Hurricanes 2025
-
That 12 from Counties Gibson Papali’i looks like a hard straight runner he’s impressed me as has Simon Peter-Toleafoa from fullback.
@mikey07 unfortunately centre is probably the area that we are well covered in. I'm really liking the look of Kade Banks for North Harbour. I doubt he's going to get much time at the Blues so I would be offering him a contract. Scoring four tries against Waikato the other day showed he's a fantastic finisher and he even displayed foot work reminiscent of Nehe Milner Skudder to score one of those tries. He could be a bit of a star if he's given more opportunity in my view.
-
I read that Ben Grant has signed with NSW so there will quite a refresh of the locks with Sangster also leaving.
@Bovidae said in Hurricanes 2025:
I read that Ben Grant has signed with NSW so there will quite a refresh of the locks with Sangster also leaving.
We’ve signed Zach Gallagher and Tom Allen already, with Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Josh Taula already on the books.
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
-
This post is deleted!
-
This post is deleted!
-
@Bovidae said in Hurricanes 2025:
I read that Ben Grant has signed with NSW so there will quite a refresh of the locks with Sangster also leaving.
We’ve signed Zach Gallagher and Tom Allen already, with Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Josh Taula already on the books.
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
-
@Canes4life Taula had been making Cameos off the bench
@mikey07 said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Canes4life Taula had been making Cameos off the bench
But hasn't made the bench in the last two games. If he's in a Super Rugby squad surely he should be starting.
-
@Bovidae said in Hurricanes 2025:
I read that Ben Grant has signed with NSW so there will quite a refresh of the locks with Sangster also leaving.
We’ve signed Zach Gallagher and Tom Allen already, with Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Josh Taula already on the books.
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
Tom Allen is up against three pretty tough hard bastard locks in Geoff Cridge, IWL and Tom Parsons (Capt) which probably explains things there and even after that there is Frank Lochore (currently filling in at blindside) and Patrick Tuifua in the mix as well. He is also of the Ian Jones build so looks like he has still a fair bit of filling out to do.
-
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
Tom Allen is up against three pretty tough hard bastard locks in Geoff Cridge, IWL and Tom Parsons (Capt) which probably explains things there and even after that there is Frank Lochore (currently filling in at blindside) and Patrick Tuifua in the mix as well. He is also of the Ian Jones build so looks like he has still a fair bit of filling out to do.
@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
Tom Allen is up against three pretty tough hard bastard locks in Geoff Cridge, IWL and Tom Parsons (Capt) which probably explains things there and even after that there is Frank Lochore (currently filling in at blindside) and Patrick Tuifua in the mix as well. He is also of the Ian Jones build so looks like he has still a fair bit of filling out to do.
I think it's probably good for him to learn from all those guys at this point in his career and work on getting bigger physically. How big is the guy?. I wouldn't expect him to take the field next year anyway for the Canes, it's probably a year of sitting back, learning and developing as much as he can before he gets an opportunity in a years time or so.
-
@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
A bit concerning that Taula and Allen aren’t featuring for their NPC sides though.
Tom Allen is up against three pretty tough hard bastard locks in Geoff Cridge, IWL and Tom Parsons (Capt) which probably explains things there and even after that there is Frank Lochore (currently filling in at blindside) and Patrick Tuifua in the mix as well. He is also of the Ian Jones build so looks like he has still a fair bit of filling out to do.
I think it's probably good for him to learn from all those guys at this point in his career and work on getting bigger physically. How big is the guy?. I wouldn't expect him to take the field next year anyway for the Canes, it's probably a year of sitting back, learning and developing as much as he can before he gets an opportunity in a years time or so.
@Canes4life Probably not quite as tall as brother Rueben Allen (currently in the Wanganui team as a loan player) but as a shorty is hard to see way up that high. Either way they would probably need a tape measure longer than six foot six in length to get an accurate reading. There are a couple of other bean polers floating around in the Prouting brothers as well, one captaining NBHS in his final year and the other floating around in the Canterbury/Crusaders system at the moment. It must have been a sight to see if they all played in the same Napier v Hastings game at any stage!
-
@Canes4life Probably not quite as tall as brother Rueben Allen (currently in the Wanganui team as a loan player) but as a shorty is hard to see way up that high. Either way they would probably need a tape measure longer than six foot six in length to get an accurate reading. There are a couple of other bean polers floating around in the Prouting brothers as well, one captaining NBHS in his final year and the other floating around in the Canterbury/Crusaders system at the moment. It must have been a sight to see if they all played in the same Napier v Hastings game at any stage!
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu aswell. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there so will likely end up at the Crusaders.
-
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu aswell. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there so will likely end up at the Crusaders.
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there.
An added advantage for Canterbury/Crusaders is that Canterbury Uni is now the first choice for a huge number of students around the country. Christchurch is now a great city to live in and the university is capatalising on it massively. A huge number of young people I've apoken to or know through family and friends speak of Canterbury as their first choice.
-
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu aswell. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there so will likely end up at the Crusaders.
-
@Canes4life James Blackwell would still be a lock in to get selected ahead of them :face_with_tears_of_joy:
@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Canes4life James Blackwell would still be a lock in to get selected ahead of them :face_with_tears_of_joy:
I've still got nightmares about that guy. Hope he never returns haha.
-
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there.
An added advantage for Canterbury/Crusaders is that Canterbury Uni is now the first choice for a huge number of students around the country. Christchurch is now a great city to live in and the university is capatalising on it massively. A huge number of young people I've apoken to or know through family and friends speak of Canterbury as their first choice.
@SouthernMann Think Lincoln might still be dishing out scholarships like confetti as well.
-
@SouthernMann Think Lincoln might still be dishing out scholarships like confetti as well.
@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2025:
@SouthernMann Think Lincoln might still be dishing out scholarships like confetti as well.
Has been doing it since Richie was a boy.
-
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there.
An added advantage for Canterbury/Crusaders is that Canterbury Uni is now the first choice for a huge number of students around the country. Christchurch is now a great city to live in and the university is capatalising on it massively. A huge number of young people I've apoken to or know through family and friends speak of Canterbury as their first choice.
@SouthernMann said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Canes4life said in Hurricanes 2025:
@Higgins St Pats Silverstream had two massive locks in Sam Thompson and Preston Moananu. Good to see plenty of big locks coming through as that hasn't always been the case in the Hurricanes region. Harry Law is also a promising lock from Wellington College but he's already heading down to Chch and studying down there.
An added advantage for Canterbury/Crusaders is that Canterbury Uni is now the first choice for a huge number of students around the country. Christchurch is now a great city to live in and the university is capatalising on it massively. A huge number of young people I've apoken to or know through family and friends speak of Canterbury as their first choice.
From memory they had nice grounds as well - many other city campuses got very greedy.
-
@SouthernMann Think Lincoln might still be dishing out scholarships like confetti as well.
@Higgins said in Hurricanes 2025:
@SouthernMann Think Lincoln might still be dishing out scholarships like confetti as well.
That’s never going to change. In saying that, these NZ age group reps and super players the sign only get a handful of games for them. Huge scholarship attraction being one of the best Agricultural Uni’s in the country. Helps that they are basically their own Canterbury academy as well haha.
