Chiefs 2025
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@george33 said in Chiefs 2025:
Maybe Kade Banks
Kini Naholo, it’s been mentioned a few times on one of the threads.
@Canes4life oh yeah, correct, most likely then.
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Getting towards the business-end of the season, it's going to be interesting to see whether Clayton McMillan starts solidifying his first-choice team.
Frequent short-term injuries haven't helped matters, but McMillan has made between six and 10 changes to the starting XV every single week of this year's competition (which has certainly helped with depth).
Assuming everyone is back for the final stretch, this probably looks like the best side:
1 Ross
2 Taukei'aho
3 Dyer
4 Lord
5 Vaa'i
6 Finau
7 Jacobson
8 Sititi
9 Roe
10 McKenzie
11 Nanai-Seturo (or Carter, if ENS isn't fit soon)
12 Tupaea
13 Lienert-Brown
14 Narawa
15 StevensonReserves: McAlister, Norris, O'Neill, Ah Kuoi, Parker, Ratima, Jacomb, Rona.
A bit of room for movement in the loose forwards and backs depending on form and injuries (Boshier has been the best performer at 7 this year, ALB might be out for a little while etc.).
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I'd be looking at the 23 as a whole as some players are better suited to come off the bench with the choices in certain positions. Eg: McAlister to start and Taukei’aho as the impact sub. To disagree with myself, I'd be starting Ah Kuoi on form, even if he is also a great sub to bring on.
We'll have to see how serious ALB's injury is, but having your arm in a sling is never a good sign.
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Big ST copped a bit of flak on here for his performance on the weekend yet I thought he had one of his better games, ball in hand, in quite a while. It seemed like he won the collision and made metres most times. And I didn't notice him falling off tackles.
I know there were a few lineout yips but were they necessarily his fault?
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Yeah two early lineout yips aside (one which was definitely not his fault, just a team error when rushing), he had a good game. I think you want to get a good 50-60 minutes out of Taukei'aho so I'd certainly have him starting (for both the Chiefs and All Blacks).
Ah Kuoi is a better option than Lord right now but with a few games under his belt I expect Lord to come right, and Ah Kuoi adds that impact off the pine.
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How many injuries did the Chiefs get on Friday night? Looked pretty bad at the end there with Ratima and Boshier on the wings. Was Tupaea and Narawa injured or were they just taken off because the Chiefs were well ahead?
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Wilson mentioned on the Breakdown that DMac probably won’t be available. Not sure how accurate that is.
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Yes, DMac will be out for this round. He has a muscle strain in his hand. Precautionary.
Trask has a high ankle strain. I would expect Koller comes into the 23 as 1st 5 cover.
Ross is available, Carter likely to be as well.
@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2025:
Yes, DMac will be out for this round. He has a muscle strain in his hand. Precautionary.
Trask has a high ankle strain. I would expect Koller comes into the 23 as 1st 5 cover.
Ross is available, Carter likely to be as well.
So presumably Roe, Jacomb, Carter, Tupaea, Rona, Narawa and Stevenson to start with Ratima, Koller and Wrampling on the bench.
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@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2025:
Yes, DMac will be out for this round. He has a muscle strain in his hand. Precautionary.
Trask has a high ankle strain. I would expect Koller comes into the 23 as 1st 5 cover.
Ross is available, Carter likely to be as well.
So presumably Roe, Jacomb, Carter, Tupaea, Rona, Narawa and Stevenson to start with Ratima, Koller and Wrampling on the bench.
@Mr-Fish said in Chiefs 2025:
@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2025:
Yes, DMac will be out for this round. He has a muscle strain in his hand. Precautionary.
Trask has a high ankle strain. I would expect Koller comes into the 23 as 1st 5 cover.
Ross is available, Carter likely to be as well.
So presumably Roe, Jacomb, Carter, Tupaea, Rona, Narawa and Stevenson to start with Ratima, Koller and Wrampling on the bench.
Will be interesting to see if the Chiefs start Sititi after his electric 9 mins off the bench the other night.
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@Yeetyaah won't be around next season either using his sabbatical at Dave Rennie's Japanese Club. think George hinted at this last week but didn't reveal any names
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What do you guys think about valynce te whare as an option for next year seems like he is tearing it in Japan I've always liked him since his days at Waikato
