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Discarded All Blacks duo primed for Mitre 10 Cup action after being named in Taranaki squad

By Online Editors
Waisake Naholo (right) and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (left) in action for Taranaki. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Unwanted All Blacks duo Waisake Naholo and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi will have to state their case for World Cup inclusion through the Mitre 10 Cup after being named in the Taranaki squad for the upcoming campaign.

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Naholo and Tahuriorangi were left out of All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen’s extended 39-man squad for the Rugby Championship, with the likes of Sevu Reece, George Bridge and Brad Weber preferred in the outside backs and at halfback, respectively.

London Irish-bound Naholo’s exclusion came after the 28-year-old was dogged by bad form early in the Super Rugby season with the Highlanders, which was followed by a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, before returning to impress in limited outings.

Tahuriorangi, meanwhile, struggled for game time behind the in-form Weber at the Chiefs, with the diminutive halfback earning selection back into the national side after four years in the international wilderness.

Back-to-back appearances for the Maori All Blacks in consecutive weeks over the past fortnight won’t have quelled Tahuriorangi’s desire to play for the All Blacks again this year, but both he and Naholo will be forced to prove their worth in New Zealand’s premier domestic competition.

They will be supported by a strong core of players named by head coach Willie Rickards, which includes a raft of individuals with Super Rugby experience.

The Bulls will be captained by Chiefs loose froward Mitchell Brown, while Highlanders midfielder Teihorangi Walden is vice-captain.

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Other notable names throughout the team include Chiefs sextet Reuben O’Neill, Bradley Slater, Jesse Parete, Lachlan Boshier, Pita Gus Sowakula and Sean Wainui, while Hurricanes duo Ricky Riccitelli and Heiden Bedwell-Curtis have also been named.

New Zealand U20 captain Kaylum Boshier has been picked alongside national teammate Tupou Vaa’i, as has young Blues playmaker Stephen Perofeta, although injury has ruled him out of contention until late August.

In his absence, Daniel Waite will be expected to call the shots in the No 10 jersey.

Naholo’s younger brother and former schoolboy sensation, Kiniviliame Naholo, is also a selection worthy of note.

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The ex-Hasting’s Boys’ High School wing scored 40 tries in 20 games en route to claiming the national secondary school title in 2017, the same year of which he featured alongside the likes of Etene Nanai-Seturo, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Quinn Tupaea in a star-studded New Zealand Schools team.

Taranaki kick off their 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season against Counties Manukau in Pukekohe on August 10.

Taranaki Bulls Mitre 10 Cup squad:

FORWARDS

Mitch Brown (c), Reuben O’Neill, Chris Gawler, Jared Proffit, Asaeli Sorovaki, Donald Brighouse, Kyle Stewart, Ricky Riccitelli, Bradley Slater,  Scott Mellow, Tupou Vaa’i, Leighton Price, Josh Lord, Jesse Parete, Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Tom Florence, Kaylum Boshier, Lachlan Boshier, Pita Gus Sowakula.

BACKS

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Lisati Milo-Harris, Warwick Lahmert, Xavier Roe, Stephen Perofeta,  Teihorangi Walden (vc), Regan Verney, Sean Wainui, Lukas Halls, Kiniviliame Naholo, Waisake Naholo, Jackson Ormond, Jayson Potroz, Brayton Northcott-Hill.

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Adrian 31 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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