Amy Rule
Lock
Chelsea Bremner
Loose Forward
Alana Bremner
Halfback
Kendra Cocksedge
Inside Back
Amy du Plessis
Outside Back
Grace Steinmetz

Counties Manukau

Halfback
Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu
Inside Back
Hazel Tubic
Outside Back
Ruby Tui

Manawatu

Loose Forward
Kaipo Olsen-Baker

Northland

Prop
Krystal Murray
Outside Back
Tyla Nathan-Wong (Sevens)

Otago
Inside Back
Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali

Waikato
Prop
Tanya Kalounivale
Awhina Tangen-Wainohu
Loose Forward
Kennedy Simon
Halfback
Ariana Bayler
Inside Back
Chelsea Semple
Outside Back
Renee Holmes

Wellington

Lock
Joanah Ngan Woo
Outside Back
Ayesha Leti-I'iga

Stargazer

@Crucial I assume you mean Canterbury, not Wellington? Aren't players still available for this weekend's games? The tests are on 20 and 27 August.

Bovidae

Ariana Bayler hasn't played for Waikato yet but must be fit again. Toka Natua is a handy replacement at prop.

Crucial

@Stargazer said in Farah Palmer Cup 2022:

@Crucial I assume you mean Canterbury, not Wellington? Aren't players still available for this weekend's games? The tests are on 20 and 27 August.

Yep, fixed. Thanks for spotting.

Didn't Smith say that BFs would be available to teams for the first 3 weeks? If only the last two of RR that would be better. Might be some teams crossing their fingers that depth will get them to the semis.

Bovidae

Crucial

https://www.allblacks.com/news/farah-palmer-cup-round-four-team-lists-2/

That weekly round preview with the teams that then becomes live scoring and stats is a great idea. Just wish they would get the setup right, Second week in a row that they have screwed up the opta inputs and duplicated one game at the expense of another.
There's no way to contact them to get it fixed either. NZR avoid all contact with the public like the plague

Crucial

Bovidae

@Crucial I did notice Manawatu were listed twice.

Stargazer

@Crucial said in Farah Palmer Cup 2022:

There's no way to contact them to get it fixed either. NZR avoid all contact with the public like the plague

I have a few times managed to get them to correct things by tweeting them about mistakes! They didn't reply, but fixed the mistakes.

Crucial

Auckland dealing with the Poo as expected. BOP putting up a good fight against the reigning champs.

Crucial

Waikato win by 7 but BOP got zero kicks over. Desperately need a goal kicker for the extras.
This game was a very good example of how the breakdown should be reffed IMO. Resulted in a lot of penalties but if they were free kicks in the mens game all would have been good. Players expected to stay on feet on get clear. No one allowed to go past the ball without a bind and drive. Low tolerance for clear release.

Bovidae

I missed the start of the game so didn't know why Semple wasn't playing. At the presentations after the match she had her quad strapped but seemed to be walking OK. Quite a re-arranged Waikato backline in the end.

Crucial

@Bovidae said in Farah Palmer Cup 2022:

I missed the start of the game so didn't know why Semple wasn't playing. At the presentations after the match she had her quad strapped but seemed to be walking OK. Quite a re-arranged Waikato backline in the end.

Both teams used their bench early and swapped players around. My guess is that with the BFs heading to camp soon they needed to go deeper into the squads and a lot of the players hadn’t had much game time yet.
I think Canterbury did the same.

Stargazer

https://www.provincial.rugby/news/kick-off-delayed-for-tasmans-bunnings-warehouse-npc-and-fpc-matches/

Crucial

I see from pics on socials that the BFs squad is in camp. Don't know if any will be released for the weekend but expect to see some big changes in lineups.

Stargazer

@Crucial Yeah, I noticed that, too. It will make a huge difference in the Premiership; in the Championship not that much.

By the way, this Saturday is Canterbury v Waikato, probably two of the teams most affected if BFs aren't available.

trooa

See in the photos posted that Hiriini, Woodman, Brazier & Fluhler are all training despite not being named in the squad. Thinking this might mean that Fitzpatrick & Nathan-Wong who were named might be playing this Aussie series and not the 7s RWC? Others will go back to 7s after this week but still a chance for RWC squad.

Crucial

@trooa said in Farah Palmer Cup 2022:

See in the photos posted that Hiriini, Woodman, Brazier & Fluhler are all training despite not being named in the squad. Thinking this might mean that Fitzpatrick & Nathan-Wong who were named might be playing this Aussie series and not the 7s RWC? Others will go back to 7s after this week but still a chance for RWC squad.

There is two weeks gap between the O'Reilly Cup games and the Sevens RWC then a month to the XVs RWC.
I'd say those four have 7s prioritised but are a possibility to be in the XVs squad. Would be crazy to leave out Woodman especially.
As for the two named in the squad v Oz there is every possibility that they can still go back to Sevens. Nathan-Wong especially is a key part of that Sevens team.

Something I hadn't considered is whether any of the Sevens players with XVs aspirations might slot in some FPC time. I don't think any are officially in squads but that shouldn't matter.

trooa

@Crucial That would mean they're missing 2weeks of 7s preparation, coaches call I suppose? Nathan-Wong is integral to our 7s team hence the worry.
The other thought I had was that Smith could only request 2 players so he went for players in position of need/no clear starters at the moment. Woodman will make the squad, Fluhler maybe but the starting wingers are probably set with Leti-I'ga & Tui. Demant is captain & will be 10, Brazier fighting with Nafatili for back up 10 in the squad. Hiriini will make the squad especially with her SR Poua form & leadership but we already have great depth in the flankers.
Centres and fullback are where the most conjecture is. Tubic & Holmes only FB options and now Nathan-Wong. I'd have Tubic ahead on FPC form but still can't figure out why she wasn't picked for the original series. If she doesn't start, we need someone to be practising goal kicking as Demants has been terrible in FPC. I can't remember but did Nathan-Wong kick for Northland last year?
Centres we have Brunt, Du Plessis, Semple & Fitzpatrick. Du Plessis has been the standout in FPC & will likely start centre. Semple form hasn't been great & Brunt hasn't played any FPC but thought she was outstanding in the last test. No clue on Fitzpatrick in 15s. Anyone know what's happened to Kelsey Teneti, hasn't played in FPC & wasn't named in the players not available for selection.

Bovidae

Fluhler would be the first-choice centre in the strongest XV. That's where she played for the BFs last year, and it allows other players to be on the wing. Fitzpatrick is also a midfielder and one of the players from the 2017 RWC winning team.

Smith said that Nathan-Wong was chosen so he could have a look at her. Unlike the other sevens players she doesn't have much history in XVs. She is mainly a fullback who covered halfback.

The Silver Fern

Farah Palmer Cup 2022