Returning All Blacks complemented by slew of former age-grade representatives for Waikato
‘Something old, something new’ could be the strategy for how Waikato head coach Andrew Strawbridge assembled his squad for the upcoming Mitre 10 Cup.
While the signings of Liam Messam, Adam Thomson and Patrick Osborne have been previously telegraphed, it’s the players on the other end of the experience spectrum that should get fans through the Waikato Stadium turnstiles in droves this season.
Over two-thirds of the new squad have previously played age-grade rugby for New Zealand with eight being selected in the national Under 20s set-up over the last two years.
That includes props George Dyer, Robert Cobb and Oliver Norris, loose forwards Samipeni Finau and Simon Parker, and backs Rivez Reihana, Quinn Tupaea and Gideon Wrampling.
Notably, four of those players turned out for the Chiefs during this year’s Super Rugby season. Tupaea, of course, was a mainstay in the midfield while Cobb, Norris and Parker were brought into the team late in the season following a slew of injuries.
While Waikato have mostly held on to their key performers from prior seasons, they will have to make do without the likes of Declan O’Donnell, Dwayne Sweeney, Tyler Campbell and Jack Stratton, who all either missed out on selection or have taken their talents elsewhere.
It’s the losses due to injury that will likely hit the Mooloo men harder.
Locks Laghlan McWhannell and James Tucker were named in the Chiefs and Blues squad respectively for Super Rugby this year, but injuries meant they played no minutes throughout their campaigns and also won’t be fit to represent Waikato.
As it was for the Chiefs, the second row could be a bit of an Achilles’ heel for Waikato, with no out-and-out locks selected in the squad. They’ll have to rely on the likes of former Scotland Under 20 representative Hamilton Burr as well as Samipeni Finau and Adam Thomson to cover.
Solomon Alaimalo, who managed just a handful of games for Waikato in his first season with the team last year will again be sidelined due to injury and has not been included in the squad. While Waikato are well-equipped with utility backs who can cover the outsides, new recruit Osborne is the only experienced specialist winger in the team. 20-year-old Gideon Wrampling scored four tries in three fixtures for the New Zealand Secondary Schools side last year, however, and is worth keeping an eye on.
Unsurprisingly, the loose forwards are once again a position of strength for Waikato. Messam and Thomson are former All Blacks while Luke Jacobson will be gunning to earn his spot back in the national side, having been selected for the 2019 Rugby World Cup but having to return home due to concussion.
Mitchell Jacobson, meanwhile, is somewhat of a Waikato stalwart and will likely once again own the openside flanker position this season. The likes of Finau and Simon Parker both spent time in Super Rugby environments this year, with Parker earning a cap for the Chiefs in the final game of the season and Finau training with the Hurricanes.
Jack Stratton, who was the starting halfback for the New Zealand Barbarians in their match against the British and Irish Lions, was probably unlucky not have to picked up a Super Rugby contract at some stage and has headed to Japan. That leaves 21-year-old Xavier Roe and 19-year-old Cortez Ratima – neither who’s played for Waikato before – to contest the scrumhalf role.
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Perhaps the one position of greatest depth for the season ahead is first five. While Fletcher Smith will no doubt start the season handling the playmaking duties, he’ll be kept honest by Rivez Reihana, Liam Coombes-Fabling and potentially Matty Lansdown, who’ve all stood out in the 10 jersey during their high school years.
Coombes-Fabling, entering his first year with the team, was named the Player of the Tournament at 2019’s Nations Sevens competition and looks to have a bright future while Reihana played in New Zealand’s final match of last year’s Under 20 World Championship and was again eligible for the team this season.
Waikato have just two current All Blacks on their books, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown, so there’ll be little disruption to the squad when they’re pulled into the national set-up.
After churning through their Championship opposition in 2018 to force their way back into the Premiership division, last year was unsurprisingly much tougher going for Waikato and while the squad may lack experience compared to others around the country, it perhaps boasts the most young talent.
Waikato’s season kicks off on September 12 against Wellington at FMG Stadium in Hamilton.
Waikato squad for 2020:
Hookers: Sekope Lopeti Moli, Steven Misa, Samison Taukei’aho
Props: Rob Cobb, George Dyer, Josh Iosefa-Scott, Ayden Johnstone, Sefo Kautai, Oliver Norris
Locks: Hamilton Burr, Samipeni Finau, Adam Thomson
Loose forwards: Luke Jacobson, Mitchell Jacobson, Liam Messam, Simon Parker, James Thompson
Halfbacks: Cortez Ratima, Xavier Roe
First fives: Rivez Reihana, Fletcher Smith, Liam Coombes-Fabling
Midfield: Anton Lienert-Brown, Louis Rogers, Quinn Tupaea, Valynce Te Whare
Outside backs: Matthew Lansdown, Damian McKenzie, Patrick Osborne, Bailyn Sullivan, Gideon Wrampling
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben 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.
19 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.
7 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.
19 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 🤐
19 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….
19 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….
88 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments