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New Zealand Warriors claim 'unprecedented influx' in rugby union signings
The rise in popularity of the New Zealand Warriors has lead to an ‘unprecedented influx’ in the number of former schoolboy rugby union players signing with the club.
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The club claims to have signed 36 players into their development system with no previous rugby league experience, from rugby union schools where no rugby league is played.
The trend is a shift according to the club, who haven’t been able to secure this number of top union prospects before.
On the list of 36 names publicly stated, 17 are from high profile Auckland schools including St Peter’s College, De La Salle, Sacred Heart and Saint Kentigern’s.
But the reach extends as far as Balclutha in the deep south, while a handful from Rotorua, Hamilton and Wellington are named.
Current New Zealand Warriors starting centre Rocco Berry, son of former All Black Marty Berry, is one of the success stories after attending St Pats Silverstream in Wellington. Tom Ale of Rotorua Boys High is another in the first grade squad.
The news comes as reports of players being steered away from league while pursuing rugby union have surfaced.
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One 1st XV booster who is affiliated with the Warriors academy programme is considering withdrawing support for the rugby union school after players were encouraged to commit solely to union according to The Code.
Roosters star Joseph Manu, who has signed a deal with Toyota Verblitz for a code switch, told the Daily Telegraph he avoided prestigious rugby union schools over fears he would be pressured away from league.
Manu grew up in Tokoroa, the same town as Wallabies star Quade Cooper, and attended Tokoroa High School. He attended Chiefs games regularly.
Manu has of course committed to a code switch with no intention of returning to rugby league at this stage.
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The battleground for talent will always be high performing rugby schools with New Zealand’s system renown as a pipeline for producing players.
Warriors CEO Cameron George believed the influx of rugby union talent to league will continue. Speaking to Jason Pine’s Newstalk ZB show, George believed that league can become the “number one” sport in New Zealand.
He said that they had a “few big surprises” in store in their battle to win the minds of sports fans in New Zealand.
“We’ll never beat the All Blacks, and nor should we,” he said.
“Them and the Kiwis should be the most respected teams in their competitions in their sports.
“I do, I respect the All Blacks like you wouldn’t believe.
“But in terms of week-to-week competitions, Super Rugby and NRL, yeah, we will win and we will get there.
“We’ll keep going. We might be up against six or seven franchises but I can assure you through all of our work, we’ve got a few big surprises over the next few years.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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