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'They are key cogs': How the Wellington Lions can have an NPC dynasty

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons believes Wellington can have an NPC dynasty if experienced campaigners stay at the nation’s capital.

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The Lions were emphatic in their drought breaking 26-18 win over Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship Final just over one week ago.

A 22-year drought was broken for the Lions, who also ended the year as the holders of the Ranfurly Shield.

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Wellington Lions superb throughout the NPC season.

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Wellington Lions superb throughout the NPC season.

Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, former Blues captain Parsons said the Lions need the likes of TJ Perenara and Julian Savea if they’re to be successful again going forward.

“If guys like (TJ) Perenara and Julian Savea (stay) yes, I think they can. But they are key cogs to the successful season,” Parsons said.

“I don’t think (Asafo) Aumua will be playing too much NPC. That was a game changer that try, and not many players can score that.

“Another guy that provided a lot of stability and performed probably his best game of the season was Dom Brid.

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“That experience is key to keep. The youth… is unbelievable in the Wellington region but you just need those steady heads, especially at NPC level to make sure that the weeks look right.”

Wellington started their season in August with a two-point win over Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium.

But their season appeared to have taken a massive hit the following weekend when they lost to old foes Canterbury by 33-points in Christchurch. After losing to Northland in their next outing, the Lions went on a 10-game unbeaten run to take out the domestic prize.

It just shows how far this Lions have come this season, as they returned Christchurch to arguably dominate Canterbury for periods of the NPC Final.

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“They almost dominated the balance of the game from minute one to the end.

“There was a moment where they kicked to the corner from a penalty and just the focus on (Du’Plessis) Kirifi’s face man, he was shorts, jersey tucked in, and he was just starting at the Canterbury pack.

“It was about a month ago, I’m not trying to pat myself on the pack but I said they were on a run. You know when they played Counties, and it was Kirifi’s after-match speech and he was like ‘we’re back at the start line now.’

“Big performers but I think there’s an unsung hero for Wellington. We’ve talked about Perenara, Savea, Du’Plessis Kirifi, (Peter) Lakai, (Riley) Higgins, but Jackson Garden-Bachop was massive.

“His maturity and his ability to put them in the right area of the field, his ability to kick penalties was massive.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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