The Silver Fern

Thought it was a pretty strong debut from Muliaina, the pace seemed to lift, and Southland looked far more threatening in attack. Poor handling and a terrible scrum really cost Southland in the end. That and Otago were just the better team.

McNicholl has been surprisingly very good these past two years, always looks threatening at Super level too.

Love doesn't quite have the ability to break open a game from 15 the way Jordan or McKenzie can, he's a much better 10 imo.

@Bovidae said in Northern Region Representative Rugby 2025:

@WoodysRFC said in Northern Region Representative Rugby 2025:

Is there any connection to the UK Harlequins?

I'm not sure. The BOP equivalent are Wasps.

https://www.sporty.co.nz/nzharlequinsrugbyclub

Just interesting branding, even the logo is identical, seems odd to brand your development side in such a way.

Good point, forgot about ALB's sabbatical. Popoali'i, he go alright?

@Bovidae said in Chiefs 2026:

So there might be room for a new midfield back.

Foketi, right? Wrampling has signed on for another season.

Otherwise, get Hake Wiseman in the environment.

What a loss none the less, a great plug and play guy, without being freakish like Rona or Wrampling, far more consistent when fit.

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@Frank said in All Blacks 2025:

For the 3rd halfback spot, I go for Kyle Preston.
Sounds like Parker will come in.
Bloody shame about Tangitau not been ready, so I'd call up Leroy Carter (or possibly have Carter as the 3rd halfback)

Do we have any evidence to suggest Carter is any good at halfback? I have only seen him play wing at any decent level. I can't even recall a cameo at 9 at NPC let alone Super.

Better halfback than wing, in my opinion.

Southland likely to pull 10,000 today, and hold the record for biggest in season crowd for a second year in a row. Pretty impressive there, other regional centres need to take note and replicate.

Is there any connection to the UK Harlequins?

Wow - great finish here from Waikato.

@mohikamo said in European Club Rugby:

@sparky

an even bigger problem is that SR will be cast in the very low rating early morning euro time (the main reason it was good having SA in the comp - SA games being in a perfect time slot for west euro)
no euro caster is ever guna pay much for that

note that recently Optus in Aus actually paid Stan to take the EPL soccer rights off them, live EPL is in a piss poor time slot in this part of the world (not to bad in West Aus tho)
if that's what is happening to EPL rights here, SR has little chance of ever getting much euro revenue

I'm sure RB are heavily connected to big players like Netflix, primetime means nothing with streaming services, much like F1, the money will be in the storylines which develop alongside the product.

@mohikamo said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@mariner4life

fuck yeah
imagine if all those SH pro players on NH contracts were still playing in SH domestic comps, which is just how it was in olden times
seeing a player that went to the same school i did, running out for the BI lions in a test match . . . hmmm

It will be closer to a two year cycle once the SA tour and Nations Championship kicks off, particularly given how lucrative the latter is likely to be.

@MN5 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Higgins said in All Blacks 2025:

@Duluth said in All Blacks 2025:

He’ll be able to play for Scotland in a couple of years.

Where is @MN5? Not like him to not bring things like that to our attention.

He’s too Scottish for Scotland. They’ll have a good South African ready to play halfback instead of him.

I'm sure a fourth Tuipulotu will emerge from out of Melbourne.

@jamsb said in NPC 2025:

@WoodysRFC I would argue that he has a better running game than Plummer

Yeah probably, Plummers running game, particularly in traffic is underrated though in my opinion.

Would be nice to get some of that redbull funding and media nous into Super Rugby.

@Landers92 said in NPC 2025:

@Trig said in NPC 2025:

@jamsb He had been appearing at second five for HSOB during the club rugby season

Was playing a fair bit of fullback as well. Chopped and changed between 10,12 and 15 a lot.

Cool, seems quite a solid build, next Harry Plummer perhaps?

@Dan54 said in European Club Rugby:

Seems it to be announced that the Prem clubs in England lost 32 mill pounds between them this season. That's a lot of coin, kind $71 mill of ours. Seems they lost 9 Mill pounds less than 3-4 years back.

Completely unsustainable.

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks 2025:

@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2025:

@Chuck72 said in All Blacks 2025:

@Victor-Meldrew Because the rest of our 10's aren't much different/better?

Then move on and actually, you know, develop players who are going to be around in more than a couple of years

Isn't leaving the jersey in a better place an AB thing?

.

Unfortunately at this stage trying to develop a 10 other than DMac and BB is a little like trying to polish a turd. We really need that to change.

Really? I think you can maximise what you have. Jordie looked dynamite playing up north with a different coaching regime. I think our 10s could easily be doing the job needed, but I am not convinced the coaching has been good as Super or Test level for some time.

BB's chips are tolerated by coaches. It is extraordinary. I think it's more that we don't realistically know what we want from a 10, so we don't pick a person and keep them there.

I am also very cautious about RMo coming back and thriving at Test level. He plays like Kyler Murray, and once the electric acceleration goes things will get even harder for him at Test level.

So much fo this is that structurally we tolerate 10s in NZR with noodles for legs. We just don't value kickers.

I couldn't give a shit whether RM comes back, but I think you make a good point. We seem to have an identity crisis at 10. The solid role playing 10 is well out of fashion in NZ and we are losing those type of players overseas. As an example, I think Burke was a recent loss who was just starting to come good.

Harry Plummer

Yes, another one that would have been good to keep hold of. Jeez we could even say Gatland could be useful at the moment. The problem is, a lot of these guys don't even get a regular Super gig because coaches are looking for something different.

It wouldn't surprise me if Reihana makes way at the Saders for the young fella who got injured during the season. The young fella showed more of a running game and that seems to be valued.

I reckon it's twofold, the most athletic and gifted of 10's who are too good to be left out of the starting side are immediately shifted to Fullback to accommodate their super clubs incumbent, and miss out on that crucial early development at 10, and then are forever considered fullbacks / hybrids (think McKenzie, Sullivan, Love et al.)

Secondly, if you look at the development and projectory of a lot of the more traditional 10's (Plummer, Black, West), it's not until their late 20's that they're truly realising their ability, and by then they've already signed off overseas. Essentially, re Gatland, you're right, in so much that our current opinion of him was when he was running the cutter in his early to mid 20's, and we write them off, since they are not ready, and then lament the loss once they finally mature into decent players.

That is why I was stoked to see Love, and Godfrey given opportunities this year at 10, and more traditional 10's such as Reihana given the chance to further develop and mature, rather than immediately move on to the next young 10 (granted all of which was forced by injuries).

@SouthernMann said in Otago 2025:

Ale Aho has popped up, playing for Southland.

Southland socials are usually pretty good with announcements, but that one really came out of the blue.

@SBW1 said in All Blacks 2025:

Richie Mo’unga talks hit dreaded ‘impasse’ as All Blacks fly-half becomes victim of New Zealand Rugby’s ‘loyalty programme’

The Richie Mo'unga saga continues with talks over a return to New Zealand stalling.

Would be okay with him switching allegiance personally. Would be a tough decision though, which way would he lean? Samoa are probably more in need of a 10.

@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:

Nationally it seems Muliaina is rated ahead of Inch. Both very talented though. We have had stuff all luck with 10s over the last few years, so will be good if one can kick on. From a Highlanders perspective it would be awesome if it is Muliaina. Having a stable 10 for a decade could be a game changer.

That was admittedly surprising, as Inch was favoured at school boy level. Must admit, Muliaina's form for the U20 Highlanders was outstanding, and he and Pledger have such great chemistry, if they can hold onto Pledger, Muliaina, and Harvey, then the Highlanders could be quietly developing one of the best long term 9, 10, 12 combos in the comp. Further, Mika looking likely to debut for Southland this weekend too.