The Silver Fern

@african-monkey yeah haven't seen much of him, but looked steady and a bit is size to him. Is he an omata lad?

Both teams did their best to bottle that last few minutes then the ref finishes it....

Another embarrassing 2nd half from Waikato. I guess the only consolation is at least I'm not supporting Auckland, Hawke's Bay or Southland. 😉

Sullivan got badly exposed on defence a couple of times but he has talent.

Savea could have been playing for Waikato based on that performance - poor.

Concerning Fidow, this is good news as his scrummaging had always been suspect. He is a formidable player in the loose, very quick for such a big man and hard to stop. A future AB ?

@taniwharugby said in Ta$man v Wellington:

@canefan I thought he showed a bit of toe on the Goosen break that Lam scored from motoring up the left, so probably a bit more to do with laziness??

When Ta$man chipped behind him for the try it was like watching the Titanic turn

Another very good performance by Wellington

The Lousi, Walker-Leawere locking combination was great. I can see this as a starting combination for the Canes (hopefully the Canes have already signed IWL). It was a big, powerful combination that the Canes have lacked for years. Fifita looked right at home at 6 too. He's bulkedup and needs to focus now on this position

Another player that I've been impressed with is Goosen. I still think his best position will be 2nd 5 (and hope he gets some game time there) but he's very good at center.

@Rugger-Quizzes said in Wellington v Taranaki:

Was annoyed initially that the Lions had signed Kirifi to be honest but he looks to be a pretty decent player.

Fidow destroyed a few times in the scrums which will surprise nobody.

Aumua outstanding though. What a prospect he is!

I've finally watched the game

The Wellington scrum was good until both props were replaced around the 55 minute mark. they were destroyed in one scrum but the next scrum hard on defense they destroyed the Taranaki scrum. I have been impressed with Fidow and hope the Canes sign him up pronto. Hes still only 20 so lots of upside

Kirifi is not the biggest 7 so needs to bulk up but he's good. Kemara Hauiti-Parapara was impressive (a third Canes HB option) and Jackson Garden-Bachop has improved a lot after his time with the Rebels. or maybe having a decent coach at wellington now is having an impact

Equal argument would be to select players with the right build, right desire to learn and best natural skills. Scrummaging at young levels can easily be dominated by early maturing bodies or sheer size. Those dominant props do not necessarily go on the be the best test players.
I'm glad that the ABs seem to dig a bit deeper when selecting test potential than Super coaches do.

Haters.

All Wellington had to do at the end was hold the ball. Yet they kicked it away whenever they had it. It reminded me of the brainless play by the Canes in the 2015 final. Watching and wondering WTF they were doing

The Lions halfback and 1st Five are very unexperienced. With Shields missing as well, I can't see Wellington winning this one.

Turbos:

Chris Eves (Volvo) Hunter Prescott (Hino) Jake Ilnicki (Mack) Kane Thompson (Truckstops) Liam Hallam-Eames (Hynds) Antonio (Humphries) Callum Gibbins (C) (Wadham Partners) Valentino Mapapalangi (Gary Douglas) Jamie Booth (McIntosh Cranes)(Blazer Game) Otere Black (Capture Signs) Nathan Tudreu (Cash Converters) Hamish Northcott (Telcospec) Jason Emery (Stuarts Ltd.) Curtis Reid (Silvester Clarke) Ambrose Curtis (McDonalds PN)

Reserves
16. Tim Cadwallader (Kubota)
17. Fraser Armstrong (Clarke Underground)
18. Mike Alaalatoa (Bell Booth)
19. Jackson Hemopo (Stevensons)
20. Harrison Brewer (Fleetwise)
21. Toby Morland (Computercare)
22. Sam Malcolm (JB Wheel Alignment)
23. Ngani Laumape (Cafe Cuba)

http://www.turbosrugby.co.nz/news/225-turbos-named-to-face-old-foe-wellington

Some of these Wellington backs looked good

Goosen I hope gets more game time at 2nd 5. I think he could be very good in this position. He would need to bulk up a bit though but would like to see him tested against a tougher team

Umaga-Jensen is class but feel his best position will be 2nd 5 or center. So with Barrett Junior as well the Canes have some exciting midfield options

JG-B is finding his feet at 1st 5 but he needs to read the game better at time. But that will come. And Woodward is a very good gain for Wales if eh can stay injury free

In the forwards Asafo Aumua is an exciting future option

angihuna, 22 Pakai Turia, 23 Mike Lealava’a

@cgrant said in Northland v Wellington:

@Stargazer said in Northland v Wellington:

@cgrant said in Northland v Wellington:

Is Walker-Leawere injured ?

He played with the U19s in Taupo and scored the winning try for 3rd place at the National U19 Tournament!

I am surprised he is still so young as he is very big and powerful. He does punch well above his age !

I guess that's why he was in the NZU20 team and will be able to play for them again next year: http://www.allblacks.com/Player/U20/2538

@Higgins If he doesn't clear the player when jumping and goes cart wheeling over the top he's going to get seriously injured. the crowd then start baying for a red card and the commentators start to say its a dangerous tackle. Either way if its legal or illegal I just think its dump play.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="African Monkey" data-cid="611700" data-time="1472887103">
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<p>That would <strike>have to</strike> be <strike>contender fo</strike>r the worst game of the year.</p>
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<p>I was at the game and concur with most of the above. The first half was all stop start with practically no phase going above one or two before someone made a mistake or a penalty was awarded. I don't know how players like Brad Shields and Vaea Fifita can go from looking like real decent players to the "who the hell are these guys" that we have seen in the last two Wellington matches. They certainly are nowhere near the standard they played at during the Super Rugby season. Whether it is because they are still a little fatigued from that or whether they played well above themselves or whether  the game plan employed by Coach Va'a is wrong for their strengths I don't know but they are streets away from where they were just a month back. At least Fifita still won all his lineouts with contemptuous ease, pity Wellington didn't call every lineout for him though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The new tall kid Walker-Leawere is hard to get a handle on as I thought he was supposedly the next big thing but all I have really seen from him is sort of a lumbering carthorse type player when he has the ball in hand. Probably being a bit unfair on him but he just looks a bit ponderous to me at this stage. Even Peter Umaga-Jenssen was quiet tonight and he is a kid I have seen play really well at club level but was not able to show up tonight. In fact you could say that about the entire Wellington side if being brutally honest, doing nothing of note but certainly plenty of forgettable things. That they did not manage to score a try pretty much sums up everything. There was someone in the midfield who stone cold dropped perfectly catchable passes twice when under no pressure at all, maybe Sean Treeby by a process of elimination but whoever was responsible it was something a paid professional player should not be doing. The scrum immediately started going Harbours way once Alex Fidow was wheeled on with about ten minutes to go, no more needs to be said there. Don't get me started on Sam Lousi!!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the other side Harbour weren't exactly looking likely to run away with the match, despite Wellington doing their best to encourage them to win so they too must have their supporters tearing their hair out (if they have any left after these last few seaons!). All in all it was one of the dreariest, disjointed, penalty infested, error ridden games of rugby played at an unbelievably slow pace I have had to endure. One wonders how many of the paltry attendence of three thousand and a few will be back for another serving of that slop.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite everything written above there is still a team worse than the two on display tonight believe it or not. I shudder what to think Auckland will do to my mob come Wednesday night so shite are the Bay's displays so far.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Higgins" data-cid="609212" data-time="1472201013">
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<p>At last someone backing me up on this major defect in a prop! Interestingly enough I was speaking to someone that has had, and continues to have, a bit of involvement in Fidows development and from memory he did say something about changing Fidows bodyshape to something more attributable to the hooking position. He certainly looks leaner than he did last season but no difference yet noticed in his scrumming ability. Surely Fidow's inability to make the starting lineup as a prop in his club team must ring alarm bells  amongst the selectors of representative teams, so much so that it must say something about their suitability to retain those positions in future. It must be a real smack in the face to the propping staff at Oriental-Rongotai to be overlooked for higher positions in professional teams for someone way below them in ability to hold up a scum. One can guess their reaction should Earl Va'a come knocking on their doors if (when?) he finally decides to ditch Fidow.</p>
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</blockquote>
<p>We have the same at Auckland with Isi Tu'ungafasi who doesn't even start for his club yet somehow manages to start in the Mitre 10 Cup all because he has come through the age group sides and the academy yet he can't scrum to save his life. Someone like Siua Halanukonuka who is a far better scrummager had to leave Auckland club rugby to get an opportunity because he didn't come through the grades and is flourishing as a result yet we're stuck with young guys (McHugh and Tu'ungafasi) who are well out of their depth all because they're the hotshots from out of school.</p>

<p>Only recently made it back to the flat and still reeling in abject disappointment. Glad to see I am not the only one to think the Bay were on the wrong end of some blantantly poor (from my point of view) crap calls, or non calls in too many instances. Having said that my guys were their own worst enemies with some somewhat diffident tackling (especially in the first half) amd interesting inability to contest lineouts, not helped by some of the interesting referring interpretations, or clear non calls on obvious infractions. No doubt I will be lablled a bitter loser but some of the calls were met with derision by even totally loyal Wellington supporters in the mob I watched the game with. We (all three of us) were hopelessly outnumbered but at least making up a decent component of the winning boat race team in a fiercely contested elimination challenge! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>All in all the visitors were slightly better on the day but it could have been different had the rub of the green gone the other way.</p>