Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Emerging Player of the Year' misses out on Super Rugby squad selection

By Ned Lester
Josh Jacomb with ball in hand for Taranaki. Photo by Andy Jackson/Getty Images

The man who steered Taranaki to NPC glory has surprisingly not made it into a Super Rugby Pacific squad. Instead, Josh Jacomb will spend the 2024 season tantalisingly close to the Super Rugby action as a member of the Chiefs’ wider training group.

ADVERTISEMENT

The 22-year-old had a breakout year with the Taranaki outfit, taking home the Cup after an exhilarating 22-19 victory in the final over Hawkes Bay.

In a competition with an abundance of former and aspiring All Black talent, it was Jacomb who was awarded the No. 10 jersey in the 2023 NPC Form XV, and rightly so as the Sacred Heart College product owned the first five-eighth role and combined with fullback Stephen Perofeta to inspire his side to seven wins from 10 matches.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

The high praise of the youngster continued from former All Black James Parsons, who awarded Jacomb the “Emerging Player of the Year” award on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod‘s awards show.

“I’ve gone with Taranaki’s first five Josh Jacomb,” Parsons explained. “He is something to watch, I really enjoyed watching him over the NPC.

“I don’t know if he’s in a Super (Rugby) squad, but man, if there’s a 10 that goes down, I’d love to see him up in the Blues.

“He’s got a great relationship with Stephen Perofeta, obviously from Taranaki and he was schooled in Auckland.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He’s got a bright future, he is really, really good. All around. He can carry hard to the line, he’s got a kicking game, he got a number of 50/22s. He was outstanding.”

Related

In the NPC semi-final, Jacomb almost single-handedly outscored Canterbury, racking up 125 metres with the ball in hand in a 23-16 victory that sent the serial winners packing.

It was an elimination of the young Aucklander’s favourite team, despite his region of birth.

“I was Crusaders for one man only, Dan Carter,” Jacomb told Stuff the week of the final. “My dad, he is a very hard-out Blues supporter, so when the Blues always played the Crusaders at Eden Park when I was a bit younger, we’d be going to those games and whoever won got bragging rights.”

Finishing the competition with the sixth most points scored, Jacomb provides an exciting reserve option should the Chiefs lose the services of Damian McKenzie, Josh Ioane or Kaleb Trask.

“I definitely am feeling comfortable out there (at this level),” he continued. “I think it’s a mix of just making sure I’m preparing throughout the week, so I am just going out there with a clear mind of how I want to play and what I feel needs to happen for us to play well as a team.

“Just having the mindset of not coming off the field, leaving any what ifs or any stone unturned. I just want to leave it all out there, whether it’s 40 minutes, 60 or 80.”

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

17 Comments
L
Lobztar 300 days ago

Jacombe deserves inclusion in a Super Rugby team … madness not to chose him! Especially at a time of rebuilding the ABs

P
Peter 301 days ago

Whoah! What a misstep was that. Hopefully his time will come

P
Pecos 301 days ago

Oh, James Parsons “award” lmao. For game time, & on the job training, I’d head to the Landers. Especially with Jamie Joseph now in the setup. Nuggy’s a prime pathway example. Being 4th cab off the rank at the Chiefs is a waste of time & talent.

S
Shayne 301 days ago

Canterbury needs to grab him before the chiefs work out that Mckenzie has already peaked.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

T
TT 13 minutes ago
Springboks reclaim Freedom Cup in titanic All Blacks clash

Best team won ... again. 


At least the ref was very communicative & not trigger happy like last week. Some clearly wrong tackler/ruck calls. & Lomax yellow, FACT OF RULES IS a player has to change direction for that infringement. Lomax's feet didn't even move off his spot before Kolbe RAN, AT ANGLE, INTO HIM. NOR any Lomax arms for a classic clothesline. REwatch, blind if can't see it.

 

None of those wrong ref calls would have changed the result. Best team won.

 

Wake up Mr Razor & gang. Actually in fairness to Foster... Mr 50% [Fiji doesn't count] Razor. 


FORWARDS fine, except desperately need SR star SOTUTU. 


BACKLINE 3rd rate. NZ back stocks fantastic but Razor & gang asleep.  Changes needed, actually was needed pre-SAf, 


TJ, Reece GONE!

 

Reece?I was his biggest fan, BUT... Low impact & shouldhave been awarded SAf last try. Defensive vague out & didn’t even yell for obviously needed support on the blind. Lost the test . + a few other errors after similar in previous tests.

 

TJ? Ratima going fine. But Razor replaces him with Mr Shouty, TJ. STILL repeatedly warned be ref to shut it! Nothing professional about him.

 

Too late now Mr50% but need, AT LEAST [CONSERVATIVELY ]; 


{starting} 


9 {Ratima}/ Christie (ie waiting on Roigard!) 

10 {D.McKenzie }/ Plummer 

12 {J.Barrett}/ ALB 

13 {Proctor} ( backup R. Ioane) 

14 {Narawa}/ R. Ioane 

11 {C.Clarke} / Tele’a 

15 {W.Jordan} (backup J.Barrett) 

130 Go to comments
H
Hellhound 40 minutes ago
Scott Robertson reflects on the All Blacks’ Freedom Cup loss to Springboks

Razor was untouchable in a club competition that favours the AB's with no real competition. The Crusaders has been the main feeding trough for the ABs for a long time. Easier to stay strong and win against weaker club teams like Super Rugby Pacific. A great club coach doesn't make for a winning test coach. Rassie took over a Bok team that got flogged by everyone. He changed them around and created a winning team and culture. Razor took over a team that barely lost in a WC final. Massive difference between the 2 coaches and teams during transition phases. The question have to be asked...Is the problems in NZ rugby deeper than the team? Are they growing weaker due to coaching or competition? This 2 tests the AB's had it but lost it against a team that is swapping and changing continuesly. Changing that many players, no matter how good they are, you lose a lot of little things. In attack the Boks struggle to gel, they play in short bursts and currently is a team who rescue themselves through sheer power or broken play. Their mental strength is one of the biggest changes in the team. They find a way to win. They believe that they are the best but they are not letting it make them complacent. They know they are hard to beat and at any given day can lose. They are not the polished product and far from reaching their end goal. Rassie keeps shifting the goal posts. Making it harder for every player to keep their spot on the team. Fozzie was seen as the worst AB's coach, but he got them to the WC final. The NZRU would have been very happy that the AB's lost that final. What would it have looked like if they fired a coach they mocked, gave a hard time and fired long before the WC, if he won the WC? They are not good at their jobs. Just like with the Aussie board, this NZ board is failing upwards. How long before the AB's become the Wallabies? The players are trying hard, but they can do only so much. Razor is a coach of habit. He has his favourites. Is the current AB's team the best players in each position in the country? Or is there better players that don't get a look in? These players are not bad. The best though? Imagine what an Aki Bundee would have been able to do, and other players the AB's throw away for fun. Now they gain residency and play for other countries or go back to their Island nations and play for them. No matter how I look at it, NZ rugby is going backwards. I don't blame the players. NZ still produce world class players, but a lot of questions is left to answer. More than just a losing team. Razor should not have walked in as head coach. He should have been assistant to learn the ropes of international rugby. There is a vast difference between club and international rugby. Is the NZRU setting up Razor to fail?

4 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Springboks | The Rugby Championship

Yeah he might, I only saw the one angle where it looked cheek on cheek, and I didn't see what you're referring to today at all. Did either incident change the play SB, did they have any affect on the game?


Um, I don't think you're right in that 'fact' about foul play SB. I just sounds like the typical moaning SA fans did after Sam Cane's red in the world cup final, after there own captain had done the same or worse, taken out Frenchmen the previous game, and lost domestic titles due to their own nations offences. Don't you think it is hypocritical to talk about New Zealanders? Or is that in fact why you are trying to put Kiwi's in the same boat as others?


I would venture you've fallen into the media hole. It's easy to look at things like number of cards in isolation, for someone to cherry pick data and others to swallow it whole. I would need to do some research to see a problem developing with NZ rugby.


To me, on the surface without digging into it, they have mostly felt hard done by, so I'd suggest to anyone that they simply haven't adapted to the changing laws rather than having changed (their rugby style) themselves. I think if you did look you would find all sanctions were mitigated down to the most minimal suspensions possible. The only bad act I recall was Sonny-Bill Williams in Lions 2 with his league tackle. For him, it would just go down into the 'stupid' category.


So if you don't wont to look stupid throwing around the word 'fact', you should at least be able to back it up when you do try it ;)

41 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Springboks reclaim Freedom Cup in titanic All Blacks clash Springboks reclaim Freedom Cup in titanic clash
Search