Crusaders 2017
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Mitch Hunt: Game-saving kick something 'I'll remember for the rest of my life' (interview with Hunt - Veitch on Sport) 
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Crusaders U18 Development Squad The 2017 Crusaders region Junior Knights Development Camp will be held from the 9th-12th of July at St. Andrews College. At the end of the camp, a squad of 25 players will be selected to play the Hurricanes U18 team in a curtain raiser to the Hurricanes v Crusaders game on 15 July. Players selected for the camp: Christs college 
 Lachie Gunson – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Sam Darry – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Jason Embling, Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Amhlaoibh Porter – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Levi Emery – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Kaveni Balenacagi – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Nic Murray – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Isaiah Punivai – Christ’s College, Canterbury
 Kurtis Weeks – Christ’s College, CanterburyChristchurch boys high school 
 Hunter Stewart – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Adam Reid – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Angus Tucker – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Campbell Reid – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Sam Alsop-ten Hove – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Corban Harding – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Ben Colvin – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Louie Chapman – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Max Hughes – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Cullen Moody – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Tahu Kaa-Goodwillie – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Latham Kelly-Foleni – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Jack Harris – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Jordan Jennings – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Ryan Barnes – Christchurch Boys' High School, CanterburyTimaru boys high school 
 Thomas Edwards – Timaru Boys' High Schools, South Canterbury
 Melvin Pauni – Timaru Boys' High School, South Canterbury
 Cullen Grace – Timaru Boys' High School, South Canterbury
 Finlay Joyce – Timaru Boys' High School, South
 Maka Mafelio – Timaru Boys' High School, South Canterbury
 Dean Andrews – Timaru Boys' High School, South CanterburySt. Andrews college 
 Shilo Klein – St Andrew's College, Canterbury
 Jack Rose – St Andrew's College, Canterbury
 Veitata Kinivuwai – St Andrew’s College, Canterbury
 Scott Rees – St Andrew's College, Canterbury
 George Harding – St Andrew’s College, CanterburyNelson college 
 Max Fraine – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Kyle Te Tai – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Caleb Havili – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Caleb Coventry – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Graham Urquhart – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Anton Segner – Nelson College, Ta$man
 Leicester Faingaanuku – Nelson College, Ta$manRangiora high school 
 Angus Fletcher – Rangiora High School, Canterbury
 George Prain – Rangiora High School,
 Fletcher Newell- Rangiora high schoolWaimea combined 
 Caleb Delany – Waimea College, Ta$man
 Josh McPherson – Waimea College, Ta$man
 Matthew Stevenson – Garin College, Ta$manSt Thomas of Canterbury college 
 Sione Afemui – St Thomas of Canterbury College, Canterbury
 Patrick Elia – St Thomas of Canterbury College, CanterburyMarlborough Boys college 
 Vailua Kaloni – Marlborough Boys' College, Ta$man
 Jack Shadbolt – Marlborough Boys' College, Ta$man
 Nigel Satherly – Marlborough Boys' College, Ta$manHigh school old boys rugby club 
 Simon Rosevear – High School Old Boys, CanterburyShirley boys high school 
 Glen Beardsley – Shirley Boys' High School, CanterburySt Bedes college 
 Reuben Cotter – St Bede’s College, CanterburyIn addition to this squad, a Wider Training Group has also been selected and will be involved during the camp: Wider Training Group: 
 Jacson Edie – St Andrew's College, Canterbury
 Caleb Allison – St Bede’s College, Canterbury
 Josh Duckworth – Rangiora High School, Canterbury
 Sam Caldwell – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Charlie Watanabe – Burnside High School, Canterbury
 Alex Harford – Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury
 Brad Cvitanich – Timaru Boys' High School, South Canterbury
 Angus Gilbert – St Andrew’s College, CanterburyUnavailable due to injury: 
 Jaydn Holdaway – Marlborough Boys' College, Ta$man
 Ollie Lewis – Christchurch Boys' High School, CanterburyAlso unavailable for selection: 
 Llew Johnson – St Andrew’s College, Canterbury
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Interesting. When I was at school, many moons ago, one of the big fixtures of the years was Town vs Country. Town usually won, but it wasn't always a drubbing and Country usually had at least a handful of players in the combined Canterbury team. Looks like most of those country schools from Hurunui, North Canterbury and Ellesmere are pretty marginalized these days in terms of selection opportunities. 
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Warm-up match Crusaders v Highlanders (Thu 6 July, k/o 3pm at Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru) Crusaders team: 1 Tim Perry 
 2 Ben Funnell
 3 Michael Alaalatoa
 4 Quinten Strange
 5 Mitchell Dunshea
 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis (VC)
 7 Jed Brown
 8 Jordan Taufua (C)
 9 Mitchell Drummond
 10 Mitchell Hunt
 11 George Bridge
 12 Sean Wainui
 13 Seta Tamanivalu
 14 Manasa Mataele
 15 David HaviliRESERVES 
 16 Andrew Makalio
 17 Chris Gawler
 18 Oliver Jager
 19 Jonno Osbourne
 20 Shannon Frizell
 21 Bryn Hall (VC)
 22 Marty McKenzie
 23 Braydon Ennor
 24 Jone Macilai
 25 Vernon Fredericks
 -- Digby Ioanehttps://crusaders.co.nz/news/1126-team-to-play-the-highlanders-in-warm-up-game I wonder why Richie Mo'unga and Tim Bateman are not in this line-up. Particularly, Mo'unga is surprising, because he's mostly likely to start against the Hurricanes on 15 July. 
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@Stargazer probably dropped after his Lions performance..... 
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Highlanders team: 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown 
 2 Ash Dixon (c)
 3 Siate Tokolahi
 4 Tom Franklin
 5 Jackson Hemopo
 6 Gareth Evans
 7 James Lentjes
 8 Luke Whitelock
 9 Kayne Hammington
 10 Fletcher Smith
 11 Tevita Li
 12 Rob Thompson
 13 Sio Tomkinson
 14 Gavin Stark
 15 Josh IoaneReserves: Greg Pleasants-Tate, Flynn Thomas, Aki Seiuli, Craig Millar, Guy Millar, Alex Ainley, Joe Wheeler, Elliot Dixon, Adam Knight, Dan Pryor, Josh Renton, Liam Howley, Teihorangi Walden, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jona Nareki 
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Mo'unga - maybe carrying a niggle, or maybe he's just too important to risk in this game. I see the Highlanders aren't using Marty Banks, either. Good to see Digby Ioane and Macilai back. I'm also interested to see Shannon Frizell included. For those who don't know he's the brother of Aussie leaguie Tyson Frizell. Has good size for a blindside flanker! Looks like the injury ward is emptying a fair bit with the business end of the season approaching. Crotty and Pete Samu presumably still crocked, but not many others? 
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Gonna be a good clear out at the end of the season, with Razor getting rid of Toddy's deadwood. And it appears that everyone likes playing for Robertson too which should make recruiting easier if all the boys are telling their mates how they love it in the Crusaders camp. 
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@Wurzel Looks like the Highlanders did that pretty easily. Yeah - I'd think there will be half a dozen that Razor will be looking at shedding. Fifita, Sean Wainui and Leon Fukofuka probably top of the list. Marty McKenzie, Jone Macilai and Tim Perry won't be sleeping comfortably in their beds either. I think they'll be fairly keen to hold onto everyone else - though Digby Ioane has been something of a foodbill. 
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@Chris-B. The problem for Robertson: some of these players are on contracts extending beyond the 2017 season. For example, Fukofuka and Macilai are signed through to 2018. Not sure about the others. Is there a way to get rid of players who are still on a contract, esp if no other franchise wants them? 
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Don't know exactly how it works, but the delisted guys go into a draft pool and other teams can pick them up. So Jackson Willison a few years ago was delisted so the Chiefs could sign and protect Aki. The Chiefs still intended to pick Willison from the draft (assuming no one else would want him) but the Blues picked him Not sure what happens if no teams want a delisted player. I assume the original team would have to honour the contract? 









