Chiefs 2025
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@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2025:
What to make of this...
McMillan was contracted with the NZR until 2026, but they have taken the decision to release him early from that contract so that he could take up the offer of a three-year deal at Munster.
They've realised prospective All Black coaches need OS experience. The sooner he gets that on his resume, the sooner he can come back.
@antipodean said in Chiefs 2025:
@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2025:
What to make of this...
McMillan was contracted with the NZR until 2026, but they have taken the decision to release him early from that contract so that he could take up the offer of a three-year deal at Munster.
They've realised prospective All Black coaches need OS experience. The sooner he gets that on his resume, the sooner he can come back.
FABC McMillan...
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My wife's boyfriends husband said he heard that Mark Hammett might be coming to help improve the culture.
@Darren said in Chiefs 2025:
My wife's boyfriends husband said he heard that Mark Hammett might be coming to help improve the culture.
You must have interesting social gatherings.
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My wife's boyfriends husband said he heard that Mark Hammett might be coming to help improve the culture.
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I am expecting a few players to be rested for the trip to Fiji. I wouldn't have risked DMac before the injury, and Lord is probably doubtful with the knock to his knee. Expect Tupou to come into the 23 for a run, Stevenson to be straight back at fullback, Carter to return and probably some continued rotation amongst the props. MSR to get another opportunity.
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@ploughboy said in Chiefs 2025:
Dmac been spotted walking around fine. hopefully all good then
Confirmed as bone bruising but he has sat out training.
Lord will be out for a few weeks. Jacobson is back training too. Stevenson also there.
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Has anyone else felt like Tupaea has made some changes to his carrying style? In the past I often felt like he was too much focused on winning ‘the hit’ in contact, where he just accelerated into the defender as much as he could, without using much footwork or deception.
These past few weeks it looked to me like he was less focused on accelerating into contact than on staying on his feet post-contact, standing in the tackle and trying to use his hip- and upper body-strength to break loose. It looks quite similar to how someone like Mark Tele’a carries close to the ruck, where the emphasis lies more on shifting the carrier's weight into contact rather than making a dominant impact.
I couldn’t really find a great example but this sort of captures what I mean. Typically I’d expect Tupaea to go for the crash-ball in these situations, where here he uses footwork first to wrong-foot the defender while also not accelerating too much in order to stay on his feet and try to step through the tackle.
This might just be me imagining things but it did look somewhat different to me. With Tele’a's success in beating defenders, it wouldn’t surprise me if other players are taking some notes.
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Has anyone else felt like Tupaea has made some changes to his carrying style? In the past I often felt like he was too much focused on winning ‘the hit’ in contact, where he just accelerated into the defender as much as he could, without using much footwork or deception.
These past few weeks it looked to me like he was less focused on accelerating into contact than on staying on his feet post-contact, standing in the tackle and trying to use his hip- and upper body-strength to break loose. It looks quite similar to how someone like Mark Tele’a carries close to the ruck, where the emphasis lies more on shifting the carrier's weight into contact rather than making a dominant impact.
I couldn’t really find a great example but this sort of captures what I mean. Typically I’d expect Tupaea to go for the crash-ball in these situations, where here he uses footwork first to wrong-foot the defender while also not accelerating too much in order to stay on his feet and try to step through the tackle.
This might just be me imagining things but it did look somewhat different to me. With Tele’a's success in beating defenders, it wouldn’t surprise me if other players are taking some notes.
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@Mauss the extra power vertically to throw the tackler off balance is very noticeable in that clip.
@Bones said in Chiefs 2025:
the extra power vertically to throw the tackler off balance is very noticeable in that clip.
I did feel his carrying had become a bit predictable in the 2024 SR season so, if it is indeed a conscious choice to add different elements to it, I think it's a smart choice. He's too skilled as a player to play in a one-dimensional manner.
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@Bovidae Wow thats massive. i wonder if any (or how many) sabbatical years negotiated into this one
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Will he become Super Rugby's highest points scorer? If you take his average and apply it to the next 4 years the numbers say yes, and that's including this season that's only halfway finished and 2019 where he got injured and played half the comp.
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A curtain raiser match up between The University of Waikato Chiefs Taua and the Hurricanes Hunters will be kicking off at 4.05 pm.
GALLAGHER CHIEFS’ INJURY UPDATE AHEAD OF ROUND 8
Anton Lienert-Brown, leg, short term
Josh Lord, knee, mid-term
Rameka Poihipi, knee, season
Kaleb Trask, hamstring, mid-term
Etene Nanai-Seturo, hamstring, long-term
Liam Coombes-Fabling, knee, mid-term
Wallace Sititi, knee, long-term
