The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV

Duluth

Hard to say, he was still improving when he had to quit.

I just looked up his career.. he only managed 4 SR games (3 starts)

ruggabee

Tiaan Falcon, shone for the NZ U20 scoring 109 points that 2017 tournament, spent a season or two at the Chiefs before upping the sticks and chasing the moolah, man he would've been a great backup for McKenzie in recent years considering the revolving door of disappointment there (Gatland, Ioane, Trask).

Bones

@ruggabee playing for Toyota since '21. Is he actually any good or just on a par with those others listed?

He can't be that great if HB don't even rate him their best...

cgrant

Ben Tameifuna, Rory Grice.

taniwharugby

Jimmy Gopperth...given he has played something like 500 pro games of rugby and only 62 in super rugby...def left way too soon

Duluth

I remember there were a few Cantabs on here who really rated Hamish Gard.

African Monkey

@Duluth Tyler Bleyendaal too from memory?

Nepia

@taniwharugby said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

Jimmy Gopperth...given he has played something like 500 pro games of rugby and only 62 in super rugby...def left way too soon

This is the left to soon thread not the should have left earlier.

Nepia

@African-Monkey said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

@Duluth Tyler Bleyendaal too from memory?

Similarly there was a Fern contingent who rated Robbie Robinson as the better 10 prospect than Cruden. Then he actually did leave too soon as he was a pretty decent fullback.

African Monkey

@Nepia Yeah, he had massive hype around him. I feel like he tried to come back with North Harbour unsuccessfully a couple of years after his Chiefs stint?

Regan King?

pakman

Is there no Fern love left for Charlie Ngatai?

Bovidae

@cgrant said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

Ben Tameifuna, Rory Grice.

That's a name I haven't heard in a while.

Sean Maitland? He's just retired too.

SouthernMann

Scott Hamilton. Sadly cut short after just two All Blacks caps. On a podcast he seemed a really good bloke too

MN5

@Bovidae said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

@cgrant said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

Ben Tameifuna, Rory Grice.

That's a name I haven't heard in a while.

Sean Maitland? He's just retired too.

Na he knew cracking the ABs would’ve been easy but wanted the bigger challenge of playing for Scotland

Mr Fish

Jared Payne was always fun to watch, as was Paul Williams.

MN5

@Mr-Fish said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

Jared Payne was always fun to watch, as was Paul Williams.

Did he make an All Black training squad or did I imagine that? Good player, surprised he didn’t get a few AB caps

booboo

Gareth Anscombe

Mr Fish

@MN5 said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

@Mr-Fish said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

Jared Payne was always fun to watch, as was Paul Williams.

Did he make an All Black training squad or did I imagine that? Good player, surprised he didn’t get a few AB caps

He did, maybe 2008? Think he was even called into a match-week squad at one point but never played a game. Ended up representing Samoa.

Darren

I think both Victor Vito and Ngani Laumape might have left too soon. Both could have been useful for the AB's

nzzp

@Darren said in The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV:

I think both Victor Vito and Ngani Laumape might have left too soon. Both could have been useful for the AB's

Luatua. And Charlie Piutau. Would have filled holes in the 2019 squad.

The Silver Fern

The "gone too soon" Super Rugby XV