Highlanders 2026
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann agree with all of this. Our Loose forward stocks, and outside backs are stacked are prime to be raided down the road. I could see young Will Stodart, Finn Hurley or Stanley Solomon being eyed up by a few franchises at the end of next season.
I swear we released Josh Ioane a few years back with time on his contract remaining to the Chiefs lol, it left us with Mid Hunt and a past it Marty Banks, I think if the Chiefs were to release Jacomb now having Mckenzie & BOP 10 Lucas Cashmore hitting his straps it wouldn't be that disastrous?
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@ACT-Crusader Yes and no. Let’s take Stodart as an example and play out the Jacomb scenario the other way. He might get 4–12 games next season depending on how injuries go. In the meantime, one of TK Howden or Oli Haig could become an All Black (obviously not guaranteed, but not impossible either). He’s off contract next year but is still a young fella, so signs on for two more years. Then NPC 2026 and Super Rugby 2027 roll around. He has a blinder and makes the All Blacks XV, and starts being talked about for higher honours. But no matter what, he can’t dislodge Haig or Howden — and despite having blinders every game, he’s struggling to even make the 23 due to our depth. Hell, even if they don’t make the All Blacks, there’s every chance that without injuries, he struggles to make a 23.
So after the Super Rugby season in 2027, another franchise tries to poach him. He’d still have another year left on his contract, and normally we’d say “wait.” But the precedent is now there that if you don’t like your team, you can throw a hissy fit in the media and cause a scandal. Now, instead of waiting until 2028 to be poached, we lose him a year early. It starts undermining the contracting system in NZ.
Don’t get me wrong — I want to see Jacomb at the Highlanders next season. But in my mind, the way it’s playing out isn’t good, and it speaks to a failure of NZ Rugby to have appropriate policies and conversations behind closed doors to resolve it.
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@Grooter said in Highlanders 2026:
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann agree with all of this. Our Loose forward stocks, and outside backs are stacked are prime to be raided down the road. I could see young Will Stodart, Finn Hurley or Stanley Solomon being eyed up by a few franchises at the end of next season.
I swear we released Josh Ioane a few years back with time on his contract remaining to the Chiefs lol, it left us with Mid Hunt and a past it Marty Banks, I think if the Chiefs were to release Jacomb now having Mckenzie & BOP 10 Lucas Cashmore hitting his straps it wouldn't be that disastrous?
Pretty sure Ioane got shown the door after several instances of being a munter on the piss. We were just happy for someone to take him off our hands.
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@SouthernMann wasn't it a bit of both? He did get an early release. But equally I think everyone was happy to see him gone.
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann wasn't it a bit of both? He did get an early release. But equally I think everyone was happy to see him gone.
Bit of a different scenario. One (Ionae) the team wanted to rid itself of. The other (Jacomb) in an ideal world the Chiefs would have kept.
With the Stodart scenario/other players scenario. Just have to maintain a good culture and get results. Other teams can keep their guys with decent rotation. The Chiefs have five ABXV and AB loosies? The Crusaders two All Black hookers. Hurricanes two AB tightheads. The Crusaders and the hoard of midfielders.
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@SouthernMann Appreciate what you’re saying, but I’m not sure it’s an apples-to-apples situation. Realistically, you can find ways to get five loosies into a 23 or rotate them well. But if you’re down to your third-string six, and you’ve got fit and firing options like Casey, Haig, Withy, Howden, Lasaqa (and probably Broughton in the mix) — plus solid lock depth so they’re not covering that position — suddenly it’s much harder to crack that 23.
That’s really the issue: it’s not about rotating our best five players, but whether there’s a realistic pathway for players six and seven to get meaningful minutes while contracted. And how they might start being poached while on contract more and more.
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@ACT-Crusader Yes and no. Let’s take Stodart as an example and play out the Jacomb scenario the other way. He might get 4–12 games next season depending on how injuries go. In the meantime, one of TK Howden or Oli Haig could become an All Black (obviously not guaranteed, but not impossible either). He’s off contract next year but is still a young fella, so signs on for two more years. Then NPC 2026 and Super Rugby 2027 roll around. He has a blinder and makes the All Blacks XV, and starts being talked about for higher honours. But no matter what, he can’t dislodge Haig or Howden — and despite having blinders every game, he’s struggling to even make the 23 due to our depth. Hell, even if they don’t make the All Blacks, there’s every chance that without injuries, he struggles to make a 23.
So after the Super Rugby season in 2027, another franchise tries to poach him. He’d still have another year left on his contract, and normally we’d say “wait.” But the precedent is now there that if you don’t like your team, you can throw a hissy fit in the media and cause a scandal. Now, instead of waiting until 2028 to be poached, we lose him a year early. It starts undermining the contracting system in NZ.
Don’t get me wrong — I want to see Jacomb at the Highlanders next season. But in my mind, the way it’s playing out isn’t good, and it speaks to a failure of NZ Rugby to have appropriate policies and conversations behind closed doors to resolve it.
I think it is good, and that's exactly the way I want to see it play out. If you're good enough to start and can't under your current team, then move and compensate.
But then I care about the ABs first, and couldn't give much of a shit about any individual franchise over another. -
@reprobate said in Highlanders 2026:
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@ACT-Crusader Yes and no. Let’s take Stodart as an example and play out the Jacomb scenario the other way. He might get 4–12 games next season depending on how injuries go. In the meantime, one of TK Howden or Oli Haig could become an All Black (obviously not guaranteed, but not impossible either). He’s off contract next year but is still a young fella, so signs on for two more years. Then NPC 2026 and Super Rugby 2027 roll around. He has a blinder and makes the All Blacks XV, and starts being talked about for higher honours. But no matter what, he can’t dislodge Haig or Howden — and despite having blinders every game, he’s struggling to even make the 23 due to our depth. Hell, even if they don’t make the All Blacks, there’s every chance that without injuries, he struggles to make a 23.
So after the Super Rugby season in 2027, another franchise tries to poach him. He’d still have another year left on his contract, and normally we’d say “wait.” But the precedent is now there that if you don’t like your team, you can throw a hissy fit in the media and cause a scandal. Now, instead of waiting until 2028 to be poached, we lose him a year early. It starts undermining the contracting system in NZ.
Don’t get me wrong — I want to see Jacomb at the Highlanders next season. But in my mind, the way it’s playing out isn’t good, and it speaks to a failure of NZ Rugby to have appropriate policies and conversations behind closed doors to resolve it.
I think it is good, and that's exactly the way I want to see it play out. If you're good enough to start and can't under your current team, then move and compensate.
But then I care about the ABs first, and couldn't give much of a shit about any individual franchise over another.This hypothetical situation where we have other teams coming for our guys sounds good.
It says we have multiple guys standing up as the best players in their positions. Says we have enough players going well to be a dominant team. In this hypothetical situation we have turned the corner. Great.
Having quickly gone back to 2020 and looked over our old squads. I can only find one instance of a player chosing to leave for another NZ squad. It was Dillon Hunt. Who went to the Blues prior to retiring with concussion issues.
With success comes consequences. Just look at Penrith in the NRL.
As I said. Plenty of other teams have managed to rotate quality in positions.
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I think this Jacomb scenario is quite unique in the fact that the All Blacks potentially stand to benefit from it in a really sizeable way in a key position where we have few options. Would never happen with a forward, as there is plenty of game time to go around - likewise a halfback. Maybe an outside back or a midfielder, but there is 2-3 of those on the field at all times.
A starting Super Rugby first five is the one and the only, and they generally play a minimum of 65 minutes before getting subbed in an important game - so in that sense it is quite hard to force your way past an established AB in that position.
I don't really see this exact scenario repeating itself, and in truth, plenty of guys have been released from their contracts to go elsewhere in the past couple of years. That is literally how the Chiefs got Brodie McAllister this season.
You can say it is poor form from the Highlanders, but I also think it is very rare that a team tries to keep a player against their wishes. Jacomb doesn't want to move to the Highlanders now because he wants to play for the Highlanders, it ultimately boils down to the fact that this is his best route into the All Blacks in 2026, and given Mo'unga is returning, can he afford to wait a year?
Displacing DMac from the Chiefs 10 jersey is virtually impossible. Feels like now or never if he wants to be an All Black - and it should be pointed out in this situation, that there is no guarantee he is good enough for the ABs, but I think effectively denying the guy a chance, given all the circumstances is equally deplorable from the Chiefs.
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@frugby although didnt Dmac start at 15 and Jacomb 10 in several games? Ideally does this force the Chiefs to.start Dmac at 10 week in week out?
If that is the case, both Dmac at 10 consistently and Jacomb starting for the Highlanders is best all round for NZ rugby.
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@taniwharugby said in Highlanders 2026:
didnt Dmac start at 15 and Jacomb 10
7 times this season in 17 games that he played.
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@taniwharugby Jacomb started the first four games of the season, and then 3 more.
His chances once the season got properly underway were limited - and part of that was because he didn't exactly take his chance.
Lost v Waratahs (Subbed at 49')
Win v Force
Loss v Hurricanes (35-17 with no DMac in the squad) -
Do we know if Tanielu Tele’a has resigned..?
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The other thing to consider for Highlanders supporters is that if Jacomb's agent gets his wish then maybe Fakatava's agent goes down the same path, if he isn't named in the AB XV squad next week. Why stay if you are so far down the pecking order and can earn more money overseas?
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2026:
The other thing to consider for Highlanders supporters is that if Jacomb's agent gets his wish then maybe Fakatava's agent goes down the same path, if he isn't named in the AB XV squad next week. Why stay if you are so far down the pecking order and can earn more money overseas?
Fair enough to Fakatava. No one would stand in his way. Unlikely to be a starting player. Has given his all, if he can get a good deal. Go get it lad.
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I like Fakatava, and think it would be a real shame if he left. He offers a point of difference to our other halfbacks, in that he is genuinely creative for others around the ruck - which I think suits how a lot of people want to see us play, more direct with forward runners - he makes half gaps and momentum for exactly those kind of runs. We've seen the difference Roigard has made, as the defence needs to cover him. Fakatava has that too, whereas a number of those in front of him do not. He's also probably the best 9 in the country at hitting a runner in a gap close to the line. For him to be as far down the pecking order as he is makes no sense to me at all.
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@reprobate said in Highlanders 2026:
I like Fakatava, and think it would be a real shame if he left. He offers a point of difference to our other halfbacks, in that he is genuinely creative for others around the ruck - which I think suits how a lot of people want to see us play, more direct with forward runners - he makes half gaps and momentum for exactly those kind of runs. We've seen the difference Roigard has made, as the defence needs to cover him. Fakatava has that too, whereas a number of those in front of him do not. He's also probably the best 9 in the country at hitting a runner in a gap close to the line. For him to be as far down the pecking order as he is makes no sense to me at all.
I agree with you about Fakatava but to me it makes total sense why he isn't selected. The coaches want to play a wide game and not have a player who drives and controls play close to the ruck. All of Fakatavas qualities are the opposite to how they want to play.
To me he is actually the halfback most similar to JGP and its no surprise that he found more success playing overseas because that suits their style.
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@brodean Yeah, I mean they're wrong about the game plan and Roigard running in close proved that - but I do get your point. That applies definitely for Ratima, maybe Hotham. Does it really apply for Preston, Christie, Roe? I wouldn't say any of them are really get the ball wide quick halfbacks.
It reminds me a bit of Lachlan Boshier. Best 7 in the country at the time but couldn't get a look in because the ABs didn't want a fetcher at 7. Now it seems we do, and he's gone. There's a danger in homogenising the way we play.
