The Brisbane Tens is all about the next generation - 2018 Predictions
This weekend’s pre-season Tens tournament is a precursor to the Super Rugby season, with many established names on show like Julian Savea, Liam Messam, Digby Ioane and Conrad Smith.
While there are also many well-known stars from the past like Carlos Spencer on the card, it will be the youngsters that will steal the show. They get the chance to prove their worth and have the talent to shine on this stage. Just like Shaun Stevenson last year, a number of next-gen stars will take this tournament by storm.
Here is our breakdown of each pool and some the unlikely breakout stars to look out for.
Pool A: Wild Knights, Rebels, Blues, Reds
Hometown hosts the Reds will be looking to put in a strong performance together to definitively put the Quade situation behind them. Fijian flyer Filipo Daugunu will be one to watch after dazzling on the club scene in Brisbane last year and NRC with Queensland Country. Young winger Izaia Perese is pound-for-pound the hardest man to tackle in Super Rugby and Taniela Tupou the ‘Tongan Thor’ will again trample over defenders.
Digby Ioane will return with his Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. Ioane scored one of the tries of the tournament at last year’s event with the Crusaders. The 33-year-old will be hoping to reproduce the same magic. Super Rugby’s top tryscorer in 2016, Akihito Yamada of the Sunwolves, will be looking to replicate that form this weekend after missing Super Rugby last year.
The Rebels will field two young mid-fielders that possess game-breaking ability – Hunter Paisami and Semisi Tupou that could feature in Super Rugby this year. Paisami is a blockbusting midfielder that can hit like a truck, you may remember this monster hit from the Australian schoolboys test match in 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAy1rvo1Xns
The Blues have an impressive squad full of up and coming young stars. Akira Ioane, Melani Nanai and George Moala will bring experience while Caleb Clarke, Orbyn Leger, Dalton Papalii and Sam Nock are New Zealand age grade reps worth keeping an eye on. Of course, the 42-year-old Carlos Spencer is back for a run around, but he will probably look to utilise the young talent around him.
The Blues and Reds will likely be the top two teams from this pool.
Pool B: Pau, Waratahs, Chiefs, Highlanders
French club Pau looks more like an All Blacks re-union party than a Top 14 team. Seven ex-AB’s are apart of the squad headlined by Conrad Smith. While the names look good on paper, the condensed format will probably work against this squad where athleticism trumps experience. Pau will offer a good show but will be unlikely to make a deep run in the tournament.
The Waratahs have been devastated by the news on the eve of the tournament that star Kurtley Beale will miss the tournament due to injury. In his absence, Fijian bulldozer Taqele Naiyaravoro will be a key weapon the Tahs will want to use on the fringes. The shifty ex-Force winger Alex Newsome will enjoy the open spaces while young flyhalf Mack Mason will take responsibility for steering the team around. Irae Simone could a breakout star at this tournament while Curtis Rona will get his first look in NSW colours.
Last year’s champions the Chiefs have named a strong side for their defence, with MVP Shaun Stevenson back for his encore performance after picking up the award in the inaugural event. Tim Nanai-Williams and Solomon Alaimalo will bring flair and form a deadly trio with Stevenson. New Zealand under-20’s flyhalf Tiaan Falcon is a breakout candidate and will get decent game time with Damian McKenzie not available.
The Highlanders will bring a high workrate to the Tens and rely on the young first five-eighths Josh Ioane and Fletcher Smith to show their worth. The two will get the chance to build their case to become Liam Sopoaga’s replacement at the end of the year. The Barracuda Richard Buckman will be everywhere for the Landers, and young Canterbury product Josh McKay has speed to burn that they will look to utilise.
We have to back the defending champs the Chiefs to top this pool, while the Waratahs and Highlanders will battle it out for the next best side.
Pool C: Fiji, Brumbies, Hurricanes, Crusaders
The Fijian side is the wild card of this tournament. Renown for Sevens success, the Fijians could blow this pool open. The addition of the Fijian Drua into the Australian domestic competition (NRC) shocked many as they tore apart a number of sides. Many of that side will feature here and will no doubt be scouted by their opposition during the tournament.
The Brumbies side features a number of established stars in Henry Speight, Kyle Godwin and Chance Peni. One name we predict to shock at this tournament is scrumhalf Isaak Fines, who is perhaps the best non-contracted player in Australia. Fines is a raw attacking talent built for this format.
The Hurricanes highest profile player Julian Savea that will look to start 2018 on the right note, with aspirations of reclaiming the All Blacks left wing jersey. The Canes possess plenty of power running backs in Ben Lam, Malo Tuitama, Losi Filipo, Jonah Lowe and Peter Umaga-Jensen and one super prop in Alex Fidow. Fidow is the New Zealand equiviliant of Taniela Tupou – they both perform feats no props should.
The Crusaders have named a young squad lead by last year’s breakout winger George Bridge. You won’t recognise many names in this squad, but watch out for Tima Faingaanuku on the edge and Ngane Punivai. Manasa Mataele will look to carry over his try scoring feats from last season where he bagged eight tries in six matches for the Crusaders.
The Hurricanes and Fiji are our picks to top this pool.
Tournament Predications
The Chiefs and Hurricanes look good enough to make a deep run at this tournament and of the Australian sides the Reds have enough raw talent to find success. Fiji is the biggest unknown but NRC-form suggests they will do well. These are our four picks to make the semi-finals.
Our shortlist of candidates for MVP include last year’s winner Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs), Solomon Alaimalo (Chiefs), Alex Fidow (Hurricanes) and Samu Kerevi (Reds). A couple of outside chances if their teams catch fire are Melani Nanai (Blues) and Mack Mason (Waratahs).
Our heart says Fiji as winners but our head says the Chiefs or Hurricanes.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments