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Look who's back: All the New Zealand stars that have returned for a supersized Mitre 10 Cup

By Tom Vinicombe
(Photo by Simon Watts/All Blacks Collection/Getty Images)

Every cloud has a silver lining and from a New Zealand rugby point of view, the silver lining of the COVID pandemic is undeniably the return of a number of experienced operators from around the world for what’s shaping up to be an exciting provincial season.

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There was hope that some of the former All Blacks and Super Rugby players that are based in Japan might temporarily make themselves available for this season’s Mitre 10 Cup but that hasn’t transpired due to a raft of complicated issues. However, there will still be a healthy contingent of experienced operators who have returned home and will be donning their province’s colours in the coming weeks.

Simon Hickey – Auckland

Former King’s College first five Simon Hickey previously spent four seasons with Auckland and two with the Blues before heading to Europe at the end of 2016.

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Ross Karl is joined by Brad Weber and Josh Ioane for this weeks episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod as they look back on the epic encounter that was the North vs South match in Wellington.

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Ross Karl is joined by Brad Weber and Josh Ioane for this weeks episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod as they look back on the epic encounter that was the North vs South match in Wellington.

Following successful stints with Bordeaux Begles and Edinburgh, Hickey signed with the Hurricanes late in the Super Rugby Aotearoa season and has now found himself back with his home province.

Hickey will compete with Harry Plummer for the starting playmaker role.

Kieran Read and Baden Kerr – Counties Manukau

When Baden Kerr re-signed with Counties, it was considered a little bit of a coup. When it was announced that Kieran Read would finally be packing down with the South Aucklanders for a Mitre 10 season, all hell should have broken loose.

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Kieran Read playing for Counties Manukau in a pre-season match in 2018. (Photo by Getty Images)

The former All Blacks captain has had a lengthy break from the game, playing just a handful of matches for Toyota Verblitz before the Top League season was called to a halt. New Zealand hasn’t seen a fully refreshed Read take the field for many a year so how the powerful loose forward fares in the provincial game is anyone’s guess.

The addition of Kerr, who left NZ in 2014 for England but ended up in Japan, also offers the Steelers a much needed experienced hand at first five.

Liam Messam and Patrick Osborne – Waikato

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Liam Messam is the gift that keeps on giving for the Waikato region. The former sevens star left New Zealand following the successful 2015 World Cup in England and represented Toshiba Brave Lupus for four seasons but also popped back to the homeland to grab a couple of extra seasons with the Chiefs. Now that Messam has finished up his one-year stint in France, the most capped Chief of all time is back adding his experience to a young Waikato squad. Adam Thomson will also be present, having returned to NZ last season to link up with Otago.

Flying Fijian Patrick Osborne, meanwhile, was on hand for the Highlanders’ Super Rugby title win in 2015 and will be looking to reach a half century of provincial caps in the upcoming season. Osborne, like so many others, has recently been based in Japan.

Bryn Evans and Lolagi Visinia – Hawke’s Bay

When Bryn Evans was called up to the All Blacks in 2009, few across the country had heard of the grafting second-rower who’d played just a handful of Super Rugby matches. Injuries curtailed Evans’ career in New Zealand but the brother of Hurricanes flanker and Magpies teammate Gareth had plenty of success in Europe with London Irish, Biarritz and Sale.

Lolagi Visini’s career followed a completely different trajectory. Visinia was seemingly destined for greatness and made a big impact when he first arrived onto the scene as a rangey outside back for Auckland but eventually ceded that higher honours would probably never arrive and he made the decision to depart NZ in 2016. Having played in France and Japan, the 27-year-old still has plenty to offer Hawke’s Bay on his return to the country.

Julian Savea – Wellington

‘The Bus’ was once a regular figure on the Wellington, Hurricanes and All Blacks wings – dominating opposition wherever he went. When his time in the national set-up looked to be coming to an end, Savea headed to Toulon where he shifted into the midfield.

With ample options throughout the backline, there are no certainties where the returning hulk will line up – but you’ll certainly feel for whichever man ends up marking him. Savea has his sights set on an All Blacks recall so expect to see him firing from week one.

Quentin MacDonald and Kieron Fonotia – Tasman

Tasman have bolstered their already formidable side with the inclusion of wings Sevu Reece and Mark Telea, but they’ve also managed to bring two of their former stars back home for the upcoming season.

Quentin MacDonald notched up almost 80 appearances for the Mako between 2007 and 2015 before taking his wares to Oyonnax in France. The 31-year-old hooker spent time with the Crusaders, Blues and Chiefs during his time in NZ and will go toe-to-toe with Andrew Makalio for minutes.

Quentin MacDonald. (Photo by Getty Images)

Kieron Fonotia has spent the better part of the last four years in Wales while also representing Samoa. While Tasman are absolutely stacked in the backs, Reece and Will Jordan’s elevation to the All Blacks might open up a spot for the midfielder on the wing.

Jamie Mackintosh and Josh Hohneck – Otago

Betrayals don’t come any worse than this – at least from a Southlander’s point of view. Whoppa, as Jamie Mackintosh is affectionately known, clocked up over 120 matches for the Stags over an 11-year career with the side but will represent Otago this year.

With 88 Super Rugby caps to his name and stints playing in France and the United States (plus two matches for the All Blacks), Mackintosh will add plenty of experience to a front row that will also welcome the return of Josh Hohneck. Hohneck has represented Gloucester since 2016, managing to tick off a Premiership century shortly before the COVID-enforced suspension of the season earlier this year.

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Jon 2 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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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 6 hours 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

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 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
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