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Highlanders 2025

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Sports Talk
highlanders
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  • Landers92L Landers92

    @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

    Withy is the other obvious one, but I am not sure Joseph will view him as a nailed on starter.

    Not a sure starter? I’d disagree with that too. He kept Harmon out of the 7 jersey. Even if he wasn’t 7, they would make sure he was on the field at 6. If anyone in this forward pack is 80 minutes week in week out, it’s Withy. You want that consistency out of your captain.

    I’ll stick to my guns and say it’s Withy and/or EDG. Time will tell I guess.

    S Offline
    S Offline
    SouthernMann
    wrote on last edited by
    #647

    @Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:

    @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

    Withy is the other obvious one, but I am not sure Joseph will view him as a nailed on starter.

    Not a sure starter? I’d disagree with that too. He kept Harmon out of the 7 jersey. Even if he wasn’t 7, they would make sure he was on the field at 6. If anyone in this forward pack is 80 minutes week in week out, it’s Withy. You want that consistency out of your captain.

    I’ll stick to my guns and say it’s Withy and/or EDG. Time will tell I guess.

    I'd say Withy is the only loosie who is guaranteed a starting spot. Even Haig will have a battle with Howden. No8 is completely wide open. Lasaqa should be fun to watch coming off the bench.

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    • F Online
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      frugby
      wrote on last edited by
      #648

      Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

      I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

      Canes4lifeC S 2 Replies Last reply
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      • F frugby

        Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

        I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

        Canes4lifeC Offline
        Canes4lifeC Offline
        Canes4life
        wrote on last edited by
        #649

        @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

        Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

        I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

        Lasaga looks to have something about him that's for sure. He caught my eye in the pre season game for the Canes against Moana Pasifika last year. Has plenty of x-factor about him, similar mould to ASav and Lakai but slightly smaller.

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        • F frugby

          Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

          I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

          S Offline
          S Offline
          SouthernMann
          wrote on last edited by
          #650

          @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

          Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

          I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

          I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

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          • S SouthernMann

            @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

            Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

            I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

            I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

            F Online
            F Online
            frugby
            wrote on last edited by
            #651

            @SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:

            @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

            Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

            I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

            I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

            Having heard what he did, it hardly screams leader…

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            • F frugby

              @SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:

              @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

              Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

              I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

              I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

              Having heard what he did, it hardly screams leader…

              S Offline
              S Offline
              SouthernMann
              wrote on last edited by SouthernMann
              #652

              @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

              @SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:

              @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

              Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

              I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

              I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

              Having heard what he did, it hardly screams leader…

              Well then tell us instead of speaking in riddles. Also, plenty of leaders have made some pretty shitty mistakes and bounced back. Churchill killed thousands of allies in World War I

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              • S SouthernMann

                @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

                @SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2025:

                @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

                Looking forward to Lasaqa that is for sure. On EDG again, he is about the same age Smith was when he had his toilet incident, and nobody thought he'd ever be a leader... wasn't till he was about 30 he became captain.

                I guess what I am really saying, is I don't think it will be EDG. Withy certainly the frontrunner...

                I don't understand the conclusion you are drawing between EDG with Smith and the toilet incident. At the time, Smith was near on the best players in the world. Nothing could go wrong for him on the field. Anyone one with a contact or two in the rugby world knew he was constantly playing away games off the pitch. His personal life caught up with his professional life with a bang. Sadly it did derail his captaincy aspirations. If you are saying what happened in the northern hemisphere on the AB tour, which still hasn't been stated publicly is going to have the same impact. That is a baffling conclusion to reach.

                Having heard what he did, it hardly screams leader…

                Well then tell us instead of speaking in riddles. Also, plenty of leaders have made some pretty shitty mistakes and bounced back. Churchill killed thousands of allies in World War I

                F Online
                F Online
                frugby
                wrote on last edited by
                #653

                @SouthernMann Yes, hence why I say in a couple of years time I can see him settling into a really strong leader

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                • S Offline
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                  SouthernMann
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #654

                  It is still different comparing Aaron Smith as a serial rooter, to the grooter without knowing... what he did.

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                  • Landers92L Do not disturb
                    Landers92L Do not disturb
                    Landers92
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #655

                    https://thehighlanders.co.nz/news/southern-born-businessman-charles-gibbon-becomes-shareholder-in-the-highlanders/

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                    • KiwiwombleK Offline
                      KiwiwombleK Offline
                      Kiwiwomble
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #656

                      i find these announcements a bit "meh"...just because its not like theyre investing in the club in the same way one might a english football team, the team isn't getting a cash injection. does it say whos shares he bought?

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                      • KiwiwombleK Kiwiwomble

                        i find these announcements a bit "meh"...just because its not like theyre investing in the club in the same way one might a english football team, the team isn't getting a cash injection. does it say whos shares he bought?

                        S Offline
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                        SouthernMann
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #657

                        @Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2025:

                        i find these announcements a bit "meh"...just because its not like theyre investing in the club in the same way one might a english football team, the team isn't getting a cash injection. does it say whos shares he bought?

                        It would be fascinating to see what stake he has. He has a networth of about 1.4 billion according to Forbes. Having someone with that sort of wealth holding an interest in the club can only be a good thing. Peter Keane, the Chair has a strong understanding of NZ Rugby governance and has managed the sort of organisations that the team will want to get sponsorship from. Marc Ellis and his consortium are small holders. He talks about wanting to improve the marketing aspects. Which was better last year, however seems to have slipped in the lead up to 2025. Often these sorts of announcements aren't targeted towards the general public, being aimed more towards the business community, and potential stakeholders. A look who we have on-board kind of announcement. I don't really understand what the ownership model means in terms of money in/money out, responsibilities of ownership, and whether the owners can proactively input $$.

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                        • KiwiwombleK Offline
                          KiwiwombleK Offline
                          Kiwiwomble
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #658

                          yeah, its not as simple as they own the club, they own a share in the this organisation that has a licence to play...but not sure how many actual assets the Highlanders have, new/better sponsors seems to be the main thing these guys can influence

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                          • F Online
                            F Online
                            frugby
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #659

                            Oli Haig is in a moonboot...

                            Landers92L Canes4lifeC 2 Replies Last reply
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                            • F frugby

                              Oli Haig is in a moonboot...

                              Landers92L Do not disturb
                              Landers92L Do not disturb
                              Landers92
                              wrote on last edited by Landers92
                              #660

                              @frugby Damn, hopefully it’s nothing serious. When did you see that? He was training earlier in the week

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                              • Landers92L Landers92

                                @frugby Damn, hopefully it’s nothing serious. When did you see that? He was training earlier in the week

                                F Online
                                F Online
                                frugby
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #661

                                @Landers92 Walked past me at Uni Oval yesterday. Hard to say whether it was precautionary. Could be anything from a lightly sprained ankle to a ruptured achilles.

                                From the little bits I can piece together, I think it must have happened on Thursday, and is probably closer to the former than the latter, but it certainly looked like he couldn't put any weight on his foot.

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                                • F frugby

                                  Oli Haig is in a moonboot...

                                  Canes4lifeC Offline
                                  Canes4lifeC Offline
                                  Canes4life
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #662

                                  @frugby said in Highlanders 2025:

                                  Oli Haig is in a moonboot...

                                  Good thing you signed Howden then.

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                                  • Landers92L Do not disturb
                                    Landers92L Do not disturb
                                    Landers92
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #663

                                    Highlanders ‘Captains’ to be announced later on today.

                                    SmudgeS 1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • KiwiwombleK Offline
                                      KiwiwombleK Offline
                                      Kiwiwomble
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #664

                                      we do love co captains

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                                      • Landers92L Landers92

                                        Highlanders ‘Captains’ to be announced later on today.

                                        SmudgeS Offline
                                        SmudgeS Offline
                                        Smudge
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #665

                                        @Landers92 said in Highlanders 2025:

                                        Highlanders ‘Captains’ to be announced later on today.

                                        They both may surprise...

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                                        • S Offline
                                          S Offline
                                          SouthernMann
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #666

                                          A back and a forward. Had a thought the forward was an option. The back. I'm genuinely shocked

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