Blues bolster stocks with young talent from across the country
The Blues are determined to ensure their progress in 2020 was no aberration after naming their squad for the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa competition.
The squad includes 12 current or former All Blacks and two Samoa World Cup players in their 38-strong squad that comprises seven rookies.
Strong performances in 2020 led to Alex Hodgman, Akira Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Hoskins Sotutu progressing to the All Blacks for the Bledisloe Cup-Tri Nations campaign to join fellow Blues players Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu, Dalton Papalii, Rieko Ioane and newly signed Nepo Laulala. Ray Niuia, who missed the 2020 season with injury, and Auckland prop James Lay were both in the Manu Samoa team in the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The rookies include sought-after teenage talent, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (Taranaki), Sam Darry (Canterbury), Taine Plumtree (Wellington) and the Auckland quartet of Soane Vikena, AJ Lam, Zarn Sullivan and Lay.
“We are excited about Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa. The rugby was outstanding this year and we responded to the fantastic crowds. Our aim is to play some exciting rugby and entice our fans back in force to Eden Park,” said head coach Leon MacDonald.
“We can take confidence from our performances this year. But the game is not an accumulative process – all teams go back to zero points and we start again.
“We know how hard we worked on the field, in the gym and in our preparation this year. We must work even harder and smarter if we want to progress.
“This Blues group is maturing both on and off the field and we have also looked ahead to include some players for the future.
“A number of our group made significant strides this year and we are looking for them to develop into dominant figures. And we are excited about developing our young players who possess some outstanding qualities.
“While Beauden is in Japan this season, we have the likes of Otere Black, Stephen Perofeta and Harry Plummer who have all led their respective teams with real authority in the Mitre-10 Cup campaign.
“It has been a unique and crazy year that began back in January and finishes this week. In a few weeks the players will be back for what will be a short preparation for the 2021 season. We will clearly have to take this into account and monitor our players as they return.”
The Auckland newbies include Blues development player of the year Soane Vikena, with the NZ Under-20 hooker signed for four years. He was injured in the Mitre-10 Cup which means that 2020 Blues hooker Kurt Eklund returns as injury cover. Eklund (Bay of Plenty) has signed fulltime for the Blues from 2022 for two years.
Breaking… 2021 Chiefs squad #SuperRugby #SuperRugbyAoteaaroahttps://t.co/Rx41vW5Qwr
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 2, 2020
Lay, 26, has returned to Auckland, having played in the Rugby World Cup for Samoa and in UK for the Bristol Bears.
Sullivan has impressed at fullback for Auckland with the NZ Schools rep coming through the Auckland and Blues development programme.
AJ Lam, a 22-year-old winger from the Auckland and Blues Development programme, has impressed with seven tries in the Mitre-10 Cup. He is the brother of former Blues and Hurricanes wing Ben Lam.
The other rookies have significant pedigrees. Darry, announced earlier this year, is a former Canterbury Under-20 captain and NZ Under-20 lock who played six times for Canterbury in the Mitre-10 Cup.
Plumtree is a 1.95m loose forward, who was selected for the NZ Under-20s for this year’s aborted Under-20 Rugby World Cup. The Wellington representative was born in Wales and lived in South Africa as his father John Plumtree developed his coaching career, before settling back in New Zealand.
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is an outstanding teenage prospect on the wing, scoring eight tries in 10 games for Taranaki since emerging in Sevens as MVP of the inaugural Red Bull Ignite 7 as a schoolboy.
The big-signing newcomers, both All Blacks, are 86-cap Super Rugby prop Laulala and outstanding North Harbour loose forward Dillon Hunt, both players taking the opportunity to return home to Auckland.
Laulala’s arrival means the Blues will boast four current All Black props joining Tuungafasi, Tu’inukuafe and Hodgman, while Tuipulotu was omnipresent in a powerful second row with Northland’s Josh Goodhue and North Harbour’s Gerard Cowley-Tuioti.
The loose forward crew possess reputation and rigour led by All Blacks Akira Ioane, Papalii, Sotutu and Hunt along with the outstanding Tom Robinson and Blake Gibson.
Behind is a formidable halfback trio of Tasman’s Finlay Christie, Auckland’s Jonathan Ruru and Northland’s Sam Nock with the internal competition driving standards.
Breaking… 2021 Hurricanes squad #SuperRugby #SuperRugbyAoteaaroahttps://t.co/Lb2q2CxHda
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 2, 2020
The other backs returning include the dangerous Perofeta, who missed the post-Covid competition with injury, and Tanielu Tele’a, who missed the 2020 season, with both outstanding for Taranaki and Auckland respectively in the Mitre-10 Cup.
The backs will be sparked with All Blacks Rieko Ioane and Clarke who formed an exciting outside back pairing with the club’s rookie of the year, Mark Telea last year. In 2021 they are joined by a trio of young guns in Lam, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Sullivan and the powerful Fijian wing Jone Macilai-Tori, who returned to Northland this year from a stint in Japan after previously also playing for the Crusaders.
There is one further player to be named in a 38-strong squad.
The 2021 Blues Squad is:
Hookers: Ray Niuia (Tasman), James Parsons (North Harbour), Kurt Eklund (Bay of Plenty), Soane Vikena (Auckland).
Props: Alex Hodgman (Auckland), Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau), James Lay (Auckland), Marcel Renata (Auckland), Karl Tu’inukuafe (North Harbour), Ofa Tuungafasi (Auckland).
Locks: Gerard Cowley-Tuioti (North Harbour), Sam Darry (Canterbury), Josh Goodhue (Northland), Jacob Pierce (North Harbour), Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland).
Loose forwards: Blake Gibson (Auckland), Dillon Hunt (North Harbour), Akira Ioane (Auckland), Dalton Papalii (Counties Manukau), Taine Plumtree (Wellington), Tom Robinson (Northland), Hoskins Sotutu (Auckland).
Halfbacks: Finlay Christie (Tasman), Sam Nock (Northland), Jonathan Ruru (Auckland).
Inside backs: Otere Black (Bay of Plenty), Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki), Harry Plummer (Auckland).
Midfield: TJ Faiane (Auckland), Rieko Ioane (Auckland), Tanielu Tele’a (Auckland).
Outside backs: Caleb Clarke (Auckland), AJ Lam (Auckland), Jone Macilai-Tori (Northland), Emoni Narawa (Bay of Plenty), Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (Taranaki), Zarn Sullivan (Auckland), Mark Telea (Tasman).
– Blues Rugby
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Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments