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Quinn Tupaea returns for Chiefs in side to face Robbie Deans' Wild Knights
After tearing his ACL in 2022’s Bledisloe Cup, All Blacks midfielder Quinn Tupaea will make his return to Super Rugby Pacific’s pre-season for the Chiefs when the team line up against League One’s undefeated Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights on Sunday.
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The 24-year-old will square off with double World Cup winner Damian de Allende at second five-eighth, while more familiar faces from The Rugby Championship in Lood de Jager and Marika Koroibete will also feature in the contest under former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.
Kaylum Boshier will share captaincy honours for the Chiefs with Rameka Poihipi, and square off with his brother Lachlan Boshier at openside flanker.
With the Chiefs’ 2023 Rugby World Cup participants still on All Blacks leave, seven members of club’s wider training squad have been drafted in to feature in the contest: Tana Tahukaraina, Josh Jacomb, Millenium Sanerivi, Wallace Sititi, Tevita Ofa, Cody Nordstrom and Riley Hohepa.
Playmaker for the NPC-winning Taranaki side in 2023, Josh Jacomb will spark interest starting at fullback, having surprisingly not made the Chiefs squad for 2024.
Aidan Ross and Naitoa Ah Kuoi will suit up in the contest having ventured to Japan in 2023 as members of the All Blacks XV on their successful two-game tour of the land of the rising sun.
The dangerous backline trio of Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa and Etene Nanai-Seturo are all absent from the travelling squad due to injury but are expected to be healthy by Super Rugby Pacific’s opening round.
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Josh Lord, Tyrone Thompson, Kaleb Trask and Gideon Wrampling are the others to feature on the Chiefs’ current injury list.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said there was potential for travelling All Blacks Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown to feature in the second of the Japan games against Kubota Spears Funabashi-Tokyo Bay.
“Razor (All Blacks coach Scott Robertson) wants to take a pretty flexible approach, so there’s potentially one or two that may get some minutes in the second game, but we haven’t signed off on that yet.”
2024?2?4?14:30KO
THE CROSS-BORDER RUGBY 2024
v Gallagher Chiefs#???????????????????⚔️
???????????????🔥#?????????#SPWK#??????? pic.twitter.com/eVipWrHPWH— ??????????? Saitama Wild Knights (@Panasonic_WK) February 2, 2024
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Chiefs team to play Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights:
1. Ollie Norris
2. Bradley Slater
3. George Dyer
4. Jimmy Tupou
5. Naitoa Ah Kuoi
6. Samipeni Finau
7. Kaylum Boshier (Co-Captain)
8. Malachi Wrampling
9. Xavier Roe
10. Josh Ioane
11. Peniasi Malimali
12. Quinn Tupaea
13. Rameka Poihipi (Co-Captain)
14. Tana Tuhakaraina
15. Josh Jacomb
16. Millenium Sanerivi
17. Aidan Ross
18. Reuben O’Neill
19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit
20. Wallace Sititi
21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
22. Tevita Ofa
23. Liam Coombes-Fabling
24. Riley Hohepa
25. Cody Nordstrom
26. Hamilton Burr
27. Jared Proffit
28. Kauvaka Kaivelata
Comments on RugbyPass
Good summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
1 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
1 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
1 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
5 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
45 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
45 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
5 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
8 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
8 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
5 Go to comments