Geekzone Rugby (Union) Discussion Thread

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#3408147 28-Aug-2025 14:12

Whilst I'd like to see Love on the wing, I don't think that's that likely. I think they'll be conservative. So either no change or Jordan to wing and DMAc to fullback. Neither sound great to me. I guess maybe a lot will depend on how Clarke goes for Auckland and/or how Narawa, Carter, etc go for their provinces.

Halfback, we don't really know the extent of injuries yet, but at worst we've got a pretty hard choice. (Again personally), I'd look seriously at an emergency call to Smith. IMO it's not as crazy as it sounds. He came into camp earlier this year. There is a bit of precedent with Matt Todd on a Northern tour - although obviously home games are less of an emergency situation.

Went to the gym earlier today and the Springbok squad came in to blow the cobwebs out after their flight from Africa. Yikes, there's some units right there.

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#3408153 28-Aug-2025 14:22

I recall seeing the Argentina side at the Airport a couple of units back. They are incredibly massive human beings, but to be honest, Creevy was like a small moving building. He seemed to also have an aura around him which made him even bigger. McCaw had the same. Absolute leaders feel bigger than they are. When Bill Clinton was here, it was hugely apparent in him too. He's a big tall man, but he felt like the hulk to stand near even. It's not celebrity power, it's something different.

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#3408533 29-Aug-2025 14:12

Preston has been withdrawn from the Welly squad for their NPC game. Looks like he's firmly in the ABs picture.

IMO if the 2 halfbacks are Preston and Christie, then I'd maybe lean towards starting Preston with Christie on the bench. I know that's a huge call in a game of this magnitude, but if it goes badly you can bring Christie off the bench at any time. Whereas if Christie started and you replaced him after 50 - 60 minutes and it went wrong with Preston, then you can't bring Christie back on. If Preston can handle the pressure, his kicking game will be a huge help in test rugby.

it's still not clear around the fitness of Ratima - or Roigard for that matter. This is going to be interesting.

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#3408988 31-Aug-2025 12:26

It's quite an impressive run that Canterbury are on right now in the NPC. They made Manawatu look pretty average last night. This is an equal best ever start to a season for them after a few years of fairly patchy performances.

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#3408989 31-Aug-2025 12:27

Australia vs USA Womens RWC Match was an absolute clanger.

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#3408992 31-Aug-2025 12:40

Earbanean:

Preston has been withdrawn from the Welly squad for their NPC game. Looks like he's firmly in the ABs picture.

IMO if the 2 halfbacks are Preston and Christie, then I'd maybe lean towards starting Preston with Christie on the bench. I know that's a huge call in a game of this magnitude, but if it goes badly you can bring Christie off the bench at any time. Whereas if Christie started and you replaced him after 50 - 60 minutes and it went wrong with Preston, then you can't bring Christie back on. If Preston can handle the pressure, his kicking game will be a huge help in test rugby.

it's still not clear around the fitness of Ratima - or Roigard for that matter. This is going to be interesting.

I agree with your analysis of who starts and who finishes if the only two choices are those two. My biggest problem with Christie is how slow he gets to, and clears rucks, and the extra movement once he picks up the ball before he passes. This puts a stop on our super quick game plan. He wasn't too bad last week, and at that speed, whilst he's still our slowest option, he isn't impeding the movement quite to the same level as he was the week before.

Preston is far more of an attacking Half-back as well, we just need to make sure our cleaners know that, because the number of times that our halfbacks get isolated is annoying. It happens a lot with Dmac as well. Comparatively, Reece will have a dart, but he tends to look for gaps closer to the forwards so they can clean his tackler, which is something that doesn't really get noticed as much. His lateral movement is both looking for a hole and doing so where he can get support. This doesn't seem as much the case with Dmac.

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#3408998 31-Aug-2025 13:55

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch/crusaders-coach-rob-penny-speaks-on-winning-super-rugby-losing-ego-and-dropping-the-c-bomb/WXM7O53F3VD7RA7N3MPUEIN7LA/

I enjoyed this interview. It probably doesn't change anything for me, as I felt the 2024 season was an abberation that had many facets. I've always been a Penney fan, though I had some reservations about appointing him coach of the Crusaders to follow from Robertsons success. I felt his axing at the 'Tahs was short sighted and blamed him for things like the absolute disgrace in his predecessors recruitment over the prior couple of years, and lack of development, for which had no responsibility. It wasn't widely advertised that recruitment started late due to financial difficulties at the 'Tahs.

There will always be those who hate on him for the simple reason he is a Cantabrian, and rasperberries to people like that, but I think it's a decent coach with a penchant for getting a connection with his players.

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#3410111 1-Sep-2025 13:26

Wowsers, I think this is the fastest I've seen a player go from overseas playing to back in the AB's.

Leicester Fainga'anuku into the AB's as injury cover. He can play wing and center.

It's not inconceivable he is asked to play half-back at this rate of injuries in our 9's :)

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#3410127 1-Sep-2025 14:47

networkn:

Wowsers, I think this is the fastest I've seen a player go from overseas playing to back in the AB's.

Leicester Fainga'anuku into the AB's as injury cover. He can play wing and center.

It's not inconceivable he is asked to play half-back at this rate of injuries in our 9's :)

It's good to see him back, but I thought he wasn't eligible till the EOY tour. This might be a precedent for Mounga next year. I wonder how they're planning to use him. Maybe the number 23 jersey covering centre and wing. It would be a huge call for him to start.

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#3410136 1-Sep-2025 15:48

I think from reading between the lines, he will only play if they got 2 injuries this week during training. He got special dispensation from NZR at the request of Roberton, to join the squad outside of his eligibility.

I thought he had only been in NZ a couple of weeks, but apparently, he has actually played 3 games for Tasman.

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#3410137 1-Sep-2025 15:51

networkn:

I thought he had only been in NZ a couple of weeks, but apparently, he has actually played 3 games for Tasman.

And he has looked mightly impressive in those 3 games. Not surprising Razor wanted him back in black ASAP!

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#3410138 1-Sep-2025 16:13

SumnerBoy:

And he has looked mightly impressive in those 3 games. Not surprising Razor wanted him back in black ASAP!

I agree, he did look impressive when I saw him, in fact, I think I commented here. I have been away and sick and haven't watched as much NPC as I usually would. I barely caught the Canterbury game this weekend.

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#3410263 1-Sep-2025 21:03

Earbanean:

It's good to see him back, but I thought he wasn't eligible till the EOY tour. This might be a precedent for Mounga next year. I wonder how they're planning to use him. Maybe the number 23 jersey covering centre and wing. It would be a huge call for him to start.

I don't see them making an exception for Mo'unga unless there was an injury crisis at 10.

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#3410279 2-Sep-2025 08:56

Seems Christie will be part of this coming weekend for sure, given he was part of the press conference yesterday.

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#3410382 2-Sep-2025 10:30

If I were Razor, I'd be having a quiet conversation with Sevu about brushing up on long passing from Halfback. He spends a fair amount of time there already, and he'd be dynamite in that position later in the game when things loosen up if he could perfect long quick passes. There's no doubting his eagerness to "get in there", would certainly keep the opposition loosies honest, and if he gets a sniff of a gap he'll be gone. While not entirely serious here, it would be interesting to watch!

A second long shot idea - if the really MUST play Jordie (and I ask myself why?), he has to be at Fullback because he currently sucks at 12 and 15 suits him better regardless of where HE wants to play. That (unfortunately) puts Jordan on the wing, but the upside is that it displaces Rieko to the bench. The master stroke would be Fainga'anuku and Proctor in the centres, as I reckon that would create multiple threats in the midfield. If it all goes pear shaped they can always pull Rieko off the bench at that point, or bring Jordie up and move Jordan back and replace a wing.

Third long shot is David Havilli back out of the wilderness and in at 12. He has a solid left foot boot that compliments a right footed 10, and he's foremost a distributor, but can straighten and crash if need be. Team him and Leicester at 13 and all we're missing is Richie at 10 and a quick halfback ;-) I'd go for Preston if fit this week, as he was mighty impressive for the Crusaders early in the season, and as an ex halfback myself I thought he was hard done by when Hotham came back and took the starting role.

Having said all this, there's no point going fast and wide if our loosies are too slow to get there in support, which is a problem at the moment. We went with size against the Argies, and that didn't pan out so well, as we tried to play their game and lost. We seriously need a terrier who can either poach or at least tie things up until the giants arrive. A spot for Sevu on the side of the scrum?

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