Mitre 10 Cup: Who has the best back three?
The Mitre 10 Cup is home to expansive and free-flowing rugby, with nearly eight tries scored per match last season. It’s where stars are born and pathways to higher honours are forged.
Few benefit more from this fast-paced and high scoring style of play than the outside backs, so we decided to look at each team and see how their respective back threes stack up to the rest of the competition.
Top Tier
1. Canterbury
The defending champions and winners of nine of the last 10 iterations of the competition have a simply loaded back three combination.
Led by young Crusaders stars George Bridge – who impressed with a 15-try Super Rugby season – and Braydon Ennor, Joe Maddock’s Canterbury side remain an absolute force.
Highlander Josh McKay will get most of the reps at fullback and build on the experience he gained from his debut Super Rugby season. The back three are bolstered by former Mako Caleb Makene and former Auckland schoolboy star Ngane Punivai, who is in his first year with the team.
2. North Harbour
You’re doing pretty well if you can field three established Super Rugby talents as your Mitre 10 Cup back three.
North Harbour’s combination of Highlander Tevita Li, Blue Matt Duffie and Chief Shaun Stevenson remains as one of the premier crops in the competition.
Last season Li led all try scorers with 11 and is already on the board in 2018, while co-captain Duffie earned a spot on the All Blacks’ end of year tour following his 2017 efforts with North Harbour and the Blues. 21-year-old Stevenson is coming off an injury-ridden Super Rugby campaign with the Chiefs and will be hoping to regain his form with a solid Mitre 10 Cup season.
3. Tasman
The Tasman back three received a massive boost and cemented itself as one the competition’s best with the addition of Chiefs star Solomon Alaimalo.
22-year-old Alaimalo – coming off a breakout Super Rugby campaign where he led the Chiefs in tries scored (8), run metres (1727) and line breaks (19) – makes the shift from Northland and forms a blockbusting partnership with Crusaders youngster Will Jordan, giving the side must-watch value.
Jordan – devastating on the counter-attack and excellent in distribution – and Alaimalo will be likely be joined by a combination of brothers Leicester and Tima Faingaanuku and Jamie Spowart. All three are former New Zealand Under 20 representatives, with Spowart – initially named in the wider squad – earning the starting nod in week one.
4. Taranaki
The current Ranfurly Shield holders should once again be contesting for a finals spot, thanks in part to their outstanding outside backs.
In week one Taranaki have the luxury of fielding former All Black Seta Tamanivalu alongside Chiefs wing Sean Wainui and former New Zealand Sevens representative Beaudein Waaka. Wainui was a revelation as a Chiefs injury replacement player, scoring six tries in his 14 appearances and earning a two-year contract with the club.
Throw in the likes of Crusaders wing Manasa Mataele and schoolboy star Kini Naholo and you have one of the deepest outside back crops in the competition.
5. Auckland
Long gone are the days of John Kirwan and Terry Wright, but Auckland’s outside backs are still presenting plenty of challenges for the opposition.
Blues backs Jordan Trainor and Melani Nanai alongside World Cup Sevens winner Salesi Rayasi earn the starting nods for week one, with budding star Caleb Clarke and veteran Joe Ravouvou waiting in the wings.
19-year-old Clarke, son of All Black Eroni, was the MVP of the 2018 Brisbane Tens and managed five appearances in his debut Super Rugby season.
Middle Of The Pack
6. Counties Manukau
All eyes will be on teen sensation Etene Nanai-Seturo once he returns from injury, but while he is on the mend the Steelers’ back three remains in good hands.
Chiefs wing Toni Pulu is back for another run before he joins the Brumbies next year, and Sevens hero Sione Molia is ready to make an impact after a successful World Cup campaign. Highlander Tevita Nabura is also in the frame.
7. Northland
Northland suffered a big blow after losing Solomon Alaimalo to Tasman, but welcome the return of former All Black Rene Ranger to their outside back corps.
Ranger will be joined by Jordan Hyland, whose elite combination of size and speed made an impact in his three appearances for the Blues. Northland veteran Matthew Wright remains a serviceable option at fullback for the Taniwha.
8. Waikato
Waikato’s back three will be once again carried by Fijian flyer Sevu Reece, who will play his third campaign with the side before heading north to join Irish PRO14 club Connacht.
The return of Declan O’Donnell will provide a much-needed boost for the recently relegated side, while Highlander Fletcher Smith could prove to be a massive coup for the beleaguered province at fullback. Versatile Tyler Campbell provides solid cover at both wing, fullback and five-eighth.
READ MORE
Young talent to watch in this year’s Mitre 10 Cup
9. Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay added a splash of young talent to their squad this season, but their back three will be anchored by now-elder statesmen Jonah Lowe, Mason Emerson and Samoan international Jamie-Jerry Taulagi.
Teenager Danny Toala will be one to keep an eye on as the Hastings Boys High product makes the jump to the Mitre 10 Cup in his first year out of school.
10. Wellington
Hurricanes wing Ben Lam will be looking to build on his record-breaking Super Rugby season when he suits up for the Wellington Lions in 2018.
The loss of Julian Savea will be felt but the experienced Trent Renata will provide guidance from the back, while young Malo Tuitama and Losi Filipo are the wildcards at Chris Gibbes’ disposal.
Maybe Next Year
11. Bay of Plenty
Fa’asiu Fuatai’s return to New Zealand adds some flair to the Steamers back three, while provincial stalwart Chase Tiatia and former Magpie Matthew Garland will be looking to indoctrinate new man Kaleb Trask, a New Zealand Under 20 representative.
12. Manawatu
The Turbos will be aided by the return of All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder, though it remains to be seen how many appearances the fleet-footed star will make for the province.
Last year’s club Rookie of the Year, Te Rangatira Waitokia, will be hoping to build on a successful debut campaign, while diminutive former Queensland Red and Australian Sevens representative Junior Laloifi will be looking to make his own mark on the competition.
Once Milner-Skudder returns to the All Black fold the Manawatu outside back stocks may wear a little thin.
13. Otago
The marquee player at the back for Otago will be fullback Vilimoni Koroi.
The 20-year-old exploded onto the scene at the Condor Sevens tournament while at Feilding High School and was soon elevated onto the World Series Sevens Circuit. He has represented New Zealand at the Under 20 level and will be hoping to lift Otago up to the Premiership.
Koroi will be joined by fellow Sevens standout Jona Nareki and Josh Timu, son of former All Black John.
14. Southland
The Stags, winless since week eight of the 2016 season, are in desperate need of a turnaround.
New head coach Dave Hewett will be hoping the reunion of Jackson and Lewis Ormond is a step in the right direction, while the late addition of former New Zealand Sevens representative and “X-factor” player Isaac Te Tamaki could give the side a push that it needs.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 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.
22 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.
22 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?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments